*Need Input* WESTiN WJ2 Bumpers

[Bornabe]

Ahoy! I'm researching the few things I'll be doing my new Jeep JLUR once I take delivery of it and am having a hard time finding what I want from bumpers. I've found the WESTiN WJ2 Stubby Front Bumper and the WESTiN WJ2 Rear Bumper and love the looks. So if there's suggestions on others I can review you guys 'n gals think I should, don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts.

I've always been a Poison Spyder kind of guy and my Jeep TJ Rubi has one of those. I have every available option on the new JLUR I ordered so I won't be going Poison Spyder this time as they don't currently have holes for the rear sensors. What are your thoughts on WESTiN as a brand, the WJ2 bumpers, etc... I always enjoy getting others' input and opinions to help me round out my thoughts so I make the best possible purchases.

What I like about the WESTiN bumpers are the angled corner 'rock' light slots, the appearance overall, recessed winch slot and while I've only ever used my Hi-Lift twice, it's been good to have it rather than not and so the Hi-Lift points are a plus, but not a necessity by any means. Only extreme use cases get me convinced to pull that thing out and use it, with caution. Normally bottle jack and base and go. We used the Hi-Lift as a jaws-of-life once and as a lift at some wonky angle a bottle jack wouldn't work. Both times not my vehicle. I also like the light mount points on the bumpers so there's some positive stuff happening here with those. I don't know anything about WESTiN as a brand or the quality of their stuffs. I will be adding rock lights under my rig so have the extra 4-corner ones is a nice touch. The shackle mounts on the front have a nice tug point at the top, I do like that.

What I don't like are the worded logos on the rear bumpers, but I 'can' live with that if I'm not able to find good alternatives.

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[JLUR Wolff]

Ahoy! I'm researching the few things I'll be doing my new Jeep JLUR once I take delivery of it and am having a hard time finding what I want from bumpers. I've found the WESTiN WJ2 Stubby Front Bumper and the WESTiN WJ2 Rear Bumper and love the looks. So if there's suggestions on others I can review you guys 'n gals think I should, don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts.

I've always been a Poison Spyder kind of guy and my Jeep TJ Rubi has one of those. I have every available option on the new JLUR I ordered so I won't be going Poison Spyder this time as they don't currently have holes for the rear sensors. What are your thoughts on WESTiN as a brand, the WJ2 bumpers, etc... I always enjoy getting others' input and opinions to help me round out my thoughts so I make the best possible purchases.

What I like about the WESTiN bumpers are the angled corner 'rock' light slots, the appearance overall, recessed winch slot and while I've only ever used my Hi-Lift twice, it's been good to have it rather than not and so the Hi-Lift points are a plus, but not a necessity by any means. Only extreme use cases get me convinced to pull that thing out and use it, with caution. Normally bottle jack and base and go. We used the Hi-Lift as a jaws-of-life once and as a lift at some wonky angle a bottle jack wouldn't work. Both times not my vehicle. I also like the light mount points on the bumpers so there's some positive stuff happening here with those. I don't know anything about WESTiN as a brand or the quality of their stuffs. I will be adding rock lights under my rig so have the extra 4-corner ones is a nice touch. The shackle mounts on the front have a nice tug point at the top, I do like that.

What I don't like are the worded logos on the rear bumpers, but I 'can' live with that if I'm not able to find good alternatives.

I just put mine on today. Quality and fit are very nice, and it comes with the relocation kit for both the licence plate and the trailer connector if you have that option. I have no doubt it will hold up to trail use well (why I bought it). The only 2 downfalls I have as of now are:
1. I'm running 35s x12.5 on the stock rims and with these the gate wont close without what looks like a 2" spacer (if I had off set rims it would probably close fine) no where does anything state this.

2. Not a big deal if you don't move states often like most people. The licence plate light setup sucks if you change your plate often because the lights run through the mounting holes of the plate and then splice into your wiring harness for your stock bumper light. So to change your plate you would need to undo the splicing.

If you fall in this category of moving every couple of years here is what I did. I kept the harness from my stock bumper it was chewed up from rocks anyway and attached the spade connectors to the end of that harness so I'm not cutting my main jeep harness. Then attached the other ends of the connectors to the new lights. I can now take them off easier in the future. I would still get this bumper again even with that said as I plan to get a stand alone tire carrier in the future anyway.

Also Jegs had the best deal I could fi d on this bumper running my 450 shipped to my door.

Hope this helps.

 

[LLANERO]

I just put mine on today. Quality and fit are very nice, and it comes with the relocation kit for both the licence plate and the trailer connector if you have that option. I have no doubt it will hold up to trail use well (why I bought it). The only 2 downfalls I have as of now are:
1. I'm running 35s x12.5 on the stock rims and with these the gate wont close without what looks like a 2" spacer (if I had off set rims it would probably close fine) no where does anything state this.

2. Not a big deal if you don't move states often like most people. The licence plate light setup sucks if you change your plate often because the lights run through the mounting holes of the plate and then splice into your wiring harness for your stock bumper light. So to change your plate you would need to undo the splicing.

If you fall in this category of moving every couple of years here is what I did. I kept the harness from my stock bumper it was chewed up from rocks anyway and attached the spade connectors to the end of that harness so I'm not cutting my main jeep harness. Then attached the other ends of the connectors to the new lights. I can now take them off easier in the future. I would still get this bumper again even with that said as I plan to get a stand alone tire carrier in the future anyway.

Also Jegs had the best deal I could fi d on this bumper running my 450 shipped to my door.

Hope this helps.

Off topic... If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious to where you work, that you need to move every two years and have to change plates?

 

[JLUR Wolff]

Off topic... If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious to where you work, that you need to move every two years and have to change plates?

I'm in the military so every 2 to 3 years heading to a new location and most states won't allow you to continue renewing your plate with a different mailing address.

 

[LLANERO]

I'm in the military so every 2 to 3 years heading to a new location and most states won't allow you to continue renewing your plate with a different mailing address.

You should be able to keep your plates and renew your driver's license from your home state with form DD 2058 State of Legal Residence.
Also, if your home state doesn't collect state taxes, you don't have to pay them on any other states where you are stationed.

 

[Bornabe]

Thank you for the reply! They are some of the better looking bumpers for the JL in my opinion. Do you have any pics of yours installed? I've got a welder buddy I'm seeing if he can close up the logos plastered all over these and the skid plate. I don't mind telling anyone what accessories I have but really don't like paying top dollar for things that self-advertise when I'm driving down the road.

On the front Stubby WJ2 I like the corner aux light points, rock light holes, recovery hooks + d-ring in one, recessed winch and the available slider. Lots to love about these 2 bumpers.

On the rear WJ2 I love the rock light holes, rear square light slots, hi-lift points are a nice addition (not super necessary as I've only ever used my hi-lift once) and it leaves the factory tow package alone as well as has provisions for the rear factory sensors.

I might be getting a rotopax spare tire delete kit, not sure yet. If I do that I can move the license plate there, along with have 2 rotopax, the rear camera, a small light for the license plate and mount an antennae back there along with using the factory 3rd brake light. Soooooo much to decide on.

I just put mine on today. Quality and fit are very nice, and it comes with the relocation kit for both the licence plate and the trailer connector if you have that option. I have no doubt it will hold up to trail use well (why I bought it). The only 2 downfalls I have as of now are:
1. I'm running 35s x12.5 on the stock rims and with these the gate wont close without what looks like a 2" spacer (if I had off set rims it would probably close fine) no where does anything state this.

2. Not a big deal if you don't move states often like most people. The licence plate light setup sucks if you change your plate often because the lights run through the mounting holes of the plate and then splice into your wiring harness for your stock bumper light. So to change your plate you would need to undo the splicing.

If you fall in this category of moving every couple of years here is what I did. I kept the harness from my stock bumper it was chewed up from rocks anyway and attached the spade connectors to the end of that harness so I'm not cutting my main jeep harness. Then attached the other ends of the connectors to the new lights. I can now take them off easier in the future. I would still get this bumper again even with that said as I plan to get a stand alone tire carrier in the future anyway.

Also Jegs had the best deal I could fi d on this bumper running my 450 shipped to my door.

Hope this helps.

 

[JLUR Wolff]

Thank you for the reply! They are some of the better looking bumpers for the JL in my opinion. Do you have any pics of yours installed? I've got a welder buddy I'm seeing if he can close up the logos plastered all over these and the skid plate. I don't mind telling anyone what accessories I have but really don't like paying top dollar for things that self-advertise when I'm driving down the road.

On the front Stubby WJ2 I like the corner aux light points, rock light holes, recovery hooks + d-ring in one, recessed winch and the available slider. Lots to love about these 2 bumpers.

On the rear WJ2 I love the rock light holes, rear square light slots, hi-lift points are a nice addition (not super necessary as I've only ever used my hi-lift once) and it leaves the factory tow package alone as well as has provisions for the rear factory sensors.

I might be getting a rotopax spare tire delete kit, not sure yet. If I do that I can move the license plate there, along with have 2 rotopax, the rear camera, a small light for the license plate and mount an antennae back there along with using the factory 3rd brake light. Soooooo much to decide on.

Thank you for the reply! They are some of the better looking bumpers for the JL in my opinion. Do you have any pics of yours installed? I've got a welder buddy I'm seeing if he can close up the logos plastered all over these and the skid plate. I don't mind telling anyone what accessories I have but really don't like paying top dollar for things that self-advertise when I'm driving down the road.

On the front Stubby WJ2 I like the corner aux light points, rock light holes, recovery hooks + d-ring in one, recessed winch and the available slider. Lots to love about these 2 bumpers.

On the rear WJ2 I love the rock light holes, rear square light slots, hi-lift points are a nice addition (not super necessary as I've only ever used my hi-lift once) and it leaves the factory tow package alone as well as has provisions for the rear factory sensors.

I might be getting a rotopax spare tire delete kit, not sure yet. If I do that I can move the license plate there, along with have 2 rotopax, the rear camera, a small light for the license plate and mount an antennae back there along with using the factory 3rd brake light. Soooooo much to decide on.

I'll take some other pictures today and post them.

 

[JLUR Wolff]

I'll take some other pictures today and post them.

Here are some angles showing side clearance, an optional filler plate you can use if you want to drill 2 holes into your lower panel and how far the gate is from closing (using non offset stock rims with 35x12.5xR17)wheels/tires. To fix this I just bought the smittybilt HD pivot rear tire carrier. I'm not a SB fan but I wanted a stand alone carrier that actually had it's own hinges that replaced the factory ones instead of just bolting to them and plenty of adjustment options and I came across a great deal paying $456.19 shipped through JC pony parts with the Feb coupon saving 20% vs almost $600. If there is another angle you want let me know.

 

[Bornabe]

Thank you for the pics! I feel like these bumpers look like they match the vehicle better than other options. I'm going with the Rusty's Rear Cover to protect the seams.

 

[Soulpatch]

Thank you for the pics! I feel like these bumpers look like they match the vehicle better than other options. I'm going with the Rusty's Rear Cover to protect the seams.

So glad you mentioned the rustys. I had seen them before and completly forgot about the cover kit. Its been an item I have struggled with as most of the bumpers (the westin included) I have been looking at dont cover the back edges...

 

[Bornabe]

I've not seen it in person but have seen lots of reviews and videos on it and am super impressed. I will be having a rust inhibitor gassed into all the nooks and crannies and will then put that on afterwards. I think it'll provide some good long-term protection. The CeramicPro 9H Lifetime coating won't prevent chips 'n scratches like a ClearBra would, but it's MUCH more affordable and will protect a lot more than a wax will.

The bumpers that do fully cover everything back there just don't look good or are too wide for myself. I badly want something like the Westin WJ2 Stubbies but without the logo plastered on it. I want clean and the ability to tell someone what I have instead of paying for something to then have it self-advertise.

So glad you mentioned the rustys. I had seen them before and completly forgot about the cover kit. Its been an item I have struggled with as most of the bumpers (the westin included) I have been looking at dont cover the back edges...

 

[Soulpatch]

I'm considering the LOD just due to fact there is no advertising on it to the degree of the Westin. BUT the price of westin is so attractive.

I just want a rear bumper with limited to no branding, cutouts for lights, and quality tire carrier connected to rear door.

 

[Bornabe]

I've got a welder buddy that thinks it should be easy enough to fill-weld the WESTiN logos smooth and then we can sand and redo the powdercoat so I have what I want without the branding. Stuck waiting for the Diesel, another 6 to 8 weeks so I have time to sort out what I want to do bumper wise... Now the dilemma will be fenders.

I'm considering the LOD just due to fact there is no advertising on it to the degree of the Westin. BUT the price of westin is so attractive.

I just want a rear bumper with limited to no branding, cutouts for lights, and quality tire carrier connected to rear door.

 

[JLUR Wolff]

I agree with your buddy filling in the name would not be bad at all as the gaps for the most part are fairly small.

 

[Fuel Fire Desire]

It’s been a couple years for you guys…… how is the bumper holding up? Specifically curious about how tight the swing out carrier is staying. I am trying to decide between a tailgate or bumper spare mount, this has always been at the top of my list, but don’t want the attractive price to get me into a floppy rattletrap a year or two down the road.

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