Winch bumpers
- Thread starter Larry Mackey
- Start date
Member III
In the case of modern trucks you not only lose highway MPG due to weight but also due to the aerodynamics of the vehicle changing. I would venture to say aerodynamics probably effect things more than weight actually. Some vehicles have winch plates that fit behind the existing bumper or an insert that replaces part of the bumper to minimize this. So, part of your question will depend on the vehicle you are driving.
-Curtiss
-Curtiss
I researched this a bit before I put mine on. LR4 owners haven't reported much impact, but then again they are already very heavy and shaped like a brick.
It must disrupt airflow to some degree though.
I think my skid plates actually improved my MPG. I was pretty surprised by that.
It must disrupt airflow to some degree though.
I think my skid plates actually improved my MPG. I was pretty surprised by that.
My Jeep JKU's gas mileage wasn't really affected by a steel bumper, winch plate, and winch on the front. Then again, Wrangler's are also shaped like a shoe box. I only lost about 2 MPG when I added a small roof rack and two Plano cases, which speaks volumes about the Jeep's aerodynamics.
Traveler I
I really noticed the difference on my FJ cruiser. It really lowered the front end with an ARB bumper. Since then, I installed the US hidden winch mount and really love it. No front end sag at all. I guess it boils down to the needs of front end protection. I also found the ARB took away my approach angle from the front. Much happier now.
That’s not bad at all. My brother-in-law add a roof rack and roof top tent on his Jeep and then a small lift and 35” tires and he has made himself a sweet looking gas hog. I have added a rack and roof top tent and little bigger tires and a fridge inside and still getting a little over 18mpg and just don’t want to mess that up.
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No camping gear on the highway I get about 19 MPG with no lift and 32" MT's even with the winch and bumper. I got about 16.2 MPG on the highway my last trip with the 2 Plano cases on the roof and loaded up inside, staying at 65 MPH (doing 70 MPH brought that down to about 14 MPG). I am adding a third Plano case to the roof for this weekend and we'll see how it affects things.
All of this is testing my setup for a 6 week coast-to-coast all off road trip in the Spring, and for 5000 miles of driving, an MPG lost here and there will make a difference of hundreds of dollars. I feel you! Keeping 18 MPG highway would be ideal for sure, especially for the the return trip which probably won't be all off road.
It can have an impact on suspension. Its 200+ lbs. Luckily the LR4 air suspension automatically compensates and keeps it level at whatever load you carry. When I hitch up my 26' SeaRay boat, it compensates a good 2"+. When it detects me taking the trailer off, it actually lowers to get out of the way and allows you to drive forward.
Traveler I
Oh yeah. I had a lot of front end sag, even with aftermarket shocks. I just didn't like it. I don't see the need to add a lot of weight, especially when doing a lot of climbing. I didn't know the LR4 compensated like that. That's pretty awesome. My buddy actually installed front and rear airbags to compensate for his front and rear aftermarket bumpers.
Did you mean aftermarket springs? shocks/struts won't impact load carrying (other than handling dampening for that load).
The vehicle payload/gvwr, etc should of course be taken into consideration with bumpers and anything really. An LR4 is essentially a 3/4 ton IFS truck on air bags. It handles it well. I think a spring change is a good idea for most lighter duty vehicles if you want to add 200+ lbs to the front.
hidden winch mounts work great for a lot of people. I am honestly more excited about reducing damage from animal strikes, since that is a huge problem here (Nov being the worst month for it). I've had basically all of my last 4 vehicles damaged from strikes, including my LR4 which I had fixed a couple years ago.
Traveler I
My bad, yes I have coil-overs, so I lumped everything in I guess!
We don't have much to hit in Socal, except the occasional family crossing the freeway.
I have the us off-road hidden winch and a warm m8000s on my taco, I had to crank the coilovers down a little to level it and didn’t notice a change in the ride. My mpgs are already crap with everything else so I didn’t notice anything after the winch... if I was going with a full bumper I’d probably go with a heavier spring. From what I understand eibach makes most of the springs for aftermarket coilovers. Call John at Poly performance and he will be able to find you the proper spring for your particular coilovers and weight. The springs are actually pretty reasonable to replace. I’m assuming that you’re talking about aftermarket coilovers like icon, king, etc...
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Traveler I
I'm really happy with my US off-road set up. I was referring to when I had the ARB on my FJ. I just didn't like the set-up at all. I don't notice the hidden system on at all.
