Another bumper question (Fontiers)

For those of you that have ARB front bumpers, would you buy again, or would you shell out a little more coin for one of the more “custom” bumpers (shrock, Hefty)? I’m hesitant about how much the ARB protrudes out, and the lack of recovery points. Any input/discussion is appreciated.

Just my 2-cents from a Shrockworks bumper guy.....
I have a 2012 Nissan Frontier with Shrockworks Front and Rear bumpers.
The Shrockworks front bumper is a lot heavier in weight compared the ARB...I am guessing 20-30lbs?
Personally I think the Front ARB bumper looks better than the Shrockworks.

You may want to consider what kind of off-roading you plan on doing.
I was just on a off-roading/overlanding trip with my Shrockworks front bumper and two other second generation Frontiers with ARB front bumpers. We where on the Morrison jeep trail in Wyoming ...the trail is 28 tight switchbacks going up the side of a mountain. We literally had to touch/bash our front bumpers into the side of the mountain in order to get thru the tight switchbacks.
The Frontier with the ARB bumper took some damage to the housing (plastic ?) from the lights in the bumper where as the Shrockworks (Less lights and recessed lights) only took damage to the powdercoat.

Pics of shrockworks bumper after morrison jeep trail:




If you want a bumper that is super heavy in weight and pretty much indestructible get a Shrockworks
If you want a lighter in weight and better looking / more lighting options look at a ARB

You may also want to consider the (fairly new on the market) Hefty Fabworks aluminum plate bumper almost as strong as the steel plate bumper but lighter in weight.

*EDIT:*
I just breezed through your build thread on your 2011 Frontier....looks like you already have a Shrockworks front bumper.....LOL
From your original post I assumed you still had a stock front bumper.
Nice truck !! by the way,,,,Not sure why but I have always been partial to color white = easy to take care of and touch up.

*EDIT#2*
Wait maybe you dont have the White 2011 Nissan Frontier anymore??? LOL
I seen some of your other posts about Subaru outbacks , Tacomas and Tundras.
Hit me with a rock please....you did ask for feedback from ARB bumper owners.
Well maybe my post will help someone else considering ARB or Shrockworks.

Thanks for the reply,
I did in fact have a shrockworks bumper on my 2011 (white truck). I now have a 2014 (night armor). I know the shrock bumper is pure beef and I was very impressed with mine, however, I hate the wait time for the shrock, and I think the full coverage shrock is not very attractive. I now live in Colorado Springs (super close to Hefty fab); and I am interested in their bumpers as well... again, weight, protection and cost are all factors. I had an ARB on a first gen Tacoma, and absolutely loved it... in my eyes ARB is the quintessential expo bumper, however from what I’ve seen, they stick out incredibly far on the second gen frontier.
So basically what I’m asking the ARB guys is this ; does it stick out too far? If you were to do it again, would you still get the ARB?

Thanks again

I'm happy with mine and think it looks good. I like the piece of mind of having a bumper that has some rigorous engineering and crash testing behind it. Sure others are tougher but if I get in a crash that's an airbag deployment situation I'd like the truck to react the way Nissan engineered it too. I've got frame mounted recovery points from P&P so that's not a big issue. It'd be nice if the ARB rear bumper match the front better, I did go with Shrockworks in the back.

Dumb question reguarding the Shrock front bumper: Can you mount a winch in it with the bumper on the truck?

I’ve never understood the airbag issue. As far as I know, which probably isn’t very far, airbag deployment is controlled by what is basically a decelerometer mounted under the center console. My Shrick bumper bolted into the factory bumper brace mounting holes so I would think the crumple zones would still work. So to me it just seems like marketing hype from ARB

BUT I’ve been wrong before?

As far as the winch, I think the bumper would have to come off

bob280zx said:

I've never understood the airbag issue. As far as I know, which probably isn't very far, airbag deployment is controlled by what is basically a decelerometer mounted under the center console. My Shrick bumper bolted into the factory bumper brace mounting holes so I would think the crumple zones would still work. So to me it just seems like marketing hype from ARB

BUT I've been wrong before��

As far as the winch, I think the bumper would have to come off

Click to expand...

I would be curious if a "tougher" bumper would/could make an airbag deploy sooner or at a lower impact than its designed to. My reasoning is that a stiffer bumper would bend less and thus not absorb the energy and transfer it into the chassis. So while your bumper may be straight, it crumpled your frame and activated your airbag in a 15 mph impact rather than a 30 mph impact. Just examples I have no data on when they should or should not activate.

ARB bumper mounts have crush cans, they help the airbags go off under the same criteria as they were engineered for. The decelerometer deploys the airbags when a certain threshold of of deceleration is exceeded. I'd think a "tougher" bumper would cause the airbags to go off in less severe crashes than the ARB, or a "tougher" bumper could make a lesser crash more serious IMO. Also most body on frame vehicles don't have crumple zones IIRC.

E.J. said:

ARB bumper mounts have crush cans, they help the airbags go off under the same criteria as they were engineered for. The decelerometer deploys the airbags when a certain threshold of of deceleration is exceeded. I'd think a "tougher" bumper would cause the airbags to go off in less severe crashes than the ARB, or a "tougher" bumper could make a lesser crash more serious IMO. Also most body on frame vehicles don't have crumple zones IIRC.

Click to expand...

That makes sense.

Well, I stopped by Hefty Fab today (on a Friday, after hours) and I got a big ole warm and fuzzy. The guys were super friendly and showed me around the shop, let me pick up an aluminum frontier bumper (stupid light weight); and took lots of time to shoot the bull and answer all of my questions. I'm 99% sure I'll be a hefty owner soon.

Sweet - Chris Hefty is a great guy. I've wheeled with him, hung out a bit, etc. I'm not big on the aluminum bumpers, but that's because I don't like aluminum for components like this. It's a great metal for certain applications - but it wouldn't work for me.

That being said, if it fits what you want to do, have at it. You'll get a great product and Chris stands behind his work.

You will love it.

The best part of the aluminum is the drastic weight savings and less impact on your suspension...the extra cost sucks though! If I could, the Hefty aluminum would be my choice.

I went with the ARB because it was easily available though the shop doing the work, but I wouldn't hesitate to get one again. Approach angle has been fine, haven't plowed anything with it at all.

Definitely want to add a Shrockworks to the rear, though I haven't dragged the hitch since I was stock.

UPDATE:
I ended up ordering another Shrockworks bumper. I tried to talk myself into the Hefty, but at the end of the day there are a couple of reasons I went with the Shrock:
1. There is something about the Hefty front bumper that just doesn't appeal to me... the lines aren't as clean as the shrock, and the gaping holes in the front aren't good looking in my opinion.
2. Winch mounting: I dislike how you cannot mount the control module of the winch inside the Hefty bumper. It tucks up cleanly inside the shrock, and they include a nice hole to mount the plug in.
3. Price: With a military discount (5%), even with shipping, the shrock is cheaper than the hefty steel bumper, let alone the aluminum.

I was extremely happy with my last shrockworks bumper, and have no reason to believe that I won't be again. This time I went with the new "low hoop" that they have on their site. It's designed to fit a Rigid 20" E series bar, so I'll be ordering one of those, as well.