Collisions with welded steel bumpers?

Just curious how some of you have fared getting rear ended and having a REAL bumper instead the plastic and sheet metal factory things.
Some arguments are "You negate the designed crumple effect" which to me gets negated with a hitch anyway.
Photos are appreciated too.

 

I drive away touch up the paint .

They get towed leaking coolant and refrigerant maybe totaled.

 

depends on which after market bumper you go with , it may or can negate the crumple effect

 

It doesn't really get negated with a hitch though. Especially considering the crumple zones are literally designed with these in mind.

Although I'd argue that the vehicle crumple zones are built into the box and frame. You'd probably lose a little bit, but not much.

 

Rear end hits ......

Up to x force hurts the hitter.

Over x force rumples the frame.

How lucky do you feel?

 

To be honest after a crash , car / truck is never the same. Structural integrity is compromised just ask the ex engineer that worked for Oceangate submarine

 

Mine is an 80lb Body Armor that I like WAAAY better than the flimsy factory things. My 05 got bumped a couple times in parking lots looked like crap afterwards. A little Krylon will cover any scratches now instead big dimples I got before.
Plus I like the extra weight for traction here Florida where it rains all the time. Just curious how other real bumpers have fared with harder hits?

 

Generally low speed hits fare better, but higher speed collisions could get nasty, particularly if your aftermarket bumper doesn't trigger deployment of your airbags. I think only ARB has tested airbag compliant aftermarket bumpers but there may be others who have one.

 

there you go, if you like it then thats all that matters .

 

Someone on here posted a video of him getting rear ended with a steel bumper. I think it was an Acura and it did not do well while his bumper maybe needed some paint touch up.

 

I'm sure it works great to resist those parking by brail. But at speed, your macho-nacho bumper is bolted to a quite flimsy frame that is designed to absorb impacts forces by bending. weakest link of the chain theory.
Injuries to occupants is bar far the most expensive part of an auto accident, thus their focus. You think a vehicle worth tens of thousands is expensive. You can easily take that number and roll the decimal over to get your medical costs from injuries.

 

It’s always looked to me like crumple zones are in the front of a vehicle - that way occupants are protected whether they hit something stationary or another vehicle, and so are the people in the other vehicle if it’s a rear ending. Sooo, a bumper in the front probably is going to mess with that, and that’s why ARB tests theirs.


On the other hand, rear ends of trucks don’t seem to be as crumply, so rear bumper design may not be as critical.

Just spitballing though. I could be way wrong.

 

Quite flimsy frame Chew?? We aren't talking about Ford Pintos. 6500lb towing limit doesn't equal flimsy frame in my mind.

Thanks Ox. I did specify in the original post that I was asking about REAR bumpers, NOT front.
But then how many people actually pay full attention to what is asked/typed on the page?

 

the way you worded it didnt help , and same physics can or may be applied.Dont worry tho 30 mph accident will crumple the composite bed ,hitch or no hitch(or in your case 80lb rear bumper)

 

Chew is absolutely right. The rear of the frame isn’t boxed. It’s shaped like a c and open on one side. This has been discussed and shown countless times here; google “Tacomaworld rear ended”. Many of the “is it totaled” posts are rear impacts.
The rear of the frame is a crumple zone. It is designed to protect the occupants and it takes very little to fold the frame there. Replacements aren’t readily available, Toyota doesn’t recommend frame straightening and as such our trucks get totaled for bent frames all the time.
Attaching a stronger bumper to the same mounting points isn’t going to protect your frame from getting bent, but will prevent your end caps from getting busted in parking lots.

 

5mph hitting a rock? Steel bumper all the way. 45mph hitting a rock or tree or another vehicle? Zero difference between macho steel bumper and feminine plastic bumper. Maybe worse with macho bumper.
#physics

 

OP goes on rant about paying attention, the irony.

 

OP wants macho? At 2 mph he is macho. At 30 mph? Lol no.

 

Crash by Mike M, on Flickr

That's an ARB versus a 98-02 Grand Prix that crossed the center line. I was doing 35 MPH when he crossed and was hard on the brakes, I don't know what he was doing. My bags did not blow, I hopped out pissed off and my frame turned into a diamond. How much better or worse it would have been without the bumper, I don't know, but the bumper itself was bent in the center. I'm still grumpy.