[soneal4]

I'm trying to read as much as I can about the aftermarket bumpers and the considerations of the added weight to the front of the truck. I haven't seen anyone with them complaining of drastic changes in fuel economy or performance of the truck. The main reason I want to replace it would be aesthetics, but not if it will damage my truck. The only thing I could imagine having to work harder is the front suspension. I have seen on this site about people saying the added 130 pounds will put a lot of stress on the truck. Would this still be true with my truck having air suspension? Would the truck just put a little more air pressure in the front bags to make up for the weight?

I'm thinking about the Fab Fours: DR13-F2952-1

Thanks for reading, I look forward to your insight.

-O'Neal

 

[Bigfoot]

Nice looking bumper. (Nice color truck, too!) The air suspension should help level the added weight but will not take the stress off steering, suspension, brakes and axle components. Is the stress enough to worry about? Well, that depends.

When I weighed my stock EcoDiesel with full tanks and me sitting in it, about 60% of the weight was on the front axle and it had only 250 lbs to spare in its GAWR. The truck definitely felt nose heavy in turns and the rear lost traction on moderate hills when backing up. Adding 130 lbs to the most forward position is obviously not a great idea if handling is a priority. Carrying a load in the bed helps with that, so if you have a bed topper or tow regularly that will shift some weight to the rear axle which has plenty of reserve capacity. Of course, the added weight means slightly less fuel economy and performance. The less aerodynamic bumper will cause more air resistance which also affects economy and potentially cooling.

Pluses: esthetics, front end protection.

Minuses: cost, uses up much of the limited payload capacity, added weight to already loaded front, decreased safety to people outside the truck, possible complications with front parking assist, small drop in fuel economy (roughly 0.5 mpg).

Your choice.

 

[soneal4]

Thanks for the input. I dont tow much and when I do its nothing really heavy, so the only things I was really worried about was prematurely wearing out the suspension and a big loss in fuel economy. Most of my driving is highway so I wont be racing around any turns where handleing is a major concern. I think im going to hold off for a while and keep the truck stock, but when I have the extra cash ill probably make the swap.