Smittybilt XRC Atlas Front Bumper (07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK)

Review & Installation Video

I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com, and this is my review and installation of the Smittybilt XRC Atlas Front Bumper, fitting all 2007 and up Wranglers. Today we're gonna talk through the installation of this bumper which is a fairly simple one out of three wrenches. There are a few additional parts to install with this bumper than some other aftermarket front bumpers, but this is still completely bolt-on and an easy install. We're also going to talk about the construction and a few of the other features of this bumper.This is for those of you who are looking for a really heavy-duty plate steel full-width front bumper that comes right out of the box with a winch mounting plate, a bumper hoop that accepts auxiliary lights. This will work with your factory fog lights. This has a front skid plate. This really has everything that you could want any full-width aftermarket front bumper right out of the box, at what I think is a pretty fair price. As I mentioned before, this is a full-width front bumper. This will cover the full distance that your factory front bumper will. However, unlike some other steel aftermarket front bumpers that are full-width, this has cutouts on the corners that will allow you to run a 37-inch tire in most lift configurations without any clearance issues. This is, again, specifically designed to give you a little bit more clearance to run up to a 37, which is a really nice feature.As I said before, this comes out of the box with a winch mounting plate. This is winch-ready, and this does put the winch down in between the frame rails, which is a look I really like. A lotta people say it helps to keep the winch from blocking air to the radiator. I don't know how much air it actually blocks, I personally just like the look of a sunken winch. This also comes right outta the box with this over rider hoop on it that does have two mounting tabs on the top for some additional auxiliary lighting. With a lot of other bumpers, this is something that you have to add afterward. And a nice part about this being a bolt-on piece, instead of it being welded on, is you can not install it if you want to and just put the bolts in the holes to block them off or get plastic block off caps. Either way, it's an option. If you wanna run it, you can.This also accepts your factory front fog lights, which is always a win in my book. You already have the factory fog lights, you already have all the wiring for it, and this keeps you from having to go out there and buy additional auxiliary lights to fill those holes. And finally, this does come with a front skid plate. Now, there isn't a lot in that area to protect unless you're a Rubicon owner with a front electronics play bar disconnect, there's not a lot directly under the bumper to protect. However, the skid plate does give the front bumper a more substantial look and does make this look a little bit more aggressive and off-road-like. So a lot of you are going to like that feature as well. So, like I said, this comes with a lot of things all right out of the box, and that's what makes me say that this is at a fair price. It is expensive for a front bumper, but there aren't many other features that you would want.So for installation, as I said, I'm giving this a one out of three wrenches. This will bolt directly onto your Jeep. there are a few more parts and pieces than some other aftermarket front bumpers, but again this is an easy install, just follow the instructions. The first step is of course removing your factory front bumper which you'll do by removing the eight nuts that hold it in place. Make sure that you also remove your splash shield, your frame cover, and unclip your wiring harness for your fog lights from the crash bar before removing the bumper. After that you'll remove your fog lights from that bumper and bolt them into your new one, using the included hardware. After that, the next step is to install the winch mounting plate for your new bumper on the Jeep that will go directly in between the frame rails and bolt into place using the included hardware. After that, you'll install your winch on your winch mount plate, then go ahead and install the rest of the bracketry and install the front bumper on the Jeep. After that, you'll install the lower skid plate section and you'll be finished.This whole installation, because it does have a few more steps than some others, might take you closer to two hours than one. But it's still going to be a very simple install that can be done completely with hand tools. I've said before that I think this is a fairly priced bumper for what you get, and I really do. I think this is a really well-built bumper, but when you think of all the features you get, this is a full-width bumper giving you full-width protection, a plate steel bumper that allows you to run 37s, that gives you an over rider hoop with auxiliary mounts, has a winch mount, uses the factory fog lights, and has a front skid plate all right out of the box, it becomes worth the price you have to pay for it. There are other bumpers out there that are a little bit lower priced if you are on a little bit more of a budget. And those are gonna be great bumpers as well, but they're probably not going to have all the features that this bumper has. So if you're looking for a really complete full-width plate steel front bumper with a lot of bells and whistles and all of the features you might be looking for, this is going to be a really nice option for you. So, that's my review of the Smittybilt XRC Atlas Front Bumper, fitting all 2007 and up JKs that you can find right here at extremeterrain.com.