The ShrockWorks front bumper for the Xterra allows for the solid mounting of a winch and off-roading lights while protecting your rig - and look good doing it.

The ShrockWorks Bumper

The ShrockWorks front bumper for the Xterra is a direct, bolt-on replacement for the entire front bumper and valance. Made of a single, strong piece of steel - it can accomodate extra lighting and a winch as well as provide some serious front-end protection. You also gain a much better approach angle over the stock components. Not just for off-roading and so much more than a "grille guard" which is for aesthetic purposes only. This bumper will give you peace of mind.

The entire bumper is made of 3/16" steel plate except where the mounting plates are, which are made of 3/8" steel plate. The tubing used is 1.5-2.0" in diameter (thicker center hoop, thinner headlights guards) and very smoothly bent. The wings are extremely stiff and are short enough to accomodate large tires without trimming required as with the ARB. Strong and beefy, yet only 105 pounds - able to accomodate winches rated up to 9,500 pounds. Another point to note vs. the ARB bumper is that the ShrockWorks unit hangs down 3" less - giving you a better approach angle.

Adding a winch to the bumper is straightforward and works with either aluminum or roller fairleads and is Warn and MileMarker compatible. When not installed, the fairlead and mounting holes are smartly covered up by the license plate. A second generation design of the bumper now includes additional bracing surrounding the fairlead/winch mount area in the form of a "U" of 3/16" steel plate. More winch-friendly features include cutouts up top for the winch clutch lever (the Warn can be rotated) and solenoid/remote assembly. If you choose not to, or cannot rotate the clutch lever than you can reach in front the front (and somewhat below) cutouts. Finally, there's a cutout for the remote mounting of the remote socket. Three holes for the socket and screws are provided - trick!

The center opening	Mounting provisions for remote

As mentioned above, the side plates that mount the bumper to the truck frame are 3/8" plate steel. Where they protrude through the front of the bumper, they are drilled out to 7/8" which will accomodate the standard pin of a 3/4" shackle. Very solid. In fact, once the bumper is installed you should remove your factory tow hook to gain additional ground clearance and approach angle but also since it is now unecessary and might just catch on things.

Options available at order time include the center hoop only with no headlight guards, no tubing at all, black semi-gloss or dark grey powdercoating or raw steel. The bumper is also available for early or late model Xterras to provide a more custom fit. Essentially, the later model year Xterras get higher center and headlight hoops; the lower part of the bumper remains unchanged. There are two little cutouts under the headlights which are actually for grille support brackets on the later model year trucks, but appear on both versions of the bumper.

Packaging

In true ShrockWorks style, the bumper came packaged looking for a fight. Bolted to a double palette with a wooden framework, the bumper was bubble wrapped from one end to the other, completely around. Unfortunately, due to this excellent packaging and the sheer size of the bumper alone, it must be shipped via truck freight. Way too much for your local FedEx or UPS guy to handle. The bumper arrived after its trek from Texas to New York in pristine condition.

Entire bumper as removed from palette	Almost there, logo emerges
Mounting bolt locations/slots	Mounting bolts provided

Installation

Installation really couldn't be much simpler and probably one of the easier mods you'll make on your truck - requiring nothing more than a few simple hand tools and about an hour's time. Having a friend to help would be really handy to put in the bolts while you position it or vice versa. While a jack would be the easy way to do it, I held it up and positioned it by hand... It's quite heavy at 105 pounds however, and this might not be the way to go for everyone - but it is fast.

Removing the stock bumper is the hard part and once it is removed, installation is a snap. In fact, you'll probably end up snapping several bolts in the process and absolutely marvel at how flimsy the stock setup really is. In the end, you'll amass a sizeable pile of pieces-parts.

Remove the stock bumper brace	The X stripped of the stock bumper!

Hardened metric grade 10 cap screws (bolts) and washers are included with the bumper. You only need six bolts in total; one on the front of the frame horn and two on the side for each side (driver and passenger). There are no instructions included, but none are necessarily needed. Again, it's not the install so much as the removal step that's tricky.

Location of front, frame horn bolts	Location of two side bolts (per side)

Details, Details

The bumper, much like the ShrockBars are finished to amazing detail. All welds are clean with a nice radius or fillet and are finished smoothly with additional grinding and sanding before powdercoating. The bumper almost looks like it was created from billet. Computer designed, laser cut and CNC bent - all of the components fit together perfectly and come together to make a tight package. The ShrockWorks logo cut through the lower steel panel adds a high-tech finish.

The design itself has been thought out very well. The shape of the bumper, wings and tubing all lend themselves to the natural lines of the Xterra and complement it. The wings come out as far as the fenders are wide. They also follow the front angles of the hood. This bumper does not look like an aftermarket hack at all, nor does it scream "utility." Make no mistake however, this bumper is made to perform - especially if you need to add a winch to your truck, for which it was designed.

Detail of the welds is superb	Clean design overall

The approach angle is much improved over stock and better than the ARB or TJM bumpers. It hangs down approximately 3" less than the ARB due to the mounting design and angles of the support brackets. The ShrockWorks bumper allows for pretty much the maximum approach angle you can achieve. While giving you maximum clearance, it does seem to be cut a little high, exposing bits of the body and suspension components. Compared to a stock bumper, there's neither less nor more protection in this sense.

What you notice immediately is how open the front suspension and tires now are. What used to be covered by plastic fascia is now fairly wide open. Between the approach angle and the high up, thin wings - most of the tire face can be presented to an obstacle.

Inboard side of suspension	Outboard side of suspension

The ARB might have an advantage in fairlead support since it has extra bracketry for just that. However, more and more people are starting to use synthetic line and the bulky roller fairleads are replaced with smaller, billet aluminum fairleads like those from Master Pull or Hawse. The ShrockWorks bumper looks more finished and takes into account the install of the latter - though it works equally well with either system.

If you happen to run a just a license plate while you're saving up for that winch - the result is quite clean, as the plate covers all holes up front without the need for an additional part.

Low corner shot, passenger side	Low corner shot, driver side

One nice surprise after installation was that the tubing does not stick very much above the hood at all; in fact the bumper is just barely visible. This way you know where your corners are, but you do not get the reflections and glare from the headlights as with some other bumpers. If you have a bug deflector, all you'll see is the top of the center hoop. Clearance for the headlight beams and signal lamps is tight, but is not blocked.

Your stock fog lights, if so equipped - are removed as part of the valance. Provisions are made for mounting aftermarket lighting on the bumper via two, pre-drilled holes up top and in between the center tube area. There's room for two standard KC DayLighters with ease, let alone any SlimLine or smaller, rectangular lights.

Bumper mounted lights at dusk	And at night

Overall, this bumper is quite sano. Utility and looks in a finely finished product. Here are some additional shots to show off the bumper and whet your appetite for more. Notice how the fit and finish and general design complement the Xterra as well as the additional clearance that this bumper provides over stock and even the competition.

A close cropped corner shot, overall	A somewhat wider view overall
View of wing from rear	Close-up detail of wing
Climbing a dune, view from below	The Xterra Firma T-shirt photo!
Bumper profile as seen from side	Head-on view

Field Testing

The bumper will be put through its paces over the next several months and this review updated. So far the bumper has performed recoveries of vehicles using tow straps without tweaking or shifting.

Conclusion

This bumper overall is a well thought out design with excellent attention to details. Solidly built and sure to both perform as well as look good doing so. With a reasonable and competitive price along with outstanding customer service you can't do much better than this. Whether this is your first ShrockWorks purchase or you're supplementing your ShrockBars - this bumper will make a fine addition to your rig.

For more information, please visit the ShrockWorks Website.