ARB,ALL Pro,shrockworks bumper compare contrast.

Gentlemen (and ladies),
With my disability finally coming through from the VA, I am ready to start the mods to my taco. There are some sick, sick looking tacomas here (silverback, ArizonasD54, BoomTaco and many others) and I was wondering which bumper is "better". do you guys see a noticable dofference in fuel comsumption? How is the ease of install? Any input would be great. I will more than likely go with a CBI rear bumper, and some HREW style sliders. Also, what do y'all think of an OME 2.5" lift? This is a long time coming and I cant wait for my tacos evolution.
Cheers,
Josh

 

do you speak this from experience hodgie??

 

subscribed. Not sure if this will help but if I were to get one I'd go for ARB. I like their reputation and the thought that went into all the detail like an antenna mount and place for hi lift and the new one is compatible with your current fog light switch etc.

 

I do like my ARB but it does have its drawbacks, its not the best looking, Its big and sticks out ! Everyone says its a lot heavier however I don't think its much worse than any other plate bumper. Except for the Allpro which I never considered, after seeing one It just didn't seem too stout. But I do think the AP looks good. I do think you will lose mileage with any plate style bumper just from added weight and lack of aerodynamics.
The main reason I ended up with ARB is they are available. I found a deal on craigslist. New ARB. Warn 9000xp, Masterpull synthetic line and fairlead. for less than the price of the winch. Even without a deal like that I would have gone ARB just because I can get one in a day from just about any dealer. As I said its big and I have buried it into banks and caught it and landed it on rocks too but its also pretty stout and so far I have not tweaked it. If I had a choice right now I would buy the old AllPro Hybrid winch bumper if they would make them again. Just a little info from my experience.

 

Thanks man, that does look pretty beastly. what type of suspension setup are you running?

 

looks like toytec

 

Donahoe coil overs with 700# Eibach springs , Timbren bump stops, no sway bar. up front

 

I definatly like my ARB and would buy it again but with the foglight holes. Mine dont have these. I also have the Full OME suspension and love it. I use it quite a bit as for hauling rock,quads and offroading. I had a ton of rock in it at one time and did quite well. A little to much but I wasnt going to shovel it out and only had to drive a few miles. The ride is better than stock and handles great on the Hwy. It flexes good for me and what I do. Not saying you will be doing the same. But it is a great ride. And love my setup.
There are a lot of different chioces out there and all are pretty good. Just as long as you dont go to exteme or you start having a lot of alignment issues and CV issues. There is a lot of info on here with these problems just check them out see for yourself. Good luck Bud.