Bestop HighRock 4x4 Narrow Front Bumper

Mar. 20, 2012 By Josh Burns, Photos by Josh Burns and Jaime Hernandez

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Bestop’s line of HighRock front and rear bumpers has been a popular upgrade for Jeep Wrangler owners. The newest addition to the line is a narrow-style version of the HighRock 4x4 front bumper designed to provide more vehicle clearance for Wranglers when on challenging terrain.

Featuring tapered ends for improved obstacle and rock clearance, Wrangler owners with oversized tires will appreciate the design of the new bumper. Rock-crawlers will especially appreciate the bumper design that helps reduce hang-up possibility on rocky ledges and large boulders.

The stock Jeep bumper first needs to be removed.

Next the stock fog lamp wiring is removed before the bumper comes off.

The narrow version of Bestop HighRock 4x4 front bumper is constructed of 3/16” laser-cut steel. It features sturdy D-ring mounts that are MIG welded to the angled front of the bumper. The bumper is E-coated and finished with a black power coat, and it comes with a winch plate designed to fit most winches. The bumper doesn’t come standard with the optional Tubular Grill Guard (which we opted for), but it does come with adapters to mount it on the narrow bumper.

Using a socket wrench, we removed the large hex bolts mounting the stock bumper to the frame.

Remove the front bumper completely. Be sure to keep track of the hex bolts removed, as they will be needed for the new Bestop bumper.

Remove the Jeep cover, which is held in by two bolts (shown on inset) on each side that hold on the cover.

The narrow HighRock 4x4 bumper is available for both JK and TJ Jeep Wrangler models. When it came time to install it on our TJ, there’s really not much to it. It utilizes the stock bolts, and it pretty much fits with no modification needed – it’s a plug-and-play bumper. We also like that the tubular grill guard features pre-drilled holes for adding additional off-road lights in the future (which we plan to do). We also will need to remove the bumper for proper installation when we add a winch, but that will also be a quick process.

The Bestop HighRock 4x4 narrow front bumper comes with a winch plate and adapters for the tubular grill guard (an optional accessory).

Using the stock bolts, the Bestop HighRock 4x4 Narrow bumper installs with relative ease – it’s a little heavy, so an extra set of hands could make install a little easier.

The tubular grill guard provides some added protection while also adding a mounting location for additional off-road lights.

When attaching the tubular grill guard, note the plastic puck placement that helps the grill guard properly sit on the HighRock narrow bumper.

Overall, we’re happy with the fit-and-finish of the narrow HighRock 4x4 and the ease of its installation. It provides plenty of extra clearance. Even though we only have 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2s on our TJ, if we move up tire size to 35s or 37s there will be no issues with clearance.