WEIGHT REDUCTION rear bumper

[jrleech]

Looking at the crumpled Mk1 pic here, I agree that it held up very well without the bumper bar. I think it only held up because it was a full front end impact (like hitting a flat wall), and the force still channeled through the main chassis members.

If it'd been a Lauren style impact into a lamp post or tree, then there would be nothing of substance to stop the post/tree and it'd probably end up stopping at the engine, after ripping through the cabin (and fuel tank!).

On the topic of the original post, I guess the rear bumpr bar shouldn't be a problem, though a rear impact will have more chance of trashing the car. On the Mk2, the rear re-inforcing bar is a hard plastic and weights very little.

[HT]

the bumper bars arent really there as crash structures. if they are then it is very clear they were devised 20+ years ago, much the same as the "side impact bars" our cars contain. back in the 80's they might have been cutting edge, but nowadays you wouldnt even register on the NCAP safety scale.

Perhaps - but I would guess that even 20+ years ago, a significant amount of testing would have gone into the front & rear inforcer bars. Hence probably not one to undo in one DIY afternoon 20 years on with an angle grinder. Whether they would register very highly (or not) on NCAP safety scale is not possible to predict in a DIY capacity, and anyway would be particular to the individual vehicle itself, and thus uncompariable with any current generation mid-engined production equivalent.

[parody]

If it'd been a Lauren style impact into a lamp post or tree, then there would be nothing of substance to stop the post/tree and it'd probably end up stopping at the engine, after ripping through the cabin (and fuel tank!).

This is very true.

I was party to the results for the new Landrover Freelander's crash testing at MIRA (i'm an engineer at LR) from a couple of years ago and can confirm that removing any, or part of the bumper bar causes the car to behave in a HUGELY different way in a crash scenario.

Removing bumper bars is a daft idea. Front a complete no-no.

[racing23mr2]

we run a full bumper front and rear on my mr2 challenge car,after having two big frontal impacts one requiring a complete front end i would not run any other way,it saved a chassis,the car in the photo liam otooles did not run the bumper and pushed the rh suspension upright back to the bulk head it now is scrap,we got our car weight down to 900kgs with bumpers fitted,
from the challenge point of view its handy to know who is running a bumper,you can usually tell they are not to late on there brakes,touching another car causing more damage to them,