Update- Installed! Anyone here have a kalil fab front bumper?

Interesting anec-data. Helping my sister move down to NC. Last trip, I had the factory bumper. Made another trip this past weekend having since mounted up the bumper.

While carrying roughly the same weight in boxed up stuff in the cab and bed under my tonneau cover down each trip, and no cargo except me driving both routes back, taking the same route and averaging 75-85mph on i68, i81, i64 snd i95, I averaged 1.3mpg better on both the drive down loaded with cargo, and the return leg this past weekend. So about 9% fuel economy improvement at realistic highway speeds. With the front wheel wells being so opened up, they'd make for a larger high pressure zone, so my only explanation is the bash plste helped smooth out airflow to the underside of the truck well enough to negate and overcome the extra air being caught by the wheel wells. Truck has felt heavier/more "planted," at highway speeds, even with strong crosswinds.

I did not get front wheel arch measurements to see how the extra 35ish pounds over stock bumper surround/bracketry and crash bar hanging out front compressed the front end. I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 - 3/4", but negligible increase in perceived road noise whether the windows are open or shut.

I'm a windows down kind of guy, generally have all 4 cracked about 2" at highway speeds, anything below 55mph drivers window is down all the way, so I wouldn't chalk it up to that, as both trips were made in similar conditions (down friday evening/night, return sunday) so any changes in drag whether windows were closed/cracked would be similar along both trips.


I am running the oem wheels and the same set of 235/85-16 falken wildpeak at3w's at the same tire pressure (37lbs up front, 36 in the rear cold pressure reading). I also have a set of westcott designs rock sliders mounted, so it's not the most aerodynamic of bricks out there. I didn't stop at the same gas stations, but I don't think it's a difference between summer/winter blend, as that changeover should have already occured months ago. I'll take a 9% highway fuel economy improvement. Nothing to shake a stick at.

I want to add belly skids once I get the exhaust re-routed. Wondering doing that will net any highway fe improvements as well. Want to stick with aluminum to save some weight as I'm not rockcrawling.

 

Well, I was hoping for better results from the duplicolor 1k clear coat, but it has already failed, despite following all the application instructions, and allowing it a full week to cure before getting the bumper mounted/exposed to the elements.

Will have to pull it, wetsand it all off, clean up the paint under it, and order a can or two or 2k clearcoat.

The duplicolor paint under the clearcoat is still holding up, except for a few rock chips near the bottom mount.

 

any update?

 

Have a couple cans of 2k clear on order. Will pull it, touch up the bottom, then wetsand and spray with the 2k before remounting. Need some drier weather than we've been having so far.