ARB vs Plate bumbers

Hello all, have tried the search function and have not been able to really find the info I'm looking for. I've got an 09 dcsb trdor and am looking into getting some armor soon... I've always liked the look of the arb bumpers such as the deluxe and summit, but lately there have been a ton of fab shops turning out some great looking plate steel high clearance bumpers in similar fashion... my question is which is the better bumper and if there were any pro/ cons to either??? I work 2nd shift so travel the highways and country roads in North Carolina at night and see deer and such so want some protection, but also want to get back into wheeling/overlanding( moved from AZ) and want something functional and stout for recovery. Any and all info would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

 

The search function on TW is lacking. You'll get better results by Googling the information your looking for while adding Tacoma World to it.

Like this:

ARB Bumper Tacoma World.

 

Your post is a bit unclear, you mentioned about a high clearance bumper and driving back country roads cautious of deer. If you're questioning about whether or not to go with the ARB bumper/set, from what I researched a while back, the perk of the ARB is the built in crumple zones. Apparently the ARB bumper went through DOT testing and crash tested their plate front bumper. With that being said, the crumple zone built into the stock plastic bumper is a thin-walled peice of aluminum barstock that spans the two bumper supports. While I cannot say for certain what it does in a front end collision, your frame also has built in crumple zones along side your front fenders. If you look along the sides of your engine compartment, you'll notice the ridges. The hood also has these ridges for crumple zones. Now with all that being said, I believe that any plate bumper albeit steel or aluminium, would offer similar protection from front end collisions the same as the stock aluminum crossbar. My reasoning behind this is that the energy transferrence to your frame would be similar granted steel has a higher impact force required to deform. Ultimately, my belief is that the aluminum cross bar is more for the protection of any softbody impact on the front of your vehicle, say an adult or child. The steel bumper would take the impact much better than an aluminum at the risk of doing more damage to the thing that you hit/hit you etc.. Bottomline, bumper preference will come down to just that, preference. Steel vrs Aluminum, weight vrs gas milage. Price.

-J

 

Sorry if it came off unclear... been a while since I've done any real off road wheeling so the taco is my DD and want the protection from deer etc, but also want offroad ability. Speaking of the arb and its built in crumple zone... does this weaken the ability to be used as a recovery point option if stuck over any other plate steel bumper from CBI, DO, BAMF, etc? Just want to get the best option for my purposes since I dont have the $$$ to change them like a magnetic door sticker. Thanks for the info

 

I wish I had a more concrete answer to give you as I haven't had any hands on experience with the ARB bumpers. Now here's my thinking. Since the ARB bumper has options for attaching a winch, I wouldn't see why having the built in crumple zones would affect the ability to recover your vehicle. If the install of the ARB bumper has you cut the factory recovery point from the frame, you could always use that. But I'm getting a bit off topic. There are products that can be installed to beef up the attachment where your frame and bumper mate. Such as:

http://bayareametalfab.3dcartstores...ont-bumper-reinforcement-brackets-_p_142.html
https://www.c4fabrication.com/product/05-15-2nd-gen-tacoma-front-bumper-frame-support-brackets/

The above options will give you peice of mind to be pulling from your frame instead of your mounting bolts/hardware. I cannot speak of either since I dont have a set, but I have been eyeballing the BAMF brackets but have yet to pull the trigger. Ultimately, a bumper is just that, a bumper. All of your choices will provide you with the same peice of mind. Things to consider, D-Ring shakle throat size in relation to the width of the mounting bracket. I had a set of D-Rings that I had to return because the throat was too narrow.


Dimension 'C' in this photo depicts the throat size that I was referring to above. It's relatively trivial but when you're shopping around for recovery gear, it's just another thing to keep in mind. Ultimately, it's going to fall down to 'buy-once cry-once' when purchasing your bumpers. Buy one that you like the look of since they will all do basically the same thing. Steel will be your best option for recovery due to the inherant nature of steel. Aluminum will provide you with less weight and arguably lower recovery potential. However, I've seen some aluminum bumpers do some crazy stuff, so take this with a grain of salt. Aluminum is typically more expensive than a steel.

Another thing to consider is how much cutting/trimming you might have to do to make the bumper fit. My first Road Armor bumper, I had to trim the headlight bracket a bit to make it fit. Some sheet metal trimming might be necessary as well as some trimming to your inner fender liner too.

-J

 

Our brackets won't work on the ARB bumper without major modifications.

 

ARB on my '14

luv it......heady duty & kangaroo proof........

 

It's fine for off-roading. ARB makes good shit with extensive testing. I wheeled one for a few years with several heavy winching situations. Only issue with ARB is approach angle. Animal protection and winching are what the ARB bumpers are built for

 

Any of them are better than stock. I like my ARB.

 

ARB. It's the only DOT approved bumper, that is air bag compliant. 3rd gen spam. Much more protection with an ARB

 

I wanted the ARB Delux bull bar for the protection from wild life. We have extreme amounts of deer where I live. Id like one to not totally destroy my rig if we meet.

The airbag compliance was the 2nd reason I went with ARB.

ARB, All-Pro, Cooper ST Maxx

Sir you are a man after my own heart

My ARB (ARB p/n 3423130) was made for a 05-11 taco. I fit it on my '15 with some love.

 

If you use the query "Site: xyz.com" at the end of your search string, thats the google code to ONLY look at that website.

This web page actually does a good job pointing out their syntax guides.

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/20-tips-use-google-search-efficiently.html

 

Badd Azz Taco Man..........

 

looking close at trim/OEM plastic directly behind ARB under grill......

My buddy installer kept mine in place...somehow......

the guy I sold the ole bumper too was pizzed that he trimmed it off

make sense ?

 

here's a pic......to better explain

right under head light......and directly behind ARB

runs full length of bumper....

Suggest anyone adding the ARB.....spring for a winch too......

you're right there during the install......$270 shipped for my Smitty 9500

 

Built tough. ARB is one of the heavier bumpers so take that into consideration when you upgrade your suspension.

 

OME 886's

 

So since the only real " short coming" of the arb seems to be a lack of recovery points... I'm assuming it has something to do with the "crumple zone" it builds in to maintain the airbag rating. My question is due to the inherent weakness of the tacoma front mounting horn are there any other manufacturers that offer a reinforcement that will work with the arb outside of paying a ridiculous sum of cash for a red recovery point?

 

ARB builds good schidt........

https://www.arbusa.com/bumpers-protection-equipment/deluxe-bumper/

 

ARB ftw I don't own any but I'll b on the bandwagon like all others