PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Is that a good idea? won't your "armor" do more damage than good on the type road accidents o.p is talking about?

 

Have you considered taking a look on being on the offensive side of driving also...I'd consider myself to be 50/50. Being mostly defensive isn't the key to avoiding accidents imho

 

I agree with this, living in the DC area if you arnt proactive sometimes then you get stuck in a situation. Only thing is it does require you to be more aware of what is going on and plan ahead if you are going to be offensive in congestive environments.

Coot

 

It probably took me 4 plus hours to put in the fog lights. Hardest part for me was snaking the wire thru the firewall but the rest wasn't hard. Take your time and it isn't difficult. Intermittent wipers though, that's a 10-15 minute job being extra careful. Probably the best mod I added.

 

Agreed...I've always considered what you just said as part of driving.

 

Full coverage insurance.
Low deductible.
I'm sill waiting for my first accident.
It's great time to buy costly bumpers.

 

I wouldnt mind having one if it came with it, but i do just fine without it. A couple minutes of cold till i get heat

 

Father in law. 2009 Tacoma. Lives in PA. Warms up truck EVERY morning for 20 minutes since he bought it....395,000 miles.

 

It doesnt and whomever says it does, well, is full of you know what.

 

It is all relative to your end goals. The bumper @Jmad1997 was referring to is a bolt on bumper that goes around your bumper. It provides more protection from the smaller stuff like parking lot action or branches and stuff like that. But during a big collision it will not be as solid as a full heavy duty plate bumper. Perfect for smaller accidents and has some give to protect your frame if you were to hit something hard.

My 2 cents, give me the armor!

Here are my thoughts. For all the stuff like OP described, smaller fender benders and such. I would want a good bumper to take the hits. I have had armor and been involved in smaller accidents and it did a great job of protecting my vehicle. If armor is done correctly it will reinforce the frame or add more attachment points so the smaller accidents will be taken well. It will protect you and keep damage to a minimum.

For bigger accidents... that really is up to your end goals. I don't think there is any way to build a vehicle that can take the bigger accidents, like the sandwich example. Actually for those a stock vehicle is the best because the designed "crumple zones" will take most of the impact and minimize what you feel in your body. At the point of a bigger accident, it's really a wash and my goal is to be safe and not worry about my truck so much. Have good insurance and all your mods added into your coverage to get your money back. The thing most people don't talk about with big armor is that it will take away all crumple zones and will bring more impact on the driver. Instead of soft fenders you have hard steel bumpers. Rock sliders will stiffen your frame and it will flex less... These all can add up to a harder impact. Now I am not saying to avoid the armor, just understand what you are doing.

Ultimately I want the armor. It protects me for what I am most at risk for, and I use my truck hard on the trails and want that protection. I just understand my risks with the armor, I make sure I am not distracted driving, and I drive both defensively and offensively. Always make sure you put your vehicle in a position so you have an out (don't ride the person in front of you, drive in a late that has empty space next to it, etc). Wish there was a better answer, but it is truely a compromise each time you change something.

 

id assume it doesn't do much either, but maybe it would accelerate exhaust replacement intervals

 

I've had one in my last two cars. Love them. LOVE them. I can't imagine not having one.

 

Very popular here in Alaska. A little more complicated with manual transmission is only reason I didn't have one on my Audi, otherwise every car we've had the past 25 years has had one.
Problem with running vehicle with spare key, even when locked is that it's a site-able offence (up here) and if truck is stolen the insurance companies get real persnickety.

 

My ARB also has the crush cans. so In the event of a hard impact my bumper will still crush in similar to the factory bumper. But with any small fender benders my bumper holds up solid and I don't have to worry about my vehicle being harmed. IMO it depends on the crash and driving habits. You may be better off with armor or it would be more practical just to keep stock.

 

Good discussion in here...!

Basically off road armor is for what it's designed for: off roading. Sliders will help you to avoid stuff like a minor side swipe and a steel bumper can help with a low speed love tap from someone bumping into your ass at a light but if you get into a highway speed collision... All bets are off.

50 years ago cars were built like tanks, but there's a reason why engineers design impact zones like they do now: for occupant safety vs. vehicle sturdiness.

I do not have any off road armor but that's not to say I won't get some because I like to take my truck on the trails and as I get more experienced I'll be trying more difficult trails.
I've got good insurance on my vehicle but also good medical insurance; both of which I hope I NEVER need to use! I'll take a totaled truck over an ER visit any day.

I guess the redundant point I'm going for is truck armor is purpose designed and made less for traffic protection and more so for stuff nature throws at us on the trails.

/can't wait to get my Relentless sliders next month...!

 

Mine's an 07 Sport 4.0L V6 and I have never touched the AC. Now at 329,000 miles. I asked a friend of mine who is a mechanic a while back should I do anything with the AC (recharge,etc) and his response was "if it's still blowing cold air leave it alone. The refrigerant itself is a lubricant for the AC parts and unless something breaks in the system or there is a leak there is no need to touch it"
Hope this helps

 

Got it. Thanks for the link.

 

This is the worst URL in history.

 

That is some funny shit.

Coot

 

where tf is that front page image coming from?