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These types of crashes are frequently fatal anyway... you don't want to make that worse
There`s something worse than fatal?
Actually, yes... I'll stop there, as you might not like the rest of the answer.
In this particular case, you knew what I meant... you already stand a high chance of dying in small-overlap frontal crashes - you don't want to increase those odds any further.
Years ago I knew a guy who was in a frontal collision. He was driving on a highway, the driver of a car going the opposite direction fell asleep, went across three lanes and crashed into his jeep grand Cherokee. My friend had some bad injuries to his hip and leg which required surgeries and rehab. Barring this specific situation it's hard for me to imagine being in a frontal collision, the way I drive.
From banging on those crash bars for 15 minutes with a sledge hammer I can tell you they're tough. Would they amount to any kind of protection for the driver in a high speed frontal collision? I doubt it. I thought they were there to protect the aluminum wheels in milder collisions
Last edited by Pullsmyboat; 02-16-2019 at 11:01 PM.
Years ago I knew a guy who was in a frontal collision. He was driving on a highway, the driver of a car going the opposite direction fell asleep, went across three lanes and crashed into his jeep grand Cherokee. My friend had some bad injuries to his hip and leg which required surgeries and rehab. Barring this specific situation it's hard for me to imagine being in a frontal collision, the way I drive.
From banging on those crash bars for 15 minutes with a sledge hammer I can tell you they're tough. Would they amount to any kind of protection for the driver in a high speed frontal collision? I doubt it. I thought they were there to protect the aluminum wheels in milder collisions
The video above tells the story. A SuperCab and SuperCrew are identical, at least up to the B-pillar. Look how far the damage comes back into the driver's space on the SuperCab... not so much on the SuperCrew, which has the crash bars. I've seen the crash bars hit in real life - it definitely makes a difference.
I installed a 2" leveling spacer on top of the OEM front shocks, and 34" tires (on a 2015 F-150) and there was no rubbing. I added 1.5" spacers all around and now the tires rub a little on the front crash bars when steering wheel is fully turned. I read that the two crash bar bolts can be loosened and there will be a little play to move the crash bars enough to stop the rubbing. When I went to undo the bolts I realized that each bolt head has two tack welds securing it to the bottom of the crash bar. Is this normal? I like the new stance and want to keep the spacers. What are my options?
EDIT - Just realized the bolts undo from the top.
1.5" spacers? yucka I hate ubber stick out tires, it looks like compensating for something, or a hotwheels truck. none the less its terrible on the suspension by placing tremendous extra loads on it.
I thought they were there to protect the aluminum wheels in milder collisions
Ford wouldn't spend $0.05 per truck on a device that protected the trucks wheels, whatever that might be. But a demonstrable improvement in crash rating? That's worth something. I'm talking about saleability, here.
All of these threads to to the same place. I suppose that's a good thing, since if they didn't, at least half of owners considering it would remove the crash bars if they thought they protected the wheels, or some such.
I have given it some thought and may do it at some point, but only because I have 180 lbs of steel bumper that extends a foot ahead of the front bars and is bolted right to the frame. I wouldn't consider it with the stock bumper.
No, I don't have detailed frontal/front quarter collision analyses of F150s equipped with Fab Fours bumpers on which to be this decision. And while I'm an engineer, I'm not of the kind to make this call on the basis of sound structural evaluation. Eyeballing the thing, though, my guess is my bumper will fulfill the intended purpose of the front crash bars when it comes to impacts from every relevant angle.
I've also knocked down some stuff that would have absolutely destroyed the stock F150 front bumper, and I don't even have scratches to show for it.
Last edited by DeltaNu1142; 02-17-2019 at 07:10 AM.
Loosened the bolts, pushed the crash bars forward and re tightened. Wasn't quite enough. Took a stubby sledge hammer and hit the crash bar to bend it. There was no room for a proper swing so had to hit it many times and eventually my forearm gave out. But I got the wheel to clear. So far so quiet on level surfaces. Don't know about inclines.
I'd like to bend the crash bar some more to be safe, and I'm wondering if there's a power tool that will do it? Eventually will paint the deformed area.
Bent crash bar.
Wheel clearance at tightest point.
so you were able to just loosen the nut from the bolt and push the crash bar and retighten bolts without having to cut the tack weld on the bolt? Or would I have to cut that tack weld first to do this process to spread them? Heard of being able to spread them a little just by loosening pushing on crash bar and re tightening bolt and loosening and using a hydraulic port a power then tighten. Trying to spread them but can’t get a clear answer on how to with all these people and their OPINIONS about what people do to their OWN trucks. Thanks fellas!
1.5" spacers? yucka I hate ubber stick out tires, it looks like compensating for something, or a hotwheels truck. none the less its terrible on the suspension by placing tremendous extra loads on it.
You have no clue what 1.5" spacers look like on a truck or about how they affect suspension geometry.
More an excuse to post some pics than retort a stupid post.. I was undecided between 2" and 1.5" spacers so I bought both. With 2" spacers the tires were sticking out too far for my taste. I was going for a subtle but effective change in stance and the 1.5" did exactly that.
Before
With 2" leveling puck and 1.5" spacers and 34" KO2s.
Last edited by Pullsmyboat; 02-17-2019 at 02:10 PM.
Just get wider tires sick of seeing rediculous trucks with wheel stick out so bad you could do a brake job with the tires on. Suspension not made for it. Plus it’s no fun flicking mud on the truck body. But then again guys with Uber stick out never take the truck in the mud
02-16-2019, 10:03 PM
