Cool Nudge bar!

I'm looking for a nudge bar for my D40 and I really like the one on the black D40 on this forum's Home page. What brand nudge bar is it and where can i get that nudge bar from?

Nudge bars look pretty but if you are intending going off road, they really limit your approach angle. If that doesnt bother you then go for it! I think avenger had some nice ones from memory. do a search on this forum for them.

They're a handy place to mount lights, but apart from that their usefulness is debateable.

And for light mounting....on road only. Any extensive off road use will shake the lights to pieces through the nudge bar vibrating.

I got a Nissan nudge bar for free when I bought my Nav. Was the going deal at the time. It looked substantial. It wasn't. I left it fitted until I saved up for my bullbar, but when I removed it from the vehicle I was surprised with how flimsy it actually was.

ants_oz said:

They're a handy place to mount lights, but apart from that their usefulness is debateable.

And for light mounting....on road only. Any extensive off road use will shake the lights to pieces through the nudge bar vibrating.

I got a Nissan nudge bar for free when I bought my Nav. Was the going deal at the time. It looked substantial. It wasn't. I left it fitted until I saved up for my bullbar, but when I removed it from the vehicle I was surprised with how flimsy it actually was.

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What's debatable about their usefulness? The word "nudge" should indicate to most people they aren't good enough to bounce things off. The nudge bar is there to stop your bumper getting scratched when or if you "nudge" something, and in most nudge bars they will do exactly that.

As for mounting lights any mounting surface can shake lights and blow globes through vibration. Bullbars, sports bar, even standard bumpers all have about the same probability of shaking globes because they are all bolt on accessories. I also refer to the globes blowing not the lights breaking as I've never broken a light by simply having it vibrate I've only ever broken them by hitting objects, I have however had globes vibrate and stop working. I'd be seriously p'd off if any driving light I paid money for shook to pieces because it was mounted on a nudge bar

KraftyPg said:

What's debatable about their usefulness? The word "nudge" should indicate to most people they aren't good enough to bounce things off. The nudge bar is there to stop your bumper getting scratched when or if you "nudge" something, and in most nudge bars they will do exactly that.

As for mounting lights any mounting surface can shake lights and blow globes through vibration. Bullbars, sports bar, even standard bumpers all have about the same probability of shaking globes because they are all bolt on accessories. I also refer to the globes blowing not the lights breaking as I've never broken a light by simply having it vibrate I've only ever broken them by hitting objects, I have however had globes vibrate and stop working. I'd be seriously p'd off if any driving light I paid money for shook to pieces because it was mounted on a nudge bar

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You mightn't have broken lights, but then maybe you ahven't travelled as extensively in rough terrain as me either. I don't know. Regardless, just because you haven't experienced it directly, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

All I can relate is my own experiences, and in those experiences, I have found the nudgebars and poor quality bullbars to be of limited value.

I have been in convoys where I've seen lights physically shaken apart through poor mounting. And two of those instances were where the lights were fitted on a nudge bar. One was a Nissa Navara (genuine Nissan) nudgebar. One was a Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R factory nudgebar. One was when the lights were fitted to an Ironman bullbar. We''re talkign about two different sets of IPF lights where the rivetted mount came away from the housing. And a set of Cibies where the same thing happened. All through constant vibration on corrugated and rough roads.

Bolt on accessories they may be, but the mounting structure is an all important factor in the reduction on vibration.

It is my experience that a well designed bullbar with well designed mounts will move and shake far LESS than a poorly designed one. And in my experience, the Nissan nudgebar is nowhere near as solid as an ARB bullbar. How can I prove this? All you have is my word. When I bought my vehicle it had the Nissan bar fitted. When I travel to one of my favourite hunting spots, I often head down there on a Friday night after work in Winter. The track is about 20km long. The IPF lights on Nissan nudgebar used to shimmy and shake on the drive in. Hardly a good sign, and in my experience off road driving, evidence that the light is vibrating in relation to the chassis - the mount on which the light sits is not strong enough to prevent the light moving. Since fitting the bullbar, that same track and the shake in the lights has completely disappeared.

Sure, a nudgebar may save a bump or scrape in a carpark - and if that's what you need, then fantastic. But it will only prevent scratches etc in the centre area - anything off-centre will still hit the bumper. But some of us need something more substantial than that.

Perhaps I should have said "in my experience, their usefulness is debateable for anything more than light duty excursions off road".

My offroad experience isn't an issue, I've driven many things into many places that I shouldn't have, some were even deliberate. Due to where I live I've spent years driving on rough roads with potholes and water ruts taking up the entire road and running in several different directions at the same time. Is this the same experience as driving up Ayers Rock and down the other side, maybe not but water ruts and pot holes vibrate the crap out of everything yet I've never broken a light.

I put the nudge bar on my Nav purely to hold driving lights and while they shake on a rutted road they aren't falling apart as you seem to suggest they do. I'm sure there are many people who have had driving lights break because of vibrating but suggesting this only happens or even happens more frequently on nudge bars is just not true.

I totally agree that a poorly designed bullbar will cause more problems than a good one, which is why I've never trusted a factory built bullbar, when we build it we know it works. But the way my nudge bar is mounted (and it's genuine) is more than adequate for keeping the driving lights in one piece but I also know that it's not there for deflecting things off. Anyone who does put a bar like that on their car's thinking they will stop something obviously doesn't understand the meaning of nudge.

Being an alloy bar, it's not even rated to nudge those pesky pedestrians off the footpath when you're trying to get around a busy intersection in Sydney unless you're travelling below 60km/h.

Nah for those sort of things you need a snow plow blade that pushes them up and rolls them over onto the side of the road. It's a public service, it helps them get where they want to be and means you don't have to slow down.

Back on topic, which is better - an alloy nudge bar or a polish stainless steel one?

Alloys crumple very easily, but they're light and relatively inexpensive.

Stainless are heavy, expensive ... it's a balance. Were you looking to nudge things with it or just mount lights on it and go for the look? That's what I'd be considering if I were making the decision.

I think thats purely a preference thing. Both are going to do exactly the same job, so as far as I'm concerned it's more about which look you are wanting. To me it makes no difference as the nudge bar is just there to hold lights, I doubt very much if I'll ever polish it or make it shine, it will get cleaned the same way the rest of the car does, rarely.

Old.Tony said:

Alloys crumple very easily, but they're light and relatively inexpensive.

Stainless are heavy, expensive ... it's a balance. Were you looking to nudge things with it or just mount lights on it and go for the look? That's what I'd be considering if I were making the decision.

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The Nudge bar is not on the Nav to Nudge 'living' things. It's more of a protection for the car when the misses takes it out and "accidently" decides to nudge another vehicle or two from behind.
It's also for the looks as well. Don't know about other ladies out there with hubbies that drives a ute, but my misses likes the Nav more than I do! Furthermore, she wants it to look as mean as possible - that's why she went with the black colour and insists on 20% tint all around and nudge bar. If it was legal to have Nudge bars with teeth, I think my misses will be first in line at the shop door.
The funny thing is that we bought the Nav cos she wanted a practical working car that can also double as a camping vehicle. So I suggested to get a canopy for the Nav since a canopy makes it very practical for both work and camping. But the 'boss' reckons that a canopy makes the Nav look too 4wd-ish and that it requires the removal of the sports bar which then takes away the mean look of the Nav, so she doesn't want it and she doesn't want me to mention it ever again.
Considering she's pretty small in stature -around 160cm and slim, I think she's trying to compensate with the Nav...

I still reckon anyone purchasing any bar with the thought that it's going to stop their car from being damaged in anything other than a low speed collision is not being honest with themselves.

Bullbars might deflect somethings but quite often do just as much damage to the vehicle as the object struck because they bend back on the panel work and punch it in. I've had alloy bars on trucks and I've had steel bars that we've made on trucks but when you hit a big red or worse still 9 cows on a blind corner at 90 ks even solid steel bends out of the way and there isn't many places for it too go other than on to panel work.

Bullbars can save the passengers some pain but with all the roos around here we used to keep the panel beaters and welders in work with all the damage we'd have to bullbars and panels alike. If you drive to the conditions (something that we probably should have learnt in company trucks) yes bullbars can be something other than light holders but you can't afford to think they are the saviour.

In my experience, the purpose of a bullbar isn't to totally prevent damage - that's all but impossible to do. It is there to hopefully keep the vitals of the vehicle (cooling system etc) intact in the event of an animal strike so that the vehicle can remain drivable, and you can get to civilisation without the need for being rescued.

Also serves as a very handy place to mount a winch for recovery purposes.

The sad reality is though, you hit enough of it in the right spot and your either pulling bits of bullbar or bits of roo from your radiator, most bars are good at dissecting which often leaves more mess than the dents.

For someone that does a lot of night traveling on country roads I wouldn't dare suggest not having a bullbar, preferably a steel one (which does add weight), but at the same time I also know and understand they aren't necessarily going to stop damage or the messy clean up

If ya just want to fit some sort of extra lights you can buy those pissy little chrome bars they sell at autobarn or super crap auto, they just bolt onto your number plate bracket i think. Although it would be absolutely useless for anything else.

SOLID D22 said:

If ya just want to fit some sort of extra lights you can buy those pissy little chrome bars they sell at autobarn or super crap auto, they just bolt onto your number plate bracket i think. Although it would be absolutely useless for anything else.

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I had one of those on my Subaru, was mounted into plastic with fat screws, used to shake like crap, never blew a globe or broke lights but it worked for exactly what it was meant for. Not sure I'd have wanted more than 150's on it though.

I had a nudge bar on my rodeo & it did exactly what I wanted it too. -Stopped the jews from smashing up the front of my car in carparks-. Was amazing how much of a wide berth they'd give it when it was on, i assume because they think they'll damage their own car.
Don't have one on my Nav and have copped a few knocks in a short space of time but i'm saving for a bullbar.
Funny how my '86 hilux shitbox didn't get one touch though

I'm starting to think I understand the terms.

The nudge bar is to avoid people from giving your car a minor shunt in a parking lot.

The roo bar is to stop safety activists from being hopping mad about sharp protrusions on the front of the vehicle

The bull bar is where I get to sit and tell tall tales from.

And now begins the formation of my very own 4WD dictionary.

Old.Tony said:

I'm starting to think I understand the terms.

The nudge bar is to avoid people from giving your car a minor shunt in a parking lot.

The roo bar is to stop safety activists from being hopping mad about sharp protrusions on the front of the vehicle

The bull bar is where I get to sit and tell tall tales from.

And now begins the formation of my very own 4WD dictionary.

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And the only time your vehicle will never get scratched or dented is when it's a shitbox to begin with