Out with Old, In with New

[umbertob]

Don't know about meeting DOT standards, but these companies wouldn't advertise their bumpers as "Airbag Approved" unless they were damn sure that airbags would definitely deploy in case of an accident... This is litigious America, land of the free and the lawyers, not Australia.

I have no plans of purchasing either as a bull bar would be overkill for my multi-purpose vehicle. But you can't go wrong either way. ARB products are always top of the line. The "A bull bar is born" video on their web site is pretty impressive, that's no mom-and-pop operation: How an ARB Winch Bumper is Made - YouTube But the guys at Tactical 4x4 make some great products as well, and give you the type service and support that only a small company made of Land Rover enthusiasts like theirs can give. And, they manufacture their stuff right here in the USA.

 

[epiclr4]

What size tires are you running?

 

[NASdiesel]

I really thought that T44 and ARB complied in that the air bags would be deployed in the case of a crash - didn't think about all that steel. I spoke to an ARB engineering rep. at the 4x4 truck show here in northern CA a few weeks ago and he told me that ARB has tested their front bumper and the air bags work on impact, though you are right -- who knows if that was an LR4.

I don't see why they would be related(bumper to airbag deployment) unless the bumper is causing the crash/force to be more abrupt or less. The sensor is independent of the bumper itself, sensing the force exerted. I would think with a larger steel bumper (and you do have a steel bumper under that plastic skin on the front already), the question is how much of the dynamics of the crash are changed by a larger bumper, thicker steel, etc. Just me theorizing as I'm not knowledgable on the topic.