IceLandOffroad.com Berserk Bumper Install

[JohnBoulderCO]

They are making some???

Yes. They are making WJ fender flairs. Should be about 1/4" thick and designed for big fender cut jobs, like what I did.

[BlaineWasHere]

Yes. Should be about 1/4" thick and designed for big fender cut jobs, like what I did.

Wow very cool, that is a product I would be very interested in!!!!

[ATL ZJ]

That is the problem with fawking newbs. They spout off at the mouth when they don't know or have seen a product or even have a damn clue what they are talking about. If you bought the product and did not like it, sure talk it down all you want. Have I seen or used the product? No, that is why I keep my damn mouth shut....fawking noob! Oh, here is an idea, go run a couple of trails, you might see some products and/or learn something thenactually be able to contribute to the coversation here. Until then, try this link: http://jeepsunlimited.com

Though I usually hate it when people who have zero experience with something open their ignorant mouths, I'll stand up for the guy. I'm very skeptical myself. I've watched the fancy fiberglass hoods and cowls on buggies break. Those are also pieces much less likely to see rock contact than bumpers and rocker protection. Unless this is a different compound, I'd be surprised to see it last through a hard weekend of wheeling on some of the rigs around here that get flogged and rolled without any holding back, much less a whole comp season.

Not trying to stir the pot, I would actually love to test it and be proven wrong.

But maybe I'm a newb too

[jsteves]

Sorry didn't know we all had to actually try the product before we gave our opinions about it. Maybe I worded it wrong but can't a person be a little skeptical about a fiberglass wheelin bumper/rocker protection? This site has a lot of good info but dammit some people have sticks up their asses.

Why give opinions when you don't know what you are talking about. The internet has tons of good info, and twice as much BS because people talk like they know what is going on and they don't. So basically yes, don't rip a product unless you have actually seen it fail. JMHO.

[AprilzWarrior]

Not trying to stir the pot, I would actually love to test it and be proven wrong.

But maybe I'm a newb too

I totally understand where you are coming from.

Tera made Fiberglass leaf springs, may not have been a huge market for them, but they had to be tough non-the-less.

Im sure the fiberglass bumpers are thick, I read somewhere 1/4", now is the rest of your Unibody that thick? Not the fenders, "frame area" floor boards NOT anywhere on these rigs.

So a fiberglass bumper is going to be a great choice for lots of people. I personally dont like big bulky heavy bumpers, and my rig is so tall a fiberglass bumper could be a good option. With that said I just know I would destroy it in seconds, I dont give a shit about my jeep anymore, and ill try just about anything within reason.

[jsteves]

Though I usually hate it when people who have zero experience with something open their ignorant mouths, I'll stand up for the guy. I'm very skeptical myself. I've watched the fancy fiberglass hoods and cowls on buggies break. Those are also pieces much less likely to see rock contact than bumpers and rocker protection. Unless this is a different compound, I'd be surprised to see it last through a hard weekend of wheeling on some of the rigs around here that get flogged and rolled without any holding back, much less a whole comp season.

Not trying to stir the pot, I would actually love to test it and be proven wrong.

But maybe I'm a newb too

But that's different. You have actually seen some fiberglass break on the trail, actual experience. Also, skepticism is one thing but this noob acting like he knows the product is a POS when he doesn't have a clue is annoying.

I'm skeptical too, but I will wait to see it in action before passing judgement.

[FallstonZJ88]

I edited my original post. Can you chill out now?

[Skyline]

I think this is one of the best looking bumpers on the market. At some point, I will try to copy the design in 3/16" steel, maybe lowering the winch mount a bit.

I am highly sceptical about a fiberglass bumper holding up on the trail. I wheel in the Northeast, with many tight and rocky trails. My stock front bumper is barely holding on at this point, it's been smashed, crushed, twisted and ripped off so many times. Bumpers DO take a beating on the trail. I find the corners right under the turn signals take the most hits...so a bumper must be really strong there.

Take a look at some of the fiberglass body kits and front spoilers that the ricers use. One good bottoming out, and the fiberglass spoilers shatter or crack. That's why most of the high end stuff is made of urathane instead of fiberglass. Urathane's abilty to flex makes it much more durable, just not as easy to paint. Fiberglass is very brittle.

Bottom line, as good as this looks, I think it's more for the mall crawling crowd than the Mallcrawlin crowd.

[fpkites]

I edited my original post. Can you chill out now?

Nahh...eat shit

Good job easing it up. Your original post was very inflammatory, and you made it a lot more question instead of accusatory.

[markr]

I accually ask about this product over on jeepforum about 6-12 months ago and got a very sceptical responce from everyone but felt like it would be worth the money to try it out after talking with them.
I am glad someone is trying it, it is on my list
(If I ever stop making other changes in my life)

[PassRunnerZJ]

Time will tell, well a few trips will tell. I'm not easy on my stuff. I've already bent my Rocky Road sliders on some ledges on GBR coming back from the Spike so while I'm not going to run it into rocks just to break it, I'm not going to wheel it like a baby either.

I know that ARB's 3/16" bumper bend when they hit rocks, then they are bent... (Overkill did his) glass will spring back unless it breaks. There are always +/- to everything. Oh yea, having something that gives incase of an accident and absorbs some of the engergy is appealing to me for the air bags and who ever contact is made with. I'd much rather replace a bumper than mangle or kill someone because I have to have a bullet proof front bumper. If I just took it on the trail, yea, I would fab something up tube bumper wise.

That said, there are a couple of other pluses that I like, arrowdynamics(sp) since I make several trips up to Denver/Ft. Collins each year plus many trips to Moab, the San Juans, and other areas to wheel, and I like my 20mpg. Also, and I'll get pictures, the edges extend out protecting the corners and lights. I learned that this is a really good thing when wheeling in tight trees this spring with H3RESQ and watching him rub trees with his WJ as he worked through them.

[BigDaveZJ]

The fiberglass body kits that the ricers use are not nearly as thick as the Iceland Offroad stuff, so that's comparing apples to oranges. What about boats that are made out of fiberglass? Hitting a wave at 30+mph is gonna be worse than anything most of us put our rigs though.

Is a fiberglass bumper for everyone? No, not at all. But is it automatically a piece of flaming dog shit just because it's not 1/4" plate?

And comparing 1/4" fiberglass to the factory plastic bumper . . . that's like comparing a 35 to Rockwells . . . .

[OverkillZJ]

X2... i haven't seen this, at all, but I can't knock it until I have. In theory, done right, it could kick ass. Our rigs are heavy enough as it is, perioud.

[BigDaveZJ]

perioud.

Is that the British spelling of period our something???

[OverkillZJ]

Is that the British spelling of period our something???

No, that's just "it's Sunday night, I'm half asleep, and am so pissed off I have to work tomorrow that I'm going to mispell shit" spelling. It's like theatre vs. Theater. So... Folks, please enter PERIOUD into your dictionaries!

[comanchefreak]

Take a look at some of the fiberglass body kits and front spoilers that the ricers use. One good bottoming out, and the fiberglass spoilers shatter or crack. That's why most of the high end stuff is made of urathane instead of fiberglass. Urathane's abilty to flex makes it much more durable, just not as easy to paint. Fiberglass is very brittle.

I think you might be generalizing too much about fiberglass here.
As someone else pointed out, this bumper is much thicker fiberglass than body kits.
Also, the strength of fiberglass depends on the actual type of glass used, type of resin, orientation of the glass and what type of core (if any).
I am actually thinking about doing my own fiberglass bumpers as i have a lot of experience in boat and surfboard building. It is possible to have some parts with more impact resistance an some have more flexibility using fiberglass and other reinforcing materials.
In some ways, i think using fiberglass might make more sense than steel on a ZJ as the unibody construction limits how much protection the bumper can offer anyway.
I also have an I6, so the weight savings are very attractive.
I am very interested to hear how this bumper works out.

[Mtn WJ]

I think you might be generalizing too much about fiberglass here.
As someone else pointed out, this bumper is much thicker fiberglass than body kits.
Also, the strength of fiberglass depends on the actual type of glass used, type of resin, orientation of the glass and what type of core (if any).
I am actually thinking about doing my own fiberglass bumpers as i have a lot of experience in boat and surfboard building. It is possible to have some parts with more impact resistance an some have more flexibility using fiberglass and other reinforcing materials.
In some ways, i think using fiberglass might make more sense than steel on a ZJ as the unibody construction limits how much protection the bumper can offer anyway.
I also have an I6, so the weight savings are very attractive.
I am very interested to hear how this bumper works out.

They passed the fender flares around at GSW and I was impressed at the quality and pure beefyness of them. We saw the bumpers at the meet and greet and I agree with the fact that they can be pliable enough to bounce back but beefy to handle the scraps they should be ok. The winch mounts are made of steel which gives up piece of mind for winching. Time will tell. I had my bumper made because of how heavy the ARB and Trail Ready bumpers are in addition they ARB sticks out way too far. If I ever change my mind about my front bumper I would consider one of these.

[zjrog]

I saw the Iceland ZJ at the SLC offroad expo a few months back. And I am very impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the fiberglass. One of the flares rubbed a rock, and the sheetmetal behind the flare was creased. But the flare was still solid as hell... I do like the looks too.

[ZJ TINS]

Fiberglass has yield strength about 1/3 of steel (27kpsi).

However the geometry can be very unconventional (as compared to steel). If designed correctly it could be stronger for a given load and lighter than steel.

On this design I just wander about the apparant lack of support on the backside. Seems like a hit on the side would rotate the end of the bumper easily, and not protect the metal above it.

Also fiberglass crack much more easily, a sharp edge can cut it and propagate while steel would resist it better. Wont know if it matters until some trys it though. Worth looking into.

Now I wonder if a lightweight steel frame skinned with fiber might be another alternative for a home brewed design.

[PassRunnerZJ]

I pondered building a frame from steel tubing and skinning it with aluminium for some aerodynamic effect, but then I figured all the time it would take to weld tabs, cut and drill the aluminium, and mount it, the cost benifit ratio was way out of line. Also, I figured the areodynamics would still not be as good and looks would suffer since, while I can weld and do some minor fabbing, it would be getto rough.

Really a lot of it is time and budget economics. Also if you build it strong enough to sustain a substantial hit and not bend and give then that force is going to be transfered to the uniframe, and well, you really can't replace the uniframe once it gets too tweaked.

Except for wanting a mounting place for a winch and getting more room for 33's, I could have left the front facia on for the most part so impact and strength things aren't an issue for me. Really the only major digs on the stock facia was on the Crack on Golden Spike, but that was just a heavy scrape for a little bit.

Update note: The trip to Creede really didn't offer any obsticales or challenges that would test the bumper so strength wasn't tested. Fuel mileage was great as I got over 18 mpg including 40 plus mile of 4wd low on that tank and going into and out of Wheeler Geologic area from Creede, up to the camp area ~5k feet above Creede, Slumgulion Pass, the Lake City cut off dirt road, the mountains between Cerro Summit and Bule Mesa Res., then back to Grand Junction at a decent pace Sunday night. So even exposing a bit more front tire didn't seem to hurt fuel mileage.

[fpkites]

I'm really liking it - thanks for the update.

[zjmikey]

definitely a nice looking bumper, but I TOO am very skeptical about its long term durability.

Maybe taking a slight hit here and there and for 90% of the people that wheel their rigs its probably fine for a mile tril rig..


Out here in SO CAL where 99% of our wheeling is in BIG ROCKS with repeated landings of the entire weight of the jeep on the front bumper..

I just dont see how it could hold up, Plus scraping and rubbing against granite will sand it down to nothing..

again, NOT bashing the bumper, I just dont think it would hold up very well for THIS type of wheelin

[BlaineWasHere]

definitely a nice looking bumper, but I TOO am very skeptical about its long term durability.

Maybe taking a slight hit here and there and for 90% of the people that wheel their rigs its probably fine for a mile tril rig..


Out here in SO CAL where 99% of our wheeling is in BIG ROCKS with repeated landings of the entire weight of the jeep on the front bumper..

I just dont see how it could hold up, Plus scraping and rubbing against granite will sand it down to nothing..

again, NOT bashing the bumper, I just dont think it would hold up very well for THIS type of wheelin

99% of GC's can't do that kinda wheeling anway... with whatever bumper...

[2jeepsforus]

Blaine are you retarded, there seems to be one in the picture

I've never been out west, but there are probably alot of people on this forum that will argue that point with you!

[markr]

99%?
I think the majority of Grands will never see that type of trail. All of would like to think our grands are capable but we work towards that level.