Are Bul Bars really necessary?
08-15-2016, 05:42 AM
#21
Super Moderator
The thought on stingers protecting the radiator is so the jeep will at least be drivable out of the woods. Yes, it will have immense body damage and probably bodily harm too but that's the allure and function.
My younger brother has a stinger on his TJ and I saw a benefit in it for about 30 seconds when we were coming down a super steep trail. Jonathan calls it Daniel, in URE. Anyways, coming down the trail and it basically dumps out in front of you. I went first and my bumper almost kissed the ground with the back end up in the air. I watched my brother take the same line and *if* he had got the back end a little further off of the ground then the stinger would have touched and prevented a roll. He's got 5 point racing harnesses so safety wouldn't have been an issue.
Decent idea, but the reality is that 'most' people won't use them properly. I had an eBay stinger on my jeep for 30 days before I sold it. It's terribly impractical for a daily driver in the city and you could give the bumper a good pull and the frame horns would rotate. My current bumper is bolted to the horns, the crash bar, and the frame- solid.
My younger brother has a stinger on his TJ and I saw a benefit in it for about 30 seconds when we were coming down a super steep trail. Jonathan calls it Daniel, in URE. Anyways, coming down the trail and it basically dumps out in front of you. I went first and my bumper almost kissed the ground with the back end up in the air. I watched my brother take the same line and *if* he had got the back end a little further off of the ground then the stinger would have touched and prevented a roll. He's got 5 point racing harnesses so safety wouldn't have been an issue.
Decent idea, but the reality is that 'most' people won't use them properly. I had an eBay stinger on my jeep for 30 days before I sold it. It's terribly impractical for a daily driver in the city and you could give the bumper a good pull and the frame horns would rotate. My current bumper is bolted to the horns, the crash bar, and the frame- solid.
08-15-2016, 06:43 AM
#22
JK Freak
Smittybilt advertises 0.120" wall, or just under 1/8" wall. What do the better bumpers use for tubing on the stingers? I honestly don't know the answer, but being that I am planning a stinger style upgrade this coming winter, I would like to know if there are some companies using a heavier wall tube to make the stinger.
I know that 2 times so far I have sat the front of my JK on the Smittybilt SRC tube on a rock with the jeep weight on it and its not even taken a dent. So the 0.120" wall tubing isn't horrible, but maybe it's also not the very best choice.
I know that 2 times so far I have sat the front of my JK on the Smittybilt SRC tube on a rock with the jeep weight on it and its not even taken a dent. So the 0.120" wall tubing isn't horrible, but maybe it's also not the very best choice.
08-15-2016, 07:00 AM
#23
JK Junkie
Mark has one of the baddest, original JKs out there, that is an awesome picture.
I have no room to stand on the tube bender orgy bumper designs as I own one. It all changed for me seeing a buddy flop on an everyday wheeling trip. Trail we've done a hundred times, and his rig was not looking to hot. Hard top, of course didn't help for the appearance, but structurally helped. The hood was history, I now upgraded hinges as well, f@cker slammed all over the place, windshield all destroyed, it was barely a roll and a half, but the damage was crazy.
Not a dd for me but I do drive it, some days the jeep is just better than the granny mobile.
Had a guy at work flop his f150 this winter, kinda the same thing. The whole front clip was annihilated. Definitely not an apples to apples event but the results were awful.
Will a big ole tube mess of welded to death bended fury perpetuate a better outcome? I think in all cases, there is no way to tell.
And with that, the smitty stinger is the most macabre of all available. My useless opinion. I bought an expensive one because I value it's craftsmanship and materials. While a 300 dollar bumper is appealing, some lack the features desirable, as red mentioned, sunken winch, bigger shackle tabs, gussets for tube work, etc.
These are the main reasons I didn't buy a rugged ridge or a smitty or a jcr. For one the whole optional skid plate, for that ridiculous crash bar, for another 2 bennies! F me running!
I have no room to stand on the tube bender orgy bumper designs as I own one. It all changed for me seeing a buddy flop on an everyday wheeling trip. Trail we've done a hundred times, and his rig was not looking to hot. Hard top, of course didn't help for the appearance, but structurally helped. The hood was history, I now upgraded hinges as well, f@cker slammed all over the place, windshield all destroyed, it was barely a roll and a half, but the damage was crazy.
Not a dd for me but I do drive it, some days the jeep is just better than the granny mobile.
Had a guy at work flop his f150 this winter, kinda the same thing. The whole front clip was annihilated. Definitely not an apples to apples event but the results were awful.
Will a big ole tube mess of welded to death bended fury perpetuate a better outcome? I think in all cases, there is no way to tell.
And with that, the smitty stinger is the most macabre of all available. My useless opinion. I bought an expensive one because I value it's craftsmanship and materials. While a 300 dollar bumper is appealing, some lack the features desirable, as red mentioned, sunken winch, bigger shackle tabs, gussets for tube work, etc.
These are the main reasons I didn't buy a rugged ridge or a smitty or a jcr. For one the whole optional skid plate, for that ridiculous crash bar, for another 2 bennies! F me running!