As some of you may know, I have been driving with my (@plasticsguy) toyotabumpstops.com front bump stops for a little over a month now (check the install). This particular product is new for the 4th and 5th Gen 4Runners, but Plastics Guy has been making them for other Toyota models for a good bit of time. Admittedly, before I read about Plastics Guy on T4R.org, I had never heard of his products nor had I really understood the benefit of aftermarket bump stops.
As I continued deeper into his thread, I realized that even though my factory bump stops were still in good shape and technically preventing my shocks from a hard bottom, there was still a lot of room for improvement. This is where Plastics Guy bump stops come into the picture.
His stops are designed to compress to the same position of an OEM bump stop, but through the use of dual rate rubber, his stops are able to start the bump compression about an inch or inch and a half sooner. It doesn’t sound like much, but I will tell you — it’s very noticeable, and I haven’t even taken them off-road yet.
Before I get into how they drive, I want to emphasize that these bump stops have a very premium, quality feel to them. They are heavy and dense feeling, and I have no concerns about this part failing. He provided a new bolt and small container of loctite as well. It definitely speaks to the attention to detail, and care that Curtis puts into all of his products.
My Experience
Every morning, I have about a 10 mile back road that I take along my way to work. It is very easy to go 50 mph on some parts of it and in those sections there are a couple good dips and sections of crumbling, rutted asphalt. Prior to the install of Plastics Guy’s bump stops, when I would hit these dip sections, I would feel a very abrupt jolt in the wheel. Over the crumbling asphalt, it felt chattery, almost like my wheels were bouncing so hard that they were floating on the road surface.
Since my install, that same drive is like BUTTER. It may sound a bit extreme, but I’m telling you, my suspension cycles so. much. smoother. I always thought that maybe my Bilstein 5100s just weren’t up for the task of higher speed on what is essentially washboard (and maybe they still aren’t), but they’ve been given new life. My suspension now feels more controlled on uneven surfaces at speed, and that’s without the front sway bar as well. I have less bump steer and overall just really like the way my truck feels now. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I installed these, but I am very pleased.
In the next couple of months, I will have a couple off-road trips and I’m really looking forward to what my ride will feel like now. I’ll be interested to see just how much compression I can get on them while flexing the front out. I’m also hoping that he’ll have the rear bump stops ready before then! Of course, I will update you all then.
Overall, the Plastics Guy bump stops from toyotabumpstops.com are a very well made product that is affordable and works. Curtis is a small business owner that puts his heart into his craft and cranks out products that make the “big boys” sweat it out (more on this in a later post). I would highly recommend these to anyone in a Toyota.
