I've yet to regret my stubby. Then again, I haven't had the misfortune of being involved in an MVC with this jeep, so I can't speak to whether or not a mid or fullwidth bumper would be superior to a stubby from that perspective.
Glad you've not wrecked. I imagine most people haven't, and even though I recently hit an owl (yes, an owl) I've got a pretty good track record of not hitting things in the road.
Still leaning towards stubby...
jadmt, I started modding the stock bumper with a light bar, but have become disappointed in how the plastic doesn't get along with the mud around here. I am ready to toss it, and cut the stained fenders also.
If you are not sure do the cheapest route and make a stubby out of your stock bumper. It is light and they are plentiful. I figured I would give it a try on mine until I got the bumper I wanted but like mine enough that I stopped looking at bumpers.
I'm paranoid of stubby because not only does it offer less protection, but it can be an insurance risk if you're an accident. An in-the-know insurance adjuster can easily deny a claim if they're sure the OEM full width bumper could've prevented the damage. And make no mistake - the thick plastic ends of the OEM bumper are very sturdy and capable of deflecting objects to the side or below the tires.
So why did I end up going stubby? I only drive to and from work, and never drive at night. If I lived a life where I'm going 70 on back country roads or parking in lots at night full of drunk people who are also parking their cars, then no I would not have gone stubby.
I'm paranoid of stubby because not only does it offer less protection, but it can be an insurance risk if you're an accident. An in-the-know insurance adjuster can easily deny a claim if they're sure the OEM full width bumper could've prevented the damage. And make no mistake - the thick plastic ends of the OEM bumper are very sturdy and capable of deflecting objects to the side or below the tires.
Please provide evidence of your first and second claims.
As to your third assertion, I have seen many Wrangler collisions with vehicles/fixed objects/living entities/road debris and the front bumper is only going to deflect soft objects like a dog, a bag of kitchen trash, etc. Anything more substantial is going to deform and effectively destroy the outboard portion of the bumper.
I searched bumpers until I was cross eyed! I think it comes down to two things:
1. What are you going to use it for?
2. What do you like the look of ?
Personally, I do not like the appearance of a full width bumper. My Jeep is my driver so I went with a JCR Off-road Dagger, Mid-width. The ends are tapered and it fit my needs best.
I plan to purchase a stubby for a couple reasons. First reason is full width collects dirt off the road from the tires. My factory bumper right in front of the tires is always filthy.
I also like to do mods that I won't regret down the road if I decide to change or add. For example, I'm looking at a few rear bumpers now with tire carrier, however I'm having a hard time finding one I like that allows for use of the factory hitch. I put on my Quadratec hitch when I bought the Jeep, and I don't want to have to remove it and sell it.
As for front bumper.. a stubby looks good with factory flares or flats.. full width, not so much in my opinion. I have no current plans for flat fenders, but you never know and I don't want to buy a full or mid width bumper only to have to sell it if I decide to change fenders to flats.
I almost bought a rampage recovery full width bumper as I do like the look. One thing that held me back is the dealer that i bought my Jeep from was selling Jeeps off the lot with that bumper as a dealer installed option. This increases the chance of possibly seeing more JKs rolling around with the same bumper, and I wanted something a bit more different and unique (to my location anyways).
My opinion in regards to protection of full vs. stubby.. I think you having a full width may protect some areas of the Jeep better (obviously the fenders and wheels, etc) however if I get into a collision.. this is what I have insurance for.
I'm going the stubby route because it saves a little bit of weight and I really like the looks of it. I'm between the ACE pro stubby, the LoD offroad stubby or the Genright. They're all lightweight, have built in winch trays and offer the bull bar. If I drove back country roads more often where deer and animals are more of a concern, I would consider a full or midwidth bumper, but I don't need it for where I live. As said earlier, I could see a claims adjuster coming up with some scenerio where a OME bumper could have saved damage, but they're all just looking for some excuse anyway.
I'll share this... for nearly 3 years I couldn't bring myself to cut fenders or run a stubby bumper... seemed like the more time I spent off-roading more technical trails, the more my tires contacted my front bumper, limiting my capability off-road.
long story short I picked up some flat fenders and a stubby bumper. and my only regret is not doing this sooner.
I will say my one negative on the stubby is I definitely get more road spray on the front windshield in inclimate weather. I can be the only vehicle on the road and my windshield gets dirty fast. I have had the same bumper on two wranglers and both times did not have this problem with the stock bumper.
Don't regret it one bit. Once I was looking at bumpers mid or full widths never crossed my mind. Went with the Poison Spyder brawler lite and couldn't be happier.
I have the original ACE stubby front bumper with stinger and love it. I posted this picture in another thread, it's one of my fav pics even though I'm stuck, it really shows off the ACE bumper also.
0 regrets chopping my bumper to a stubby (true stubby, none of that end cap mid-width crap.)
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