Quote:
Originally Posted by TBS070
With the lower air dam removed, would this plate provide as much off-road protection as the plates that come as part of an ARB, Uneek, or ECB bullbar?
Do you think your nudge bar in development will work with front parking sensors?
Thinking through two choices, Chief lower bar and nudge bar keeping more stock appearance and still location for lights and antenna, or bullbar which none seem to have rated recovery points and no information to say if the Chief ones can be fitted with the bullbar or not.
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Hi TBS070,
Thanks for the questions.
We designed the
WK2 Lower Front Guard to provide off-road protection that is equal to or better than that of a Bull Bar. Having said that, the term "Off-Road Protection" means different things to different people. So here is a list of Pros & Cons for each product, so you can decide for yourself which best suits your needs.
WK2 Lower Front Guard - Pros- Provides protection for the Sub-Frame, Lower Radiator Core, ACC Camera, Windshield Washer Bottle and Air Suspension Controller.
- Very low installed weight (15kgs approx.).
- Less expensive, (especially when including shipping and installation costs).
- Allows you to maintain OEM appearance.
- Easy to install.
- Can easily return your vehicle to stock.
- Maximum approach angle.
- Integrates easily with our WK2 Recovery Points & WK2 Recovery Hooks, (which are easily accessible, can be installed on both sides (driver & passenger) and have an engineer certified rating of 4,500kg).
WK2 Lower Front Guard - Cons- No protection from animal strikes.
- Does not include mounting for lights and aerials, (although our WK2 Nudge Bar does).
- Does not include mounting for a winch, (although our WK2 Hidden Winch Mount will)
- Because it doesn't extend past the front of the car, it doesn't provide protection when bumping into taller items, (i.e. trees, other cars, etc.).
Bull Bar - Pros- Protection from animal strikes.
- Includes mounting for lights and aerials.
- Includes mounting for a winch.
- Because it extends past the front of the car, it provides protection when bumping into taller items, (i.e. trees, other cars, etc.).
Bull Bar - Cons- Heavy, (80kgs approx.).
- Expensive, (especially when including shipping and installation costs).
- Under panels are not as strong, (2mm 250Gr steel).
- Significantly changes the looks of your Jeep Grand Cherokee, (this may be a pro if you like the change).
- Difficult to install.
- Can't easily return your vehicle to stock.
- Decreased approach angle.
- Limited recovery point options, (unrated, low rated, single side or difficult to access).
In regards to your question about parking sensor compatibility for our
WK2 Nudge Bar. I can confirm that our WK2 Nudge Bar is compatible with parking sensors on 2011-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees. The engineering and testing has been completed on this product and it will go into production in the coming days. We'll be updating our website with full information including pricing very soon, (
http://www.chiefproducts.com.au/products/wk2-nudge-bar).
To answer your question about our
WK2 Recovery Points or
WK2 Recovery Hooks working with one of the Bull Bars you mentioned. We've had several customers contact us with this question. We haven't had the chance to look at every Bull Bar in-depth, but since our recovery options bolt to the frame in the same location as most Bull Bars, they're often not compatible.
I hope that helps! If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me direct.
Cheers,
Bill
Chief Products WK2
HELLHAWK
