DV8 rear bumper/tire carrier

[mtnjp]

Got my DV8 rear bumper installed , and so far I'm pretty pleased with it. I happened upon this company while searching bumpers online. They seem to be a newer company out of Riverside Ca. I got their RS2 series which is a bumper tire carrier combo. The thing I liked about it was the one handed opening feature. The tire carrier is connected to the rear door via 2 heim joints. It seems to operate pretty smooth and has been rattle free for 3 pretty long trips around the Salton Sea and Mecca area. The carrier is engineered supposedly for up to a 40" tire, it seems pretty beefy with 2 tapered bearings. I don't see going bigger than a 35" tire and some rotopax cans off the rear so I think it will hold up. The textured powder coating seems as good as most I've seen. It also has a integrated class 3 receiver which is reinforced front and back. It is made of 3/16th steel which seems pretty standard, could definitely hold up to a rear collision which is likely up here in the mountains. The install is straight forward with good directions. All the holes lined up perfect which made the install a breeze. The only pitfall I had was missing a spacer between the rear crossmember and the bumper. I hate coming up with extra parts when the install is done:Wow1:, but my fault. One beer later it was fixed :ylsmokeefinitely worth a look if your in the market.

 

[shays4me]

Does it totally replace the rear vent? Is the vent completely plugged now?

 

[mtnjp]

Yes the rear vent is replaced with a steel plate that the carrier portion connects to. The adjustable bumper goes into that also.

 

[shays4me]

It's a really nice looking bumper, and the price is right too! I just wonder how the heat and AC are affected with the vent gone? It looks like it allows a little bit of air flow, but I know with the fan on high there is a major need for that air to go somewhere or it won't properly heat and cool. Have you noticed any difference?

 

[mtnjp]

So far so good I haven't noticed any difference. It's not "air tight". Some flow still gets in. I'll keep a eye on it though

 

[mtnjp]

Actually did some experiments this morning. Ran the HVAC on re-circulate and open. At full power on re-ciculate there's no cabin pressurization. If you run it "open" the cabin is pressurized and you can feel air pressure blowing through the slats in that rear plate. The doors do "pop" a little in that mode. If you run the fan half way it doesn't seem extreme at all. As for the AC I usually always run in a re-circulate mode because local is so "dirty". As for the defroster I ran it this morning it was 39 degrees and wet out. Defroster worked fine. I think long term it should be fine, but interesting experiment. I'll probably call DV8 Monday and ask about the engineering that went into it. My thought is the two cuts in the rear plate were put there in the thought of air flow.

 

[shays4me]

Thanks for the update! I like that the plate has more surface area compared to my AEV tire carriers bracket. I notice how everybody raves at how well AEV products are engineered, but I've actually found the opposite. For example, I have a shovel holder "engineered" in to my tire carrier. If I choose to install the hi-lift jack bracket though, the shovel no longer fits in the carrier. The bumper also has five gallons of water storage but no way to drain the tanks after use. That's poor engineering in my book. It's nice to know that DV8 actually did consider the tailgates vent function when designing the plate.

 

[mtnjp]

I hear you there about AEV shays. I bought some of their molded front floor mats and they are crap compared to rugged ridge mats for 25% less cost.As for the DV8 bumper I think your right, its a pretty nice system and for the right price.

 

[Yuccahead]

Just a quick interjection on the AEV water tanks. It's easy to drain them. The hoses that connect the tanks are easily disconnected. They are push connectors. Just push down on the rim of the connector while pulling the hose out. Do the same to reconnect when the water is all out.