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JLUR - Plastic vs Steel Bumpers?

MauiSteve

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I stuck with plastic, I’ll get an LOD stubby or a Warn for the front if I decide to get a winch. Less $$.
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Abnmarine

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I bought a Willys and watched for sales on Market Place. Found a steel front bumper for $300 and a rear for $70. I’m satisfied with that.
 

Whiskey 13

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If you don't intend to add a winch or do any moderate to heavy off road driving in the foreseeable future than I would stay with the plastic bumper. If later on you decide you need to go steel for $1800.00 you can add a quality steel bumper and winch.
 

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SargeRubicon14

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I ordered mine with the plastic bumpers, but I also immediately change them out for aftermarket steel bumpers that I liked better.
 

DocTwinkie

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Doc... Duh.
I have a 2020 JLUR and got plastic bumpers. You done did good. The plastic is nice for daily driving and since they aren’t painted they’re actually really durable. Dude backed into my parked Jeep and took zero damage. His paint rubbed off and couldn’t even tell. When I park in my garage I purposely bump the junk in front of me to know I’m in all the way.
As you mentioned they are plastic so I have zero rust concerns with all the bumping. Steel would need touched up. I have steel rails and even after a year there are spots I’ve had to sand and touch up. Steel is a pain in the @$$.
That said I’ve finally decided to put bumpers on after a year. I really wanted aluminum front and back but the rear aluminum with tow and backup sensors is just impossible to find a good looking one. The rock hard 4x4 front aluminum I’ll buy but the rear is just hideous. Went with a metalcloak steel rear. If it rusts in a few years I’ll change it out.
 

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Ordered my 2021 JLUR with plastic bumpers for the same reason many above have mentioned. Aftermarket options are plentiful and for the price of the mopar steel bumpers you have a ton of variety to choose from. For now I’m happy with the plastic though.
 

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I ordered my 2021 JLU Rubicon after agonizing about how to equip it. I did order the steel bumpers, but honestly, I am a green or at most blue trail occasional wheeler. Truth be told, even a sport JLU is more than capable for my skill level and risk tolerance. I did not need the bumpers, I know I can put a winch on either bumper with a winch plate but for whatever reason I ordered them anyway. The factory standard bumper would have been more than fine for my needs. There is no doubt. ALSO, if you get it and it is just driving you crazy after a few months, replace the bumpers. it's a bumper not a trans so the warranty on it is not make or break IMHO.... Relax, enjoy your new Jeep.

Funny, I bought bumpers I really don't need but cheaped out on the rock rails with steps that I do need/want. Go figure.... kind of like the fenders, I bought black fenders knowing that I can find a set of white fenders on ebay pretty much anytime.
 

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I have a sahara that came with plastic. I don't do serious off-roading and love the look of the mopar steel bumper. I've now installed used steel front and rear - it was a fairly simple and fun upgrade. the front is as simple as it gets, rear (on a Sahara) is a bitch because the steel is meant for rubi fenders.

Anyway, I always figured if I end up ordering a new jeep I would get the bumpers.
HOWEVER...I just noticed the price on the bumper group is $1645. Between my rear and front with skid plate, I was able to get everything for $1000. My thought is if you can add the option for $1300 or less, do it...... don't forget the bumpers separately and Skid plate are fairly expensive...
 

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lzaffuto

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If you just want the look of the factory mopar steel bumper without the weight penalty or having to worry about rust there is this aluminum option:

https://www.extremeterrain.com/mp-c...-forged-aluminum-front-bumper-j134510-jl.html

I've seen it on aliexpress and some other sites as well. I think it's the same as the knock-off/copy mopar steel bumpers you find on eBay just in aluminum. It's a little more expensive than the steel copy but still a lot cheaper than the actual mopar unit.
 
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tts42572

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Thanks for the input.

If I ever do get to a trail, I will 100% just be on the green trails for sure. I'd love to do some nice, off-road more "scenic" type trails just to get out there and do it. But I have zero interest in testing limits of the Jeep and climbing over all kinds of rock formations that could damage my over $50K vehicle.

I guess for me, the steel group would clearly be more about aesthetics than functionality. I've got no desire to add a winch at this time. Or to add any additional lights or other things. Probably makes very little sense for somebody like me to spend close to $2,000 for marginally better looks.
The wise move is probably to just get the Jeep, enjoy it and upgrade the bumper later if I get to the point where I really feel like I need/want to. Heck, to be honest I've never even owned a Jeep before. I think I'll love it but I truly don't know for sure. Probably another reason not to drop almost $2,000 right now though.

Part of my problem is probably just spending so much time thinking about it and looking at all the cool Jeeps in this forum lol. I actually placed an order in early September kind of blindly without having done a ton of research. That order I was trying hard to keep the Jeep more affordable and leaving out things I didn't think I really needed.

Then I found this forum and really started researching, watching videos, etc. And then started figuring out more things I really wanted. Ending up asking my dealer if I could do a new order which I did in early October. Ending up changing the color, adding LED lights, painted fender flares, 8.4 radio, headliner...basically another $4K in options. I debated the bumpers at that point a little but was already kind of pushing things beyond where I really wanted to be so passed on them.... again thinking I didn't really need them even though I kind of wanted them lol.

I'll probably just wait it out and maybe change it later if I'm so inclined.


I ordered my 2021 JLU Rubicon after agonizing about how to equip it. I did order the steel bumpers, but honestly, I am a green or at most blue trail occasional wheeler. Truth be told, even a sport JLU is more than capable for my skill level and risk tolerance. I did not need the bumpers, I know I can put a winch on either bumper with a winch plate but for whatever reason I ordered them anyway. The factory standard bumper would have been more than fine for my needs. There is no doubt. ALSO, if you get it and it is just driving you crazy after a few months, replace the bumpers. it's a bumper not a trans so the warranty on it is not make or break IMHO.... Relax, enjoy your new Jeep.

Funny, I bought bumpers I really don't need but cheaped out on the rock rails with steps that I do need/want. Go figure.... kind of like the fenders, I bought black fenders knowing that I can find a set of white fenders on ebay pretty much anytime.
 

Whaler27

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I got the steel bumpers, because I bought off the lot, we have no sales tax, I knew I’d be adding a winch, and I liked the factory front bumper appearance better than the aftermarket options.

My buddy went with the plastic bumper on his JT and he’s spent the last six weeks trying to find a factory front steel take-off for a reasonable price. Few have been available nearby and they seem to sell quickly. (There’s an eBay clone option for the factory front at less than $500, and it gets good reviews, but my buddy has been reluctant To pull the trigger due to fears it’s the lousy, instant-rust, Chinese steel).

As others have said, the factory rear bumper is useless. If you ever decide to upgrade to 37” tires many of the best spare-carrying solutions, like the Warn, involve bumper replacement. The factory reinforcement for the rear tire carrier, though advertised to be adequate for 37s, is reportedly maxed-out at 35s, or less. I didn’t want to contribute to the tailgate horror stories, so I went with the Warn rear with tire carrier.

Stay with plastic. You’ll be money ahead even if you just drive to a nearby state with no sales tax, pay retail for the steel front bumper at a Mopar dealer, and get the salvage value for your new plastic front.
 

ads75

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Stay with the plastic bumpers for your order if you are on the fence about them. I have the steel, and am probably going to replace the rear. I may end up replacing the front also to have it match the rear. I do like the looks of the front, and may keep it, but to add a winch I need a winch plate (about $200-$300), and a bull bar/stinger is about $200. The steel bumpers were $1300 when I ordered my 2019 (minus about 10% off sticker), and I was iffy on adding them then.
 

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Love the steel bumper on my Rubi. Super easy to attach accessories and it doesn’t look like a ridiculous hunk of metal on the front.
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