How does aftermarket bumper weight impact suspension set ups/etc?

Newbie alert.

Search disclaimer -- did it, not much discussion about weight of various aftermarket bumpers and how they may or may not impact the general "ride" of a vehicle -- plenty of results comparing brands


Ok, pretend you are a newbie and you decided on an RE 4.5 lift with all the costly goodies that go with setting up a 2001 XJ with that lift.

While that's in the pipeline, pretend you want aftermarket front and rear bumpers, and have to budget for them a few months out.

Got it....

In function, everyone has their own opinion about what brand is best, and there's enough threads on that.

My question is how much do you factor in weight of aftermarket bumpers, and for those of you who've switched, does it make a significant impact on the suspension, ride, brake performance, etc.??

I have to figure you notice, for example, a big change if you throw a C 4x4 rear bumper with a Tire Carrier and a 32 on the back, and an ARB with a 8K warn on the front.

What, if any, adjustments can be made to compensate?

As a side note, I suppose the only way to decide if you NEED a winch is to just trail ride until you wish you had one eh? My brother has one on his 04 F-series HD 4x4, but he has had it stolen more times than he's needed it.

I did exactly as you mentioned.
01 XJ
started out with Rusty's 4.5 inch lift.
ARB with Warn m8000 up front, C4x4 rear with tire carrier.
The back wasn't too bad, (32" tire to begin with, now holds a 35")
The front did make a difference. It was down a little less than an inch in the front with the arb and winch.
I threw in a 1 inch coil spring spacer to compensate. (Daystar 1 3/4" spacer)
Now with the fenders all chopped, adjustable coil spacers up front, longer shackles in the rear, I couldn't tell if it's sagged or not.

My front bumper weighs in at 70lbs and my C4x4 rear at 75lbs, IIRCC. On a lifted rig, you may notice you'll net slightly less lift, but were talking perhaps 1/4 to 1/2" less that a rig with stock bumpers. This can easily be compensated for by using a poly isolator on top of the coil and using a longer shackle if need to even out the rear. the more weight you add to the rig, the more difference you will see, but it's rarely to a proportional level that can be easily gauged. Spring rates of the lift will effect static height as well, I know that RE's springs tend to net more than advertised, perhaps this is to compensate for the additional weight that folks typically add in HD bumpers, winches, and armor when they lift their rigs?

My buddy's XJ sits 1/2 " higher in the front than mine, with the same 6" RE lift, same size tires and wheels and we're both running front bumpers of similar weight. I think the difference here is my rig has been wheeled regularly and flexed up a lot, while his is used to run to the store and an occasional dirt road adventure so his springs really aren't "broke in".

Thanks DAffyXJ, I will send you a PM (when the time comes) about fender trim and bumper choice on a 01, if ya don't mind. Can't decide to go with late model type bumpers or pre 96 type and trim to get rid of that front sheet metal a bit.

Anyway, so the ARB/Winch made enough difference to adjust, as expected.

What about braking? I mean we're adding lots of weight all around. On my former car (sports car) I noticed better braking response (just response) with SS lines. And I'm doing those on the XJ. Anything else? I don't think an 8.25 is worth a disk conversion unless braking just gets pitifull (???)

From the time I put the 4.5 inch lift on, the braking sux. I don't think it's as much a factor of the bumpers alone, but a culmination of all things. Lift, weight, brake line length, tires.
When I went to 6.5 inch, I added TRW power stop drilled rotors up front with good pads. That made a huge difference.
Then I added the D-44 in the rear, kept the drums, (they are 1/2 inch larger than the 8.25) and the TRW rotors on the D-30.
Then I puched it up a little more. (Inchitus) and added the D-44 to the front.
It stops, but the master cylinder is way over worked, and with 24 " brake lines (stainless) line pressure is low.
Now when I drive it, I drive it like the Jeep it is and not like my ford.
Expect that the pedal will get soft and the brakes on the 8.25 and D-30 will get over worked.

so I should get used to servicing my stock brakes more often/on my own... sounds like a plan....

I had (in my mind) figured that 4.5/accessories/32 or 33 tires/bumpers/some skids were the limit of "total stock" brake capabilities and depending on driving style and what a person defines as good brake response -- you just upgrade from there.

Stand on the stock front bumber and have someone measure how much it drops... A winch and bumber are typically less than than 200lbs. When I stood on mine it droped about 0.5".

I lost .75 of an inch with a warn bumper and winch. Just compensate with a coil spacer like they said earlier. Works great and no effect on handling or ride.

I have a C4x4 front bumper with a Warn winch up front, I used OME934 coils meant for a ZJ with a V8 - lost about 3/8 inch (put in a 3/8th inch trim packer to make up for it). These fit right in, and the higher progressive rate was a great improvement over the standard duty lift coils I had in previously. Better handling and less tendency to nose dive when braking hard.

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I solved that problem a long time ago, when I went with ACOS instead of fixed spacers. Now, whenever I add on things like bumpers and winches... I just adjust them up to get my height back. Easy, and the best mod to date that I did to my XJs. As for ride quality... I think I only suffer slightly in the going and stopping department at my current 4020 total weight. My '00 still stops and goes great for my liking.

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just kind of a thought: One day, your wheeling and your the only one in the rig, the next you bring some friends. thats at least 300 pounds extra, do you feel lower? basically: i doubt it will be that huge of a difference with heavier bumpers on, and if it is its probably not much.

Yes actually, at least in every other vehicle I've owned, when loaded down on a trip or with other people in the car/truck/etc I'm actually the type that notices the change in performance quite a bit. It acutally bugs me to no end sometimes, heh. That's why I asked. I'm just quirky about stuff.

Chances are brake performance is most likely to bother me. After three weeks of daily driving, I'm just now accepting the stock brakes and stock set up.

This has me thinking I should do brakes first or with the lift.

It's such a personal thing, I just wanted to hear what others did and kind of draw ideas out from that.

I lost about 3/4" with the Warn front bumper, that was fine because it leveled me out. Seems like it rides a lot worse, the pot holes are bad here and it seems like the added weight doesn't help.

wescam,
Do the lift first. See if the brake performance trips your pet peave meter. It probably will, but some better rotors should make you happy. In fact I have my D-30 set of TRW rotors still. less than 1500 miles on them. Started trailoring the Xj shortly after I put them on.
Give a shout and if you want you can try out my Xj and see what not to do. :gag:
I'm just south of Waldorf.

Derik

Thx Derik. I've been meaning to attend some local events too, just to look and ask questions. Should help.

Waldorf Worldwide! (sorry had to say that)