ARB bumper without the tubes?
- Thread starter LINY4Runner
- Start date
steezemcqueen
Moderator
awww...you have to login to see the thread
shawnstcyr
New member
No, it is flimsy. I was very disappointed when I got mine. Very thin metal. Nice welds and powder coating, but that is it.
If you ever got your hands on an Armorology, you'd want it. I tapped on Glen Yoshida's, it hurt my hand. Good solid metal. Look him up on YouTube to see it and watch it in action.
Ric's was solid enough that when his lower ball joint broke, the truck did a nose dive into the pavement. He says it dug in and almost went end over end. The truck was totalled, but he turned around and sold the bumper afterwards. No damage. An ARB WILL NOT do that!
Interesting, I find mine-same as yours to be solid, although I don't wheel as hard as you do. The first week I had mine, I nosedived my truck into a berm that I did not see the bumper held up great! I had shackles on the shackle mount and it made an indent when the shackles were pressed against the bumper. The first weekend I had the bumper, I just barely cleared a rock obstacle and the bottom of the shackle mount went right into the rock...again SOLID.
I guess it's rather subjective to everyone that has one, my ARB is solid and it does what it's made for, whether it's plowing through berms, rocks, or many pulls on the bumper I love it and my next rig will have one.
brian2sun
Elite Member
To me, looking dated is a good thing because I don't like the newer look. I think 4th gens look more like a lifted Subaru Outback than a Taco. The 5th gen looks better IMO, but I still love the look of the 3rd gen the best. It's my favorite of all the runners, so don't think I'm bagging on it, I'm not.
I do think the Armorology bumpers look even more modern and I like them on 3rd gens too, but an ARB isn't going to make your truck look dated anymore than it does with a stock bumper, I think a lot less. People have told me that too about my truck, they can't believe it's a '97.
shawnstcyr,
My ARB is solid as a rock. I've pulled broken trucks over rock gardens, out of mudholes and streams, off of snowburms and even pulled an oak tree down with it. Nothing ever even phased it. I don't know if you didn't reinforce the end caps or what, but I've had a few other winch bumpers in my life and this ARB puts them all to shame, seriously.
LINY4Runner
New member
Okay now I'm really confused...I guess I'm gonna have to see one in action myself to decide if they're solid or flimsy
steezemcqueen
Moderator
keep in mind that the arb's are designed to crumple under a collision. they do this so that the bumper doesn't change how the air bag was designed to deploy during a accident
trd_4runnin
New member
Having never ran an aftermarket bumper of any kind on anything, my opinion might not matter to some. But in my two years of browsing nearly every Toyota and/or offroad forum I can find, I have NEVER in my life heard one thing said about the ARB being weak. It is probably the most popular bumper sold at least from what I can tell and this is literally the only time I have ever heard anything negative regarding it's build quality.
And I'm not saying that Shawn is wrong, because I would have no personal idea, just pointing out what I've observed over the couple years of forums and research.
And I'm not saying that Shawn is wrong, because I would have no personal idea, just pointing out what I've observed over the couple years of forums and research.
theizzardking
New member
dude arb's are fine, they are used on every make and model of off road truck, all use the same gauge steel and all are built the same, THEY ARE THE STANDARD.
yes you can get a heavier duty one, you may even be able to build a better one (unlikely as your welding skills would have to be pretty darn good) but the point is for 99.99999% of us the arb will do anything we ask of it and handle it fine.
with that said, i do like the shrockworks one better for styling but for the reasons mentioned in this thread it's a no go for me personally so i'll be donning the arb WITH hoops on my runner eventually.
i feel some sort of hoop is needed, as with a collision you really only have a 50/50 chance of catching something straight on and at that height, in almost every collision i've ever been in the hoops would have saved the lights as a corner almost always get's caught for some reason, as in you see your going to crash into something you swerve to avoid it and catch the corners, i hope you guys see what i'm saying here. the added protection over styling is worth it when it comes to hoops imo.
keep rocking it lyn and post up the pics when you got 'em
(just make sure you don't paint your arb pink......)
techno
New member
You can check out mine in a few weeks.
ARB's are strong and they do not interfere with airbag operation. I've hit tree's, deer, logs, embankments and car doors with mine and only scratched the powdercoat.
Don't forget what they are primarily designed for. Frontal protection from animal strikes, low speed collisions and accessory mounting, like winches and lights. They also match the lines and dimensions of vehicles better than most others. They are not made for serious rock climbing and battering ram duties.
Are there stronger bullbars out there? Of course there are, it's easy to weld more and thicker steel on, but don't expect your airbags to not deploy during lower speed collisions if you do that.
Each to his own, get what suits you and your protection requirements.
techno
New member
Check out this nice vid. Note the impact testing and how the ARB barely moves in comparison to the others.
YouTube - ARB Bull Bars
YouTube - ARB Bull Bars
LINY4Runner
New member
You can check out mine in a few weeks.
ARB's are strong and they do not interfere with airbag operation. I've hit tree's, deer, logs, embankments and car doors with mine and only scratched the powdercoat.
Don't forget what they are primarily designed for. Frontal protection from animal strikes, low speed collisions and accessory mounting, like winches and lights. They also match the lines and dimensions of vehicles better than most others. They are not made for serious rock climbing and battering ram duties.
Are there stronger bullbars out there? Of course there are, it's easy to weld more and thicker steel on, but don't expect your airbags to not deploy during lower speed collisions if you do that.
Each to his own, get what suits you and your protection requirements.
I like your take on it. I had no idea you were running an ARB, now I can't wait to see it!
JohnsD90
New member
No, its based off of sensor in the front of the engine compartment.
LINY4Runner
New member
It's based on a crash sensor mounted on the frame, in the "crumple zone".
shawnstcyr
New member
That is one thing I DO like about the ARB. It does have the crumple zone for airbag deployment. As was stated earlier, we all have different needs as far as protection goes. Mine has suited my needs and I too have recovered a lot of vehicles with it, as well as done a few nose plants onto ditches. If you plan on doing everyday light off roading with it, it will do. But, I would not recommend welding the forward bullbar on it and flexing the crap out of it.
Eventually I will pull it off, sell it to one of you guys, and install the Armorology.
On an added note, if anyone tries to tell you the a SmittyBuilt winch won't work on it, ignore them. I run an 8000 lb Smitty on mine. It only required 15 mins to reclock the clutch end of the winch.
Eventually I will pull it off, sell it to one of you guys, and install the Armorology.
On an added note, if anyone tries to tell you the a SmittyBuilt winch won't work on it, ignore them. I run an 8000 lb Smitty on mine. It only required 15 mins to reclock the clutch end of the winch.
Qyota
New member
Do you know how an airbag is deployed?
From wiki:
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Airbags are designed to deploy in frontal and near-frontal collisions more severe than a threshold defined by the regulations governing vehicle construction in whatever particular market the vehicle is intended for. U.S. regulations require deployment in crashes at least equivalent in deceleration to a 23 km/h(14 mph) barrier collision, or similarly, striking a parked car of similar size across the full front of each vehicle at about twice the speed. International regulations are performance based, rather than technology-based, so airbag deployment threshold is a function of overall vehicle design.
Unlike crash tests into barriers, real-world crashes typically occur at angles other than directly into the front of the vehicle, and the crash forces usually are not evenly distributed across the front of the vehicle. Consequently, the relative speed between a striking and struck vehicle required to deploy the airbag in a real-world crash can be much higher than an equivalent barrier crash. Because airbag sensors measure deceleration, vehicle speed and damage are not good indicators of whether an airbag should have deployed. Airbags can deploy due to the vehicle's undercarriage striking a low object protruding above the roadway due to the resulting deceleration.
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Yer bumper's got nothing to do with it, basically.
steezemcqueen
Moderator
Nope. The airbag sensor in 4runners are located in the center dash below the stereo and Qyota is right. They are just accelerometers
