C4 low profile front bumper bull bar vs no bull bar

Hi everyone, wanted to see what thoughts/experiences were with the C4 low pro front bumper with or without the Bull bar. what’s good and bad about the Bull bar? I have a 5th gen TRD off road so the TSS sensor does not matter for me. I’m going to be running a warn 10s winch and 30 inch light bar with it.

 

I was on the fence between the full or no bull bar options. Opted for no bull to keep the OEM aesthetics of the front. I'd probably do a full bull if I ever decide on a full front bumper though.

 

If you want the OE aesthetic and don’t anticipate a critter strike then pass on the bull bar. If you do anticipate a critter attack, go straight to the full size bumper!

 

Honestly you cant go wrong. I went back and forth and ended up with the bull bar. Im loving it.

 

Did you pay to have it installed? And if so how much?

 

No i installed it myself. It was actually very easy. I’ve been trying to as many of my own mods as possible to save when possible

 

I think it looks meaner with the bar. TSS works with full bar. Bumper slightly hard to get on. Very much requires 2 people.

But also replaced the grill pieces to black everything out.

https://imgur.com/a/NIIhkLI

 

@Thacrow i wish my grill was the pro grill. My off road doesn’t have the same options and I’m stuck with the Toyota symbol as far as I know.

Did you install your bumper yourself?

 

If you want the Pro look, their are plastic add on pro grills out as well as raptor lights. I believe www.Runnin4Tacos.com has them or at least had them and were not very expensive, although all the little things add up....trust me.

 

I had looked at the C4 low pro front bumper too. I definitely want the bull bar for the additional protection and benefits/versatility.

But I think I may go with victory4x4 Blitz Slim instead of C4.

 

I went with the Southern Style Off-road slimline bumper with bull bar

 

How do you like the SSO slimline? Did you do the work yourself?

 

I got it for the price because they were having a sale. I was impressed with the welds and fit. I love the way it looks! I did the work by myself, which was pretty simple, but would highly recommend a 2nd when bolting it up (heavy) and also when reinstalling the bumper skin because it’s a little tight getting it around the bull bar.

 

Yeah did it myself. I bought various grill pieces and black out inserts to make it look like the pro.

 

My next big purchase will be the C4 low pro with the high bill bar. You don’t need to be in the wild for it to protect you.

A local 4Runner had someone cut in front in of him as he was going through an intersection and he bent his bull bar (different brand of bumper), but his car only had damage to one fender. His airbags didn’t deploy, and his frame is fine. The Honda Accord was a write off. He went shopping for another bumper with Bull bar.

 

replying again....

got the black out grill from a website called MC Autoparts but i can't find the part there now. I think it's exactly the same as this link. So when cutting the bumper for the lop pro I also installed the below and smoked raptor lights. While you're at it you might as well replace the fog lights. I did bajas. Comes with a repining kit for the connectors. (Repining connectors is a PITA if you haven't done it before) so I just cut the stock connectors off and crimped the baja connectors to the factory harness - super easy.
https://www.4runnerlifestyle.com/products/4runner-trd-pro-grille?variant=36903856570535

And then it seems everyone has problems with the large black overlay not sticking well. I used an ungodly amount of double sided 3M mounting tape but still one side pops up slightly. No one has been able to tell. Looks amazing. You have to know about it and get right up to it to notice. More info here:
https://www.4runners.com/threads/black-overlay-not-sticking.27237/

if you're going to cut the bumper yourself, cut less than they say. You can always cut more off later. I cut less than C4 showed in the video and i wish i cut even less for a more clean look. But..no one's really going to notice but you.

 

Am I the only one who wishes the bull bar was taller? I think it stops in an odd spot. I don't necessarily want a stinger bumper but something kinda similar in function. A taller bumper that kinda follows the contour of the front fascia.

 

The bar has to stick out further than the bumper. I wish it went up further too but it would probably look like it has a cartoonist under bite.

The full bar only comes up part way and gives a nice pointed look. Further up might also block raptor lights which of course are mandatory.

 

Oh! You know why it's not taller? Because you can barely get the bumper on with the current height full bar. I don't think you'd be able to get the bumper on if it were any taller.

 

Update: I installed the c4 low pro bumper with low bull bar that blocks my PCS sensor. It shows my light on that PCS is not available and a warning message shows up saying to clean the sensor. I have to turn it off every time I start my engine or I’ll get the warning message. Spoke with Toyota about turning it off permanently but they won’t do it due to safety concerns even though there is a TSS bulletin from Toyota saying they will. Still search for someone to turn it off permanently. Vehicle runs and drives perfectly fine with it off.

 

Not sure if this would help, but maybe?

https://www.4runners.com/threads/ts...-warning-after-lift-bumper-install-fix.31661/

 

I don't have the C4, but I just finished installing my SSO slimline and went without the bull bar, as I saw no real need for it based on the type of overlanding I do. Why add the extra weight?

 

It's not much weight and it looks really cool.

OP you could devise a system of mirrors so your TSS could see around rhe bar, like a low tech invisibility cloak.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for light bars that work with the C4 Low pro that are a little more affordable?

 

I used a diode dynamics with mine

 

@Lilz I honestly wouldn’t skimp on the light bar as you get what you pay for. Go Diode Dynamics or Baja Designs S8. I have the S8 and it’s my most used mod on the truck

 

A little peace of electrical tape over the PCS light will do wonders.

100%, its installed in a place that's hard to get to so a quality light bar is highly reamended.

 

I just got mine with bull bar. And wings clearance. Now I’m wondering about the power coat texture. What did you get?

 

I went to a highly rated place locally and asked them for their toughest outdoor black powder coat that would be good for a bumper.

 

Did you apply any texture? I was thinking doing the same texture as the tuning boards. But I was wondering if no texture is better