86 951 Driver

I am putting a fiberglass rear bumper from TPC on my car. I think it will make it look a bit more modern and overall give me that euro rear look I want.

My concern is now what about crash protection? The bodyshop basically told me it will be like having paper back there. AKA No crash protection. This got me a bit concerned. Has anyone made a metal structure that would help in impact? The bodyshop mentioned building something out of angle iron. I'm not looking for can take the impact at 60 MPH, just something that would help in the event of a small fender bender.

turbodave

"The bodyshop basically told me it will be like having paper back there. AKA No crash protection."

Did they also mention that the 944 bumper does not match or line up with any bumper out there? If you have lowered your car at all it's even worse. Ask me how I Know. So I find their comments kind'a funny. I would say if you want to put a euro bumper on your car, Go for it! - Dave

m73m95

I have a factory euro bumper, and its pretty stout. Thick fiberglass. Also, the euro mounts are made so they collapse in event of an impact.

Keeping in mind you are giving up the aluminum bumper, and the bumper shocks for fiberglass and "one time use" steel mounts... you are giving up a lot of protection, but I wouldn't say they are "useless". Most jackasses around my city have raised up diesel trucks anyway, so wtf difference does it make what bumper you use? Their bumpers line up with the hatch, not the bumper.

Ben951S

Right, any significant hit the bumper won't make a difference, the back will buckle, and it's a total loss. I wouldn't worry about it. The whole hatch is a crumple zone. Sucks. I have an AIR rear, apparently. Really like it.

86 951 Driver

The bumper I have an all fiberglass copy of the euro design. I may not worry about it.

V2Rocket

would a can of expandable foam assuage your concerns? thats about what newer cars come with.

ford crown vics have basically plastic packing peanuts behind their bumpers...but then there's a huge steel beam.

F40LM

Less crash protection...yes. Worth the additional cool points....yes. Seriously though, you have a lot of other metal between the point of impact and you. These cars are very strong in the rear. I would like to add one to my car one day.

Put it on and don't look back, literally.

Michael

MAGK944

Agree with everyone, don't worry about it. I bet on most of the US bumpers with the extra protection the dampers are probably shot anyway.

In either case a big hit at the back will be a write-off but you should be safe.

Rich Sandor

http://www.sparebumper.com/index.php...Id=44&catId=15

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/s...per/index.html

azbanks

I got rear-ended by a stock height 2 wheel drive chevy silverado. It barely touched the top edge of my bumper. The license plate panel took all the force. A different bumper would not have made any difference in my accident.

dinodanny

I bought a GT Racing fiberglass bumper last year and lucky for me it didn't fit and I sent it back. A few months later I got rear ended at a traffic light and the stock bumper took all of the impact. Bumper, end caps and shocks destroyed but no damage at all to the body. It would have been a completely different story with the fiberglass bumper.

MAGK944

I don't think it would have been a lot different, the US and Euro crash protection (mph) figure was similar in the early 80's. The only difference was the US requirement for metal bumpers and a higher rear end.

The Euro fiberglass bumper does have crash protection to the same level, it's just they achieved it with collapsible steel mounts not shocks. On the Euro the mounts would buckle and bumper would break before body damage, on the US the shocks would compress and the end caps deform instead.

dinodanny

True with the Euro bumper. The Gt racing fiberglass bumper bolted directly to the shock mounts with very thin cast in fiberglass mounts. I don't think I would have any reservations about using the Euro bumper.

RSflared72e

+1 - this is what I do. Fill it with foam. Should provide a little collapsible protection (or at least that's what I tell myself).

white924s

I have euro bumpers on my car, and I was rear ended at pretty low speed by a Lincoln Continental last summer (driver behind me thought I had accelerated after the light had turned green but I hadn't moved yet). The bumper did a decent job of absorbing the impact because there was only minor damage to the mount and the rest of the car, but the bumper itself was destroyed.

I think there are 2 ways of looking at crash protection:

1) Will a fiberglass or euro-style bumper protect the rest of the car in an impact? A little, but not as much as the US bumper with bumper shocks would because the shocks would absorb the impact. The fiberglass itself will absorb some of the energy of the impact, but it will likely break as a result.

2) Will a fiberglass bumper help protect you in an impact? I can't see any reason why it would perform any worse than the US bumper in this respect. The fiberglass will still absorb some energy, but the rear structure of the car is really what is protecting you, and that is unchanged.