GMC Sierra 1500 Bumpers and Bumper Accessories Explained

This is likely the first thing you’re going to ask yourself. And the answers are:

• Unique Styling
• Added Impact Resistance
• Additional Mounts for accessories
• Grille Protection

There are some obvious reasons these bumpers should find their place on your truck. Work trucks running up and down the pipeline can use aftermarket bumpers for durability and extra lighting.

Similarly, off-road rigs can use this upgrade for busting stumps and overcoming obstacles off the beaten trail. Even show trucks can take advantage of their boasting style to help promote your business or simply reflect your personal tastes.

The style of aftermarket bumpers is likely the most important deciding factor when it comes to making a decision. For GMC Sierras, options are broad, and you have many unique styles to choose from. Even trucks dating back to 2007 have quite a few options available.

In the simplest terms, you will have two major styling types available: heavy duty and tubular. Heavy duty bumpers are made with thick steel. These are meant to take high impact and serve well for utility purposes. They really give your truck a rugged workhorse look.

Tubular bumpers reflect a more off-road oriented design. Their design is meant for better clearance to avoid obstacles as opposed to take them on with blunt force. They also feature steel construction on major components but added pieces like skid plates can be made from aluminum. This is serves as an added benefit of weight savings.

From the factory, GMC Sierras are equipped with sturdy bumpers. But factory bumpers aren’t designed to regularly take impact. This isn’t such a hot feature when the jobsite is over the hill and far away. It may not be ideal when you spend a lot of time in or around wooded areas period.

Stumps, rocks, and even critters bolting in front of you in the middle of the night will eat that factory bumper up fairly quick. If you’re in any scenario where these obstacles are present upgrading is a must. The goal is to avoid these blows as much as possible, but sometimes things happen. You’ll thank yourself for making this decision when they do.

For guys looking to accessorize their trucks for any reason, aftermarket bumpers really pull through when it comes to accessory mounts. Most of these bumpers arrive with mounting location for additional lighting. Cube lights, round lights, light bars…you name it; they all find their homes here.

Some of these bumpers arrive ready to mount winches as well. They won’t look out of place either. The bumpers have recessed winch mounts that tuck the winch out of sight where only the fairlead, which guides the winch cable, is visible. This is also added protection for the winch so you won’t have to worry about ripping it off on a rock.

Heavy duty bumpers are even starting to come with added storage bins. A great use for these bins is as a storage area to keep your recovery equipment. They will be out of the way of passengers in the back and safely stowed away where they can’t be snagged by passing thieves.

Both types of bumpers available on Sierra trucks are equipped with features that would protect the grille. Tubular bumpers are available with a bull bar built right into the frame of the bumper itself as could heavy-duty bumpers.

You may even want to consider this option over a standard bull bar. Standard bull bars mount in place of the factory tow hooks. They have served their purpose over the years, but this mounting style is a bit flimsy in comparison to what comes with aftermarket bumpers.

Aftermarket bumpers mount directly to the vehicle’s existing bumper mounts. When considering the bull bars are built into the bumper themselves, you can see this makes them much more impact resistant.

There are many bumpers available for GMC Sierras. It may be a little confusing when you want to know which bumper will fit your truck best. The first thing to revisit is the reason you think you need an aftermarket bumper.

If you’re looking for impact resistance, you should consider a heavy-duty bumper. This doesn’t mean you need to get the top of the line bumper with all the bells and whistles. You could pick up a typical steel bumper if you want to stick to the basics.

You should also make your decision with the future in mind. If you think you want to eventually put a winch on or some lights it’s not a bad idea to pick up a bumper ready to accept these add-ons. In many cases, what you have is what you have, and you may not be able to upgrade the bumper so plan ahead.

Tubular bumpers best suit the recreational vehicle. The main reason is they don’t accept factory sensors located in the OE bumpers. If clearance is your main concern, these are the bumpers you should reach for when building your Sierra.

For show trucks, you can go wild. Both the front and rear bumpers can be replaced with heavy duty and tubular style bumpers. This keeps the flow going, providing a serious, buttoned up look. The only real obstacle here is you deciding which setup looks best to you.