Why Shrockworks is definitely worth the price!

[shrockworks]

*Update*
The bumper just had to be repowdercoated.

Yikes! Glad you are OK and good to see the bumper held up quite well. I've had quite a few urban combat AAR's and
I've been saving them. I'll definitely add your's to the collection. Going to put them up on the web site when we do a
redesign in several months.

Here's a couple more:

As far as airbags go, this is absolutely true:

Airbags are a "Supplemental" Restraint System. The last thing you want to happen is an airbag go off. They are usually
built to deploy if that is the only thing that is going to save your life. Trust me, you don't want them going off unless you abso****inglutley
need them to save you.

The sensors are under the hood, nothing in the bumper. In all the stories I've heard from people who have been in wrecks with one of our bumpers, I've yet to have anyone says anything except that they were really glad the bumper was there. One guy woke up in the hospital after being cut out of his pickup by the EMT's. The EMT came by later in the hospital and told him the bumper and sliders probably saved his life. He pulled out in front of an F-350 pulling a trailer that was going about 65 MPH...he never saw it...and the airbags definitely went off on that one. It was the most rewarding note I've ever received from a customer.

 

[Will_4R]

Glad that you're OK!!

3. Now, to my question...back to Mica's hypothetical situation...COULD the lady sue YOU for having a nonDOT-spec (aka aftermarket) bumper & lift and thus causing harm to her (hypothetical) daughter??? She is at fault in the accident, but her lawyer may turn this around saying that if you had a stock 4runner, then her daughter would still be healthy today. (I know that she would have been injured also if a stock 4runner hit her, but the lawyer will focus on the aftermarket stuff!) I don't know the answer...i am no lawyer, nor do i pretend to be one.

One more thing that just came to mind...IF this person was at fault, then i wonder if his insurance company will even pay and/or defend him! Or if this lady comes back and sue him, then i am not sure if his insurance company will have his back.

Usually the bumpers on these car are part of the crumple zone. They are usually filled with impact absorbing foam. And remember, crumple zone is of benefit to BOTH vehicles in an accident, not just the one that it is fitted to.

I think that the insurance company might say that, in the event of an accident, your vehicle isn't roadworthy as the bumber didn't meet vehicle standards xxx (set out by NHTSA) and isn't compliant with the manufacturers specification. Insurance Co. then void your policy in the event of an accident to save money, and you would have given them grounds to do so, in which case you may end up footing a rather massive legal and settlement bill.

Just wondering....

I have wondered about the above enough to put off an aftermarket bumper for now. Although I can see the arguments being made by a lawyer, if your vehicle meets your jurastiction's bumper requirements, and your insurance company is aware (especially if they require you to disclose any modifications) you should be OK.

This is an advantage that the ARB bumper has: it is engineered and tested for onroad use. It also has crumpling mounts that might save the frame and/or driver which were concerns mentioned above.

 

[Thai]

The sensors are under the hood, nothing in the bumper.

Most modern cars do not have sensors under the hood...at least, that is what i have heard. The FRONT airbags deploy when the rate of DECELERATION is great enough. Therefore, the FRONT airbags deploy based on some sort of G-sensor somewhere in (or under) the car. So, you literally have to be slamming into a wall or like situation where the rate of deceleration is very high (high speed to close to zero in a matter of seconds) for the FRONT airbags to deploy.

 

[shrockworks]

...the FRONT airbags deploy based on some sort of G-sensor somewhere in (or under) the car.

Yes and they are usually under the hood in the engine compartment.

 

[Thai]

Yes and they are usually under the hood in the engine compartment.

Not really. This may be the case for the 4runner (do you have any info on this?), but in most cases, the front airbag sensor (aka deceleration sensor) is located elsewhere.

Link: Air Bags and Crash Sensors

"An air bag is only as good as its control system. On most vehicles, the bag is triggered electrically. Located in the front of most domestic vehicles are one to three "crash" sensors. These are positioned well forward in the crush zones so they will react almost instantly to the sudden deceleration that results from a frontal impact (anything up to about 30 degrees either side of center). Many European vehicles use only a single electronic crash sensor located inside the passenger compartment. The same setup is now being used in many newer domestic vehicles.

Because many crash sensors will automatically reset themselves after a hard jolt, some car makers say their crash sensors do not have to be replaced after an accident as long as the sensors have not suffered damage. These include Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Ford, Infinity, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota. The problem, of course, is knowing for sure whether or not a crash sensor has been damaged or has failed to reset itself.

To prevent false deployments that might result from bumping into objects or a slow speed fender bender, most air bag systems also have one or two "safety" or "arming" sensors which are usually located inside the passenger compartment (under the dash or seat, in the airbag control module, or in the steering wheel air bag module). The safety sensor will not allow the bag to deploy unless it also experiences a certain rate of deceleration (usually less than that of the crash sensors)."

 

[Thai]

One guy woke up in the hospital after being cut out of his pickup by the EMT's. The EMT came by later in the hospital and told him the bumper and sliders probably saved his life. He pulled out in front of an F-350 pulling a trailer that was going about 65 MPH...he never saw it...and the airbags definitely went off on that one. It was the most rewarding note I've ever received from a customer.

Was this a side collision or rear end collision??

Not sure about this recollection from the above driver. Sliders are mounted low...no where near as high as the F350 bumper to make much of a difference in a side crash. Sure, if you're lifted and a Mini Cooper runs into your side, then maybe the sliders make a difference. Or the above driver had a 6 inch lift and the F350 was slammed to the ground. And if it was a side collision, then how does the front bumper help??

EMT was probably inexperienced????? Weird that he/she would attribute sliders and bumper instead of airbags in saving the guy's life!! :roadkill:

In all likelihood, the ONLY reason the guy survived in the side crash detailed above is the side airbags, esp. if the opposing force came from a F350 bumper!

 

[shrockworks]

I have seen pairs of them in plain sight in the engine compartment on various vehicles, dont remember what vehicles, I've seen so many. The sensor and wires were a bright color like orange or yellow to warn against tampering with them. It really doesn't matter where they are though. The only point being made is that they are not in the bumper and will not be adversely effected by removing the stock plastic bumper.

I would imagine the Fire & Rescue guys have more experience than most of us keyboard commandos. No side airbags on that Frontier. Here is the letter:

> Thank you jim - saved my life
>
>
> Was leaving a "t" intersection turning (left when) an F-350 pulling a
> trailer hit me in the driver side, front fender, at 60+ MPH I don't
> remember much, but the fire and rescue said if it had not been for the
> shrockworks sliders and front bumper, I would be dead. I'm cut up but
> walking. The daughter (4yr old) was untouched in the back (passenger
> side)She is just scared. As I said I have no memory of the incident
> but I'm going to look at my truck tomorrow and I will take pictures.
> Oh and by the way I found out that the Airbags do deploy fine with the
> Shrock bumper. I posted this on the new Nissan offroad net. Thank you
> for your products it saved my life.
>
>Peter M

Pics:

Here is another different one....I've seen a lot over the years:

>Subject: Shrock vs F250

Sorry it has taken me so long to e-mail you the
> pictures.* This is what
happened after a F250 came into me lane head on.
>* We were both doing close
to 70.* Attached are two pictures of the each
> vehicle and one picture of my
arm.* Again tell Jim thank you for me.* When
> I get a Jeep after I get back
from Afghanistan I will definitely be putting
> Shrock Armor on it.

>
>William B

 

[Thai]

For the Frontier, it looks like what i wrote is true. The point of impact is spread out ABOVE the slider. I see that the top part of the slider got nick a little bit, but you can tell from the door impact that the bumper of the F350 was higher. The rocker panel is spared for the most part. (And the slider is below the rocker panel.) Again, not sure how the front bumper had anything to do with saving this guy's life.

BUT, it does show why i think that the Frontier is my favorite truck...Nissan built it right (unlike Tacoma!)! The guy survived due to the great minds at Nissan who designed the Frontier. (And BTW, i have a little experience in the medical field too about these sort of things....) :

As for the head-on with the Xterra, i can see the bumper helping! Good example.

Just to explain...i know that you did not address me initially. My argument is not about whether the front aftermarket bumper works or not. Since the FRONTAL airbag sensor is NOT based on crash deformation, aftermarket bumper will not affect whether the FRONT airbag goes off or not.

(In fact, i will argue that a hard [non-crush zone] front bumper, as in aftermarket bumper, may trigger the front airbags more than a factory bumper because the rate of deceleration is higher for a hard bumper than a weak softy. In addition, a hard bumper eliminates a pre-determined weak zone...and transfers the energy to another part of the car that is NOT designed to be a weak point...thus, may increase crash energy into the cabin.)

However, the aftermarket bumper does take away an important part of the crumple zone in front. Crumple zones are needed to dissipate energy in a crash to decrease crash severity for BOTH cars. Any change in this may affect the outcome of a crash/accident. If so, then will the other car owner use this as a point to sue? If so, then will your insurance company have your back given that you have modified a heavily regulated crush zone on your car?

 

[shrockworks]

If you look at picture #3 where the slider is dented, right above the dent is the square leg that goes back straight to the frame. That impact force was spread across the length of the slider and transferred to the frame of the vehicle by the slider leg. The round tube collapsed all the way into the sq tube portion. It is not a nick. It would take a huge force to do that. The material the sliders are made from is thicker and stronger than the frame itself.

Just to give you an idea, I had one guy in an Isuzu trooper get t-boned in an intersection by a Tacoma going about 25-30 mph. Bec of the relative height of these two vehicles, the sliders took almost all the impact. It knocked the Trooper sideways a bit, scratched the powder coat on the sliders, and damaged the rear rim....that's it. The Tacoma went home on a wrecker. The slider above absorbed a huge blow then transferred the force to the frame after it collapsed.

You can also see in pic #1 that the bumper wings absorbed some of the blow. If the bumper and sliders weren't there, it would have been only sheet metal b/t Ford and the driver. The body would have definitely pushed into the cab more. How much more and whether it would have made a big difference is anyone's guess, but I know if had I had step into that scenario, I'd much rather have it there than not...a couple more inches of crush, could be a big difference.

 

[andyman32392]

Sorry it took so long to get fixed pictures up, here is a few I took with my phone. (She is a bit dirty right now, lots of bugs on her)

Look at the left over damage, its so terrible

 

[andyman32392]

Also I'm going to get a Shrockworks aluminum fairlead, should i get black or silver?

 

[Dawg4Runner]

Also I'm going to get a Shrockworks aluminum fairlead, should i get black or silver?

Hands down, BLACK anodized! The silver one sticks out like a sore thumb. The black one blends in nicely with the bumper and the engraved silver "Shrockworks" gives it a nice subtle contrast. BTW, off topic but if you add another rubber isolator to each side of the shackle mount, (total of 3 isolators each side) the shackle won't rattle or slap against the bumper.

Of course, that's a completely impartial opinion.:biggrin2:

 

[hrt4me]

airbags dont really have much to do with the "bumper"
HowStuffWorks "How Airbags Work"

There are three parts to an air bag. First, there is the bag itself, which is made of thin, nylon fabric and folded into the steering wheel or the dash board. Then there is the sensor that tells the bag to inflate. It detects a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 kph).

do airbags have a service life, i.e. do they expire?