Can someone with a stock bumper do a ramp test for us? I'm interested in knowing if the frame flex causes that crumple seam to buldge regardless of mods.
-voodoo
When you flex the stock rig please put a straight edge on the area before and after so that you can see any buldging. Thank you
This whole thing got me thinking of a thread on the Ex One bumper from over a year ago where those guys addressed something very similar.
Thx for the flex test and the images! This indicates that the front body is designed too rigid, which causes high stress. A vehicle needs to be able to flex. Otherwise it's gotta crack somewhere. The rubber mounts should only be there to damp vibrations and not to take up the entire flex. Just think of the Jeep polyurethan mounts -> they don't flex, and the Jeep is not cracking.
A bumper then can put additional stress into the system when contacting the body, but this I believe is not the root cause for this problem.
What do lifts, wheel travel, aftermarket bumpers, and tears generally have in common? All are asociated with people who are inclined to offroad more and more agggessively than those who don't have lifts or steel bumpers. It is called correlation.
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Compared to what? At what cost? What hard evidence do you have? -Thomas Sowell
Just to clarify, you didn't vote right? The voting is for people who DO have bulges or cracks. Sorry to be so picky, but we do want to keep the poll accurate.
Harold
Can you flex your rig to see if the crumple zone buldges. If you don't have ramps maybe we can hook up in the next couple of days. I know it's your sons B-Day to day. So enjoy that
Bernd
What do lifts, wheel travel, aftermarket bumpers, and tears generally have in common? All are asociated with people who are inclined to offroad more and more agggessively than those who don't have lifts or steel bumpers. It is called correlation.
I fully agree, this is why we find out about this issue on here first And I'm very happy about the good technical discussions in this forum.
It is to be expected that more vehicles with bumpers have this issue. But a case with no bumper gives the prove that it cannot be blamed on the bumper...
What do lifts, wheel travel, aftermarket bumpers, and tears generally have in common? All are asociated with people who are inclined to offroad more and more agggessively than those who don't have lifts or steel bumpers. It is called correlation.
That is true, but has no bearing on causal effect. A structural design flaw may be exaserbated by accessories and driving style, but not caused by them. Ford spent hundreds of millions denying the Explorer had a design flaw leading to vehicle instability and rollovers, yet they paid out a lot of claims, and redesigned the Explorer to eliminate the issue.
The FJ Cruiser is a vehicle whose entire ad campaign is in magazines dedicated to off-road afficianados, whose dealer brochures are virtual books on off-road technique, aftermarket parts, and trail runs. While a manufacturer can write a disclaimer for anything, it's responsibilty for an issue like this will depend on whether it is reasonable, based on the protrayal by the manufacturer, for a consumer to expect the vehicle to perform and hold up under the conditions advertised. I have never seen an ad by Toyota for the FJ Cruiser that was not in an aggressive, off-road situation. I expect, and I feel reasonably so, that my vehicle will not tear apart when I use it in the manor for which it is advertised to be driven.
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" I'm not aware of too many things, but I know what I know, if you know what I mean..."
"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes... that way when you do criticize them, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes..."
Todd...I hate to do this to you ,,but....you bought your truck used...it had some pretty serious mods dome when you bought it....it may very well have HAD an aftermarket bumper BEFORE you owned it ..and the previous owner sold the bumper before he sold you the truck...they are worth $1,000 used...so we can't tell on YOUR rig.....still luv ya man and I'm ready for run tonight for the meteor shower....Kurt
You could say I'm just a trusting soul, but I prefer to say I just do good investigative work.
John had the truck for almost a year and only put 4,500 miles on it. There was not a scratch or pinstripe anywhere on the body... the paint looked brand new — he said it was garaged while not driving, so it makes sense. There were NO marks on the underside of the vehicle, not a scratch on the bling plate or rock rails and it looked like he wiped the engine with a diaper every Sunday.
Combine that with the fact that I have the dealership receipt which shows he had the DRs, Wheels, Tires and all accessories put on at the dealership, AND the only bumper available when he bought the vehicle was the ARB (which I'm sure he would have had put on along with everything else)... I just don't think he had an aftermarket bumper.
I still love YOU man. I just do.
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"I'd like to die in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car."
Bernd
And I'm very happy about the good technical discussions in this forum.
/ WPOK492 
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