these are all inherant problems you face when dd'ing you wheeling rig. if it bothers you, get a safer dd, and save the zu for the trails.

for those of us driving older vehicles, we are VERY far behind current safety standards. so i look at it like this, if I get rear ended, my big steel bumper will possibly keep that vehicle from smashing/rupturing my gas tank and setting me on fire. if there vehicle gets a little more banged up or i get bruises across my chest and whiplash, hey, beats roasting alive.

I'm a little more hesitant to put a big bumper on the front, because 9 times out of 10, anything that would involve it would be MY fault and the bumper would make things much worse for the other person.

BUT (in the case of a frontal collision) it may keep my engine from coming thru the firewall and crushing my legs and possibly paralyzing me.

trade-offs. your best bet is to save the zu for the trail and buy a honda (from me) to drive to work and the grocery store <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />