05 Bumper input needed

Looking at offering integrated fog/driving lights.

Factory or aftermarket lights?

The aftermarket lights are obviously much better, but many (most?) people wil already have the stock lights.

Please vote!

aftermarket

aftermarket

aftermarket. Which ones do you plan to go with??

Will you also offer an option of no integrated lights? Will the integrated mounting method be able to accept different brands or only one?

I'd prefer just light mounting tabs rather than integrated. I'm going to buy one no matter what, but that's what I'd like.

Aftermarket would be the way to go, albeit a modular solution with universal inner mounting tabs at the cut outs would probably be the easiest most versatile solution.

Aftermarket...

BOTH

aftermarket most guys who get a bumper will ditch the factory lights.

aftermarket

Are you guys close to releasing a bumper for MY05?? I would actually prefer stock lights, save money to buy other goodies. I'm also very interested in your progress with the rear bumper and swing away tire carrier. Thanx.

Aftermarket, because no one is going back to Nissan to buy new lights after their stock ones burn out. There are too many better choices out there.

Thanks guys, looks like it will probably be aftermarket or both, if possible, but I think both is unlikely.

I'd thought more people would want stock for $$ sake. No doubt the aftermarket lights are leaps and bounds better though.

Jim

aftermarket, yeppers.

Just to clarify, I'm talking about taking the stock fogs out of the stock bumper and being able to plug them in our bumper. There would still be light holes up top for mounting large offroad lights.

My thinking originally was that after plunking down ~$700 for a bumper, people might not want spend another $200 for lights...

I'm still looking at making both work or having the whole integrated light thing be optional as well.

The stock fogs are actually quite good. They are valeo projectors.

I vote to keep the stock lights in the bumper and mount aftermarket else where. The stockers are pretty damn good for road driving.

Hmmm...the '05 lights must be light years better than the pre-'05's...the pre-'05's are all but useless.

This is still pretty rough and needs changes, but here's a peak behind the scenes at prototype #1.

Wow... well done! If that's rough, I can't wait to see the finished product!

-Matt

Damn! That thing looks wicked

If I had an '05 I'd be saving up now.

brantley

If I only had an '05........ Looks awesome!

Looking good Jim!

Looks really nice...follows the lines nicely

Ok, I'm sold:)

ditto

Hurry...my 05 X is in great need. When do you think you will be taking orders?

Great work as always Jim!

Thats makes me want to trade in the '04 for an '05

i have to have one ! it looks great What are those two opinings on each side of the fairlead holes for?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just a guess, but I would say that Jim has the "skin" worked out and that those holes will be for recovery points that extend through the face of the bumper. The recovery points are the same piece as the mounting hardware.

-Matt

Thanks guys. I'm eager to get Rev 2 cut and see what it looks like. The design changes are already done. The part you see in the pic wont change much. The changes were mostly to other areas.

Correct Marmatt, 1/2" thick steel recovery points. The mounting for the bumper is there. The recovery tabs are separate from the mounting brackets this time, but still weld through both sides of the bumper.

I'd say about 6 weeks for the first ones to ship. That's not long considering std lead time is three weeks on current products.

We've already taken some pre-orders for the first batch. Best estimate on price right now is $749.00 That includes, powder coat, skid plate, top tube and integrated fog light mounts for the factory fog lights.

right on...I will call tomorrow or next week to make a pre-order.

I am so glad to see a vendor active on this site! Thanks for all you efforts!

Doug

Jim , I'm sold too. How will you deal with the lower "plastic grill insert"? .Will there be a gap under the headlights ? Cannot tell from the picture. Is that a secret in the design untill it is complete?

Thanks again for your involvement on this board.

Sean

The gap under the headlights wont be any bigger than the current one. Achieving that was no small feat with all the darn angles. I'd rather not go into details now, but it will be a simple install and it will look good.

So - When's the REAR bumper carrier going to be ready for pre and post '05's?

So did you decide on factory lights or aftermarket (or both) in the bumper?

We designed mounts for the factory lights. Probably going to go with those for now. They look like good lights and have a heaigth adjuster built in.

Aftermarket lights are easier to mount, so adapting it to aftermarket lights would probably be pretty easy.

Sounds good to me.

Jim I sent ya a PM...

Any chance on a Titan bumper?

ok you sold me on it I will give you a call when i get back from training in two weeks SWEEEEEEEET !

That's what the OEM bumper should look like!!!! Count me in. I want one!!!!

Damn that looks fine!

I am kind of curious on how the dip in the bottom of the grill was addressed. In the pick it appears to have been cut off. Is this the case?

No cutting the grill or any other major surgery required. I'd rather not go into details yet though.

Jim

Let me start off by saying because I just joined the site but I have been reading the forums for a couple of months now. My question is how do go about pre-ordering the new bumper? Should I just contact you through your website or call or what? I am still learning about winches and such. So do you have to specify the type/brand of winch when you order the bumper or what? Oh yeah Jim that is one awesome bumper you got there and I can't waight to buy one.

just go here http://shrockworks.com/index.htm

everything you need.

by the way, used my shrockbars for the first time this weekend. NICE.
sliders 1
PNW trees o

Winch mounts are pretty much universal...

If you go with a Warn or Warn compatible mount, all aftermarket bumpers will have holes where you need them to mount to...

You don't need to know what winch you want to order the Shrockworks bumper, as any of them will fit, integrated solinoid, or remote, doesn't matter.

You should just call him, he's a bit slower to respond by e-mail...but its good for relaying the contact/shipping info....you could e-mail from the site contact address, and then call him to say you e-mailed him....to get the fastest/most personnal response.

You can even get the winch from Shrock....if you get a Warn, ask him for the remote extension to the solinoid...it lets you plug in the control right on the bumper, trick.



I went with a Warn 9.5xp...its a fast 9,500 lb pull winch, pretty waterproof. I also swapped in a MasterPull synthetic winch rope and Aluminum fairlead to save weight/add strength and safety.

The main winches to look at are Warn, Ramsey and Milemarker...there are others, but I'm a bit leary of their lack of track record.

Look at the line speeds under load, weather/water resistance, weight, length of rope capacity, and the pulling capacity.

You want to have a minimum of 150% of your rig's total weight....more if you do mud sucking/wheel with rigs that outweigh you, etc...So, no less than 8K lb capacity...ideally at all wrap lengths in a perfect world.

Bryan,

Give me a call and I will answer all your questions and take down your info. 877-474-7625

Short answer on the winch question though is...no. The bumper will work with most winches up to 9500 lbs.

We havent tested an integrated solenoid in the 2005 bumper yet. I think one will fit, but it's still pending testing.

TJ an Jim,

Thanks for all of the good information. Jim I will certainly be in touch with you soon.

Shrock- Any chance on a side view of the prototype? Love what I see so far. Can't wait to see the final product.

Jim,

This may be a silly question, but how much more does the bumper stick out (i.e. how much longer does it make the vehicle). A weird question, but I've got a very small garage that I park in and inches might make the difference

Brendan

If its like the pre-'05's...it might stick out LESS than the stock bumper.

Can those wheel wells be cut out? The bumper is amazing looking and fits the lines of the X to a tee, but if those wheel wells cant be modified, I'm even more unimpressed with the 2005 X.

If you are talking about the "skirts" inside the wheel wells... yes, you can heat them up and mold them just a bit. The rear wheel well is where the size limitation will be hit - I don't think that skirt has any give in it.

If you are unimpressed with the 05, you need to give them another try... really, its amazing what they have done. Fix the rear leafs (with a nice 5" lift), give me an extra set of rims that fit for my Goodyear MT/Rs... and I think you will be very impressed.

Ditto, for my Armada.

The only thing I've seen is by KMA... I don't care for it for some reason. Just doesn't look right to me.

Wow! this sneak peak is awesome. Don't let Calmini see the prototype

The '05's wells were large enough to take 33's w/o trimming, so I'm not sure where the problem is...I have an '01, and needed to trim to get 31's on let alone 33's....and I now have 33's, but with trimming, 2" BL and 3" SL.

2000-2004 X's did not have a FRONT wheel well like the 2005's do. All you did was remove the stock bumper, add whatever aftermarket bumper or your liking and you had tremendously improved approach. On the 2005's, it appears that just removing the front bumper does not simply give you improved approach since the wheel well still needs to be removed to truly benefit any improved approach the bumper can provide.



I could be wrong, but in this picture the wheel well appears to be metal. Can this simply be removed or do you need to go crazy cutting to get rid of it?

The stuff you are seeing in the yellow area is a rubbery plastic material. It can be trimmed with a stout set of scissors.





Once I get Rev 2 on, I'll look more closely, but I havent seen any down side short of the low radiator and the wiring harness running UNDER the pass body mount (green arrows). The radiator becomes a non-issue with a skid plate, since it is still higher that the A-arms and cross member. Sliders cover the body mount. Otherwise I am quite impressed with the 2005. Everything is generally tucked up nicely and quite beefy.

I have a quick question:

Is there an airbag sensor in the bumper that might be affected after the bumper change? Does the new bumper affect the 05 airbag system at all?

Thanks,
Nicolas.

no & no.

shrock thank you for all the work you are doing its nice to see someone really taking pride in their work. i cant wait to be the first in RI to have one (that is unless RIxterra gets one first) do you have any stickers i would really like to put one on my X and on my fire truck keep up the go work!!

You'd be the first 05 in RI to have the front bumper.. I own an 02 with a front bumper on it already..

SWEET! i still have to get with you about the stickers and getting in to the new england club Nice X

Jim - the bumper looks awesome! A couple of questions. Are you going to offer any package deals with\without a winch? Also, are there going to be any issues getting to the oil filter or drain plug? I don't think so, but couldn't tell from the picture.

Jim, will this bumper require stronger suspension up front? Cannot wait to get this thing!

Winch bumpers themselves add around 100 lb or so...less than a passenger typically...would you upgrade the suspension if you joined a car pool?



The weight is foward of the wheels though, so there is more polar moment than for an equivalent passenger...but thats a handling not a load capacity issue really.

Adding a winch can almost double the weight if its a big one with steel rope and a roller fairlead, etc...

Anyway - Better shocks will help control the extra polar moments, etc...and you can always crank the t-bars if you notice a bit of front end sag.



I didn't see a huge difference on my '01 when the bumper went on, but I went with synthetic line and an Al fairlead to cut half the winch weight.

wish it was that easy for an 05

Coil spacers actually.

No, I would not get suspension for an extra passenger. I don't know what your experience is with winch bumpers, but the Calmini bumper caused my 2000 X to bottom out on every bump on the highway. It even changed the way it drove .I had to purchase stronger torsion bars and crank them up to keep the front from sagging. Calmini even suggested stronger torsion bars to me over the phone. My 2005 feels way more solid in the suspension department and I don't expect to have to change anything. I don't know the wt of the Srock bumper.

It's a significant loading issue. A front seat passenger's weight is distrubed between the front and rear wheels, whereas a 200# bumper/winch setup is in front. My statics are a little rusty, but it should be something like this:

[img]http://www.whitescarver.com/erinjeff/Xterra/bumper.bmp[/img]

About a 18% difference in weight distribution. BIG deal. Stronger springs recommended.

dammmm
that boomarang came right on back around....

diagrams and math are a little hard to argue with

Do the same math for your carpool...your skid pad numbers would be hard to argue with as well.

So - yes, its a difference, and worse for the bumpers that had larger expanses of metal adding excess weight, and heavier winch ropes, etc...

But my Shrock bumper and Al fairlead/synthetic winch rope set up din't handle much differently than with the stock bumper/no winch...

I saw more difference adding 500 lb of other armor, or the rest of my family (My kids are in their 20's...), on the overall handling, and that weight WAS pretty much centered.

So, of course you are adding some weight, and of course it changed the weight distribution, but the suspension is designed to take passengers/cargo without needing to be replaced to carry them...despite the fact that putting your 6'4" 260 lb son in the passenger seat behind you will change your skid pad numbers by about a tenth of a G.

(I have a G-meter...)

I thought you had already added upgraded torsion bars when you added the winch/bumper combo.

With upgraded t-bars loading effects will be less noticeable.

I can assure you that the loading/handling effects of a 200# bumper/winch combo are much more significant than a 260# front seat passenger. If you saw my diagram it yields nearly a 280# weight differential between wheels (238 - (-38)). A 260# probably won't evn yield an 80# difference. The passenger is taller, so it will affect the height of your center of gravity more.

If it dont feel good fix it.

Errr Man make fire... wheel go round. Pull stick out ass may help.

Bah. None of this arguement matters.

Get stronger springs if you're getting a winch, and intend on actually using it. If not, the winch will wear out the stock springs in a hurry. For those that don't know, a winch, when used, compresses the hell out of the springs, and will cause them to prematurely wear out, if they're not made to handle the stress.

I did the 300M T-bars when they came in after the rest...and they did improve the ride/handling over stock...

But the bumper/winch made very little difference, as it only added about 145-155 lbs total...about 105 for the bumper, plus about 40-50 lb for the winch with synthetic rope (The wire rope is deceptively heavy)....the roller fairlead is deceptively heavy, and the AL fairlead weighs almost nothing.



I put the winch/bumper on the same day...and swapped on the synthetic rope first...so I don't know how just the bumper itself felt...but I imagine it would merely be even less of an issue due to even less weight.

Winching DOES compress the springs when pulling from top down, and off angle on that side, etc...

I'm not sure that the full stuff/full extension type wheeling I like does anymore damage than winching related compression, or if the amount of winching is statistically relevent or not...I wheeled all last weekend and only used the winch once, and that was to stabilze/recover a partial rollover victim, and he was diagonally uphill from me at the time...with about 4-5 guys pulling on his uphill side with a spotter strap....a 20' pull maybe.



Other trips, like in the pines, I might pull a dozen mud puppies out in a few hours...

If I added up all the winch time I ever did on the new winch, (~A yr?) its probaly less than 3 hrs total...I might cycle the suspension that much in a day without winching, just articulating....

So - statistically, I'm not sure winch compression wear and tear is important....

It might be better able to hold position against the compression related movement downwards, but the forces involved are stronger than a beefed up suspension most of the time.

That said - I went with the new t-bars to improve over stock, not to get back to stock.



I think the overall enemy of the t-bars is weight, total weight dragging them down hour after hour, day after day, until the springs despair of their load, and depart to join other mortal coils.