It's kinda like asking "Do you like girls with with big breasts or girls with small breasts...." Personally, I like em either way. Maybe a stinger would look a little out of place on a stock jeep, but it would still look 100x better than the stock plastic bumper.

 

I like both looks, but the stingers tend to look out of place on mild builds running 35's and under IMO.

 

Thats what my fear was. I originally was after sliders but figured if I was making the commute to pick them up I might as well grab a bumper at the same time and save some future gas.

My Jeep definitely looks different... without the lift or bigger tires yet... the stinger does look a little out of place... and the bumper will look a lot better when I get a winch installed... but I think its only other Jeep people that realize somethings up... and hell if they haven't figured out stuffs expensive by now and comes in stages...

I like the looks of the mid width... but the stubby and pro is a lot more functional with better clearance. The stubby is a bolt on as well. Its only the pro that gets you into some grinding.

 

Smittybuilt stinger love it

 

At least half of my hesitation to get the pro front bumper is the grinding and the vacuum relocation, is that no big deal? Because it sounds like it to me...

My other sticking point is bumper coverage for driving on regular roads in real life, is having so much of the front wheels exposed

In a collision aren't the front wheels really at risk?

 

I moved a vacuum pump without prior experience....just took a grinder to the front part of the bracket and the bumper slipped right on, so it isn't a big deal at all. A sawzall could probably do the same thing since only part of the bracket is in the way.

As far as your collisions go- that depends on what/ how you hit. I had someone cut me off just the other day and if I had a full width bumper then it would have put a large hole in the side of his new camaro. If I manage any square hits then the tires will be fine. The only other spot you've got to worry about is if someone t-bones you but just very close to the front- you could have a tendency of hitting the tire instead of the bumper.....again though......you decide the level of risk there.

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I have the smittybuilt stubby front bumper with the stinger of course the wife hates it sticking out but I love it and no modifications needed

 

I believe the vacuum pump relocation happens for any of the bumpers on a 2012+. The pro series requires extra grinding because it sits up and closer to the Jeep (so you have to remove some of the factory mount to get the bumper closer). The stubby or mid width bumpers do not require that and are otherwise bolt on. That ended up being my reason to go with the stubby... no grinding.

As far as the tires during a collision... thats what insurance is for.

 

So you didn't have to do any grinding? Just the vacuum relocation?

I'm torn between the stubby and the mid width...grinding the frame and removing the crash bar were disconcerting to me

I really like the ten or twenty inch light bar option on the pro version...it's just the grinding and crash bar removeable that has me stuck

 

I put on the Rugged Ridge stinger today.