Plate Bumpers after impact with pics?

Just got rear-ended. Not the first time.
Aftermarket bumper that stands out the most now is Aluminess

Why not aluminum instead of steel in the back?
Aluminum should still be stiff and strong, might still be weldable (despite the increased difficulty)
and should weigh similar to the stock bumper, so that there's no decrease in MPG on the truck or lowering of the rear ride height on stock leaf springs

because if lots of heavy steel armor is added, it probably means it's time to also upgrade the suspension, which increases the bill even more.
A simple replacement of old shocks with Bilstein 4600 is like $350.
But if you start going 5100 or higher, Dakar leaf pack in the rear, etc. it starts creeping up to around $1k in parts alone

I wonder how aftermarket plate bumpers affect protection of the Tacoma occupant(s) and if they crumple less than stock
Sure the opposing car will be messed up, and the Tacoma might be saved
but what if the bumper absorbs less shock and sends it straight to the driver, like old school metal cars from back in the day
IDK how you guys are managing these big hits without concussions, brain damage, etc...

I'm seeing a lot of "pic of my unscathed front steel bumper, vs. pic of their rear or side crumple"
Not sure how that works
typically if you hit with the front of your car, for any reason, they try to portray you as the at-fault party, which can come with financial punishment...
Unless you maybe have a dashcam that caught that car doing something crazy enough to make them at fault...

 

Every aluminum bumper I’ve seen after an accident was completely destroyed. Besides that, steel is more durable for off roading

 

they definitely are cheaper and with more designs to pick from

if I may ask your input, do you think a steel one would ruin my 2nd gen?
I feel like now it gets around 20mpg stock (haven't measured exactly), with slightly bigger tires (265/70/17)
and just some Bilstein 4600's at OEM ride height

it sounds like steel bumper(s) would drop that to 10mpg and fuck up the ride height, which is scary. Not sure if true.
10mpg is Ford Raptor and Mercedes C63 AMG (V8) territory...

 

Most steel rear bumpers (standard clearance and no swing out) weigh less than 100 pounds and remove 50+ pound stock hitch. So I would guess the mpg drop would be negligible

 

@TacoTuesday1 , the stock 2nd gen rear bumper is steel. The weight difference in aftermarket is not substantial enough to notice a change in MPG. In fact, putting the aluminum on the rear and dropping weight might make traction in the (already light) rear of the truck worse (and therefore more dangerous).

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/weight-of-aftermarket-bumpers-vs-stock.118543/#post-2289717

Per that post, and I have no idea if that is accurate, the bumper is 175 lbs......wait a minute, there's no way! Ok, I don't trust that link. But the point is, get the rear bumper that you want and don't worry too much about the weight.

Now, if we were talking about the front bumper or even skids, then I might change my tune a little. I have the ARB and it is heavy and required new springs even though I opted for a full new front suspension. I might do things differently if I could do them over.

 

Aluminum cracks more then bends and you will probably have a hard time finding someone who can weld thick aluminum. Thin stuff is done with Tig, thick stuff is done with Mig using a special spool gun. I doubt a body shop would ever have a spool gun, and finding a place that does and will work on your bumper will be tough and expensive.
Steel is good because it's easy to fix (rocks, trees). Aluminum is good if you aren't going to hit it hard but will get it wet a lot (mid).

When I replaced my rear stock bumper and hitch assembly it felt like the aftermarket bumper ended up lighter then what I removed. Because your rear end is designed to take a load, even if the steel bumper is a little heavier the difference is negligible for the rear shocks and MPG.
The back of the Tacoma won't absorb as much impact as a sedan because your frame runs all the way to the bumper, there are probably some crush zones, bit it's not much.
The front end has a lot more crumple zones and the front suspension isn't designed for adding weight, so if you add a front bumper and a winch it's a good idea upgrade suspension. That being said, I put a steel front bumper (no winch) and didn't notice much difference.

Look at it this way - a steel bumper is around 100 lbs. So adding a front and back is about the same as having a 200 lb passenger get in the truck. And that's not accounting for old parts removed. But I get it, in the end every pound matters.
The front bumper will more likely effect your MPG because it will worsen the little aerodynamics the Taco has. I noticed worse highway MPG (60-70 mph) while maintaining about the same MPG at lower speeds (40-50 mph).

Right now my general average is 17-18 mpg in the winter and 19ish in the summer. With front (120 lbs) and rear (100 lbs) steel bumpers, sliders (110 lbs) stock TRD-OR suspension, 265-75-16 Cooper AT3 and 155K miles. When my truck was young and stock I remember getting 19-21 in the summer.

 

How is less traction dangerous?

 

Not sure if you're serious....

But if you don't have enough traction, and you need more of it, you could die or kill others, probably an entire bus full of nuns or orphaned children nun trainees if really unlucky.
If you don't need traction and you have more of it, nothing happens. (Or you're just a bad rally driver)

So having less traction is dangerous.


Also, one added benefit to adding a lot of weight, is you lower your ride a little, which makes your truck have better aerodynamics, giving you better steady state mpg.

 

Well, pretty much this, but maybe a little less dramatic.

Losing traction on the road is a VERY BAD THING. You lose all (or at least most) control of the vehicle and can do serious harm to yourself and others.

(Most of us are not professional drifters)

 

drifting is not that hard

 

A second gen rear bumper/ hitch combo weighs about 80 pounds. And no one that I know of makes an aluminum rear due to the hitch. There’s pretty much no net gain in weight from a bolt on steel rear bumper with integrated hitch.

 

I wonder how they even tow. I was told the strongest way to tow is a Tow Package hitch attached directly to the frame
and I think the stock bumper mounts separately above the tow hitch, bolting possibly to the frame using small brackets,
supposedly "towing from the bumper" is weaker so I wonder how a few of these offroad steel plate bumpers do it,
with their hidden hitch (behind the license plate) setup and all that,
if the bumper itself mounts differently, or if they also have a second part mounting system for that hitch to tow rated capacity

it seems some steel bumpers (cheaper ones maybe) still retain the OEM hitch, adding lots of weight because of the bumper and hitch being separate
as opposed to the kind you mention that have it integrated and end up being lighter than the stock combo

maybe that explains why the ~70lbs Aluminess rear goes above the stock hitch and retains it (more weight)
besides the cargo compartment they come with, Aluminess bumpers seem more geared for overlanding including big vans, with use of swingouts (adds extra cost, $1k+ on top of bumper cost itself)

 

There’s 5 mounting points on each side that the bumper/hitch ties into. Here’s an example of one of the beefier bumpers available, from mobtown off-road.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgrDMxGhIqG/?igshid=vxg90ejqry1o

 

No, I have 33s and a mid rise shell and fucking huge racks (my truck could work at hooters) and my mpg is still ~17mpg.

I had armor before lift and tires and noticed little difference. I noticed an MPG hit for bigger tires, and then later for the lift. Oddly, I gained an MPG going from 32" tires to 33" tires, but I chalk that up to my 32" tires wearing wrong (they ended up getting prorated / refunded under warranty).

Addressing the earlier posts too, aluminum is one-time / one-impact only. It is brittle and breaks, soaking up the impact and getting destroyed. Steel deforms and rebounds, or if it's too bad, just deforms instead of cracking and breaking. Aluminum also gouges, scratches, and dents easier. It's only advantage is it corrodes less than steel. If you expect to USE your armor, get steel.

The SOS Offroad Concepts HC rear has a full subframe for the hitch. I regularly tow a travel trailer with mine with zero issues. It's way more stout than stock. It definitely weighs more than stock, but the camper top, tools, and gear inside my truck bed weighs a lot more than the bumper. I was able to mount the bumper by myself with no help and I'm a 150lbs computer nerd, so it's not that heavy.

Here's a pic from when I was painting my bumper:


Look at how thick the frame mount is. It's way thicker than the factory tow hitch. That's DOM tubing as bracing for the receiver tube mounted to it, and the whole bumper is thick steel. It's stout and holds up great. I have Dakar HD leaf springs for the weight of the bumper, topper, and all the stuff in the back. If you want to do it on the cheap with a swingout, you can just mount sumosprings and call it done.

I've been rear-ended twice with no damage to the truck on the highway. Both times the driver harpooned themselves on the hitch. I had to touch up some bedliner paint the first time, and nothing the second time. I've also dragged it a bunch of times offroad, and that was just mundane touch-up too.

You can see how high the hitch sits in this pic. I have a 12" long hitch with a 2" drop and a step (

$27 CURT 45260 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2" Receiver, 7500 lbs, 1" Hole, 2-In Drop, 3/4" Rise

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007M308U)




Here's what I tow with it:



I just got it last summer, but we're up to 4 trips and ~8k miles with no issue. It tows great. The last thing on my mind towing is whether or not my bumper is up to the task, it's way better built than the factory tow bar.

 

Have a similar trailer to yours. Mine pulls fine till I get into the hills then I have to slow down quite a bit. It is pretty heavy with the slide out option. @synaps3

 

this pic makes me regret spray-painting mine
took a ridiculous amount of time, much of it spent escaping/hiding from the fumes waiting for them to settle down

 

That looks like the Wolf Pup 16PF?

We got the 16BHS because it was nearly 1000lbs lighter than the slide-out model. We wanted the bunks for the kids in the BHS too. You definitely get a lot more room with that pop-out though!

I drive with the truck in manual shift mode, ECT on, and don't go above 4th gear. A 3rd-gear, 4.5k rpm pull doing 60mph isn't uncommon in the mountains here on the east coast. We have way less elevation than y'all do in CO though - I'd imagine you'd have to go slow if you're going up more than 1k elevation at a time.

 

It is actually a 17jg and yes the slide out makes for a lot of room. Have not done much highway over 65mph speed limit. So far the Tacoma does the job for the short trips we have taken.

 

Oh man, that floor plan is awesome! You get the pop-out space and room for the kids.

My only complaint about ours is the bathroom's a bit small, and the factory stabilizers are hot garbage. I swapped the stabilizers for these:

$116 ADNIK BAL 23225 Set of 2 'C' Jacks with Handle - 25'

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P2YTIA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - that made a huge difference. I've swapped the wheels for Taco wheels too, my tires were looking a bit worn already at ~10k miles. Here's how she sits now:

 

Im surprised that Pelfreybilt is voted #1 on this poll considering that it looks like they went bankrupt in 2018 and took all their customers money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_rYxg8_vM8