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make chrome front tubular bumper using tow-eye bolts?

Discussion in 'Prime Accessories and Modifications' started by The Big Sleaze, Jan 11, 2020.

  1. The Big Sleaze

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
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    Location:
    'frisco
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    Two Eco
    I want a chrome front bumper using tow-eye bolts for few reasons. Might be chrome or just 6061 T6 aluminum. Might be bare metal or painted to match car. Probably just feed pipe through tow-eyes, maybe bend up to fully clear lic plate, and give it a little style, and secure by drilling in a couple self-tapping screws from up-under on the back side hidden from causal view, on each side of tow-eye.

    a) I think it would look cool.

    b) It would stop people from backing into my brand new car's white bumper in tight parallel parking.

    c)It could serve as front tie-off point when carrying long kayak (or lumber) on roof.

    d)Could mount extra lights without butchering up rest of my new car. (not sure why I'd want extra lights on front bar)

    Any reasons why I shouldn't do this?
     
  2. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
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    3,253
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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    As much as you may wish to protect the beautiful and expensive bumper cover, I couldn’t recommend any attachments at the holes made for the towing eyelets.

    Toyota doesn’t publish the information that would be needed to evaluate how such a modification would change the car’s collision performance, and they warn against it in the Owner’s Manual (PDF): see the fourth and fifth points under “Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components,” page 43.

    Applying the loads from a relatively minor impact directly to the bumper or other structures, rather than allowing them to be absorbed in the bumper cover, could well result in chassis damage that would be more costly to repair than replacing the bumper cover. In some circumstances, the supplemental restraint system might also detect the collision as more severe than it actually is and deploy the airbags and seat belt pretensioners, destroying the interior of the car.
     
    jerrymildred and Mendel Leisk like this.