I just purchased a bull bar for a 2008 tacoma and when I picked it up I was shocked how heavy it was about 150 lbs… will this negatively affect my car/mileage/handling and most of all will it be more dangerous for the driver than the stock bumper since it is not made to absorb the impact of a collision and will take the full impact much more unyieldingly than the original bumper frame combination?
Adding weight permanently to any vehicle effects the fuel mileage in a negative way.
Having that weight cantered out in front of the vehicle could effect braking and steering.
How does it effect the crumple zones during a collision? There’s only one way to find out.
Tester
How heavy is the bumper it is replacing? It’s not like this is an extra 150# hanging off the front end. The curb weight is about 3700#. Add people and gas and you could be pushing 5000#. An extra 50 to 100# doesn’t seem that significant.
You’re right on all counts, but with such a big truck it won’t make a big difference. It is weight added at the very front of the truck, that weight will have a lot more leverage than 150 pounds in the cab.
the original bumper is all plastic and doesn’t weigh much, it has an aluminum plate under it that will be removed but can’t weigh more than 20 lbs. my main concern is will I really be safer with such a bumper or am I better off maintaining the original manufacturing standards… I guess it just makes a difference whether I hit a deer or have a head on with another vehicle? fortunately i got a good price on the bumper so I am not stuck with it if I decide not to use it.