I didnt know the front bumpers on the Dodge laramie mega-cabs are plastic! I thought the crome center piece was real not fake! I wonder if it could handle a hit kind of SCARY!

 

NO, it will not handle a hit! A deer would turn it into crumpled aluminum foil and take anything behind it out too....(intercooler, radiator etc.).


All of the stock bumpers on our trucks (front and rear) are flimsy, thin, worthless junk...IMO.

They will dent with just the lightest of pressure applied. If you can afford it and you like the look, I'd suggest buying an aftermarket bumper from Ranch Hand, Frontier, BuckStop, Road Armor etc. etc.

 

I can think of three good reasons the bumper is made like that:

1. It will absorb energy in an impact, protecting you and your passengers
2. It saves weight, allowing you to tow or haul more
3. It has less chance of injuring whoever you may happen to t-bone

The truck has been designed in such a way that gives it a 5-star crash rating - that was rated with the stock bumpers, not some 1,000# steel bumper spiked man-trap of killing destruction.

 

but if it saves you, its a good thing

 

And the real reason is. . . it's cheap. If DC can save $1 by making a bumper out of thinner materials and get away with it they will. . . and yes as a side benifit you can state that yes my bumper crumples and there for saves me from injury, then DC will hype that too.

 

Ding Ding Ding....we have a winner!


Actually, I do agree that the stock bumper would help absorb impact in a collision with another motor vehicle. My bumper and winch weigh approximately 400lbs which does take away "some" towing ability and adds stress to the front end. But, I am more concerned about a collision with a deer than I am another car. My truck has air bags and plenty of other stuff to crumple before the impact gets to me.

I am not knocking anybody for keeping the stock bumper. But his original question was....."could it handle a hit?" The answer is a great big NO!

 

Not to mention that big ol hurkin piece of metal with 6 holes sitting behind the bumper. If you do enough damage where the impact surpasses the bumper/rad/intercooler & the engine you should probly slow down(Im not referring exactly to you TexasCTD). Im was just saying in general.

 

No, that's not the real reason. Every modern automobile is engineered for safety, especially around the bumpers, and lots of money is spent in figuring out how to do it right. If DC really wanted to save a dime, you'd see bumpers ala 1976, engines that got knocked right into the driver's compartment instead of downward, and a 0-star crash rating.

It's a fine line to walk on a 7500-lb truck that must tow twice its weight and keep its passengers safe and happy. The truck is built toward protection against auto-to-auto accidents.

 

Now if I change the Laramie bumper for the SLT bumper, will that change the impact rating or the tow rating? Which one would be stronger(stock), the plastic Laramie or the chrome SLT bumper?

 

I would say the SLT, I will trade your Laramie for my SLT! Its black.

 

Sorry on both idea's.

For what it is worth, the Laramie weighs more. It is a plastic covering over a stock(unchromed) metal bumper. I am guessing the plastic covering weighs more than the chrome.

And I have already swapped an SLT bumper for the Laramie bumper on my truck.

I do want too get rid of the Laramie bumper though. (This will get this moved ) It is Inferno red and only has about 200/250 miles on it. Best offer over $500 (less than what I have into it) plus the shipping.

 

they are thhe same under the covers

 

on the 06's they are not the same...the Laramie takes a different bumper completely the only thing that is the same is the fog light brackets and the bumper mounts them selfs...but what the skins mount to is totally different.
I just changed my SLT to a Laramie yesterday

 

Old truck collision with a white tail $450 insurance deductable.
New truck ranch hand bunper $450.
New truck two white tails killed $0.
Honda that cut me off and stopped and got crumpled $0.
The numbers work for me.

 

Sounds like quite a bargain to me!!! Exactly the reason I have mine! White Tails and Ricers!!