Bumper review
01-29-2010, 10:20 PM
#1
JK Newbie
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Bumper review
I thought I'd let you all know how my bumpers are doing.
Just over a year ago I bought a Smittybilt SRC front and rear bumper for my JK. Here's a review of how things went.
Rear bumper
Installation: The factory rear bumper was very easy to remove. The SRC rear bumper is really heavy and takes 3 people or 2 people and 1 hernea to install. Once in place I found it difficult to align properly. The bumper will get a little loose with heavy use and needs to be retorqued from time to time. My stock spare tire did not fit with the new bumper. I had to contact Smittybilt to get the tire spacer for the stock mounting location. I did not have to drill any holes or modify the frame at all to mount the bumper.
Function: The powder coating is poor quality and I've noticed lots of chips in it. Once mounted properly the bumper looks great and works great. I tow small trailers with my Jeep all the time and the bumper has never had an issue with this. The built in D-ring mounts are solid, look good and are in a good place for triangulating pulls. I pulled a Silverado 1500 quad cab up a 60 degree grade about 20 yards up to get back onto the road. This manuever was the limit of this bumper, it started rattling after that and I'm sure the bolts are stressed now, I would not try this again.
Overall: Overall this bumper has been a fantastic purchase at a great price and I'm very happy with it. The pain of installation is outweighted by the quality materials, superior customer service of Smittybilt and the price.
Front Bumper
Installation: The stock bumper was easy to remove. One person can install the SRC bumper if necessary. The bumper lined up well with the body of the Jeep. I had to drill some holes in the front crossmember to mount the carriage bolts under the built in skid plate. The bumper did not line up very well with the crossmember and only about half the lower bolts fit. The powder coating is poor with pieces of coating flaking off straight out of the box.
Function: Like the rear bumper the D-ring mounts are in good location to be used for multiple applications besides pulling. There are numerous locations to mount various fog lights. I mounted 4 inch fog lights behind the tubing to the left and right of the D-ring mounts. They work well and are somewhat protected from tree limbs. The built in skid plate is a great addition and will save you money from having to find one that works with an aftermarket bumper. I've pulled a F250 quad cab long box out of the snow and have broken multiple tow ropes being pulled out of snow using this bumper. It's never showed any sign of wear or loosening up.
Overall: Like the rear bumper I had some issues with installation but the quality, customer service and price are well worth the installation problems.
I'd recomend either of these products to anyone looking for a good aftermarket bumper
Just over a year ago I bought a Smittybilt SRC front and rear bumper for my JK. Here's a review of how things went.
Rear bumper
Installation: The factory rear bumper was very easy to remove. The SRC rear bumper is really heavy and takes 3 people or 2 people and 1 hernea to install. Once in place I found it difficult to align properly. The bumper will get a little loose with heavy use and needs to be retorqued from time to time. My stock spare tire did not fit with the new bumper. I had to contact Smittybilt to get the tire spacer for the stock mounting location. I did not have to drill any holes or modify the frame at all to mount the bumper.
Function: The powder coating is poor quality and I've noticed lots of chips in it. Once mounted properly the bumper looks great and works great. I tow small trailers with my Jeep all the time and the bumper has never had an issue with this. The built in D-ring mounts are solid, look good and are in a good place for triangulating pulls. I pulled a Silverado 1500 quad cab up a 60 degree grade about 20 yards up to get back onto the road. This manuever was the limit of this bumper, it started rattling after that and I'm sure the bolts are stressed now, I would not try this again.
Overall: Overall this bumper has been a fantastic purchase at a great price and I'm very happy with it. The pain of installation is outweighted by the quality materials, superior customer service of Smittybilt and the price.
Front Bumper
Installation: The stock bumper was easy to remove. One person can install the SRC bumper if necessary. The bumper lined up well with the body of the Jeep. I had to drill some holes in the front crossmember to mount the carriage bolts under the built in skid plate. The bumper did not line up very well with the crossmember and only about half the lower bolts fit. The powder coating is poor with pieces of coating flaking off straight out of the box.
Function: Like the rear bumper the D-ring mounts are in good location to be used for multiple applications besides pulling. There are numerous locations to mount various fog lights. I mounted 4 inch fog lights behind the tubing to the left and right of the D-ring mounts. They work well and are somewhat protected from tree limbs. The built in skid plate is a great addition and will save you money from having to find one that works with an aftermarket bumper. I've pulled a F250 quad cab long box out of the snow and have broken multiple tow ropes being pulled out of snow using this bumper. It's never showed any sign of wear or loosening up.
Overall: Like the rear bumper I had some issues with installation but the quality, customer service and price are well worth the installation problems.
I'd recomend either of these products to anyone looking for a good aftermarket bumper
01-29-2010, 10:31 PM
#2
JK Freak
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Welcome to the forum! 
Thanks for the review. I was thinking about getting the XRC set (front & rear). Did your bumpers lower the front and/or rear of your Jeep? If so, about how much?
Thanks for the review. I was thinking about getting the XRC set (front & rear). Did your bumpers lower the front and/or rear of your Jeep? If so, about how much?
02-01-2010, 09:56 PM
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thanks for the welcome, it looks like I found a good JK forum. I wish I could post pics but I'm deployed to the desert right now and don't have pics of my Jeep with me.
JPSquad: I have the SRC bumpers. I would imagine the XRC bumpers would be similar in common problems and benefits. there is a write up out there about a member having problems with the XRC. I would suggest following that thread to get a good idea of how well the issue gets resolved and then you have a member you can ask specific questions too. the link to the thread is below.
the bumpers are pretty heavy, about 60 pounds for the front and 80-100 for the rear. I didn't notice any change in ride height but I did notice a difference in the suspension feel. the Jeep isn't as comfortable going over bumps. A set of railroad tracks is a bit rougher then it used to be and it feels like I bottom out more often then I used to. this is probably due to the suspension being preloaded with an additional 150lbs of bumper and 100lbs of winch. If you wanna maintain a nice ride quality you may wanna upgrade your shocks.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...&highlight=XRC
JPSquad: I have the SRC bumpers. I would imagine the XRC bumpers would be similar in common problems and benefits. there is a write up out there about a member having problems with the XRC. I would suggest following that thread to get a good idea of how well the issue gets resolved and then you have a member you can ask specific questions too. the link to the thread is below.
the bumpers are pretty heavy, about 60 pounds for the front and 80-100 for the rear. I didn't notice any change in ride height but I did notice a difference in the suspension feel. the Jeep isn't as comfortable going over bumps. A set of railroad tracks is a bit rougher then it used to be and it feels like I bottom out more often then I used to. this is probably due to the suspension being preloaded with an additional 150lbs of bumper and 100lbs of winch. If you wanna maintain a nice ride quality you may wanna upgrade your shocks.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...&highlight=XRC
Last edited by johnwaynejeep; 02-01-2010 at 10:10 PM.