by "My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
Published 03/28/2017 at 22:23
by "My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
Published 03/28/2017 at 22:23
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Evening oppo. I have been doing some research regarding a change of heart and future plans of a 4runner. I have learned my lesson in the mini, and am going to resist the urge to performance mod. That hasn’t stopped me from looking at cosmetics....
Brush guards (or roo bars, if you live in magical upsidedown land). Opinions online vary whether they have any real benefit or detrement in a frontal collision. Since my offroading will be limited, I am thinking more of collisions with deer and the occasional prius.
Anyone with any real experience? We need someone like dirt everyday or whoever to mythbust this.
"promoted by the color red" (whenindoubtflatout)
03/28/2017 at 22:33, STARS: 3
My dad has a real, honest-to-god brush guard on his ‘85 Toyota 4x4 and clipped deer with it about ten years ago. Other than a broken headlight and a slight dent in the hood, it came out unscathed. Don’t think he was going that fast, maybe 30-45 mph.
I’m a little more skeptical about the second one. A guy with one of those on his XTerra rear-ended my friend’s Lancer at a low-speed and it came out with a sick inward bend. The Lancer’s dent popped out while we were filling out the police report.
"djmt1" (djmt1)
03/28/2017 at 22:34, STARS: 4
That’s not a roo bar. This is a roo bar.
"V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!" (v8demon)
03/28/2017 at 22:42, STARS: 0
I have learned my lesson in the mini, and am going to resist the urge to performance mod.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/28/2017 at 22:46, STARS: 0
Is that a supercharger?
"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
03/28/2017 at 22:47, STARS: 1
Most of those are flimsy and of little actual value in a crash or wildlife strike. Some of them tend to shake, even if tightly mounted, and can rub on your bumper, causing cosmetic damage.
A basic brushguard to keep sticks and such from breaking your headlights can be useful, if you’re driving in the bush.
A lower bull bar like that second one, if it has an integrated skid plate and mounts to the proper location, can help protect the front bumper and radiator area from sticks and other foreign objects that might come up and do damage, or from light nosedives over terrain.
In town and on the highway, neither offer anything but cosmetics.
"V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!" (v8demon)
03/28/2017 at 22:48, STARS: 1
I thought it was a cosmetic engine cover......Just trying to help.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/28/2017 at 22:55, STARS: 0
I wish I would have taken a picture, I can’t find an equivalent online.
I saw a full size peterbilt truck that had a bar that looked like it was designed for some mad-max esque shit or hitting moose on a regular basis. It looked so professional I can’t imagine it was a custom job.
"Matt Brown" (superfastmatt)
03/28/2017 at 23:17, STARS: 1
I bought a 4Runner new a couple years ago. I went with the SR5 Premium which I recommend. I don’t think there’s really an advantage on the Trail or TRD unless you’re in some really random offroad corner case.
They do look cool. I’d consider getting the bigger tires that the TRD uses, and getting the wheels powder coated black.
Brush guard will protect against really slow bumps and not do shit for anything faster. Good if you need to push start your buddies Dart, and they look cool (some of them), but it’s a cantilevered arm with two and a half tons of momentum behind it. 10MPH into something rigid and it’ll just bend into your bumper.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
03/28/2017 at 23:21, STARS: 0
It depends of how hefty they are. Your best bet is to find a local shop and have them build a custom one if you truly care. I’ve seen many people with nice full steel ones take on deer with nary a scratch as a result.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/28/2017 at 23:34, STARS: 1
Thats good to know. I was looking at just the base TRD for the locking diff, but TBH I will probably only take the thing offroad once or twice, I really just don’t like/want/think much of CUVs. This is probably something that is going to require a trip to the dealer and some negotiating.
I have no real way of explaining myself without sounding like a tool, but this is looking like the best option for now. Not enough money for everything I want.
"Matt Brown" (superfastmatt)
03/28/2017 at 23:47, STARS: 0
The ATRAC on he SR5 4wd is great: traction control for 4-LO. I’ve done some pretty gnarly shit with it. Lockers seem like one of those things people are convinced they need but with modern electronics they’re really only useful for rare cases.
Also, I paid 2k under MSRP which is hard to do with the TRD. I had to fly from SF to LA to get the one I wanted at the price I wanted, but totally worth it (especially since it was a business trip!)
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/28/2017 at 23:50, STARS: 0
I might do one of those “buy last year’s leftovers” kinda thing given how well these hold value.
"Hi there" (hithere)
03/29/2017 at 00:24, STARS: 0
Brush guards are fine for ~farm trucks that never drive on the road but in road crashes body shop guys call them “damage multipliers”. If you dd your truck especially, do not put that crap on your truck.
"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
03/29/2017 at 00:26, STARS: 1
I don’t know about those ones, afaik those are mostly cosmetic. Now stinger bumpers, those do some damage....
"ThePlasticOne - no diggities expressed nor implied." (theplasticone)
03/29/2017 at 00:27, STARS: 7
We in the offroad realm refer to these bull/brush/roo bars as damage multipliers because in the majority of cases, should you hit something significant with one you will wind up with more damage than if you had not had one. They mount only to the bottom of the frame and have little to substantially keep them in place in the event of a collision; they tend to rotate upwards and cause additional damage to the hood and possibly radiator. Observe:
Extra metal attached to the front means nothing unless it is properly engineered. Your collision with “the occasional Prius” could very well end up like the above image (and you’ll find deer strikes that are able to bend these things as well). These things are built in China out of basically iron-infused paper. They will not save your front end from anything more than an errant shopping cart. Next time you walk by one, give it a whack and see how much it vibrates.
We in the offroad realm prefer fully-built replacement steel bumpers, which cost quite a bit more, but tend to come out on top in fender-benders. Behold the results of rear-ending a Dodge Caravan at freeway speed:
Granted, every now and then these types of bumpers fail too, but mostly due to poor engineering and/or fabrication; you’ll want to do some good research, as with anything. Most bumpers you’ll find are made of 3/16" steel at the minimum, with aluminum catching up in popularity. The only time I’ve seen one bend (and just a tiny bit at that) is when the guy misjudged a trail turn and rammed into a tree at about 20mph.
And might I add, Hefty Fabworks (which has earned an excellent reputation in the offroad crowd despite some early setbacks) makes a hell of a 4Runner bumper (for quiiiite a price), if you want to talk cosmetics and protection...
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/29/2017 at 00:32, STARS: 1
Yeah, that’s a little overkill for my uses. Guess I won’t bother.
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
03/29/2017 at 01:12, STARS: 0
Bull bars are for posers. Run it naked.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/29/2017 at 01:20, STARS: 0
I kind of want to cover the thing in fog lights. Am I allowed one tacky mod?
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
03/29/2017 at 01:26, STARS: 0
fog lights dont destroy your bumper so im on board
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
03/29/2017 at 03:15, STARS: 1
Am poser. Don’t care.
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
03/29/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 0
I remember when I sold cars we got a used ram that had one of those cheapo brush gaurds. There was rust on the fenders where it had rubbed the paint of of them because wind resistance alone was enough to push it back.
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
03/29/2017 at 09:16, STARS: 0
They should be illegal for road use.
"Dru" (therealkennyd)
03/29/2017 at 09:58, STARS: 0
My personal taste is for bull bars over a brush guard. If I had to pick a new 4Runner, I’d go with the standard trail. They can be had for 34-35K plus the t case is actuated by a shift lever and not a knob. Not that there’s a practical different between the two, but I prefer levers. Looks more old school.
"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
03/29/2017 at 10:51, STARS: 1
Yeah, they should be. I’m a bit surprised they aren’t already.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/29/2017 at 11:43, STARS: 1
Hi, we are here to help. Please don’t put any of those on your nice 4runner.
When in doubt think about where you’re buying it... Is it from a fab company who makes these for the Toyota community? (CBI, Slee, Relentless, Toytec, AllPro) Have you seen discussion threads or vendor support threads on
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/
?
Or is it from a ‘truck store’ full of chrome and steps?
Put your money into tires and wheels, then skidplates and sliders.
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
03/29/2017 at 11:46, STARS: 0
You get a free pass because pajero. Turbodiesel?
"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
03/29/2017 at 11:59, STARS: 0
That’s gorgeous. He did a great job integrating it.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
03/29/2017 at 12:29, STARS: 1
Yes, with a freshly added intercooler :)
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/29/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 0
Don’t the new ones come stock with skidplates? sliders I can definetly get behind.
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
03/29/2017 at 12:36, STARS: 0
When i bought my two 4runners and my pathfinder the whole time I was desperately searching for a clean 2.5 gen pajero but never could find one. Im in the US though so no diesel :(
"vicali" (vicali)
03/29/2017 at 12:43, STARS: 0
No I’m talking real skid plates that you could actually skid on;
http://www.shrockworks.com/5th-Gen-4Runner-Skid-Plates-2010-2015-pr-16260.html
http://www.rcimetalworks.com/10-17-4Runner-Full-Skid-Package-Deal-T4R-10-14-05.htm
http://www.cbioffroadfab.com/products/5th-gen-toyota-4runner/5th-gen-4runner-skid-plates/
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/29/2017 at 13:03, STARS: 0
That full aluminum package from RCI looks excellent, I will definetly bookmark that.
TBH I only recently started considering this, I haven’t really done my research so thanks for your help.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/29/2017 at 13:16, STARS: 0
no problem, visit the t4r forum, it’s like Tacomaworld - lots of people, loud, some people are there just to troll.. if you want an easy ‘beginners’ type forum to get your feet wet come over to OB;
https://overlandbound.com/forums/
It’s a little highsocks but very helpful and nice..
also come over here for more Oppo help;
"ThePlasticOne - no diggities expressed nor implied." (theplasticone)
03/29/2017 at 15:57, STARS: 0
Yeah, it’s a damn fine piece of fabrication and the price reflects that. I’d get a 4Runner just as an excuse for the bumper. And they
mass-produce
these (in as much as the market demands). You still have to cut the factory plastic bumper cover, which kinda sucks but not unprecedented (ARB makes you do this a lot depending on your vehicle).