Available light duty prado bumpers & an introduction (1 Viewer)

[TruckeeNick]

Hi All,
After several hundred thousand miles in midsize Toyota 4x4's (2nd gen Tacoma, and 5th gen 4runner) I have moved to... another midsize toyota 4x4! A 2017 GX luxury black over ecru, absolutely pristine, looks like its never been driven in the rain. Well, it did before I cruised it around all last winter.

I'm moving slowly through a very mild build on it, 17" rims, AT C load tires, rack system. Usage is towing my small travel trailer, crusing relatively mild dirt roads, accessing trailheads in the west/california mountains, along with 2 times a month 4-500 mile long highway drives for work. Keeping the lexus character for me on the long solo drives is important.

I'm considering a bumper for the GX, primarily to improve approach angle for water bars and the like, and secondarily for a little more protection. I dont need the full protective ARB style winch bumper, and am looking for solutions that would preferably be a little more lightweight. The CBI stealth bumper is an obvious choice, but I am looking at other options as well.

In looking at Prado bumpers, there appear some other interesting options. Has anyone explored the availability to ship or ability to mount these prado bumpers on a facelifted 460?

Ironman Austrailia no loop proguard bull bar No Loop Bull Bar to suit Toyota Prado 150 11/2017+

Another even more interesting option, Toyota OEM commercial bull bar, which is a full coverage alloy bull bar.

Toyota Prado Accessories | CMI Toyota

www.cmitoyota.com.au

 

[TX GX460]

The IronMan no loop bar should fit like other varios IronMan bars that people have installed. The only difference is lack of the hoops. There are several examples of IronMan installs on 2014+ models here and on GXOR.

The Toyota OEM option sounds interesting. I have not seen those before. Besides trim issues I don't see any reason why one wouldn't work. My only issue would be that I am not sure if they have winch provisions (the Hilux models do, but I can't find anything about these models). If you don't care about adding a winch then it won't matter, but I would research that more fully before going that route. They are also aluminum. That means they are lighter, more expensive, and not as structurally strong. The lower weight and no painting requirement is a huge positive but don't be surprised at how easily they will dent and scratch when offroading.

 

[r2m]

Take a look at our after market thread: Guide to GX 460 Builds and Aftermarket Products
You may find something there that'll work for you!

 

[johnnYoung]

Hello, I just joined to learn and find out how to build my new GX 460. There're so much awesome info and experience here, thank you all. I'm interested in a lightweight front bumper for my new GX 460 as well. TruckeeNick, did you find more info on the Toyota OEM alluminum front bumper as to whether it can be installed on the GX 460 and whether it's a winch bumper? Have you decided on which bumper to get? Also does anyone know the weight of the new CBI stealth bumper? Their website says 140-lbs which seems a lot for what it is. Thanks!

 

[r2m]

Hello, I just joined to learn and find out how to build my new GX 460. There're so much awesome info and experience here, thank you all. I'm interested in a lightweight front bumper for my new GX 460 as well. TruckeeNick, did you find more info on the Toyota OEM alluminum front bumper as to whether it can be installed on the GX 460 and whether it's a winch bumper? Have you decided on which bumper to get? Also does anyone know the weight of the new CBI stealth bumper? Their website says 140-lbs which seems a lot for what it is. Thanks!

Welcome! When you're asking about info for your rig regarding bumpers, you may want to note what year, e.g. pre 2013 or post2014. Very different front ends. Because of that, weights, styles and fitment will also vary.
I don't recall right off, but there is a manufacturer in Washington (state) that makes aluminum bumpers. You can check the after market links here: Guide to GX 460 Builds and Aftermarket Products

Also, I noticed you're in Irvine. I'm only about 20 miles south of you. If you're looking for a "family friendly" off road club that does a wide range of wheeling (from stock vehicles to rock crawling, desert to mountains and everything inbetween), PM me, I'd love to have another GX in the club!

 

[nw_fj62]

I'd like to have someone try out the Australian Smart Bar (now distributed by ARB) - "Manufactured from polyethylene plastic, and popular with fleet and emergency service operators including ambulance, police and fire services, the innovative SmartBar frontal protection system provides an alternative for organisations and customers looking for a lighter alternative to traditional steel bull bars."

The image on Bull Bars | ARB 4x4 Accessories

 

[r2m]

Not bad looking, but not sure how the lines of the bumper would work with the lines of the GX front grill.
Maybe someone could photoshop it??

 

[Acrad]

More info on the Smartbars here

Lightweight SmartBar Bull Bars - Toyota Prado 150 (08/09 – 10/17)

SmartBar leads the way in pedestrian and vehicle safety for Australian bull bars. Find out more about our lightweight, durable bull bars for your Toyota Prado 150.

smartbar.com.au

Toyota Prado 150 (10/17 – 08/20)

smartbar.com.au

https://lexusgxor.com/_media/general:sa140-prado-d_smartbar_bull_bar_australia_vehicle_specifications.pdf

https://lexusgxor.com/_media/general:sa210-prado-150-10-17-b_smartbar_bull_bar_australia_vehicle_specifications.pdf

 

[johnnYoung]

Thank you so much for your responses and willingness to help! I'm about to pull the trigger in getting a new 2020 GX 460. I'll be driving it mostly as my daily and taking it off road and overlanding. I'm a newbie at off roading, so lots to learn from the community which I'm so grateful to have access to.
Richard, thank you for the link I'll check it out. Sure off road club sounds great, definitely I'll be messaging you, thank you!

Thank you guys for the info on the Australian smartbar. Sounds like the shock absorbing quality of this bumper can protect the passengers in a collision better than a metal bumper can. I spoke to a smartbar rep and he wasn't sure if the bumper can fit a GX. He says they need a CAD data of the GX's front end to assess the fit. These bumpers are pricey, 3K AUD (according to the rep) which is approx 2K USD. Wish I know a friend at Toyota/Lexus who can help source the data to them.

 

[r2m]

More info on the Smartbars here

Lightweight SmartBar Bull Bars - Toyota Prado 150 (08/09 – 10/17)

SmartBar leads the way in pedestrian and vehicle safety for Australian bull bars. Find out more about our lightweight, durable bull bars for your Toyota Prado 150.

smartbar.com.au

Toyota Prado 150 (10/17 – 08/20)

smartbar.com.au

https://lexusgxor.com/_media/general:sa140-prado-d_smartbar_bull_bar_australia_vehicle_specifications.pdf

https://lexusgxor.com/_media/general:sa210-prado-150-10-17-b_smartbar_bull_bar_australia_vehicle_specifications.pdf

The only thing I saw that may raise a flag is under the stated features, it says, "Can compress up to 85% and bounce back to 95% of its original shape within minutes of most animal strikes."
My concern is how far into the hood/grill/headlights is 85% when one hits something? If you take down a kangaroo for them, deer or equal for us, will that flex too far?
I'm hoping they engineered it well enough to take a hit like that and not cause any front end damage.
I definitely like the fact that it has "memory" when bent and return to its original shape (to a degree).

 

[Acrad]

Good point about compression and what damage could occur. Assumably with ARB now distributing and probably a higher percentage of vehicles on the road per capita in Australia with bull bars than US it probably has a reasonable amount of testing at this point. It is nice to see that basically any factory option someone has can be easily integrated into this.