I was trying to think of ways to create a bumper that absorbs energy and is easy and cheap to replace. What about a bumper made of, say, 6" PVC pipe? You could use a straight steel pipe as a backing to bolt to the vehicle frame, then overlay it with foam, then cut out a section of the PVC and overlay it on the steel tube.
You could gain ground clearance over a stock bumper, and when you drag it over a rock or something, it will deform but won't dent. If it breaks, take a trip to Home Depot and spend a few bucks for a new bumper. You can't use it for recovery, but that is what hooks are for.
And if you get in an accident, it will absorb some energy, unlike a rigid steel bumper. Easier on your vehicle and the one that you crash into/ crashes into you.
PVC will crush and explode under the impact you'd see in a crash. There would be shrapnel of plastic flying everywhere, probably going fast enough to break windows and/or become lodged in someone's flesh, put eyes out, etc.
actually steel is going to absorb energy A LOT better than PVC pipe would. The forces involved in an accident are tremendous... Force = Mass * Acceleration. Use 1/8th wall or 1/16th wall bumpers, they are much thinner than the frame and will bend under force. Thats why the stock bumper is so thin... Fill it with expanding foam insulation if you like. Its all about Elastic Modulus and Young's Modulus.
You could also line the front of the bumper with thick rubber. That would help for the slow speed "fender benders". You might want to browse around on Mcmaster Carr's site.. they have all sorts of plastic/rubber stuff.
Basically, if it's "cheap" and "effective", the manufacturers would've been doing it already.
The rubber pads are a good idea. Low profile bumper + thick rubber = win?
The steel bumpers though.. I've seen pictures posted after accidents, and people are proud of the bumper not taking damage. Then one guy posted a month later saying his frame cracked. It was after a Mustang hit him at 50mph but it looked like his XJ had no damage.
Which bumpers are thin enough to deform and absorb energy?
I'll take a stout bumper over a "crushable" bumper anyday of the week... I hit rocks alot more than I hit other vehicles.
At slow speeds, a crushable bumper on a Jeep might help some. A head-on into something at 60mph in a Jeep and I don't think it really matters what type of bumper you have.
My biggest fear (while driving my Jeep) is getting "T-Boned" in the side..
Can't help but agree with the naysayers. A PVC bumper is only a good idea to hide behind a real bumper for holding fishing poles and such. Make one out of 2 x 5 x 3/16 " inch steel tubing and be done with it....:cheers:
If you're not convinced: Take a piece of pvc pipe and seal it. Leave it out in the sun for a month or two. Then, go out and hit it with a sledge without eye protection. I rather you wear an eye patch than whoever is unlucky enough to be in your way...
Good gawd some people don't want to hear (I avoided the language filter and got a warning) other then "hey great idea".
If you're not convinced: Take a piece of pvc pipe and seal it. Leave it out in the sun for a month or two. Then, go out and hit it with a sledge without eye protection. I rather you wear an eye patch than whoever is unlucky enough to be in your way...
Good gawd some people don't want to hear **** other then "hey great idea".
Why do you think I don't want to hear **** other than "hey great idea"?? I'm not going to make a PVC bumper now! I didn't realize it would turn brittle and break- I was thinking of it as more flexible.
I agree PVC is a bad Idea, have you thought of papermache, no flying schrapnel. J/K
If your worried about getting in a car accident maybe you should look at another type of vehicle with higher safety ratings.
How about a bumper made entirely of bondo? You could make it into any shape you want, it would cushion about as well as a stock bumper, with no flying shrapnel. Just a puff of powdered filler.
PVC for a bumper. It would simply crack apart. PVC exposed to sunlight gets very brittle and would actually just crack at it's mounts eventually. Along with the flying plastic pieces in an accident.
I'm sure you are wanting to do this because you don't have a pipe bender and welder. But, it isn't that hard to rent those items for a few days and whip something out of tubing.
Or you could take a set of coil springs and mount your bumper onto them. You may want to add shocks though so you don't bounce off with a decent hit. :laugh:
I haven't seen the episode of Smash Lab, but the preview, and it has inspired my idea... a radar that compares your speed and the speed of immobile objects ahead of you and when the system sees a threat, it would launch an explosives pack under the vehicle in your path, knocking it out of the way.
I freely admit that I may be overlooking a few safety items, but I consider this an alpha-level effort.
Or you can put retractable wings and jet turbines and when you see a car or one of those pesky deer you push the button and fly home. Sorry to got so off subject from pvc bumpers. haha
Dang, came here to see what was being said about PVC as a bumper. I had hoped to make it double as water storage. Guess it's unsafe so I'll likely order a bumper from China.
Couple layers of bubble wrap and duct tape should do it. YMMV
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