What Bullbar

[Yubbz]

Hi All,

I am now so confused with the purchase of a new bullbar as bumper replacement. I see that there are a lot of ARB bars out there and there are a lot of posts about how ARB are the best and strongest and la la la.

What would you guys recommend? Some of my concerns are aribag compatibility, how strong they are and how long they will last.

So far I have quotes on GoMad, ARB, and ironman, a maniac manufacturing, LAS Pro, burnco and kilber bars.

If you life depended on a bar, what bar would you get and then which would last the longest?

One think that appeals to be is the cumple cones that are in the ARB, shoud it ever actually crumple.... and that they are strong.

What I like about the GoMad is that they are locally made and will be made to spec...

I've hear many good things about Burnco and Maniac as well....

I'm just so lost right now...

Please feel free to give input.

Thanks!

[MOFASA]

Have a look at the OPPOSITE LOCK replacement bumper.
It Is Airbag compatible and has crumple zones on the main fitting.
If you want Pics please send us a mail we will gladly help where we can

centurion@oppositelock.co.za

[coetzer94]

Kyk gerus ook na Onca se produkte. Ons het nog net goeie ervaringe gehad met hulle.

[tuff tralies]

Net nie n kilber nie jy gaan jou bakie wil verkoop as jy sien hoe swak kwaliteit dit is

[Yubbz]

Net nie n kilber nie jy gaan jou bakie wil verkoop as jy sien hoe swak kwaliteit dit is

Thanks for that - I will be careful.

What it is coming down to now is this:

I am looking for a commercial bar that has airbag compatibility and can be sommer bought and does not need to cut up the bumper for filling gaps, the old bumper must stay intact.

There is a reason that there is a lot of Toyota's on the road and I'd like to think the same of ARB, every second bullbar I've seen is an ARB (And yes, I am actively looking).

Yes I have seen the others but I am going to do the sheep thing and get an off-the-shelf model.

I'm left with ARB, Ironman, TJM and LAS Pro.... getting quotes on all of them as we speak. What would be your favourite, and why?

I am In Cape Town BTW...

Thank you All...

[pietpetoors]

Strong and airbag compatible does not go hand in hand.

In order to be airbag compatible it must be weak, otherwise it wont crumple.

[Yubbz]

Strong and airbag compatible does not go hand in hand.

In order to be airbag compatible it must be weak, otherwise it wont crumple.

Ok, so what happens if you have a non-compatible bar and you have an accident and someone gets hurt... Thats a worry for me...

When you say weak, I'm sure that they are still as strong as they need to be in order to protect you? I have seen that ARB crash test their bars, do the others as well?

Let's assume you're parking in a garage and the bar taps the front rather hard because you misjudge it, I'm to assume that the bags will deploy from the knock, but will insurance pay for the repair of the bags if its not "compatible" - all hypothetical... Im trying to cross all my T's and dot all my i's....

Thanks

[pietpetoors]

I have seen a 200 Land Cruiser with an airbag compatible bumper where they lifted it with a High Lift jack on the bumper and the crumple zone bent, the bumper pushed up and damaged the fender.
Bumper was very strong built and was a good bumper, but the crumple zone had to crumple because that is what it was designed to do.

You must have something that is "Strongish" but it will nether be as strong as a non airbag bar.
Also if you look at the mounting point of your Fortuner, the crumple zone is in the mounting pint on the chassis.
So even if you put a strong bumper on there, if you hit something the chassis will crumple which should activate the airbag.

If you are airbag concerned you fit an airbag compatible bumper on the standard mounting point.
If strong is the main thing you add extra brackets to make it strong but loose the airbag.

We must also be careful to define strong, the one guy wants it strong to hit a cow at 120 km/h and nothing must happen and the next guy see strong as stronger than the plastic bumper.
If you compare your strong to the plastic bumper then just about any of the bumper in the market will be 20x stronger.

My bakkie is 16 years old and I am pretty sure by now the airbag perished, so I am not concerned about the airbag compatibility.

[Yubbz]

Thank you. I appreciate the help on this! What confuses me more is that the arbs for example do not have high lift jack Points at std. So I can assume this is why? Ive heard of an incident of hitting the front of a cow and no damage had. So id like your advice in what you would do to an 8 yr old fortuner?

I recently rear ended a polo gently... bootlid bent and the fort had damage to the light, fender and bumper.

I'm wanting the best possible protection for the average and I want it to work well off road.

I have to make a call soon and I dont kbow what to do.

What would be your call on the tuna?

Thanks

Kyle

[LouisZ]

Kyle yes as far as the Arb Bumper goes it is the only Bumper that get tested for the right deployment rate as far as I can see up to this point. Also by this you will receive a certificate from Arb stating this.

The problem these days with the Air bag compatibility is that if your Insurance find out it is not a Airbag compatible bumper they wont pay out at all, reason will be vehicle is out of the manufactures specification.

Then also the bumper is made that it will winch to a side angle for about 40% to each side. They made strong but like Pieter said not as strong as to allow for the right rate of bending in a collision.

The Arb have jacking points, they the square holes near the chassis in the front, their reinforced that you can Jack, how ever at some time I think it will be better to change it to the normal round type that we normally see. Some times as Pieter said some bumpers DONT get fitted right, by this there will be a possibility that the bumper bend the side of the flares. All points have to used to secure the bumper and fitting kit to chassis, we get a lot that on these bumpers they do not lock the bumper to the chassis bracket.

Ask the questions of above to other manufactures and make your decision accordingly.

[Hoppy]

The problem is not that the airbag wil not deploy, the oppisite is true, the stonger the bumper, the quicker the airbags will deploy, your wife might be driving into a pilar at the mall, the stronger bumper wont flex or bend and kaboom. The bottom line is that ARB has the budget to wreck a new vehicle to get the bumper aproved, most other companies doesn't. I don'like the old boxy farm-gate style of the ARB and i think they are way over priced and i haven't heard of a claim not being paid because of a bumper. Buy the one that suits your needs and budget.

[Yubbz]

Thanks for the reply hoppy. As mentioned eariler, the same applies. I have used the analogy of bumping the wall in a garage. I have got hold of someone from the insurer to see what they say.

They all work, they are all "affordable" I want the best of all world's. I know arb and I know the custom built bars are stronger as in they wont crumple. They all look good. I need to make a decision. im not sure what you drive, but what would be your choice for a foruner and why?

I have a couple weeks to decide but this is such a hard decision and I dont know why it is.

Please advise :D

Has anyone had the case where wifey hits a pillar and poof... then insurance say sorry not airbag compatible. So theres no damage to the car but we're not replacing the bags.... all the family, close and extended use arb or tjm and that worries me. At the same time it must be said that there is no local custom manufacturer from where I come from so maybe they would have.

I dont want to get a custom and regret it later.

Maybe even a 2nd hand bar would do? Sooo many options.


Thanks for all the help thus far guys... I really do appreciate each and every reply.

Kyle

[Kaaskrul]

Rhino Bar.

Best looking bumper in the World

http://www.rhino4x4.co.za/index.php/toyota-hilux-2012" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Yubbz]

Now that does look good :D pity it doesn't protect the lights :'(

[MOFASA]

Kyle yes as far as the Arb Bumper goes it is the only Bumper that get tested for the right deployment rate as far as I can see up to this point. Also by this you will receive a certificate from Arb stating this.

The problem these days with the Air bag compatibility is that if your Insurance find out it is not a Airbag compatible bumper they wont pay out at all, reason will be vehicle is out of the manufactures specification.

Then also the bumper is made that it will winch to a side angle for about 40% to each side. They made strong but like Pieter said not as strong as to allow for the right rate of bending in a collision.

The Arb have jacking points, they the square holes near the chassis in the front, their reinforced that you can Jack, how ever at some time I think it will be better to change it to the normal round type that we normally see. Some times as Pieter said some bumpers DONT get fitted right, by this there will be a possibility that the bumper bend the side of the flares. All points have to used to secure the bumper and fitting kit to chassis, we get a lot that on these bumpers they do not lock the bumper to the chassis bracket.

Ask the questions of above to other manufactures and make your decision accordingly.

The Opposite Lock bumpers also get tested, I have seen the test videos and they are also airbag compatible with certification to prove it.....

But as far as the airbag sensors go let me help on this....
The way a sensor works is not on a crumple point as such, it works on inertia forces.
So it works on how fast the vehicle is brought to a stop.
If you could fit strong enough breaks and keep traction on the road to stop your vehicle fast enough it would deploy the sensor through the inertia force being high enough.

Hope this helps

[Hoppy]

It doesn't work with enertia only, it needs a knock, you can set it off with a hammer if you hit close to the sensor with no inertia involved. That's why the more solid bumper may set it off sooner, the plastic bumper gives way with no resistance causing no inertia or knock.

[Kaaskrul]

Few years ago when Gearlocks was still the way to go, a buddy of mine had a Audi in his shop for gearlock fitment.

He took his punch and hammer, and the first hit next to gearlever, made the airbags pop

[Yubbz]

Few years ago when Gearlocks was still the way to go, a buddy of mine had a Audi in his shop for gearlock fitment.

He took his punch and hammer, and the first hit next to gearlever, made the airbags pop

BANG! SUPRISE!!!!!! Hehehehe that must have hurt....and been quite the spectacle :D

[Yubbz]

It doesn't work with enertia only, it needs a knock, you can set it off with a hammer if you hit close to the sensor with no inertia involved. That's why the more solid bumper may set it off sooner, the plastic bumper gives way with no resistance causing no inertia or knock.

So what would you fit? An ironman or a gomad

[charlprince]

Is there a TAXI-LIMINATOR bullbar available? Need it to get rid of the taxis that just stop in the midfle of the road and hold up the traffic. The guys on the railway bitched when I tried to cut a piece of train line to use as a bullbar, something about "Service delivery".

[Johan Kriel]

ARB !!