Replacement bumpers really do help!

[Pigman]

My dad bought a 2003 F350 brand new ten years ago and put Tough Country front and rear replacement bumpers on it the day he got it. He's told me stories of him hitting deer and hogs on the ranch but since I started driving it last year, I haven't had a first-hand experience of the toughness and reliability of replacement bumpers. I always had the, "I'm sure they'll dampen the impact a little bit, but I doubt they would really help that much" mindset. But after Thursday morning, I doubt I'll ever own a truck that doesn't have replacement bumpers. I went to school Thursday morning, parked my truck, and was walking into the school with a friend of mine. We were almost to the door when we heard a loud noise and my first thought was that someone hit the speed bump too fast and it rattled their truck. My friend and I turned around to see what the noise was, only to find my truck 30 yards away shaking violently and a practically brand new Mustang parked a few feet past my truck. I walked over to the truck to assess the damage and couldn't help but laugh at what I saw. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Her damage:

My "damage". Nothing a little spray paint won't fix!

 

[Punisher29073]

I'm a believe in aftermarket bumpers. Haven't invested in any yet but they are on my list. It amazes me she drove down the entire side of the car hanging up on your bumper in a parking lot. At the sound of crunching metal how is your first thought not "stop"?

Ryan

 

[E. Bryant]

It amazes me she drove down the entire side of the car hanging up on your bumper in a parking lot. At the sound of crunching metal how is your first thought not "stop"?

My guess is that we can take the driver's velocity, divide it by her reaction time (keeping our units correct!!!), and the result will be at least the length of one S197 Mustang. Let's see - 10 MPH is about 15 feet per second, figure one second reaction time for a driver who is paying attention (not a good assumption, as drivers who are paying attention typically don't run into parked cars), and that's pretty much the end of this story

No problem, though - that shit will buff out.

 

[Punisher29073]

Little bit of glazing putty and some white rattle can... No one will be the wiser.


7.3L's forever!

Ryan

 

[RanchhandTCR]

Yes they are very nice to have. But I have yet to hit a damn thing, but since Ive had it people think twice before pulling out in front of me. The only thing Ive hit has been pigeions and keeps them from breaking my grille..

Except now I have a set of hella driving lights that kick on with the brights for the dark rocky mountain nights. Thats why i have yet to hit a deer I see them before I hit em.



Just to be a turd 5.9L ISB Cummins FOR LIFE!

 

[Punisher29073]

I do concede that the Cummins runs a close second. That bumper looks great.

Ryan

 

[Cserv]

Gotta stop that Ford on Ford violence.lol

Ryan,
It only takes an extra 1.4liters to hang with the 5.9. but really the Fords are alright.

My 5.9 turned 20yrs old this year and still haulin strong.

Eric

 

[ShtrRdy]

Those are some serious bumpers you guys have there!

 

[Pigman]

Haha I'm getting a kick out of these comments!

Eric and Ranchhand - If it weren't for the 7.3 PSD then I'd have to agree with y'all on the Cummins. I'll probably never own anything but a Ford when it comes to trucks but I might have to eventually get an early 2000's Cummins to blow smoke on the bicycle riders that get in my way on Saturday mornings!

Ryan - That's a sweet truck in your avatar! Got any more pics and details?

And btw, all the white on my bumper is the paint from her car, not scratches. There's actually only a couple scratches on the edge but I'm gonna plasti dip the bumpers this weekend so you'll never be able to tell it got hit.

 

[E. Bryant]

7.3L's forever!

No way in hell that I'd go backwards in time from my 6.4L/5R110 combo, but I'll gladly admit that the first-gen Super Duties look a whole lot better than my '08.

 

[E. Bryant]

Emission Regs ruined the newer diesels.

It's pretty dang easy to defeat the most troublesome portions. I mean, hypothetically - certainly, I'd never advocate such an action. But if I were to have done such a thing, I might have gotten north of 550 RWHP with only $1300 in parts and about two hours of my time.

Still need some better bumpers, though - this thread has definitely convinced me of that. I don't know what it'd take to replace the half-dozen heat exchangers in the nose of my truck, but I bet it wouldn't be cheap.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Haha I'm getting a kick out of these comments!

Eric and Ranchhand - If it weren't for the 7.3 PSD then I'd have to agree with y'all on the Cummins. I'll probably never own anything but a Ford when it comes to trucks but I might have to eventually get an early 2000's Cummins to blow smoke on the bicycle riders that get in my way on Saturday mornings!

Ryan - That's a sweet truck in your avatar! Got any more pics and details?

And btw, all the white on my bumper is the paint from her car, not scratches. There's actually only a couple scratches on the edge but I'm gonna plasti dip the bumpers this weekend so you'll never be able to tell it got hit.

Just once I would like to have one of jack offs, that think they are cute or funny, stop after blowing smoke on me with their diesel.

 

[Punisher29073]

Just once id like to to see the bicyclers with 15 cars behind them going 15 mph down the highway pull over and allow the automotive traffic by. If they make me pass them under wide open throttle, then diesels smoke under throttle. I do not think the "roll coal" tunes are a good idea, but diesels do make soot, even when tuned right. Sorry. I dont believe bikes belong on the highway. They dont pay road taxes with fuel and they arent insured, just like 4 wheelers or dirt bikes.

 

[E. Bryant]

I drive a smokey diesel truck, and I ride a road bicycle. Gee, how do I manage to live with myself? Maybe it has something to do with an ability to deal with "the other side" with the most basic courtesy; I don't "roll coal" just for the sake of being a jackass (and yes, I know damn well how to make my truck smoke or not smoke by controlling my right foot), and I don't back up traffic unnecessarily when I'm using the road on my bicycle.

 

[thrusty]

How the hell do you hit a parked truck and do that much damage???!!!?? hahhahahahahah Good on you bro!

 

[Pigman]

Sorry guys it was a joke, didn't mean to offend anyone. E. Bryant, I'm gonna have to agree with you that the first-gen super duties look a whole lot better than the newer ones. The mid-90s heavy duties are a close second IMO.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

I know a lot of cyclists ride in the traffic lane to avoid flats. I ride the line or on the shoulder where it is possible. I have been several feet on the shoulder and had the twits move over and smoke me. I have seen them look back and laugh. None of them would come back when I invite them. I also drive a diesel and use disgression when passing. If a cyclist is hindering the flow of traffic a simple call to the local police will put an end to it. If you are using that as an excuse to be an ass, fuck you. If the tax deal is your argument same goes, fuck yourself. I put an average of 40K miles a year on my truck. Never mind the other 3 cars my family uses that I pay the fuel for. I believe I do pay enough tax to use the roadways. I use the bike lanes when availble, I ride as far off the road as possible. This is not directed at any one unless it applies to you. A little common courteousness goes a long way.

 

[Punisher29073]

I do agree that with a little courtesy, there rarely is an issue. I hope your day gets better.

Pigman,
Mine is a 2000 CCSB 4x4 with 4" of lift, slightly modified 7.3L, '06 King Ranch mirrors, '08 tailgate w/step & tail lights, dyno-matted, 600 watts worth of Jones, Cash, and Coe, back-up camera, soon to have 35" tires and '05 front end conversion. I love it. I would like to also pick up a set of the Ranch Hand bumpers or something comparable. Gotta take one bite at a time.

Merry Christmas to all!

Ryan

 

[Pigman]

I do agree that with a little courtesy, there rarely is an issue. I hope your day gets better.

Pigman,
Mine is a 2000 CCSB 4x4 with 4" of lift, slightly modified 7.3L, '06 King Ranch mirrors, '08 tailgate w/step & tail lights, dyno-matted, 600 watts worth of Jones, Cash, and Coe, back-up camera, soon to have 35" tires and '05 front end conversion. I love it. I would like to also pick up a set of the Ranch Hand bumpers or something comparable. Gotta take one bite at a time.

Merry Christmas to all!

Ryan

Dang that's a sweet setup. Mind if I ask how much the tailgate and 05 front end conversion costs? I'd love to get that done at some point. Also what's your MPG like with the 4" lift? I'd like to get a 4" lift but I think I'm just going to get a 2.5" or 3" leveling kit and keep my tires (265/75/R16) so I don't kill my MPG. I'm also getting MBRP 4" exhaust, S&B intake, and DP tuner to try and get my MPG into the high teens. Also, I would go with Tough Country but then again I am a little biased. You can't really go wrong with either so I'd say get whichever one is cheaper. Just make sure you get the full front bumper replacement and not just a brush guard if your worried about hitting hogs or other animals. IMO a brush guard ain't gonna do crap against a 200lb hog but I could be wrong.

 

[Punisher29073]

I picked up the tailgate for $600, tail lights for $100. Both off of craigslist. There is also a $10 pivot you have to buy from ford to work with the spring loaded hinge for the tailgate. I did the lift with rough country add a leafs, rancho rs7000, skyjacker sway bar links, and Energy suspension bushings all the way around. Also did the spring isolaters at that time. Quite a job but got rid of all my rattles and body roll.

DP is the way to go for tuners. Scott is great.

On the hwy per lift I got 17 mpg. Post lift I get 15 with same tires.

Ryan

 

[Pigman]

Dang, that's a little out of my price range for a tailgate. Only a 2 MPG drop after the lift?! What size tires do you have and how much did it all cost? I might have to do that if I can afford it!

 

[Punisher29073]

That tailgate also had that step that pulls out. Old man step as my son calls it. One without that is cheaper. 265/75r16s right now. Going with 315/75r16. I had about $1000 in the suspension I think. It rides considerably stiffer now but offload it does well.

I have found a wealth of knowledge on Ford Truck Enthusiast forum.

Ryan

 

[Pigman]

Wow $1000 isn't bad at all. Do you think you could get me some pictures of the side of the truck? In my head those tires look weird on a 4" lift but they might not. If they look decent then I might consider the 4". I really don't want to get bigger tires!

 

[Punisher29073]

Pm sent to you

 

[RanchhandTCR]

Cummins comes second? not in my oppinion unless your talking about Cummins 14L ISX.. They suck... lol Im a ford guy at heart just hate the HEUI fuel system espicially when its below -20* ferhnheit. I thing trucks look just right with a leveling kit and 33's. or 35's.

 

[Punisher29073]

I love my 7.3 It has been many moons since it has gotten down to -20 here in South Carolina though so I cant really speak to that aspect.

Ryan

 

[oughtsix]

Even though it's not a relevant contribution to the thread, the 7.3 IDI is the one that ftw. Mine's been turning diesel fuel into noise and 186 face melting HP for 21 years now! 23 mpg @ 1700 rpm.

 

[Cserv]

Ought,
I wish I could get 23mpg. Best I have seen is 16, but I guess 4.10 &4x4 dont help, even witha GearVendor second overdrive.

Eric

 

[Cserv]

Ought,
I wish I could get 23mpg. Best I have seen is 16, but I guess 4.10 &4x4 dont help, even witha GearVendor second overdrive.

Eric

 

[RanchhandTCR]

I get 16 with the type of driving I do now, but highway trips I get 24mpg... But the purr of a cummins and the torque they can put out just cant beat em.. lol.. We can proably talk trucks all day.

 

[Pigman]

Hopefully after I get the new exhaust, tuner, and CAI I'll be able to increase my MPG a little bit. I'm getting an average of about 14 right now. Here's a couple pictures of my bumpers for anyone interested. They're Tough Country Deluxe.

 

[RanchhandTCR]

33 or 35 and a good leveling kit and you might make me drool a bit lol..

 

[Pigman]

Haha thanks man. If things go as planned I should have the leveling kit on by the end of summer with 33's soon to follow. I'd love to get 35's but I don't want to risk hurting the MPG too bad.

 

[Switchblade]

400+ pounds of bumper better act like that I have seen Road Armor(400 - 600 pounds) destroy other vehicles. Looking at that stang, if the C pillar is damaged she better hope the cost isn't more than the vehicle is worth

 

[RanchhandTCR]

I only paid 250 bucks for my bumper but got it off a friend in arizona. I still want tow mirriors for my dodge so I can flip em up. But Ive got a 260 being built at my local smith and I gotta buy more tools so I can keep buying guns and playing with my truck.

But get a good tuner, exhaust and a good intake are the best places to start, 4 inch exhaust creates no restiction on small bore diesel engines, as for intakes dry filters such as AFe are the best way to go, oil one such as K&N over time puts oil on the compressor wheel on the turbo and it will unbalance it and damage it.

 

[Pigman]

Switchblade - I talked to the girl a couple days ago and she said she should have the car back in a few weeks. Still haven't heard how much the repair cost. I have become a huge fan of the Road Armor bumpers recently. I only like the ones with the bull nose though. The bumper by itself looks weird to me. I think Tough Country has my loyalty right now though!

Ranchhand - Thanks for the advice! I'm getting MBRP 4" aluminized exhaust w/ muffler delete pipe and a 5" tip. I'm thinking about going with a S&B or afe cold air intake. I still have quite a bit of time to decide which one. For the tuner I'm going with a DP tuner with one towing tune and the 80hp economy tune. My truck would fall apart with one of the performance tunes lol. I'm also going to start putting money away for a new transmission. Also, I found dodge tow mirrors on eBay a while back for about $135 if I remember correctly.

 

[RanchhandTCR]

Yea I want power and heated, im spoiled with my heated mirrors just hit the switch let my truck warm up and by the time im in it, its nice a toasty and I can see my mirrors. But I also have a high idle and 3 cylinder high idle she warms up fast.. Plus the cheap tow mirrors the studs are to damn short and you fight them to get the nuts on. i know edge attitude a decent programmer for the fords but their are people that hate them too. having custom tunes are the best but intake and exhaust will be priority before you get a tune. Also change your fuel filter every 8000 miles with a good filter. No frams. As far as tranny goes depends how well you treat it, and if you keep up with prevenative maintaince and change the fluid and filter every 75K and have the bands adjusted. You will be in good shape. I still seem to shock people when I tell them my truck has 250K and the originall transmissions ( Dodge trannies are junk) Nope people just dont know how to take care of them...

 

[mexicanmatch]

I had an older Dodge Ram Charger and put a heavy duty rear x military surplus bumper on it. About a year later i was stopped in a construction waiting to move on, truck shut off and in park. I heard the squeeling of tires then i got hit in the rear. Broke the drivers seat and i was thrown into the back seat still strapped to the front seat. I came to when the ambulance crew was taking me out and saw the car that hit me. It was fubar. All i needed was a new front seat and the back hatch adjusted. My neck is another story. The cop said a young kid was driving 55 in a 35 zone, he said the speedometer was stuck on 55. The kid had a choice, run over the orange cones or hit me. I put good solid bumpers on any new truck i get. MM

 

[BigBlue&Goldie]

Skip the aftermarket intakes; the best filtering and flowing intake for that motor (up to 500hp) is Ford's extreme duty intake they developed for the mine trucks and and the trucks that were sent over to the sand box. Avoid anything like a K&N. The ford intake can be bought from a few different dealers onebay for about $180.

 

[BigBlue&Goldie]

Skip the aftermarket intakes; the best filtering and flowing intake for that motor (up to 500hp) is Ford's extreme duty intake they developed for the mine trucks and and the trucks that were sent over to the sand box. Avoid anything like a K&N. The Ford intake can be bought from a few different dealers on ebay for about $180.

 

[Switchblade]

Anything with less than 500hp only needs a 2.5" exhaust for duals, and a 3" single exhaust for single/turbo set ups. All a 4" does is make your truck sound like a boat and cause a loss of overall velocity in the sections that Bernoulli states cause hp/torque loss(if you have no clue what or who Bernoulli or the Bernoulli principal is/are, use your Google-fu and educate yourself out of hot rodder's ignorance). As to a high velocity cold air intake, K&N is probably one of the best engineered systems that is made to fit individual applications where the FIPK systems are considered. The only ones that are better than that are AEM's new digital systems that stop stock ECU engine codes. Aside from making a totally insulated, mandrel bent custom system that induces cold, clean air to the intake, nothing beats the flow characteristics that K&N engineers. Again, I refer you to Bernoulli on this.

For todays high hp/high torque diesels, if they present with black smoke, they are not making good power, they are making waste and junk. If they are burning clear, lightly white smoke, they are making serious power, huge torque and not wasting fuel or air. I had a guy in a big diesel pick up pull up next to my 240 the other day and start revving. I was thinking, ah hell no, you got to be kidding. I look over and he is smiling this shit eating grin and revs up again. He did own the second 40' by a fender, but fell at the third gear shift when the little 240's 4:08VLSD and 7500rpm revs did what they do. I was quite surprised by the way this one left the line and accelerated. Even a little 55mph roll on showed the big pick up to be something really nice where acceleration was concerned. Only when I went over 6k did my little zenki run away

 

[RanchhandTCR]

Yes switchblade but this is a 230 horse 400ftlb of torque 7.3L Powerstroke on a heui system. Not a Common rail, with VGT turbo, egrs, dpfs, ard systems for regens. These diesels move alotta of air, you can but resenators, or low restriction muffles so they dont sound like a boat, to me they either sound like a cat or detroit engine. 4inch exhaust drops EGT close to 200-300 degrees, plus if he wants a tuner on it the exhaust will help keep the egts down with the extra fuel they add and adavnce or retarded timing. But all diesel come with a 3.5'' exhaust so we need to downsize? But lets no hijack the thread.

 

[timjoebobbradley]

maybe cyclists should consider something besides losing the very last gram in their choice of tire and tube, and get something with a little more flat protection so they can ride anywhere on the shoulder that is the safest considering the other traffic on the road. In my outdoorsie/ yuppie ruined town I see cyclists disobeying the law every single day, putting themselves and others at risk for damage and bodily injury.

Nice looking bumper and glad you didn't get more than a minor scratch or two. To bad for the car driver!

 

[E. Bryant]

Anything with less than 500hp only needs a 2.5" exhaust for duals, and a 3" single exhaust for single/turbo set ups. All a 4" does is make your truck sound like a boat and cause a loss of overall velocity in the sections that Bernoulli states cause hp/torque loss(if you have no clue what or who Bernoulli or the Bernoulli principal is/are, use your Google-fu and educate yourself out of hot rodder's ignorance).

My truck runs about 55-58 PSI of drive pressure (pre-turbo backpressure) on its hottest tune. If you think that there is any practical effect from increased exhaust velocity post-turbo when there is that much restriction across the turbos, then no amount of Googling is going to help.

And I like the way that my truck sounds with the 5" plumbing. It's a high-torque diesel that is never going to sound like some finely-tuned N/A gas motor; if I want that, there are two other high-perf V8s (a 6.1L Hemi and an LT4 punched out to 396 cubes) in the garage that breathe through "appropriately-sized" exhaust plumbing.

As to a high velocity cold air intake, K&N is probably one of the best engineered systems that is made to fit individual applications where the FIPK systems are considered.

K&N filters don't work worth a shit when it comes to, you know, actually filtering the air. My truck is still running the stock Ford intake, which has the killer Donaldson filter. I occasionally trip the OEM air-filter "minder", which means that I'm probably getting a bit too much restriction across the stock filter, but I'd rather leave a few HP on the table than put a $10K engine at risk. My truck still gets dirty.

For todays high hp/high torque diesels, if they present with black smoke, they are not making good power, they are making waste and junk. If they are burning clear, lightly white smoke, they are making serious power, huge torque and not wasting fuel or air.

I can make almost 200HP (35%) more at the rear wheels by making black smoke versus a light grey "haze". Yes, I could increase the airflow (at significant cost) and clean up the smoke while making the same power, but then I'd make even more power yet by adding more fuel and and smoking even more than before. Eventually, you have to leave behind the preconceptions that come from working with spark-ignition engines. Diesels don't have optimal air-fuel ratio targets; they don't even have anything resembling a homogenous air-fuel ratios throughout the cylinder. It is completely possible for the engine to be running lean on average but still spewing smoke because of localized richness around the injection site. Show me a diesel that isn't smoking, and I'll show you something that is leaving power on the table. Go head to the local pulls for proof; some of the guys running Pro Mod have more in just their injection pumps than I have in my whole truck, and I'm pretty damn sure that none of them are leaving any power on the table just for the sake of making smoke.