ARB vs Ironman bumper

[schuy2147]

@Ironman 4x4 USA has upped their prices on the bull bars for the 120 and 150. Now $1235 shipped after 25% off damn inflation, My efforts to be financially responsible have backfired

Yep. The ARB on the Metaltech website is up as well. Brutal.

 

[kody472]

@Ironman 4x4 USA has upped their prices on the bull bars for the 120 and 150. Now $1235 shipped after 25% off damn inflation, My efforts to be financially responsible have backfired

Better get one before it goes up again!

 

[elprup87]

For what it's worth: I purchased the ARB bumper a few years ago from Off-Road Equipment for the Serious Enthusiast - https://www.rocky-road.com/ as they had the better price at the time. I also purchased it knowing how it would be dressed up (below the bumper) and match with the under vehicle protection setup. I was not really aware at the time of IronMan's version. But with shipping and prices of labor/materials going up, I don't imagine everything settling down soon.

 

[NudeLobster]

to all you Ironman owners, does the bullbar have enough vertical slack in the slotted mounting holes to make up for a 1" body lift and still get pretty close to flush with the headlights?

 

[mister987]

to all you Ironman owners, does the bullbar have enough vertical slack in the slotted mounting holes to make up for a 1" body lift and still get pretty close to flush with the headlights?

Id have to check but I was able to get it way up high. The issue I ran into was the engine hatch getting in the way of the bull bar. IMO you will hit that issue before anything else

 

[NJGX]

to all you Ironman owners, does the bullbar have enough vertical slack in the slotted mounting holes to make up for a 1" body lift and still get pretty close to flush with the headlights?

I think a lot will depend on your particular truck, but mine does not have much more upward adjustment left (if any). Here are some picks of where mine sits and how I have the mounting holes aligned.

 

[jiggletits]

Does Ironman include "crumple zones" on the bumper reinforcement like ARB does? I would guess not, but have not seen one in person. ARB is the only bumper I would ever buy because they are typically engineered to work with your airbag system. If Ironman is an ARB copy, like it appears to be, they may also have this. I would still buy ARB all day every day over Ironman.

 

[NJGX]

Does Ironman include "crumple zones" on the bumper reinforcement like ARB does? I would guess not, but have not seen one in person. ARB is the only bumper I would ever buy because they are typically engineered to work with your airbag system. If Ironman is an ARB copy, like it appears to be, they may also have this. I would still buy ARB all day every day over Ironman.

It does have crumple zones on the winch cradle/mount that the bumper shell bolts to. I think all Australian bull bar manufacturers have to comply with the same safety standards over there. It was one of the main deciding factors for me when I was deciding between the Ironman and something lower profile like a Coastal Offroad front bumper kit.

 

[kem]

Just wanted to jump in here and add some clarity around the airbag/safety systems discussion. Here at Dissent our bumpers retain all the factory safety features, especially the airbags. None of the sensors that the airbag deployment system utilizes are affected by changing out the bumper.

We also build in a crumple zone into our frame brackets, so that is not unique to ARB, it's something one needs to consider when designing a critical protection component.

 

[DRANGED]

Just wanted to jump in here and add some clarity around the airbag/safety systems discussion. Here at Dissent our bumpers retain all the factory safety features, especially the airbags. None of the sensors that the airbag deployment system utilizes are affected by changing out the bumper.

We also build in a crumple zone into our frame brackets, so that is not unique to ARB, it's something one needs to consider when designing a critical protection component.

Is it the difference in co$t for airbag cert testing that the major manufacturers can $hell out for that smaller-scale operations don't really have the option to finance?

I recognize many aftermarket and smaller scale operations that make awesome products aren't NOT operating on a sizable profit margin, as such some of the bling like DOT airbag approval testing is out of reach.

So it's rad to hear you share that the dissent product is airbag compliant! thank you for sharing that @kem !!
Some AB sensors are shock-triggered, others are physical crumple-dependent. My suby had a sensor across a crumble zone and when I bolted up the tube bumper, the 2" square stock bolted across that crumple zone so those airbags wouldn't deply in a sizable impact (in fact didn't when I t-boned a tracker while going 25-30ish...

 

[Rednexus]

For those of you with the Ironman or ARB bumpers:

1. How did the extra weight of the bumper and winch affect your handling? I like the idea of this mod but have concerns with dangling 200 extra lbs off the front of the GX. Were heavier springs required?
2. Any corresponding reduction in acceleration and/or MPG with the weight?

This looks to be a good mod, but if the handling/performance are reduced, I'd rather keep the money in the future locker/regear fund, as the GX is about to become our family tow rig.

 

[Toyoland66]

For those of you with the Ironman or ARB bumpers:

1. How did the extra weight of the bumper and winch affect your handling? I like the idea of this mod but have concerns with dangling 200 extra lbs off the front of the GX. Were heavier springs required?
2. Any corresponding reduction in acceleration and/or MPG with the weight?

This looks to be a good mod, but if the handling/performance are reduced, I'd rather keep the money in the future locker/regear fund, as the GX is about to become our family tow rig.

I haven’t noticed any substantial impact to handling or ride, the thing wasn’t a sports car to begin with. I have the Ironman and haven’t installed the winch yet but I think the front has sagged a bit, I am swapping from 885 to 887 springs before I put the winch on.

 

[kody472]

I haven’t noticed any substantial impact to handling or ride, the thing wasn’t a sports car to begin with. I have the Ironman and haven’t installed the winch yet but I think the front has sagged a bit, I am swapping from 885 to 887 springs before I put the winch on.

I'm in the same boat with mine with no winch yet. The front did sag a little more than I like. Guess I need slightly heavier springs. Handling wasn't really an issue.

 

[jiggletits]

Just wanted to jump in here and add some clarity around the airbag/safety systems discussion. Here at Dissent our bumpers retain all the factory safety features, especially the airbags. None of the sensors that the airbag deployment system utilizes are affected by changing out the bumper.

We also build in a crumple zone into our frame brackets, so that is not unique to ARB, it's something one needs to consider when designing a critical protection component.

Have yours also been crashed in a lab with test-dummies? ARB hires and independent lab to test each prototype to ensure the rating of their crumple zone works with the airbags as intended, just as a car manufacturer would. That is a big differentiation if not. Its one thing to run some calculations for loads and provide mounting points for sensors, it is another to have crash-test data to back it up.

Field Tested... A lot: The ARB Bumper - Expedition Portal

The year was 1975, and on the horizon a travel worn Land Rover sent clouds of dust swirling into the air. Behind the wheel, an off-road enthusiast by the name of Tony Brown shifted gears, while mulling over a very big idea. You see Tony was fed up with the sub-par standards of Australian...

expeditionportal.com

 

[krenzzfj80]

Ironman bumper owner here and I was involved I an accident a few months back. My GX is lifted and I did not have my winch installed yet. Bumper took the impact very well and the crumple zone on the winch plate took almost all the force as designed. The bumper did go up into my fender which transferred energy into the hood. Airbags did not deploy. I can pretty much guarantee the damage may have totaled my GX had I not had an IM bumper installed. No one was hurt but the lil Honda Civic did not fair so well.

 

[mtwilly87]

I worked on installing my Ironman bumper yesterday, it took me about 8 hours solo, and this guide was my Bible. Thanks to TOYOLAND and NJGX for answering my questions via messenger. It was a pretty straight forward install, the cutting and test fitting is what takes so long. If you are doing it solo, a floor jack or hoist is a must. It also looks like the Ironman comes with LED fogs now, in addition to the LED blinkers, which is a nice value. I’m really pleased with how it looks on the truck. In regard to the subject of this thread, ARB vs Ironman, I spent tons of time researching the differences, and even said I would go ARB several years ago. When it comes down to it, I think Ironman provides the most value, especially now with the LED light package. It is frequently on sale, and is $99 flat shipping, arriving in 3-4 days.

 

[Rednexus]

I worked on installing my Ironman bumper yesterday, it took me about 8 hours solo, and this guide was my Bible. Thanks to TOYOLAND and NJGX for answering my questions via messenger. It was a pretty straight forward install, the cutting and test fitting is what takes so long. If you are doing it solo, a floor jack or hoist is a must. It also looks like the Ironman comes with LED fogs now, in addition to the LED blinkers, which is a nice value. I’m really pleased with how it looks on the truck. In regard to the subject of this thread, ARB vs Ironman, I spent tons of time researching the differences, and even said I would go ARB several years ago. When it comes down to it, I think Ironman provides the most value, especially now with the LED light package. It is frequently on sale, and is $99 flat shipping, arriving in 3-4 days.

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Do you notice any handling/braking difference with the added weight?

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I worked on installing my Ironman bumper yesterday, it took me about 8 hours solo, and this guide was my Bible. Thanks to TOYOLAND and NJGX for answering my questions via messenger. It was a pretty straight forward install, the cutting and test fitting is what takes so long. If you are doing it solo, a floor jack or hoist is a must. It also looks like the Ironman comes with LED fogs now, in addition to the LED blinkers, which is a nice value. I’m really pleased with how it looks on the truck. In regard to the subject of this thread, ARB vs Ironman, I spent tons of time researching the differences, and even said I would go ARB several years ago. When it comes down to it, I think Ironman provides the most value, especially now with the LED light package. It is frequently on sale, and is $99 flat shipping, arriving in 3-4 days.

Did you weigh it, or otherwise get an idea how much the weight is? As I recall, my FJ62 ARB bumper was about 90 lbs. I don't remember needing a jack for installation.

 

[mtwilly87]

Do you notice any handling/braking difference with the added weight?

I have medium spring rate iron man foam cell pro. I can feel a little bit of a difference, but not a lot. That may change when I add a 70lb winch. I may need to adjust them or switch to heavy springs, time will tell.

 

[mtwilly87]

Did you weigh it, or otherwise get an idea how much the weight is? As I recall, my FJ62 ARB bumper was about 90 lbs. I don't remember needing a jack for installation.

I did not weigh beforehand. Ironmans website said it weighs 119lbs…Based on me moving it around yesterday I would say that’s probably true.