Plate Bumpers after impact with pics?

The Federal standard for the much discussed "crush can" is that it is to be designed to protect vehicle components, other than the bumper assembly, on its own vehicle from damage during a 2 (or 2.5?) mph impact. After that damage to the vehicle it is attached to can be unlimited. Thats it. Nothing else and no magic. Nothing about protecting another vehicle. There are other standards in place for that. Its pretty much a joke and as far as I can tell ARB touts the feature for marketing purposes and people lap it up.

 

Yeah, I'm convinced. Looked into this thread after a moron slammed on his brakes to do an illegal exit this morning.

Are the crush cans even replaceable? Seems like a silly marketing ploy if that's all it's for. I know people getting slammed by full bumper replacements on F350 have been just demolished by it, so I was thinking it may be for that. I'll be going with CBI in the next few months regardless because I'd rather not have to mess with it after someone hits me. Rattle can the scratches and roll on.

 

There we go, MOAR CARNAGE

 

Read the first 10 pages then the last 5 or so. Sorry if this has been brought up.

But to my understanding (Mech engineer degree) adding a giant steel bumper can pretty much do nothing but good for you and your truck. Same reason a semi wins vs a mini Cooper. Mass and momentum. You have more of it than the other guy. Your mass is also going your speed, even better.

When you hit the other car, theres about 200lb of steel that goes toward changing their momentum to match yours, before your own truck starts matching momentums (crumple zones), so you have slightly less momentum change to reach equilibrium. Vast oversimplification but works.


Now theres a few scenarios when adding a giant steel bumper will do absolutely bupkiss. You decide to ram a tree, concrete wall, other immovable object: since the other objects momentum will always be zero, it doesn't matter if you have extra mass or not. Your still going to an abrupt stop. Good news is the steel bumper doesnt hurt you here. The mass is in front of your crumple zone (assuming you didnt reverse into a tree at 60).

The only bad scenario is when you hit a bycyclist or pedestrian... Theres no crumple zone for them except your old plastic bumber which is now gone.....


Side note: When someone rear ends you at high speed your giant front bumper can hurt your rear crumple zone and similar goes for a front collision and rear bumper.

Next side note: We're talking what 300 pounds total weight here in any of these scenarios? Minimal changes to a 5-6k lb vehicle. Yes there are differences to inertia and momentum. But stop worrying about it lol. (Except for that pedestrian example, that ones no bueno).

 

Another thing to consider is that because the plate bumpers remove your crumple zones, all the energy is transferred directly to the frame. By my logic, if you get it off angle, you could end up twisting the frame much more easily than without a plate bumper.

 

I feel like that is kind of a null argument given that if you hit something hard enough, plate bumper or no plate bumper, to tweak your frame your truck is already going to be totaled for damages unrelated to the frame.

 

That was a most excellent explanation. Thank you for that.

 

They don't eliminate crumple zones. They eliminate the 2-1/2 MPH "crush cans" or whatever us being used. Two and one half lousy miles per hour. That's all. And Im not even sure that Toyota and other truck manufacturers are required to meet the Federal 2-1/2 MPH standard

 

See how each of these cars that don't have plates on front are totally crumpled? And how the trucks generally don't have damage? There are crumple zones in the frame for high speed accidents, all the other fixings around the truck are supposed to crumple as well. So, I'm pretty sure the replacing plastic bumper with steel gets rid of your crumple zones that are easy to replace, like fenders, and puts all that energy into your frame which is super expensive to replace. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great way to protect your truck, but it's not all sunshine and unicorn farts.

 

It seems to just turn the other car into a crumple zone. I bet the damage to the other vehicle wouldn't be quite as extensive if the tacoma had a stock front bumper.

 

Are you not paying attention or being purposefully obtuse for effect?

We aren't talking about crumple zones that dissipate impact energy on the cars you show. We aren't talking about areas of a truck frame designed to fail and dissipate impact energy at high speed that you mention. We aren't talking about "all the other fixings around the truck" that are designed to dissipate impact energy in an impact. We are talking about the stock Tacoma bumper and it's attachment to the frame (from this point forward called the "bumper assembly") versus a steel bumper and its attachment to the frame. Simple right? Right?

The stock Toyota bumper assembly is designed to meet a Federal standard which requires it to be designed to protect vehicle components, other than the bumper assembly, on its own vehicle from damage during a 2.5 mph impact. After that damage to the vehicle it is attached to can be unlimited.

That's all. No more. After 2.5 MPH not only can the bumper assembly be ruined but other vehicle components may be damaged/destroyed too. Two and one half mile per hour.

 

Sorry for the math. But heres an example for a car deciding to say hello to a brick wall.

A 6000lb truck crashing at 2.5mph has to dissipate 1700J of energy. (Heat and sound mostly).
Same truck crashing at 60mph is about 980,000J.

Little bit of a difference. Having or not having a 2.5mph bumber crumple zone is about a eighth of a single percent difference (0.17%). In other words, who cares.

Fun fact. If you could take all the energy from this same 60mph crash, it would turn about a cup and a half of ice into water then just barely boil it. Water is nuts.

 

If any of you are interested in how stock rear holds up.
My truck got rear ended on the highway, I was dead stopped. Guy hit me, told the officer he was doing 70 km/h.




Now I'm ready for next time...

 

Did you get your frame checked? Looks like he nailed the hitch and it may have tweaked everything down.

 

Dang! He blew your passenger side bumper light completely out!

 

Yeah, everything was good .

 

Well just found this thread and am kinda happy I did. Had a 2006 4x4 Offroad ACLB Manual for a long time. Loved that truck to death until a drunk driver hit it at 60 while it was parked in my driveway. May she rest in-piece.

3 weeks BEFORE this happened I installed a Body Armor 4x4 Black Steel Bumper.

No photo of the bumper later, but I can attest there was barely a scratch and no dents whatsoever. Crumpled the side of my inlaws car.

If the photo is confusing, the drunk hit my left side and slammed my taco into my wife's car (cant see it) and then into my in-laws highlander.

 

I think pelfrey deserves to be taken off the list

 

That sucks

 

Just cause they fucked up doesnt mean it wasnt a favorite bumper. Poll didnt ask best customer service, it asked favorite bumper.