Slee Rear Bumper Crash Test (Unofficial, Unsolicited, Unplanned)

[2000UZJ]

Jon,

Happy to hear everybody is ok. First thing I thought of was "he probably had his kids in the back". Looks like the bumper did a good job keeping the back end intact, despite the damages from the swing out. I'm sure a stock bumper with no swing out would of just crumbled and pushed the tailgate in quite a bit. As for the window tint...it has it's advantages and disadvantages. I can see how a flying sheet of glass could be a huge risk factor. On the other hand for smaller impacts, keeping the window intact is a blessing. Not to veer off the threads topic but when I was shot at last year my windows stayed fully intact and was able to put clear tape over the broken window and drive home. If the tint was not there I would not of had a rear window. In many situations window tint can provide added protection and serve as a make shift support for a shattered window. I have taken my own windshield in defense with a gang, it was not tinted at the time, it crumbled and fell onto the dash. I now have every window tinted for privacy, safety, and UV protection.

Again, I am glad you and everybody on the trip was ok.

 

[Tahomatom]

Wow, Glad to hear you are Ok and kudos to having your gear stored accordingly.

My wife was hit from at a 90 degree angle in the front by a car doing 35-40 with my 1 year old in the back. They basically did a 360 and they were both unscathed so this is a great car for families.

The stroller and other stuff in the back went everywhere. Secure your gear people.

 

[BBQ BOY]

Praise God for the safety of your family. I am very interested in knowing if, any, damage was done to the frame.

 

[patrickfinley]

Those images help validate why I sold my 00 4runner and bought an LC when our 2nd daughter was born. Glad that all parties, and you're daughters are fine.

Glad to hear your daughters are still rear facing (even though that's not great for rear end collisions). Will you be turning them around at 24 months? We have a 21 month old girl as well and her feet stick way up in the air rear facing. I don't think we'll be able to keep her that way much longer. In parts of Europe they keep them backwards till age 3 or so.

 

[Bighead]

Glad everyone is okay.

We had a similar experience though the damage (to us) wasn't as significant. The was driving our old '99 LC with a Slee rear bumper and was stopped at a light. She felt the LC slip forward but thought her foot slipped off the brake. Turned out a car ran into the rear of the LC trashing it's front end. We had chipped powder coat.

When I bought our current '04, the made it clear that the armor will only come from Slee. It was all about trust.

 

[jonharis]

Those images help validate why I sold my 00 4runner and bought an LC when our 2nd daughter was born. Glad that all parties, and you're daughters are fine.

Glad to hear your daughters are still rear facing (even though that's not great for rear end collisions). Will you be turning them around at 24 months? We have a 21 month old girl as well and her feet stick way up in the air rear facing. I don't think we'll be able to keep her that way much longer. In parts of Europe they keep them backwards till age 3 or so.

The girls new car seats were in the garage before the trip. They are right at 32 pounds and close to the length at ~31" which is the weight limit for the rear facing ones we have. I was on the fence about switching out the seats for this trip and decided to keep the old ones in mainly because the girls are used to them. State Farm immediately offered to purchase us two new ones which really shows their integrity. The old ones will be destroyed and the new Britax Frontier 85 SITCs will take their place. This leads to one thing I don't like about the 100. The LATCH attachment points are on the middle and drivers side seating position on the 60% section. This was great with the infant seats but the Britax will not fit this way. This means that the passenger side seat will be attached using the seat belt which is easier to mess up and do wrong. I wish Toyota would have spent the extra $30 to add the one extra attachment point.

Parents, please don't skimp on car seats. Do your research and buy new never used car seats. And please have the install checked by a professional. Most health departments do it for free at any time. I get so angry when I see friends of mine with loose seats and worse yet when they let their kids buckle themselves in and don't check the install.

 

[r3run33]

glad to hear things are working out Jon; you are so right about those car seats. I don't understand about the attachments you don't have 3 sets on the 2nd row?

omg i just noticed mine have always been either in the center or behind me. I never noticed it id not have one on the passenger side. Very odd

 

[The Jade Bean]

I'm really glad everybody was ok in all the cars involved! I always yank on my sons car seat to make sure it's super snug and not going anywhere.

I don't have a 100, but I feel 100% confident my 05 4Runner will be safe for my family. I can't say to the quality of Slee or whatever that was on the 4Runner, but I didn't skimp on quality when we were picking out what was going to be protecting my family and others in our rig.

There are plenty of opportunities to save on money when equipping your rig and each person has to do what they think is best, but this may help you make your decision.

Again I'm glad your all ok!

~Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[Kigiin]

Glad everyone is ok.

I suspect the truck and everyone would still have been ok with the OEM bumper (albeit with a bit more damage).

 

[patrickfinley]

. The old ones will be destroyed and the new Britax Frontier 85 SITCs will take their place. This leads to one thing I don't like about the 100. The LATCH attachment points are on the middle and drivers side seating position on the 60% section.

I really like those SITC seats, but I am concerned as well with their width. They are several inches wider than most other Britax car seats. We have the Britax Boulevard and they do fit rear driver and center positions. Actually that's with one facing forward and the other backward, I'm not sure if it'll fit with both forward facing.

One thing to note, I think at 40lbs and up you are supposed to stop using the LATCH and switch to the seatbelt. So you probably wouldn't get much more use out of your LATCH anyway.

 

[jonharis]

I really like those SITC seats, but I am concerned as well with their width. They are several inches wider than most other Britax car seats. We have the Britax Boulevard and they do fit rear driver and center positions. Actually that's with one facing forward and the other backward, I'm not sure if it'll fit with both forward facing.

One thing to note, I think at 40lbs and up you are supposed to stop using the LATCH and switch to the seatbelt. So you probably wouldn't get much more use out of your LATCH anyway.

Have been doing some research on that very thing. Your statement seems to be consistant with most resources out there.

From The Car Seat Lady - The LATCH System

LATCH Weight Limits Lower Anchors: There is no agreement between vehicle and child safety seat manufacturers as to the weight limit for lower anchors. If the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions, the vehicle owners manual, or this table do not discuss the issue, it is best to stop using the lower anchors after the child is 40 pounds. In this case, you should use the vehicle safety belt instead of the lower anchors to secure the child safety seat to the vehicle.
Since the lower anchors bear the brunt of the force in a crash, concern for their weight limit is especially important. They are designed to restrain the weight of a child safety seat plus the weight of a small child. The vehicle's safety belt, which is stronger because it is designed to restrain large adults, is a good substitute for the lower anchors when securing a child safety seat used by a heavier child.
Tether Anchors: Again, there is no agreement between vehicle and child safety seat manufacturers as to the weight limit for tether anchors. Certain vehicle manufacturers have stated a tether anchor weight limit; to find out check you vehicle owner's manual. In cases where the vehicle owner's manual does not specify a maximum tether weight limit, assume the upper limit is 40 pounds.
Following this 40 pound limit is very problematic, though, since many child safety seats sold specifically for children over 40 pounds REQUIRE the use of a tether. Many in the child passenger safety field believe that the risks of NOT using the tether FAR OUTWEIGH the risks of the tether not holding in a crash. Many of us would recommend using the tether no matter how much the child weighs.

Here is my next pondering, My drawers cover the Top Tether attachment points....... ?

 

[schow]

Good to hear everyone walk away. The show how important on not to follow too close, especially on these types of roads. This also give me a very good reason to my wife that I should get a Slee bumper!

 

[Mxndrnks]

Parents, please don't skimp on car seats. Do your research and buy new never used car seats. And please have the install checked by a professional. Most health departments do it for free at any time. I get so angry when I see friends of mine with loose seats and worse yet when they let their kids buckle themselves in and don't check the install.

Also, double check what the "professionals" do when you get it checked. My wife made an appoinment and went to some place to get our daughters checked. When she got home I went and looked at it and it was installed incorrectly. Instead of using the two latch points on the seat the car seat was on... they had attached it using one from the side the car seat was on and the other from the other seat.... So, even though they are the "experts"... they dont always know what they are doing.
Watch them, double check it, and question them if it doesnt look right.

John - while I know in this instance you were glad the rear glass was held together by the film and kept the small pieces of glass from flying everywhere. I cant help but think about what would have happened if that piece had flown forward and hit your girls in the face since they were rear facing. Now, not trying to point anything out or in any way say you were wrong here. But, with hind sight, comments like this, etc. Would you do the film again? Do you feel it was a real positive? Will you be installing a barrier? This has me thinking about the barrier more and more. I have a 3 1/2 year old and an 8 month old that sits rear facing.

 

[jonharis]

^ Excellent point about the "professionals" Everything should be double checked.

I absolutely will do the film again, The glass was still attached in areas after the crash. I am thinking of having a cargo barrier made, this is something I've been pondering for quite some time and I too am wanting to do this more now. Most of the off the shelf cargo barriers are junk and wouldn't hold up in a serious crash. I can see even a quality cargo barrier becoming a stabbing/poking/prodding object in a serious crash where the deformation of the vehicle caused the deformation of the cargo barrier. Like I stated in an earlier post all of my heavy items are tied down or in drawers and the only items that stay loose are sleeping bags and clothes etc.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

Christo makes bomber products and its one of the rare times that I feel like I get what I pay for quality wise.

My only issue is that I have to keep telling my father that "No, he doesn't make a bumper for your new Tundra".

 

[patrickfinley]

Here is my next pondering, My drawers cover the Top Tether attachment points....... ?

You could take the drawers out and put some sort of tether extension into the floor anchors. Then put you're drawers down and attach your tether straps to the extension that is sticking out.

You'd just have to make sure the drawers don't lift up in the event of an accident. The tethers would pull up on them creating too much slack.

If you design a cage, make sure the wire mesh doesn't get in the way of the tether straps.

 

[lexi4darin]

I am completely stoked for you, your family and the Cruiser making it through this experience. Nothing more scary really.

As well congrats to Cristo and Slee OffRoad for contributing to the added safety. A product well made!

Let's also keep in mind the physics of what's involved here. It's not at all surprising the smaller, lighter 4Runner was rumpled as it was. There's your biggest contributor to the discrepancy of damage. It's also yet another reason we buy these +5,000 behemoths and suffer through 14mpg. The weight, the size, and the structure of these 100's is truly amazing.

 

[jonharis]

It's also yet another reason we buy these +5,000 behemoths and suffer through 14mpg.

I average ~12mpg

Just weighed the truck nearly empty (see other thread) it rang in at 6280lbs. I am estimating that my truck weighed 7000-7200lbs at the time of the crash.

 

[SmoothLC]

Wow! What a mishap. As others have already stated many times, glad to hear there were no injuries. While we loved our old 4R, quality/safety was yet another reason to move to the LC platform.

Hope the rebuild goes as planned for you.

 

[Mxndrnks]

^ Excellent point about the "professionals" Everything should be double checked.

I absolutely will do the film again, The glass was still attached in areas after the crash. I am thinking of having a cargo barrier made, this is something I've been pondering for quite some time and I too am wanting to do this more now. Most of the off the shelf cargo barriers are junk and wouldn't hold up in a serious crash. I can see even a quality cargo barrier becoming a stabbing/poking/prodding object in a serious crash where the deformation of the vehicle caused the deformation of the cargo barrier. Like I stated in an earlier post all of my heavy items are tied down or in drawers and the only items that stay loose are sleeping bags and clothes etc.

thanks for sharing your thoughts!