SSO Slimline vs C4 Lo-pro vs Stingray Lo-pro

I'm trying to compare these two three bumpers:

SSO Slimline:
http://www.southernstyleoffroad.com/product/2016-tacoma-slimline-hybrid-bumper/?v=7516fd43adaa




C4 Lo-Pro:
http://www.c4fabrication.com/product/2016-tacoma-3rd-gen-front-lo-pro-winch-bumper/




Stingray Lo-Pro:
http://www.relentlessfabrication.co...ngray-lo-pro-winch-bumper?variant=31698457796



I think they are fantastic, but when presented with a choice between them I'm trying to figure out pro's and con's.

So far, from this thread I have gathered:

Cuts to the truck: All three - Bumper only, no metal.
Winch limitations: All three - No fixed solenoid (without mod).

Weights:
SSO Slimline - 55 lbs
C4 Lo-Pro - 75 lbs
Stingray - 75 lbs

+Winch will be around 150-170 lbs total. @JoeCOVA reported about .5" drop from tire to fender after install. Not enough to be concerning.

Light Bar Support:
SSO Slimline - Up to 30" (customizable)
C4 Lo-Pro - 20" or 30"
Stingray - (20")

Other Notes:
C4 Lo-Pro - Additional bumper support brackets option (may work on other bumpers, unconfirmed).

Stingray and C4 Lo-Pro - Front holes to access the winch controls. C4 is able to exclude these upon request, but Relentless Fab is unable to.

C4 Lo-Pro - Can't provide powder coat or other finishes from the shop. Ships bare metal.

SSO - Can provide custom color powder coating.

 

They are pretty much the same. I think the only real advantage the C4 has is the winch access through the bumper. SSO you have to access it by opening the hood or reaching around under the bumper. I rarely winch so I don't mind the extra hassle though if you have a newer remote winch this is also not an issue.

The bumpers wont allow the installation of a fixed solenoid winch without additional modification. There is only about 8" of room from the winch mounting plate to the support bracket in the middle. My winch is 9.5" tall and the Warn PLatnium 10-s or whatever is 10.5" about. for both bumpers you will likely need to drill out this support bracket. It was really easy, 3 holes and a light tap with a hammer and screw driver pop it off.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-pro-plus-sso-bumper.466399/ Post#11



You can see here that the front crossmember sits right on top of the winch, the bracket I am holding screws into the bottom of that crossmember and is welded into the vertical support next to the radiator. You can see where I drilled.

I think it comes down to aesthetics. I think the SSO looks more factory and follows the factory lines better.

 

@Truggin

 

Mooseknuckle and I got all the deets for you on the SSO.
TBC on issues, it was only the additional modifications required to run a winch with a top mounted solenoid. I too wanted the wireless, which is almost a necessity with either. I've documented what you need to do to fit it, so don't worry about that. Any winch that offers a detachable solenoid should fit pretty cleanly without those modifications.

I considered the C4, it looks great, I just liked the cleaner lines of the SSO. I also suspect the C4 hangs a little lower based on the design.
No idea what winches fit in the C4, but given the similarity of design you will either have to make the mods indescribe, or accept way less ground clearance as it would mount 2-3 inches lower.

 

Great pic Joe.

 

Yikes, thanks for the info. I'm not sure how I feel about removing the support bracket. I'm sure it... supports... something?

I do prefer to have something mounted a bit more firmly to the frame than the grill guards are. But I'm not sure I want to go cutting out more than just plastic.

Good to know there are options to avoid that. I like the slimline's edges too, looks clean.

It's hard to tell which has the better approach angle and clearance from the pictures since the lift is different on the trucks I've look at so far.

 

I wouldn't worry about that metal. It's designed to support the front bumper. Your winch now serves as that, way stronger than that cheap stamped steel...

 

It appears to just support that front crossmember/bumper which is now supported by my winch.

 

As described above by @JoeCOVA, that grille support will also need to be modified to fit an integrated solenoid winch into our bumper as well.
@Kennedyusmc mentioned that ours possibly offers less ground clearance than the SSO version, I would have to disagree. Both bumpers follow the shape of the plastic and don't hang down any farther than the factory plastic so I would imagine the clearance to be the same.
Really the main differences are aesthetics and the fact that ours has cutouts in the front to access the winch controls and winch line if you need to.
Also we are coming up with a universal light bar mount that will allow use of basically any brand of light so that will be a nice feature. Also our bumper will accommodate up to a 30" light, not sure how big the SSO goes.

 

Don't forget us!
http://www.relentlessfabrication.co...ucts/2016-tacoma-stingray-lo-pro-winch-bumper

 

Thanks C4. Trying to be unbiased.

 

Ok, thanks for the reassurance on that.

Damn you. Now I have to weigh a third option... Title updated...

And I also appreciate that, even though that is difficult considering the theme of this thread.

Do they all work with the factory (and eventually) aftermarket skids?

 

Shit- that's cool, haven't seen that one.
Couple of things to note:

A bit of a different cut of the bumper required.
Note the holes in the front, you could likely access your controls, would NOT NEED a wireless option.

 

Also I believe our bumper is priced lower as well.

 

@RelentlessFab FTW.

 

There shouldn't be any fitment issues with aftermarket skids on any of the bumpers.

 

Another nice addition we offer is our bumper mount support brackets that wrap around the factory mounting location and tie into the frame behind the bumper. If you use your winch a lot, these brackets will help support the original bumper mounting brackets on the front of the Tacoma's frame which are fairly flimsy in my opinion.
http://www.c4fabrication.com/product/2016-3rd-gen-tacoma-front-bumper-frame-support-brackets/

 

This is curious

 

That is clever. I can see how they would help, but I'm mostly pulling myself through swamp when I am stuck. Currently doing that via a come-along and lots of pain and time.

**The dog loves to go through the swamp and sit on the other side watching me struggle to follow.

 

Want.
Can't see why these wouldn't work with other bumpers (at least the SSO, they're mount plates are 3/16) and look stout as shit. How can I get a set powder coated?