How "tough" are the stock bumpers?

It is all about impact absorption. Take a look at a race car .... it hits a solid object ... explodes apart .... the driver walks away.

The auto and insurance industries finally got their shit together and realized that the same can be said of passenger vehicles. Let the vehicle take all the impact, which means it has to be destroyed, in order for the people can walk away.

This is why we have insurance ..... to repair the damn things. Accidents happen.

With all the safety features build into today's cars/trucks it is well worth the damage.

My AC has six (6) air bags/curtains ... it is a friggin' coccoon.

I just sold an '06 regular cab for a '10 AC ..... my insurance went up $2.35 a month for a vehicle 4 years newer .... some of you tip that to the latte girl in the mornings.

Bottom line --- if my front bumper breaks up I'll take it's sacrifice for my safety any day.

 

The front actually has a bumper cover. The actual "bumper" is hidden behind the plastic cover.

 

X2

 

For the record .... I want to make it clear that Colton's "x2" of my post does not mean I endorse his canidate in 2012 .......

 

ive done some nasty things to my bumpers. i actually wheel my little truck really hard. it was foggy as hell one night we all went wheeling and i went up a really nasty section about 25mph (i thought it looked flat) well my front wheels dropped and my front bumper took a direct hit and stopped me in my tracks. the bumper just looks like iut has some rock rash. i took the bumper apart and every pop clip was broken and the corner support was bent to shit. i took it all apart and straightened everything out. Im impressed with how well it held up. however, if it was a high clearance bumper it wouldnt have hit.

the rear bumper put up with quite a bit too. i dropped off a large rock and landed directly on the bumper. both rear wheels were off the ground. i keeped going and there is only a small dent and some gouges under the bumper.

 

Um, that's completely false. They hold up to trail damage just fine, which is what their full intent is. Not to take an impact from 2 tons of steel flying at you at 50mph. Believe me, having been there you WANT it to give.

 

Ah, we seriously need like a sarasim emoticon or something haha.

 

My 1990 Toyota 4X4's front bumper was cheap stamped metal, my 2009 Tacoma 's is plastic, Toyota is going in the wrong direction.

Replaced my 1990's stock bumper with a 3 inch double tube bumper and just got an ARB bumper for the 2009. Got the ARB from www.4x4connection.com for $950 delivered. Big bucks but cheaper than having to replace the front end!

Now have to find a rear bumper that is as strong as the ARB front. Been looking at the and need to check the CBI one too.

 

ATO rear bumper FTW (check vendor section)