I added a new rear ARB bumper last week to match my front bumper. In typical style, the Aussie's that developed this are brilliant, and completely retarded all at the exact same time. Sometimes where they place holes is dumb. Sometimes their quality control is not that great. Their instructions are horrible, as usual, and they do NOTHING to help you identify all the nuts, bolts and other pieces. It's literally a guessing game where you sit down for an hour and read through the "included parts" list trying to guess which bolt in your hand matches a description on the sheet. You'd think at the least they could put a picture of the part, but NOPE. Every now and then they toss the word "black" or "SS" (stainless steel) or "Z"/"Zinc" in which can make all the difference in the world when you are staring at two bolts of the exact same size and dimension and questioning both of them against another bolt of completely different size. Also... as always... their shipping box is horrible. I have yet to read a post from a single person that didn't indicate their bumper was damaged in some way as it came from Australia. True to form, I had a small part that took a hit. It can't be seen really well and didn't bother me too much so I just ran with it.
Yeah, so that's all the bad stuff, plenty to scare you away from this product. The GOOD side... For what you get, it is actually priced very competitively compared to other bumpers. The metal is STOUT! The finish they put on it is tough. They do think through the fact that this bumper needs to be used for extraction so any brackets or hi lift jack points are built tough and in the right spots. Lastly, it's pretty easy on the eyes. It may not win the prettiest bumper contest, but it certainly won't offend anyone (key when it comes time for resale.) The other MAJOR positive to this is that it's one of the few rear bumpers that you can order it as just the bumper and add on a tire carrier later that integrates directly into the bumper/frame. I found lots of other bumpers that provide tire carriers but most need to be ordered either with or without and then you were stuck with that decision. I already run the TeraFlex HD Tire Carrier which as been working well for me so I don't need a bigger/stronger carrier, but I do like the option in case the TeraFlex no longer works for me.
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When I ordered the ARB bumper, I also ordered a set of Mopar High Top Fenders. My 37" tires will rub the current fenders when flexed, as can be seen in the following photo from this last weekend. I like the look of a full fender but I wanted something that would allow the tire to stuff in there and also provide more coverage over my tires. My wheels have a 44mm offset, and then they are 13.5" wide, so they stick out a fair amount beyond the fenders. I've found when I have the top off and I'm cruising down a dirt road that the front tires kick a good amount of dust up. It's not a problem at high speed, but at low speed that dust gets in my eyes and the contacts really don't like that! I took a look at Bushwhacker Pocket fender flares as they are around 2" wider than stock. As I researched though, I realized that though they are 2" wider, they do this by basically extended 2" on to the same dimensions of the stock flares, which means my tires will still hit the fender, you just won't see it as well because it will be inside a bit more. That's when I stumbled on the Mopar High Top fenders. They are not only 2" wider but they actually move the fender 2" up. They indicate that with their fenders you can run 35" tires with only a 2.5" lift and you will not get fender rub at full flex. I like the look of the Bushwhacker deep pocket's, but the ultimate purpose is to get as much coverage without fender rub so this is pretty much the best option I found. They are currently on back order so I'm still waiting to receive them. When they come in I'm going to toss them over to a painter to paint them gloss black. I wouldn't be surprised if most people who look at the Jeep by the time they are on will know that "something" is different but will not be able to put their finger on what's different as it still looks a lot like the factory fenders.
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Example of Mopar High Top Fenders as shown off by the Mopar concept Jeep from 2013
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