The bumper on the jeep

Best Jeep Bumpers: Add Extra Protection To Your Jeep Front

Protect your Jeep’s paint, headlights, and engine with these top-quality bumpers

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BY Linsay Thomas , Nikola Petrovski , Robert Kimathi / LAST UPDATED ON September 2, 2021

Many people don’t realize the importance of their Jeep bumpers. Apart from adding a great look to your Jeep, this component also adds extra protection to your engine and headlights in the event of a collision. There are a lot of Jeep bumpers on the market, so it is only fair that we provide you the necessary information before making a purchase. That’s why we’ve compiled the best options on the market to help you make an informed buying decision.

This bumper is a perfect fit for 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK. It features a 5/32-inch thick mild steel sheet and 2 x 0.120 inch heavy-duty steel tubing to enhance offroad tolerance, strength, and durability. Additionally, it comes with a built-in winch plate that can support up to 12,000 pounds.

Its finish features a textured powder coat to ensure it is corrosion-resistant, enhancing its looks and lifespan. Also, it is heavy (9,500 pounds), making it suitable for off-road use. It is fitted with rated D-Rings for accommodating more lights.

It is not a universal fitment design. This bumper is heavy and therefore not fuel-efficient.

For a cheaper option consider the EAG bumper, which fits all 1987-2006 Jeep TJ and YJ Wrangler models. It is constructed using a 5/32-inch cold rolled steel sheet and 2 x 0.120 inch steel tubing for enhanced offroad dependability. It is then coated with textured black powder to prevent rusting.

It features a built-in winch plate that supports up to 12,000 pounds. Also, its welded hoop enhance protection on the front of the Jeep, while the two tabs on the pre-runner hoop offer room for extra off-road light installation. It is a simple installation that does not require any cutting or drilling.

Some users complain that the bottom holes do not line up, so you have to drill new ones. It also does not fit some modes without modification.

This bumper is one of the best fitment for 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler JK and JK Unlimited two- or four-door models. It features heavy-duty steel construction for superior strength and durability even in tough off-road conditions. Its LED accent lighting (two 18-watt and two 20-watt LED lights) makes your Jeep stand out among the crowd.

Its finish features a two-stage textured black powder for corrosion resistivity. Its built-in winch plate ensures up to 12,000 pounds of load support while still enhancing its looks. Additionally, it comes with all the necessary hardware for an easy bolt-on installation.

To install the lighting, you’ll need a wiring harness, which is not included. LED lights are of poor quality. It does not fit the ‘90s YJ.

Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.

Benefits of Jeep Bumpers

• Improved capabilities. Upgrading a Jeep’s front bumper can quickly increase its off-road capabilities. You’ll get better performance from bumpers with increased clearance, winch mounts, D-ring shackles, and lighting brackets.
• Aesthetics. Nothing looks cooler than a Jeep Wrangler with an aggressive front end. Swapping your bumper from stock to an upgraded bumper or grille guard will give your Jeep a fresh look.
• Protection. Off-road bumpers are often overbuilt to withstand the rigors of rough terrain. By default, these bumpers are stronger than factory bumpers and do a better job of protecting your Jeep’s front end.

Types of Jeep Bumpers

Stubby

Stubby front bumpers are the best Jeep front bumpers for increasing tire clearance. These bumpers are only as wide as the Jeep’s grille, which allows larger tires to be used on the vehicle so they do not strike the bumper. While some see this as the great advantage of stubby bumpers, the design leaves the tires and fenders unprotected against obstacles that could cause damage. Stubby bumpers are commonly used for rock crawling.

Recovery

Recovery bumpers are designed to give the user something to pull with. They’re heavy-duty and have multiple attachment locations for D-rings, shackles, and winch hooks. The idea is that if your Jeep gets stuck off-road, you can hook a winch to the shackles and then pull the vehicle out of its predicament. These bumpers are built to be extra tough and often come fitted with heavy-duty winch plates.

Tubular

These are the quintessential grille guards that everyone associates with Jeep front bumpers. As the name suggests, these bumpers are built from steel tubes and are designed to protect the front end in an off-road scenario. If you need some extra lighting off-road, these bumpers are ideal for mounting auxiliary floodlights, fog lights, and lightbars. There are several lighting systems designed to bolt on and plug in. However, tubular bumpers are not meant for towing, so they usually don’t come with winch plates.

Stinger

Stinger bumpers have a horseshoe-style bar, also known as a bull bar, in the front of the bumper that protrudes up and out from the front end. This style of bumper provides stability before an end-over-end situation takes place off-road. It can also be used to slide up and over an obstacle that the tires can’t clear.

Combinations

There are several Jeep Wrangler bumpers on the market that are combinations of these styles. It’s not uncommon to find stinger bumpers with winch plates, D-rings, and shackles attached to them. Stubby bumpers sometimes come with a bull bar that acts as a grille guard. There are several styles available, so it should be easy to find the one that you want for your off-roading adventures.

Top Brands

Smittybilt

A pioneer in the off-road industry, Smittybilt builds top-quality off-road gear for trucks and Jeeps. Headquartered in Compton, California, Smittybilt has over 60 years of experience in the industry, so it’s no wonder products like this Smittybilt XRC Rear Bumper are so well-respected.

E-Autogrilles, or EAG, has been producing aftermarket off-road grilles since 2010. EAG has built a reputation by offering quality products at an affordable price, like this EAG Full Width Rear Bumper with Secure Lock Tire Carrier. It even comes with an adapter for a back-up cam.

Warn Industries

With a home office in Clackamas, Oregon, Warn got its start retrofitting WW2 Jeep hubs over 70 years ago. With that type of heritage, it only made sense to expand to Jeep bumpers. The WARN Elite Series Stubby Front Bumper available on Amazon is a serious piece of hardware.

Jeep Bumpers Pricing

• Up to $200: This price range may be ideal for someone looking for style over performance. These bumpers look great but might not hold up in off-road scenarios.
• $200 to $500: This is the range where form and function begin to meet. These bumpers are sturdy and offer good platforms for winches and tow hooks.
• $500 and up: If you’re a serious off-roader, this is where you’ll find your bumper. These bumpers are extremely durable and made of the strongest materials.

Key Features

Attachment Points

In the past, if you wanted to attach D-rings or a winch to your Jeep, you had to drill into your bumper and attach custom plates. Bumpers now come with winch plates and D-ring mounts already installed. This makes it easy to install your winch, so you can get a mechanical advantage off-road when things start to get dicey.

Clearance

Some Jeep bumpers provide increased off-road clearance. These bumpers allow improved approach and descent angles to keep your Jeep from bottoming out or hanging up on an obstacle along the trail. It would be a shame to get hung up on a popular trail like Rubicon and cause a rock-crawler gridlock. Bumpers with increased clearance will help you avoid that.

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Wrangler Front & Rear Bumper Types & Materials Explained

Contents

Shop Wrangler Bumpers

An aftermarket bumper offers utility beyond its stock cousin. If you’re looking to turn your rig into an off-roading beast, you’ll want to consider the many bumper options out there.

Like most things in the world of Jeeps, when it comes to Wrangler bumpers, there are a huge variety of options. It’s very easy to be overwhelmed and not know where to begin the search. In this article we’ll break down the varying bumper options, explain their positive/negative points and hopefully help clarify the decision when you’re ready to upgrade your bumper.

Regarding Stock Wrangler Bumpers

Jeep bumpers come in all shape and sizes. Depending on specific needs, some designs are better suited than others. They also differ in terms of build material and weight. As a starting point, the standard front factory bumper is an aluminum plate over the factory rails with plastic end caps and weighs 27 lbs (without the tow hooks). The rear is entirely made of plastic with the metal mounting plates and only weighs 15 lbs. Needless to say, neither offer much in terms of protection and both are susceptible to damage from even slight impacts, often requiring total replacement.

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How To Choose A Front Bumper For Your Jeep Wrangler

Why Should You Change Your Wrangler’s Bumpers?

Aftermarket bumpers are generally made of heavy steel. Sometimes they come in a stamped design, like the kind found on special edition Jeeps from the factory. Often they are made of flat heavy gauged plates that are welded together. Aftermarket bumpers can also come in aluminum, providing a better level of protection than the factory and a lighter alternative to steel. Aluminum bumpers are also significantly more expensive than steel, so it’s important to keep that in mind during your research. Lighter materials also help with gas mileage. Aluminum, if dense enough, can be used for tougher terrain as well.

What is DOM Tubing & CNC Machining?

DOM tubing is a way of making tubes strong. DOM stands for Drawn Over Mandrel. The process is to slit coils of steel. While under pressure it’s cold formed and passed through an electric resistance welder which joins the edges together to complete the tube and have a seamless surface.

CNC is a precision machining process that uses computers to reliably and repetitively make welds, grinds, and mills. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. CNC provides consistent performance which is one of the reasons CNC is used for large scale manufacturing.

Light Weight vs Heavy Weight Wrangler Bumpers: What are the Pros and Cons?

This is a matter of fuel consumption and performance. Having a lighter bumper increases fuel mileage, but isn’t ideal for off-roading. Having a heavy bumper is great for off-roading, but the heavier the bumper the worst your gas mileage.

What are the Different “Off-road Angles” Associated with Off-Roading?

There are 3 main angles that any off-roader should know about: approach, breakover, and departure.

The approach: This is the angle between the line from your front wheels and the furthest point of your bumper to the ground. This angle dictates the steepest incline you can start while only having the wheels touching the obstacle.

The breakover: This is the angle that dictates the sharpest arch you can travel over. This is the angle between the rear wheel ground tire contact patch, to the undercarriage at the midpoint of the wheelbase, to the line from the front wheel ground tire contact patch, to the same spot on the undercarriage that should be the midpoint of the wheel base. Not the chassis.

The departure: This is the line between the rear tire and furthest point of the Jeep rear bumper. This is the largest angle your rig could take when coming down from an obstacle to flat ground or the next challenge.

The approach and departure angles are affected by the bumpers. The further out the bumper, the less angle you can obtain unless your rig is lifted.

Wrangler Front Bumper Overview

Jeep front bumpers can be divided into two main categories: winching and non-winch bumpers. Most Wrangler bumpers have a winch plate option, but if you’re the highway cruiser, a lighter bumper option might be more your style. Off-roaders will want to consider approach angles when considering a new front bumper. The sharper the angle, the more clearance you’ll need to tackle the obstacle. Some bumpers stay out of the way altogether while others limit your approach angle.

Wrangler Rear Bumper Overview

Rear bumpers can make or break your Jeep’s limits for off-roading. Specifically, with the change of the departure angle. There are many bumper types to choose from that may affect the angle, but many Wrangler bumpers offer great features like tire carriers, D-ring hookups, and hitch receivers. Check out the different types and features below.

VIDEO: The 3 Best Rear JK Wrangler Bumpers

Full Width Wrangler Bumpers

Both the front and rear factory bumpers are considered “full width” because they encompass the entire width of the Wrangler, fender to fender. Aside from the added level of protection of a steel bumper, most aftermarket designs offer greater clearance and approach angles. The major drawback of a full width bumper is weight. Full width front bumpers are designed to protect rigs in wooded environments. Full widths keep stubborn branches and brush from puncturing your tires and bruising your Jeep’s fenders and body. More often than not, full width bumpers have pre-molded cut outs so you can keep your factory fog lights. However, sometimes extending the wiring is necessary to make them compatible. Another common feature for full widths are winch plates and D-ring mounts for easy recovery.

• All round protection
• Usually has OE fog light cut outs
• Winching and D-ring options
• Subtle to aggressive styles

Pro: Full width bumpers offer the most protection. Spanning the entire width of the Jeep, they not only protect the top front face of the tire, but considering it’s the outmost point of contact, it also provides a complete level of protection from direct front or rear collisions. Aesthetically you can make the argument they fit within the lines of the Jeep better.

Con: If you are considering a full steel replacement, full width bumpers are the heaviest choice. Weight is a big point to consider, especially since the factory bumpers are so light to begin with. The additional weight is often substantial and will have an impact on gas mileage and handling. Weight will also affect the Jeep’s height. Most aftermarket suspensions take this additional weight into consideration and always estimate their lift heights based on a fully loaded Jeep with the heaviest bumper options. Full width bumpers are also the most expensive option out of all three options.

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Wrangler Tubular Bumpers

• Classic look
• Some rears have oversized wheel cutouts
• Some have the ability to house winches
• Cost-effective
• Fully welded
• Some have a built in bull bar/grille guard

Tubular bumpers are a great way to add a different look on your rig. The design comes from the 80’s to provide a retro look. Tubular bumpers can come in many forms due to its low cost, but high quality construction. The front bumpers are usually full width, and the rears can come in the full width design. They may also wrap around the corners for extra protection for the rear quarter panels. Both front and rear bumpers are fully welded for maximum strength.

Unlike their steel plate cousins, off-roading isn’t a tubular bumper’s strong suit. One of the main issues with tubular bumpers are their hollow designs, and they wish they were fish tanks. Water loves to collect inside. Weld on end caps, or buy one with welded ends to prevent premature rusting. Tubular bumpers will be able to handle the concrete jungle just fine but won’t last long against rocky terrain.

Even though tubular bumpers are lightweight in comparison, they are able to take a light bruising from brush. Some of the front bumpers are able to house a winch which lets them have a small advantage in the off-road department. Some rear bumpers have a center cut out design that is able to accommodate oversized wheels. Some front bumpers have a welded on grille guard or bull bar for a two in one special. Tubular bumpers also allow for a slew of lighting options.

Mid Width Wrangler Bumpers

Slightly narrower, mid width bumpers can still offer a better level of protection over the stock bumper. A mid-width bumper looks to achieve the same level of protection of full-width, but save on some of the weight and offer a slightly better level of clearance and approach angle.

Pro: Steel mid width bumpers offer a better level of protection over the stock bumper. They are also lighter than a steel full width bumper and generally less expensive. They are also slightly better when going off-road by allowing more space for tire articulation. They are a great mid-level option that still offers a good level of protection without the additional weight and expense.

Con: Mid width bumpers leave you with an exposed area in both direct or quarter impacts.

Stubby Wrangler Bumpers

Stubby bumpers are one of the most sought after bumpers by Jeep enthusiasts due to their variable designs and increased approach and departure angle clearances. Another thing that makes stubby bumpers great is the number of different accessories you can apply to the main bumper which can increase lighting, armor, or even storage. You can also leave it bare with small end caps for a minimalistic, almost crawling type bumper. Most stubby bumpers can house a winch as well, and most do not need permanent modifications. Even use of OEM fog lights are an available option. There are two main types, modular and tubular. The modular is more popular and provides more strength and rigidity. Stubby bumpers are great and highly functional bumper that, with the right parts, will do exactly what you and your Wrangler require.

• Wrangler Stubby Bumper Highlights
• Best clearance
• Commonly house winches
• OE fog light compatible occasionally
• Aggressive styling
• Tube style or Modular style
• End caps can be purchased separately
• Customizable

Pro: These are the lightest and least expensive aftermarket steel option. They also provide the greatest level of tire clearance when off-road.

Con: Stubby bumpers are just a horizontal plane for the Jeep’s frame; they don’t offer any real level of protection to the wheels or fenders. Although they still offer a better level of protection when compared to the factory bumper.

What are the Advantages of Having a Rock Crawler Bumper?

• Minimalist design
• Excellent clearance
• Fronts protect oversized fenders
• Spacious for add-ons
• Rears frequently have tire carriers

Rock crawler style bumpers are all about traversing boulders with minimal to no interference. Similar to stubbies, they allow oversized tires and provide excellent approach and departure angles, but they tend to offer more protection to your Jeep’s body. The front rock crawlers come in either tubular or straight steel plate constructions. The tube designs extend out in front of your Jeep’s grille, so you’ll have plenty of room to use your winch and to provide oversized fenders. On the other hand, straight steel bumpers will be able to take repeated abuse. Front bumpers commonly accept winches, and the tubes provide places for aftermarket lighting. The rear bumpers often have tire carrier add-on options.

How Brutish are the Bull Bar Add-Ons?

• Reinforced protection
• Supports Hi-Lift jacks
• Added lighting space
• Aggressive styling

Bull bars are made to push through thick brush and brambles, and the skid plates keep fragile engine parts from bursting and leaving you stranded. Available in a variety of finishes, bull bars also give your Jeep an aggressive attitude. All the bull bars offered at ExtremeTerrain are made from 3in round tubing, so if you decide to install aftermarket lights, you’ll want to make sure they have 3in clamps. Bull bars are also a convenient way of storing a Hi-Lift jack. After all, they’re built for it.

What is a Stinger & What Does it Do?

• Prevents deadly roof rollovers
• Adds a menacing and aggressive look
• Can be used as a ramp or guide
• Protects front end components

The stinger front bumper add-on provides safety, appeal, and function to off-roaders. The stinger is primarily designed to protect the passengers from severe downhill roll overs when your rear end wants to go over the front to get down faster. When the stinger contacts the ground in a rollover scenario, your stinger causes your rig’s momentum to shift to a side rather than continue to roll forward. The high arch that pokes at your field of driving vision adds a very aggressive and mean look that’ll make other cars want to move on over. When off-roading, the stinger can be used to thrust your Jeep up a large rock in order for the front wheels to make contact. Another ‘double duty’ of this add-on is the increased protection against branches and rocks to protect your radiator, winch, and grille. Stingers are for a serious off-roader, but can be used to terrify other cars on the road.

What About Grille Guards?

• Various styling options
• Space for aftermarket lights
• Protects engine components

Grille guards can be complex in design, or as simple as a single hoop attachment to your current bumper. Both protect your radiator and other engine components from stray branches and other debris. The single hoop attachments are ideal for adding aftermarket lights since the more complex setups don’t make the option convenient. However, the more complex designs offer more all-around protection.

Where to Go from Here?

If you’re new to the Jeep scene you might still be surprised at this slew of choices. As you can see, each bumper type serves a unique purpose, so you can customize your rig’s recovery options, off-road lighting specs, approach and departure angles, and bushwhacking potential.

Like most aftermarket equipment for your Jeep, your intended purpose will dictate the type of bumper you will need. If you mostly do light over-landing or beach off-roading, a lighter aluminum full width option might be a good choice. If you mostly do aggressive rock crawling and need the added tire clearance, a stubby bumper might be a better option. Some aftermarket companies allow you the flexibility of interchangeable end caps and bolt on tubing to customize a bumper based on your particular needs at the moment. In theory you can drive a full width bumper during the week and un-blot the components to run a stripped down stubby version on the weekend. Overall the world of bumpers is quite extensive and can add another level of character to the look of your Jeep. There is no set rule that states you need to run the same brand on the front and back, so have fun and enjoy the large variety of options.

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