ARB bumper question

[idaxj97]

Well im in the process of looking for a bumper and im highly considering the arb bumper for my 97 cherokee im kind of worried about it being airbag compatable should i be as worried as i am or am i worring too much? I know hundreds of people have used them in moab with no problems. thanks for any and all input.

 

[Borrego60]

Well im in the process of looking for a bumper and im highly considering the arb bumper for my 97 cherokee im kind of worried about it being airbag compatable should i be as worried as i am or am i worring too much? I know hundreds of people have used them in moab with no problems. thanks for any and all input.

Call or email ARB I am sure they can give the proper amswer.

 

[IH8RDS]

I have one on my 99XJ and if I recall the directions said it was air bag compliant. My only complaint is it sticks out way far.

 

[FlyNdrive]

I believe all ARB bumpers are air bag compliant. It's one of the only companies that actually test them.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

No, not all ARB's are airbag compliant. As for needing one on a 97 Jeep? I don't think I'd worry about it too much. Those things aren't exactly the safest things anyway, so a very subtle change in the airbag deployment... a drop in the bucket.

 

[idaxj97]

hey IH8RDS could you post up some side pics of the bumper just to get an idea on how far it sticks out. thanks

 

[expoxj]

No, not all ARB's are airbag compliant. As for needing one on a 97 Jeep? I don't think I'd worry about it too much. Those things aren't exactly the safest things anyway, so a very subtle change in the airbag deployment... a drop in the bucket.

If I remeber correctly the Arb for the 97 and up XJ's are airbag compliant and the bumper for the earlier model is not.

I don't think your giving the xj a fair chance at being safe. I mean you'd have to have a land rover run long enough to compare the two.:hehe:

 

[ExpoMike]

No, not all ARB's are airbag compliant. As for needing one on a 97 Jeep? I don't think I'd worry about it too much. Those things aren't exactly the safest things anyway, so a very subtle change in the airbag deployment... a drop in the bucket.

Actually I think you are quite wrong. Cherokee's (XJ's) are very safe. I have seen some unbelieveable mangled Cherokee's the everyone walked away from with hardly a scratch. Much better then what I have seen/read relating to Ford Explorers.

What you don't get with a Cherokee is vehicle surviveability. If you do get in a crash in one, it tends to be a write off for the XJ. They crumple very well, taking the brunt of the force. There are very good odds you'll walk away from the crash but the Cherokee won't.

 

[Antichrist]

Keep in mind there are no laws in the US regarding airbag compliance for bumpers. All the Federal "energy absorbing bumper" regulations surround limiting body damage to your vehicle in low speed impacts (to reduce repair costs) and, for bumpers in general, protecting your lights and radiator.
Here's a place to start, if you want it from the horse's mouth, as it were.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/Cars/Problems/studies/Bumper/Index.html

2) What is the purpose of bumpers?

The car bumper is designed to prevent or reduce physical damage to the front and rear ends of passenger motor vehicles in low-speed collisions. Automobile bumpers are not typically designed to be structural components that would significantly contribute to vehicle crashworthiness or occupant protection during front or rear collisions. It is not a safety feature intended to prevent or mitigate injury severity to occupants in the passenger cars. Bumpers are designed to protect the hood, trunk, grille, fuel, exhaust and cooling system as well as safety related equipment such as parking lights, headlamps and taillights in low speed collisions.​

 

[IH8RDS]

hey IH8RDS could you post up some side pics of the bumper just to get an idea on how far it sticks out. thanks

Here you go. Sorry its a phone pic

 

[IH8RDS]

one more

 

[tommudd]

air bag compliant for the Liberty I know for sure and thought they all were

 

[bronconite]

I think the ARB looks fine on your rig.

Here are crash test results for your jeep http://www.crashtest.com/jeep/ie.htm

And, just for comparison, for the Land Rover http://www.crashtest.com/land_rover/ie.htm

And the Explorer beats them both http://www.crashtest.com/ford_truck/ie.htm

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Actually I think you are quite wrong. Cherokee's (XJ's) are very safe. I have seen some unbelieveable mangled Cherokee's the everyone walked away from with hardly a scratch. Much better then what I have seen/read relating to Ford Explorers.

What you don't get with a Cherokee is vehicle surviveability. If you do get in a crash in one, it tends to be a write off for the XJ. They crumple very well, taking the brunt of the force. There are very good odds you'll walk away from the crash but the Cherokee won't.

Survey SAYS! Mmm... not so much.

 

[Purple People Eater]

Lets get the safety out of the way. I had a collision last year that rolled my XJ over two times, and I walked away. A month later I was behind the wheel of another XJ. With a strong unibody, anti-lock brakes, airbags, relatively low center of gravity and superb visibility, I'd say it's pretty safe for an SUV weighing in at just over 3,000 lbs. I've sung it's safety's praises over the past few months.

According to Expedition Exchange, the bullbar for the Cherokee states "Non-airbag". It's still the sexiest bumper for the Cherokee though, IMHO. Cshontz painted his ARB silver to match the color of the body, and my-oh-my is it good lookin'.