The Big Picture
Think of a Jeep’s bumpers the same way you’d think of a soldier’s helmet and body armor; not just for show, but the first line of defense when things get real. Whether it’s a narrow line through the rocks or a drunk driver swerving into your lane on the highway, solid bumpers are the first line of defense for you, your rig, and the people riding with you.
All of that is before we get to how modern Jeep bumpers dramatically improve off road performance and recovery through their construction and features.
Design and customization
Because style points count
Few things can transform the look of your Jeep as much as a new set of bumpers. While cheap bumpers can give you a rugged look they share generic designs and no customizable parts. Nothing gives your Jeep a more modern and beefy look than some premium off road bumpers.
Approach and departure angles
The big one
While fine for driving on the street and mild off road use, the stock bumpers actually gatekeep about 75% of of your Jeeps stock performance simply because of the approach and departure angles. Below are renders that visualize just how much climbing performance can be gained by upgrading your bumpers alone.
Disclaimer
Some states have strict laws about how much of a vehicle’s front tires can be exposed, and even how high the bottom of the bumper can be. Even though this is not common please check your state's laws before buying a bumper. We don’t want anyone to get a ticket!
Ability to mount a winch
Because your going to need one
No matter how much experience you have off-road or how built your rig is, everybody ends up needing to use their winch quite a bit.
Something extremely important to know is that any manufacturer can drill some holes in a bumper and say it’s winch capable, but that doesn't mean it is. Few things put as much stress on a vehicle as winching and recovery. That's why it's critical that a bumper is designed to handle it, and evenly distribute the load to multiple locations on the frame.
Bumpers born to be on the most extreme trails and used in the most intense recovery scenarios like our Sport Series EVO will have a separate Winch box entirely. Shown below is a heat map render that shows just how much force is really put into the vehicle under winching.
Recovery points
Because safety comes first
The strongest part of any off road vehicle needs to be the frame mounted recovery points. That is because sometimes, although rare, you need a tug from another Jeep. Due to the inherent risk involved it should always be the last resort, but sometimes, when stuck in mud for instance, there is no other option. Whether you are hooking up to someone else's winch or getting a tug, these recovery points are the most critical part of any serious off road bumper.
People have unfortunately lost their lives when weak, cheap parts fail. Specifically cheap bumpers with weak shackle mounts can rip right out of the bumper and hit other vehicles and in the worst case scenario, people.
Mounting lights and accessories
Because the stock headlights just don't cut it off-road
This one is pretty self explanatory, but you need to be able to mount gear to the front of the bumper. Lights are just the beginning, as some parks require a tall safety flag to be mounted to the front of the vehicle, and CB antennas are also common. A premium bumper should have holes, or a flat surface to drill holes for mounting these kinds of accessories as well.
