Please help me decide between front guards

I don't want to replace my stock bumper since I live in the city ( New York ) and will do very little off roading compared to others here. My reason for wanting it is because the people here park by feel ( bumpers hitting before they stop moving ) and I want to help protect my truck. I also want to be able to mount 4 sets of driving lights if I wish to do so in the future.

So far, I've somewhat settled on 2 choices.

http://www.trueradius.com which I'm not 100% sure what they look like but I'm waiting on a catalog.

http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=39637&Category_Code=rec_win

I don't plan on using a winch at all.

Anyone have previous experience with either of the 2? Any other better guards out there for around the same price range?

Thanks,
Nick

A freind of mine had a guard similar to those made by Smittybuilt and he was hit by someone in Honda Civic backing up not very fast and it crumpled like a napkin (so did the Honda). Anyway, I think those types of guards are more for looks than for protection. I have not seen the Warn version and I know they make very good products, so theirs could be different. If you want protection from other vehicals I would look into a full bumper, but those prices grow much larger in most cases.

Ive got one like those on my XJ, Its good for mounting lights, and keeping deer out of the radiator, but thats about it. I really wouldnt think it would offer much protection from another vehicle, even at very slow speeds. It only mounts with 4 bolts so I wouldnt get too carried away. Check out JCR offroad ( www.jcroffroad.com ) they arent the best looking bumpers, but they are solid, and they are about the same price range as the guards you ae looking at.

Thanks for the info RCman and Littlewhitexj. That's what I thought about the above guards. The JCOffRoad site I didn't know about but I'll defitinly take it into consideration.

My main gripe is that around here my other car's repainted bumpers only last 1-2 days max before they start showing signs of wear. My last bumper only lasted 2 hours before a XXXX parked right up against my bumper and left it there.

On the XJ, it's only been 1 day and I already have a yellow paint rub mark on my front black bumper guards ( the stock plastic ones ).

If they made a bumper with spikes sticking out, I'd get it. However, I think the law would have something against that in case I were to hit a pedestrian.

Another consideration for me is relatively light weight. I don't want to carry around an extra 100+ lb ARB type bumper, no matter how good it is ( never mind the $700+ for one )

Any other small, lesser known sites available?

heres pics of the true radius grill guard....

http://www.olypen.com/craigh/details.htm

Thanks for the link Fordtech. By the looks of it, the true radius bumper should be stronger than the Warn. It's all welded, and it also mounts onto the front bumper from the front giving 2 additional mounting points.

Calata said:

Thanks for the link Fordtech. By the looks of it, the true radius bumper should be stronger than the Warn. It's all welded, and it also mounts onto the front bumper from the front giving 2 additional mounting points.

Click to expand...

when that catalog comes in post up details about the xj setup. Curious.

Hey Calata,

For what it is worth,

I highly recommend looking at replacement bumpers, much like what littlewhitexj said. For about the same amount of money, you can strengthen the front tremendously. As for the finish, just order your bumper(s) (I'd look at a rear one as well) primered. Then buy some paint (your choice of color). Paint the bumper and keep some spare paint. Then when some idiot bumps you, wipe off the dirt and spray over the mark. A front and rear bumper with clevis tabs will be a reason to stop people from hitting your Jeep.

Do some searching, there are many choices out there. If you or a friend can weld and have access to a welder, buy some metal and make your own, if you have the time and skillset.

Just my $.02.

Good Luck!

Robert

i have the warn guard, got it before i realized teh ammount of aftermarket support. i would rather have a full bumper but it has been good and strong. i have the winch plate as well and it hasnt budged yet. sticks out a bit far for my taste though

http://www.nates4x4.com/catalog/

He built my bumper about 2 yrs ago and it is still holding up beautifully.
(Mine is similar to the one on the red XJ but with a receiver & towbar brackets)

Good work and prices.

Out of curiousity, do these aftermarket all steel bumpers affect gas milage?

Also, I intent to use bed liner paint on them. Should I ask for them primed or unfinished ( which way would the bed liner paint stick better ? )

Thanks everyone !!

Order it unfinished, let it get a "light" coat of surface rust and then paint it with POR 15 or E.R.F.. After that dries, hit it with a spray on bedliner and you are good to go, no rusting and it hard to scratch.

Good advice here.....especially that of NOT buying a guard that bolts onto the stock sheetmetal bumpers. Spend your hard earned cash on a solid bumper that will actually prevent damage to the rest of your rig. There's a whole slew of them out there to choose from, to suit a broad range of tastes. The cheaper ones usually don't match the XJ body lines that well, but will still do the job you intend them to do.

Also check out:
www.rigidco.com

www.protofab4x4.com/products.htm#XJ

www.custom4x4fabrication.com/rear_xj.html

daystar four real bumpers

Thanks for all your help guys. At the end of the day, for the money, I'm seriously thinking of the JCR Defender bumper. Will me my purchase towards the end of the summer ( $400+ is harder to swallow that $250, lol. ).

fordtech said:

when that catalog comes in post up details about the xj setup. Curious.

Click to expand...

http://home.earthlink.net/~nflorea/images/True Radius Bending.jpg