Front Bumper Replacement

[DeputyChef22]

Hey y’all; been posting a bit lately about this topic but I want to be sure I’m learning and doing this right so I’m not creating a disaster.

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 4x4 Laramie.
I’m buying a steelcraft full bumper replacement and want to address the possible suspension stress.

According to RockAuto, the heavy duty brand is Rancho. So I found them no issues. Lifetime warranty. Great deal. But looking for reassurance that the 240lb bumper will most likely need new front end suspension and even quite possibly a different leveling kit than is already installed.

Thanks for any advice as I learn this new generation!

 

[diymirage]

It's a truck, not a civic

It's meant to carry some weight

 

[DeputyChef22]

It's a truck, not a civic

It's meant to carry some weight

LOL! Right! But it’s legit like 240lbs and I just want to take care of my **** instead of adding something to it without thinking it all the way through.

 

[diymirage]

LOL! Right! But it’s legit like 240lbs and I just want to take care of my **** instead of adding something to it without thinking it all the way through.

what does the stocker weight ?

in order to find the difference, you need to deduct the stocker from that 240#
then the difference is running solo or with a passenger in the car

the word that comes my mind is negligible

 

[DeputyChef22]

what does the stocker weight ?

in order to find the difference, you need to deduct the stocker from that 240#
then the difference is running solo or with a passenger in the car

the word that comes my mind is negligible

Stocker weighs 123lbs, so theoretically it’s twice the weight. Not a big difference when you think of it that way.

 

[diymirage]

Stocker weighs 123lbs, so theoretically it’s twice the weight. Not a big difference when you think of it that way.

That about the difference between a 1/4 tank of gas and a full one

I say run it

 

[Dean2]

Passenger(s) and gas are a long ways behind the front axle. This extra weight, plus more if you add a winch is in FRONT of the axle. That is not a trivial consideration. I put a winch on my 2500, I ordered the off road package with the Bilstien shocks etc and the snowplow package when I ordered the vehicle, to accommodate the extra weight. On a 1500 I would not change suspension for an extra 120 lbs. but any more and I would be looking at shocks and maybe springs.

 

[diymirage]

Passenger(s) and gas are a long ways behind the front axle. This extra weight, plus more if you add a winch is in FRONT of the axle. That is not a trivial consideration.

That part is true, there is a little cantilever action going on, but not enough to keep me up at night

 

[olyelr]

Id just put the bumper on and see how it handles it. If it seems to be too low or an issue, then change suspension.

And by the way if you have a leveling kit already and its the spacer kind, it is highly recommended to ditch that immediately and change out the struts with leveling ones.

 

[DeputyChef22]

Passenger(s) and gas are a long ways behind the front axle. This extra weight, plus more if you add a winch is in FRONT of the axle. That is not a trivial consideration. I put a winch on my 2500, I ordered the off road package with the Bilstien shocks etc and the snowplow package when I ordered the vehicle, to accommodate the extra weight. On a 1500 I would not change suspension for an extra 120 lbs. but any more and I would be looking at shocks and maybe springs.

I was looking at Rancho strut assemblies just to be sure they’re beefy enough to handle it but if I don’t plan to add a winch, should I just go with the flow and not worry about it until it actually is an issue?

 

[DeputyChef22]

Id just put the bumper on and see how it handles it. If it seems to be too low or an issue, then change suspension.

And by the way if you have a leveling kit already and its the spacer kind, it is highly recommended to ditch that immediately and change out the struts with leveling ones.

 

[Dean2]

I was looking at Rancho strut assemblies just to be sure they’re beefy enough to handle it but if I don’t plan to add a winch, should I just go with the flow and not worry about it until it actually is an issue?

Measure top of each wheel to wheel arch on pickup.. remove bumper, measure again. Put on new bumper measure final time. My bet is you will see little difference in front sag. Then it only comes down to ride.

Which is the long way of saying I would put the new bumper on, change nothing else and see how it goes.

 

[mrack]

Stay far away from Rancho. But yes a heavier strut would be in your best interests. You can build your own strut with heavier coils from cargomaxx, tufftruck etc, and bilstein 5100. Or you could do bilstein 6112 and set the preload higher. I just have stock coils and 5100s with a Steelcraft on mine, doesn’t ride great but it’s ok.

In my opinion/experience a full ranch hand or Steelcraft bumper on a half ton is going to compromise the ride quality no matter what and your going to have to accept that at least to some degree. You’re adding a lot of weight at the point with the most leverage on the rather lightly built IFS.

 

[GTyankee]

How heavy is the A.D.D. bumper for a 4X4 ?

What about that Steel Protection Plate under the front end ?
Then the Winch & Cabling

 

[olyelr]

I get that you are looking at the rancho struts…what i am saying, is it sounds like you already have a leveling kit, and if you do and it is a spacer type leveling kit then ditch it for struts. Id be much more worried about those than adding 125 pounds of weight to the front bumper.

 

[DeputyChef22]

How heavy is the A.D.D. bumper for a 4X4 ?

What about that Steel Protection Plate under the front end ?
Then the Winch & Cabling

What??
I’m not doing a winch

 

[DeputyChef22]

I get that you are looking at the rancho struts…what i am saying, is it sounds like you already have a leveling kit, and if you do and it is a spacer type leveling kit then ditch it for struts. Id be much more worried about those than adding 125 pounds of weight to the front bumper.

So just get good quality strut assemblies (other than Rancho) and be good to go?

 

[GTyankee]

When i mentioned a Winch, i was just pointing out OPTIONS

 

[olyelr]

So just get good quality strut assemblies (other than Rancho) and be good to go?

Yes, the bills seem to be the most popular but there are several other good options.

 

[DILLIGAF]

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