Returned my SSO rear bumper

[NMBruce]

I purchased an SSO rear bumper for my GX470. Their stuff looks really good and others like their stuff. The bumper seemed to build very good and nice welds.
Everything looked good on line at their website and on the forums.

I received the bumper and there where a few problems. I received a rear ladder and I had ordered the fuel can holder, also the bumper was missing the hole for the CB antenna. There was also a spot where the powder coat paint was off the swing arm and the two front tips. I was told that the fuel can holder would be shipped to me and I would get a refund for the paint problem, so that I could just repaint it. So far so good, where the problem for me came was the fit. We mounted the bumper, everything was tight and I had about a 1" gap between the fender and the bumper. I looked at all of their pictures and there are none showing this gap. So if you plan to get one of these, just know that you might have this gap.

 

[daPitbull]

More likely than not that space is for body on frame flex. I'd imagine you'd want that gap so that the body doesn't make contact with the steel bumper.

 

[chmura]

Yeah you want a gap, nothing is wrong with the bumper.

My front arb bumper calls out for in the directions for a 25mm gap this is 1" due to frame flex.

 

[NMBruce]

yes that is what I was told after I got the bumper installed. where my problem comes in, the website doesn't say this or show the gap in their pictures and its not on other bumpers they sell that I have seen, the GX470 called Lexi doesn't have it and it their bumper. Plus I don't like the front tip, where it matches the curve of the wheel arch sitting outside the fender, good place to catch a twig or something. Had I know this was how it fit, I would of waited to see the bumper in person before buying, others would find it acceptable.

 

[bkg]

yes that is what I was told after I got the bumper installed. where my problem comes in, the website doesn't say this or show the gap in their pictures and its not on other bumpers they sell that I have seen, the GX470 called Lexi doesn't have it and it their bumper. Plus I don't like the front tip, where it matches the curve of the wheel arch sitting outside the fender, good place to catch a twig or something. Had I know this was how it fit, I would of waited to see the bumper in person before buying, others would find it acceptable.

Sounds like you didn't do appropriate research... Or had unrealistic expectations

 

[NMBruce]

Sounds like you didn't do appropriate research... Or had unrealistic expectations

I looked at their website, I ask question about the bumper, I like what i saw from their website, didn't like it in person.

I don't think I had unrealistic exceptions, I expected to get what the company advertise they have and how it fits, in this case on their website and in their install PDF (also from their website, looked at before ordering), didn't get what I saw. Look at their website or install instruction and find a picture that shows this gap, I couldn't find any.

I still think SSO makes a solid bumper, but not one I want and they need to let people know about the gaps that they will have if they buy the bumper.

This past weekend I saw 5 aftermarket bumpers on 100 series, FJ's and 120 series 4Runners and not a single one had this big of a gap, they all had some gap, but none had a 1" gap.

 

[little_joe]

@NMBruce I agree with you - your photos are the first I've seen of the gaps on this bumper. Some space is needed for body movement, no doubt - but it would ave been great to know the gaps are that significant (and I can find no reference of such).

 

[AaronK]

Don't know if it helps since it sounds like you've already returned it. My ARB front bumper is designed with about a 1" gap between the bumper and fender. Presumably for movement as has been mentioned in this thread. They provide a rubber extrusion that fills the space nicely. A possible solution for this bumper as well

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[1 Bored Clerk]

As someone who likes to build their own stuff for their rig, I can attest to the fact that manufacturing tolerance on modern vehicles is surprisingly large. I've measured a lot of different areas on my 2013 Tacoma in the process of building/installing stuff and I've given up being surprised at stuff like the body being 1/2" off to the left and the bed being off axis/twisted to the left about 1/2". Truck looks great and has never been in an accident: just tolerance stack and assembly. It makes it nearly impossible for a small aftermarket company to make something that fits EVERY vehicle the same. It's easy to get a design to fit a couple of rigs but that's much too small a sampling to guarantee fit on every rig. Your GX may be like my Tacoma: looks great, never in an accident, just a lot of tolerance stack that you don't notice visually that makes aftermarket parts tough to fit. It happens. All of these new full coverage plastic bumpers are awesome for hiding tolerances because they flex ad move and still look great with small gaps because the gaps are the mounting/control point.


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[daPitbull]

I think it would be a design flaw if it didn't have a gap. Mine has a 1/2" gap and the bumper was still able to make contact with the body.

 

[Lawn-Dart]

Exactly, I even have a big gap with my Pelfrey front bumper, and hit it so hard in Moab on a trail I was able to ********** my passenger quarter panel.

You want the gap. I gave SSO **** about their upcoming 5th Gen 4Runner bumper because it didn't have a big enough gap, which I think they've since fixed. But a bumper isn't for looks. it's gotta work.

 

[NMBruce]

Don't know if it helps since it sounds like you've already returned it. My ARB front bumper is designed with about a 1" gap between the bumper and fender. Presumably for movement as has been mentioned in this thread. They provide a rubber extrusion that fills the space nicely. A possible solution for this bumper as well

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agree, my friends and I talked about doing just that before I choose to return it and I had ideas and maybe something could of been worked out to make it look better, but maybe not and then I would of been stuck with a bumper I couldn't return and one I didn't like. I think with just a little R&D, there could be an answer to this.
One of the big hang ups was the tips on both sides that stuck out about a 1/2" from the fender flair, couldn't think of a way to close that and make it look good, the tape is covering the tip, but I think you can see it sticks out and i would think its waiting to catch a branch or something. Should it do that, the body and paint will damage before the bumper.



again, my biggest problem is that SSO doesn't show this and they say they do.

Today I was also told that one reason for the restocking fee is that I installed it and they now need to repaint the bumper, so that it can be sold again, but since the bumper was damage when I got it, that was already need. SSO did offer to apply that restocking fee to a new bumper custom build as I want it, but since I live 1200 miles away and there is still things that might not work out or something could happen in shipping (told claims from shippers are a *****) and then I am out even more more and the restocking fee, not worth it too me. Now if I lived closer to SSO, that is a very good offer from them. Sitting down face to face and working out the details, is a lot better than doing it over the phone or via emails.

Standing there and looking down at it from the side, the gaps look even bigger, a friend thinks it might look worst because it a black bumper against a white body. Had the GX been black he doesn't think it would of shown as bad or had the bumper been white.

 

[NMBruce]

I think it would be a design flaw if it didn't have a gap. Mine has a 1/2" gap and the bumper was still able to make contact with the body.

Thanks for the picture, sorry you have the damage. I would not put that type of bumper on my GX, I just don't like they way it shows the stuff behind it, but that me.

One thing that has happen from this, is that I am learning more and more about bumpers on 4runners, FJ and GX's and also to question builders if their websites are true representations of what your buying. From what I have learned, most bumpers do need a gap, some need more than others, but there are some running with almost no gap. Meet a couple of 4runner guys last weekend and they both had a problem on the left side, it damage the light, but not the body and no problem on the right. The one 4runner bumper we really looked at had about a 3/8 gap on the right and a 1/4 on the left. So there is something about how they are made and maybe mounted or reinforced, I don't know.

talking about the gaps, I also do not understand why, at the fender flair a 1/2" gap is good enough, but 2-3" back from the side tip of the bumper and around to the rear door it needs a 1" gap. I guess I would need to see the flexing in action to understand.

 

[AaronK]

A friend of mine has one of these on order for his GX. I'll be interested to see his finished product

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[NMBruce]

A friend of mine has one of these on order for his GX. I'll be interested to see his finished product

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me too, but he might find it acceptable. Also wonder if he will get the one I returned