OEM steel bumper or aftermarket?

[James57]

Planning on buying Rubicon 2021, getting the thing outfitted from the factory.
The OEM steel bumper is $1300cad. of should I skip and buy aftermarket?
Plan putting on a winch, also thinking about having the winch mount in the back as well if needed.

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[Levin_tom]

Skip and buy after market. The front bumper is solid but the back is trash. You can usually find the front OE steel one for $600-750 on the forum or other marketplaces like OfferUp, Ebay, etc.

 

[James57]

Skip and buy after market. The front bumper is solid but the back is trash. You can usually find the front OE steel one for $600-750 on the forum or other marketplaces like OfferUp, Ebay, etc.

Thanks Tomas
What are some of the better aftermarket companys for Jeep?
Not just bumpers but in general.
Thanks
James

 

[Jaeth]

Check out the exterior mods bumper master list.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/the-aftermarket-bumper-list-jl-jlu-wrangler.2824/

 

[Levin_tom]

Thanks Tomas
What are some of the better aftermarket companys for Jeep?
Not just bumpers but in general.
Thanks
James

@Jaeth sent a pretty complete list above. Lots of manufacturers out there depending what kind of bumper you’re looking for! Popular ones are LOD, Poison Spyder, ARB, DV8, AEV, Smittybuilt, amongst others. I went with ARB stubby. Really happy with quality. Install was very straightforward. Welcome to the rabbit hole! Happy hunting

 

[word302]

Way better options for less money in the aftermarket. The factory rear steel bumper is complete trash.

 

[R3TRO]

Way better options for less money in the aftermarket. The factory rear steel bumper is complete trash.

I'm not disagreeing with you... but curious to know what makes it so bad? I eventually would like to replace front/back but wonder how difficult it is to move the sensors.

 

[aldo98229]

I don’t like 99% of the aftermarket bumpers; they look like highschool projects. I’d go OE.

I got my Mopar bumper for $900, including shipping. It comes with the LED fogs, red hooks and fully assembled. It is true plug and play.

 

[Whiskey 13]

I went with LOD Signature series mid width, recessed winch setup is great and the bumper is rated for flat tow

 

[Mikester86]

I am very happy with the factory steel bumpers so far. I have not been is a situation that I had to worry about the rear bumper being pushed up into the body when coming off of a ledge or similar.

 

[goochman]

After getting new bumpers, tires, rims, headlights, fog lights, bluetooth addon, ipod integration and mopar hands free device upgrades to my 2009 JK - I wanted to keep my 2020 Rubicon as factory as possible. I like the steel bumpers and got from factory. I also dont foresee the rear banging issue in my future.

 

[Headbarcode]

Personally, I like the factory steel front bumper and think it compliments the face of the Jeep. As for the rear, I agree with word302 above. It's flimsy and prone to getting pushed up into the body. I went with the Ultra High Clearance bumper from Cavfab. It is way stronger, while also not hanging as low or protruding as far back.

 

[word302]

I'm not disagreeing with you... but curious to know what makes it so bad? I eventually would like to replace front/back but wonder how difficult it is to move the sensors.

It is so flimsy that several people have sustained body damage from pretty mild wheeling. When you pull the thing off you’ll understand, it weighs about 7 pounds (I’m exaggerating, but it’s stupid light).

 

[Mikester86]

Personally, I like the factory steel front bumper and think it compliments the face of the Jeep. As for the rear, I agree with word302 above. It's flimsy and prone to getting pushed up into the body. I went with the Ultra High Clearance bumper from Cavfab. It is way stronger, while also not hanging as low or protruding as far back.

Is that with the factory tow package? Did you have to do anything special when uninstalling the factory and installing the Cavfab? I like that bumper.

 

[YFD_322]

I just took delivery of my third JL Rubicon. The first two had steel bumper group this one I figured you really can’t tell the difference. I just ordered OEM from BAM and winch guard. In the grand scheme of things get the stock steel one if you want to change it later you can and you can always sell the steel one don’t regret it like I did

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