Front Bumper vs Deer question...

[d_rosey44]

Hi all,

I'm headed off to college in 8 months, and I'm in need of some sort of protection for my car in the event that I hit a deer, something that happens quite frequently on the drive to and from my college.

I originally just figured that I'd get a grille guard, because those are relatively inexpensive, but I cannot seem to find anyone that makes 5th gen grille guards. I've also read that they effectively serve as damage enhancers, so I'll pass on that.

It seems as if a full bumper replacement is my only option, which is fine, I just want to know that there will be 0 damage to my car in the event I hit a deer before I drop $1000+ on a new bumper.

Also, I'm interested in an aluminum bumper because I don't like the fact that a steel will weigh down the front of my car, but will aluminum offer the same amount of protection?

Thanks guys!

 

[fourwd1]

A decent aftermarket bumper can help minimize damage, but one will prevent all damage when hitting several hundred lbs of animal at speed.
An aluminum one would be lighter, but less strong as steel.

 

[CdaleR4000si]

Not sure about aluminum, but a good steel bumper will help. Last week I hit a buck, roughly 170 pounds, while I was going 65 or 70. My Shrockworks bumper definitely did it's job. Still waiting for the final word on the damage, but if I had a stock bumper, it's likely that it would have been totaled.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Jeffy]

This doesn't help your question too much, I just want to note that if your main reason for the bumper is to prevent damage from deer, consider a 3-hoop bumper. That will really help keep the deer away from your body panels, and should also help it from flipping up onto your hood/ windshield.

Every circumstance will be different, but I find it very unlikely that you'll have zero damage from striking a full grown deer if you're going 40mph or over.

Steel will be your best choice from a strength perspective, although if you're on stock suspension I'd be cautious about adding that much weight up front.

 

[d_rosey44]

This doesn't help your question too much, I just want to note that if your main reason for the bumper is to prevent damage from deer, consider a 3-hoop bumper. That will really help keep the deer away from your body panels, and should also help it from flipping up onto your hood/ windshield.

Every circumstance will be different, but I find it very unlikely that you'll have zero damage from striking a full grown deer if you're going 40mph or over.

Steel will be your best choice from a strength perspective, although if you're on stock suspension I'd be cautious about adding that much weight up front.

Thank you for the advice! I see what you guys are saying, if you hit a deer then you’re gonna have damage no matter what. I’m just trying to do everything I can to minimize the damage and prevent a buck from rolling over into the windshield.

As for the weight up front, that’s why i was curious about the aluminum. I hate the idea of having rake. I was thinking about installing the Toytec 2” trd pro lift, do you know if that would prevent the rake at all? Or would I have to do a full suspension swap?

 

[Jeffy]

Thank you for the advice! I see what you guys are saying, if you hit a deer then you’re gonna have damage no matter what. I’m just trying to do everything I can to minimize the damage and prevent a buck from rolling over into the windshield.

As for the weight up front, that’s why i was curious about the aluminum. I hate the idea of having rake. I was thinking about installing the Toytec 2” trd pro lift, do you know if that would prevent the rake at all? Or would I have to do a full suspension swap?

It sounds like you're really trying to keep this minimal, so personally what I would do is get some sort of adjustable coilover up front (OME, Bilstein, etc) so that you can adjust the rake to your liking and still keep the car as a comfortable driver with that heavy bumper up front. Even an aluminum bumper will make the front sag a bit, especially if you decide to throw a winch in there later.

An adjustable coilover will ride very comfortably and allows you to customize it more to your liking. As an added bonus, you can buy a coilover that's rebuildable and save yourself some money down the road when they start wearing out after 50k miles. Rebuilds are cheap.

 

[wcjeep]

I am a big fan of ARB bumpers. Only heavy where necessary. They are one of the very few bumpers designed to bend before the vehicle frame. They are also airbag friendly. They are also designed to minimize injuries to pedestrians. ARB has to conform to strict laws in Australia. There are cheaper alternatives. Some bumpers are crazy strong.

Not sure about right now. On my Dodge ARB bumper the directions were black and white photo copy. ARB can email the original color photo directions. Much better clarity.

 

[MyanRagahis]

I'm not sure what other bumper companies are in Texas but if you live near the Houston area, you can do local pickup with Shrockworks and save yourself shipping costs if you care. Just a tip.
Also, I personally didn't like the feeling of the bumper weight with 600lb coils. I don't take turns super fast but the body roll was full force. Using 700lb springs now and rides great.

 

[philsey]

Over $1000 on a bumper will only mitigate deer-strike damage. I do not believe you can prevent it. I think I'd just spend a little money on a lower-deductable.

Here's the thing: even a big steel bumper is going to sustain some damage if you hit a 200# deer, right? Now your repair takes 10 weeks instead of 2.

 

[dta1984]

How about a slightly different route... how about more lights? Ditch lights, roof bar, grill bar (I see you at least have one LED bar already).

 

[techno]

I've hit two deer with my ARB bumper in my 3rd gen. Both impacts were probably at less than 25 mph since I was hard on the brakes before impact, but my ARB only suffered a broken turn signal lens from one hit.
If you get a decent steel bumper and hit a deer at highway speeds, there's going to be some damage, but chance are your vehicle vitals will be protected and you'll still be able to drive home.

 

[sn0wrunner]

Take these images and head to your local fab shop and tell them you're looking for a deer proof bumper. Keep in mind, if they try to charge you more than $300, it's a rip off and you should go elsewhere.

 

[jellomellow]

find a steel bumper that pointed so it "slices" the deer away from your frame/panels

 

[METIS]

The pelfreybilt bumpers look great. Maybe see if they can customize hoops on these.

2014-2017 4Runner Aluminum Front Plate Bumper | Pelfreybilt

 

[r6morrison]

Thank you for the advice! I see what you guys are saying, if you hit a deer then you’re gonna have damage no matter what. I’m just trying to do everything I can to minimize the damage and prevent a buck from rolling over into the windshield.

As for the weight up front, that’s why i was curious about the aluminum. I hate the idea of having rake. I was thinking about installing the Toytec 2” trd pro lift, do you know if that would prevent the rake at all? Or would I have to do a full suspension swap?

To answer your question on the rake with that toytec lift, I’ve got it on mine and it still has some rake. It’s lifts it 2” both front and rear. I’ll try to attach a picture to this post of mine so you can see it from the side.

Also, these guys are right about the bumper instead of bull bar. Aluminum is still really strong, I bash my aluminum skid plate quite often and it doesn’t have any damage on it so far, but that’s not quite the same force as hitting that heavy of an object that fast either.

 

[Toffees]

Hi all,

I'm headed off to college in 8 months, and I'm in need of some sort of protection for my car in the event that I hit a deer, something that happens quite frequently on the drive to and from my college.

I originally just figured that I'd get a grille guard, because those are relatively inexpensive, but I cannot seem to find anyone that makes 5th gen grille guards. I've also read that they effectively serve as damage enhancers, so I'll pass on that.

It seems as if a full bumper replacement is my only option, which is fine, I just want to know that there will be 0 damage to my car in the event I hit a deer before I drop $1000+ on a new bumper.

Also, I'm interested in an aluminum bumper because I don't like the fact that a steel will weigh down the front of my car, but will aluminum offer the same amount of protection?

Thanks guys!

Drive during the day, and not at night or early morning. Save your money for college life. Problem sorted.

 

[Toffees]

find a steel bumper that pointed so it "slices" the deer away from your frame/panels

Or get a larger bumper and attach a grinder and spool of butcher paper. Add some chutes and a fridge, and you've got a fully processed deer in the back without slowing down.