I've recently installed a JW-Offroad front bumper on my '24 GX550.
wanted to share some issues that have come up, which seem general for most if not all GX550 front bumpers I've seen (dissent, jw, victory)-
A few notes first-
I always DIY. This way I know exactly what I got and what to look out for. Also for long term maintenance.
I chose the JW-Offroad bumper because my experience with a winch says that easy access is critical. can't have it facing down like in some designs, and can't have the clutch lever hidden inside the engine bay. I wanted the winch, not the lights. The GX has plenty of lights.
I didn't want to trim the front fascia, and I did want to keep it daily friendly. the Dissent bumper is probably better for offroad, but I'm not sure I can live with it on a daily in my suburban household.
Specific to the JW bumper- it comes in 3 parts. main center piece and 2 wings. I know some others do it too. Apparently this is for cheaper freight shipping as it can be shipped in multiple lighter packages. Maybe this won't be an issue once an aluminum bumper comes out. Connecting the pieces together is tricky due to tight space and high torque needed on those bolts. I doubt the wings will hold any serious impact, but I don't think I'll use this car the same way I use my Jeep, so it's ok for me.
A concern I have with the design is that the edges/wings, the parts in front of the tires, leave a giant gap between the fender liner and the bumper. Those side wings do not cover under the hood. Once you install this, there's a big empty space where the OEM skid and plastics used to cover. I don't think there's any change you'll hit it with a rock or such, but it does look like mud will go right up and mess up with some very delicate wiring (and the turbocharger coolers).
I've covered it with some plastic I got at homedepot, but I'm not happy about it. that plastic with the fender liners will just fly off if I hit deep water too fast.
But the real concern I have with GX front bumper designs is that these bumpers are too close to the front fascia.
There's about a quarter inch between the top of the bumper and the plastic front fascia. This is similar to all the GX550 bumpers i've seen. Even the dissent one.
Since the fascia is mounted to the body while the new bumper is mounted to the frame (the OEM bumper is also part of the body), they can move relative to each other.
Basically fast travel over any rough road, where the body mounts flex, will cause the body to shake compared to the frame and cause the bumper to hit the plastic fascia.
I'm thinking going fast over washboards and backroads, not rock crawling. Rock crawling is actually slow and controlled.
Washboards and backroads are the use cases I'm aiming for with this car. Overlanding.
That front fascia is going to break, fly off, or worse- damage the headlights, if it gets hit too hard from below.
If you look at the rear bumper of any of the companies that sell them, they have a different wrap-around design, that does not have this problem.
They specifically made the rear bumpers go around the plastic pieces as to not hit them from below when the body moves relative to the frame.
Any thoughts on this?
wanted to share some issues that have come up, which seem general for most if not all GX550 front bumpers I've seen (dissent, jw, victory)-
A few notes first-
I always DIY. This way I know exactly what I got and what to look out for. Also for long term maintenance.
I chose the JW-Offroad bumper because my experience with a winch says that easy access is critical. can't have it facing down like in some designs, and can't have the clutch lever hidden inside the engine bay. I wanted the winch, not the lights. The GX has plenty of lights.
I didn't want to trim the front fascia, and I did want to keep it daily friendly. the Dissent bumper is probably better for offroad, but I'm not sure I can live with it on a daily in my suburban household.
Specific to the JW bumper- it comes in 3 parts. main center piece and 2 wings. I know some others do it too. Apparently this is for cheaper freight shipping as it can be shipped in multiple lighter packages. Maybe this won't be an issue once an aluminum bumper comes out. Connecting the pieces together is tricky due to tight space and high torque needed on those bolts. I doubt the wings will hold any serious impact, but I don't think I'll use this car the same way I use my Jeep, so it's ok for me.
A concern I have with the design is that the edges/wings, the parts in front of the tires, leave a giant gap between the fender liner and the bumper. Those side wings do not cover under the hood. Once you install this, there's a big empty space where the OEM skid and plastics used to cover. I don't think there's any change you'll hit it with a rock or such, but it does look like mud will go right up and mess up with some very delicate wiring (and the turbocharger coolers).
I've covered it with some plastic I got at homedepot, but I'm not happy about it. that plastic with the fender liners will just fly off if I hit deep water too fast.
But the real concern I have with GX front bumper designs is that these bumpers are too close to the front fascia.
There's about a quarter inch between the top of the bumper and the plastic front fascia. This is similar to all the GX550 bumpers i've seen. Even the dissent one.
Since the fascia is mounted to the body while the new bumper is mounted to the frame (the OEM bumper is also part of the body), they can move relative to each other.
Basically fast travel over any rough road, where the body mounts flex, will cause the body to shake compared to the frame and cause the bumper to hit the plastic fascia.
I'm thinking going fast over washboards and backroads, not rock crawling. Rock crawling is actually slow and controlled.
Washboards and backroads are the use cases I'm aiming for with this car. Overlanding.
That front fascia is going to break, fly off, or worse- damage the headlights, if it gets hit too hard from below.
If you look at the rear bumper of any of the companies that sell them, they have a different wrap-around design, that does not have this problem.
They specifically made the rear bumpers go around the plastic pieces as to not hit them from below when the body moves relative to the frame.
Any thoughts on this?
