Is 50-70 lbs saved from bumper weight worth the extra 600 bucks??

[AjMac]

Hey all, just like the title is asking, is it worth spending an extra 600 bucks on an aluminum front bumper just to save 50-70 lbs? A few things:

- I'm going factory plastic to steel or aluminum, so its gonna be heavier no matter what
- I am NOT gonna have all sorts of bed racks, fridges, tents, etc. on my JTR, so im not limited on my weight budget
- I am in a diesel, so I'm already heavier, so should I be trying to make up for that?
- Finally...I am going with a stubby, so even a steel bumper wont be crazy heavy.

So...is it worth spending twice the money on an aluminum bumper? How noticeable is weight like that (first aftermarket bumper search)? TIA

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[redfish]

Watching as I am considering the same

 

[pcrawfordpt]

Most good after market bumpers are in the $600-$1000 range, and Aluminum version of the same bumper usually adds $100-$200. Are you saying the aluminum version you are looking at is $600 more?

 

[AjMac]

Watching as I am considering the same

Most good after market bumpers are in the $600-$1000 range, and Aluminum version of the same bumper usually adds $100-$200. Are you saying the aluminum version you are looking at is $600 more?

I'm not seeing both types for the bumpers I'm interested in...One is only steel, and one is only aluminum. Genright for example...I'm looking at their bumpers and they are coming in at ~1299 bucks whereas a cavfab with a skid is 629.99, or motobilt is 768.00. Even a PoisonSpyder is 769.00.

There are other aluminum bumpers that I am seeing that are around 900...until you add a winch guard, or skid like these steels are coming with.

That being said...I would love to see other options, but this seems to be what I am coming across and what the older jeepers in my group have seen so far.

 

[CerOf]

It’s not worth it.

I added a winch to my mopar steel bumper and lost at most 1/8th inch.

this is on a diesel with the mopar 2” lift.

 

[Trauma PA]

I installed a 10,000 lb. winch and the Rugged Ridge Venator bumper on my Willys gasser. I have stock springs but installed a 2.5” spacer. Post bumper winch install I lost 3/8.” I have not noticed any difference in MPG. I’m happy with my choice.

 

[LostWoods]

It depends.

Are you adding a bunch of stuff that will put you near GVWR? In that case a little here and a little there makes a difference. If you're just doing a bumper because it looks good and aren't doing skids and sliders and other heavy armor then it's probably less necessary.

 

[Lateralus]

A couple hundred bucks is worth it to me to not have to deal with rust. All wrangler/gladiator bumpers are silly anyways because the engineers decided to protrude the bumper out a foot from the grill. Save your money and get something that will bolt up to your frame horns after you take a hacksaw to it.

 

[foo.c]

Only you can answer that question (and prevent forest fires).

 

[AjMac]

I installed a 10,000 lb. winch and the Rugged Ridge Venator bumper on my Willys gasser. I have stock springs but installed a 2.5” spacer. Post bumper winch install I lost 3/8.” I have not noticed any difference in MPG. I’m happy with my choice.

I appreciate it. Some of the stuff I read makes it seem a lot more impactful.

 

[AjMac]

It depends.

Are you adding a bunch of stuff that will put you near GVWR? In that case a little here and a little there makes a difference. If you're just doing a bumper because it looks good and aren't doing skids and sliders and other heavy armor then it's probably less necessary.

Yea, thats a good point. I will have enough to make sure my ride doesnt get totally wrecked when doing some light crawling in PA, nothing crazy. Clearance is the main attraction for me...and some good looks too lol

 

[AjMac]

A couple hundred bucks is worth it to me to not have to deal with rust. All wrangler/gladiator bumpers are silly anyways because the engineers decided to protrude the bumper out a foot from the grill. Save your money and get something that will bolt up to your frame horns after you take a hacksaw to it.

Especially out here near the salt water, might be worth it.

And no kidding...I think I'm into a bumper from the front just to see the side view and it sticks out like Pinocchio's nose. As for the cutting, so far when I see that, I immediately move onto another bumper. Thats what got me away from ACE

 

[Chance575]

Steel easier to weld and fix, but there is the rust problem. I will go steel

 

[DanW]

Hey all, just like the title is asking, is it worth spending an extra 600 bucks on an aluminum front bumper just to save 50-70 lbs? A few things:

- I'm going factory plastic to steel or aluminum, so its gonna be heavier no matter what
- I am NOT gonna have all sorts of bed racks, fridges, tents, etc. on my JTR, so im not limited on my weight budget
- I am in a diesel, so I'm already heavier, so should I be trying to make up for that?
- Finally...I am going with a stubby, so even a steel bumper wont be crazy heavy.

So...is it worth spending twice the money on an aluminum bumper? How noticeable is weight like that (first aftermarket bumper search)? TIA

Absofrigginlutely, in my opinion. More weight = less power, less fuel economy, more traction required to get unstuck, and even greater weight distribution to the front. That weight starts to add up, too, with other mods. Pretty soon you are putting more stress on the suspension and drive train components, making them more likely to break.

But you might not have to spend more. There are other options, like the factory steel bumper or the Rugged Ridge Arcus. They are very light weight. Some will chime in about strength, but that truck is so heavy that even with a big beefy bumper, if you hit something, you'll damage it. If damaged, you'll want to replace it.

Just my 2 cents, but my built Wrangler is a lightweight with lots of power and it is downright hard to get stuck. If I do get stuck, it doesn't take as much effort to get it going as it does my friends with much heavier rigs, most of which are 500 to 700lbs heavier, thanks to heavy front/rear bumpers, heavier winches, (mine is a Smitty XRC which is very light) heavy skid plates, heavy wheels, and heavy tires. Some of those guys take spare axle shafts because they've broken them before. (JK's and TJ's. I've not seen a JL or JT break axles yet). They also carry tremendous weight in gear. They get into my Jeep and drive it and are shocked at the power. That's when they realize their Pentastar is bogged down with weight. Now that I've re-geared to 4.56, they won't believe the power difference.

As you can see, I'm a huge proponent of light weight. My JK is 14 years old and has 155k miles. It has never broken a suspension or drivetrain component. It subscribes to the light weight plan, too.

 

[AjMac]

Absofrigginlutely, in my opinion. More weight = less power, less fuel economy, more traction required to get unstuck, and even greater weight distribution to the front. That weight starts to add up, too, with other mods. Pretty soon you are putting more stress on the suspension and drive train components, making them more likely to break.

But you might not have to spend more. There are other options, like the factory steel bumper or the Rugged Ridge Arcus. They are very light weight. Some will chime in about strength, but that truck is so heavy that even with a big beefy bumper, if you hit something, you'll damage it. If damaged, you'll want to replace it.

Just my 2 cents, but my built Wrangler is a lightweight with lots of power and it is downright hard to get stuck. If I do get stuck, it doesn't take as much effort to get it going as it does my friends with much heavier rigs, most of which are 500 to 700lbs heavier, thanks to heavy front/rear bumpers, heavier winches, (mine is a Smitty XRC which is very light) heavy skid plates, heavy wheels, and heavy tires. Some of those guys take spare axle shafts because they've broken them before. (JK's and TJ's. I've not seen a JL or JT break axles yet). They also carry tremendous weight in gear. They get into my Jeep and drive it and are shocked at the power. That's when they realize their Pentastar is bogged down with weight. Now that I've re-geared to 4.56, they won't believe the power difference.

As you can see, I'm a huge proponent of light weight. My JK is 14 years old and has 155k miles. It has never broken a suspension or drivetrain component. It subscribes to the light weight plan, too.

Thank you for that. I constantly see the strength argument for steel, and never looked at it like you mentioned above.

Everything you say makes sense to me. My FIL is a Jeep guy, and one thing said to me was to take my time with my modding so that I can get the quality items I want, even if it costs a bit more.

With that said...what bumper are you running? Do you know how much yours weighs, including the winch plate that I assume is steel?

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