Hit a deer. Should I repair or go with ARB?

I've always been wary of getting away from my nicely stock TRD Off-Road but as luck has it I killed a deer Friday night.

I was actually amazed at how little damage occurred. Albeit will probably be thousands of dollars to repair the front just to keep the truck looking aesthetically pleasing I'm looking into the idea of an ARB. Not gonna go with any other vendors sorry to all you who support those companies.

Now with that comes the need to upgrade the front end suspension which would probably involve a smallish lift to accommodate for the stiffer springs.

I'd probably only go up 2" max in the front and would need to make up the difference in the rear.

So, TW please begin with your knowledgeable banter into this subject with examples of what you're running for suspension (again I'm only looking for up to 2" in the front and rear) or why I should run away from the idea of changing from stock.

Cheers!!!

 

I had an ARB on my FJ.. solid bumper. Just make sure you beef up your suspension for the additional weight. I used Bilstein 5100s and Toytec Adjustable Coilovers. It worked great and you can dial the exact height you are looking for.

 

^What he said. that Bilies and Toytec coils will really help with the additional weight.

 

You could just get a 620 lb eibach coil/bilstein 5100s lift. Leave the billy's set at 0. Then get a 1.5" or 2" Add-a-leaf

 

Go with Pelfreybilt!

 

You could do this w/out the diff drop and spacers:
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Bilstein-Adjustable-lift-kit-with-5100-shocks_p_132.html

OR

If you wanna go a cheaper route do this without spacers. You may overextend your rear shocks though.
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/NEW-3-Lift-With-front-coils-rear-options_p_233.html

 

Dan, looks like we have the same set up only that you have a fj and I have a Tacoma.
Yes, go with ARB only that you have to raise your front at least 2-2.5" to level. ARB bumpers weigh at least 150 lbs.

 

Do deer bounce off ARB bumpers harmlessly? How much does an ARB bumper weigh?

I hit a deer with my friends suburban once, it was on I5. I slowed to about 35 before the suicidal deer hit the truck. The deer was tossed across 2 lanes.

We stopped to be sure the truck wasn't damaged, there were a few chips on the plastic grill. Weathering show at least some had been there for some time. So no real damage.

 

Perfect opportunity to upgrade your truck and significantly reduce the cost of that upgrade. My friend hunter got rear ended and put a pelfrybilt bumper on his for near the same cost as a stock replacement

 

What about the 6112's?

 

This is what I'm leaning towards if I go the ARB route but am unclear on how much lift they provide.

 

They are selectable. Notches for lift or no lift.
Think max is 3in up

 

Go Arb and never worry about deer crators again.

 

I have posted this on TW before but I am actually hoping to hit a deer, a Prius, or for someone to back into my bumper. Will replace it with one of the aluminum plate type bumpers.

 

Just waiting for an excuse. Ha

 

I have the ARB with the Eibach/5100 and Icon/TSB setup so if you want to see what it looks like go to the last page of my MR.

The nice thing is you may be able to salvage your OEM bumper to build the filler piece you need.

 

Well hell yea. Most folks get distraught when their rig takes a hit. I'm gonna hug that driver or deer.

 

Get your credit card out now!

 

I'm with ya

 

Pelfreybuilt or relentless FTMFW??