C4 Fab 10-13 Lo Pro Bumper on 5th Gen 4Runner

C4 Fab 10-13 Lo Pro Front Bumper in Steel-It Finish w/ Smittybilt X20 Winch & SLDX 25” Light Bar:  Overview & Review For the 5th Gen 4Runner

If you own a 2010-2013 5th generation 4Runner, you know full well the front-end options are fairly limited.

Lots of aftermarket manufacturers make bumpers for the “pre-facelift” models, but more often than not, they’re complete bumper replacements.

Or, they’re ugly.  Style, configuration, and most importantly, weight, are all factors if you go down the full replacement path.

Let’s be honest though; it’s beyond frustrating that our 14+ friends have all the options in the world. Hell, you may have even considered a front-end conversion just to get in on the action!

Well, C4 Fabrication is helping to bridge that gap.  After constant badgering and maybe the occasional death threat, they agreed to start an “interest” poll from fans and owners alike on a pre-facelift lo pro option.  Social media started buzzing almost instantly and now, they officially offer the only 10-13 Lo Pro Bumper on the market!

Find it Online: 

• LoPro for the 10-13 4Runner: Discontinued

2014+ LoPro (Low Profile) Winch Bumper:

• LoPro: Check Price
• LoPro with High Clearance Additions: Check Price
• Winch (Smittybilt X2O): Check Price

PRODUCTS & PRICES

The C4 Lo Pro Bumper: Keeping in line with the other lo pro’s they manufacture, this one comes in at almost $100.00 less than the 14+ models at just $525.00.

Steel-It

C4 does not offer a powder-coated option, so factor in an additional $100 – $150 to have it done professionally.

However, people have been raving about the ease of application, durability and professional finish of Steel-It.

At $31.49 per can, it’s not a bad option and can come in handy down the road for touch-ups.  We had ours powder-coated locally, but this is an alternative to consider.

Or, you could leave it raw, let it rust and just roll Mad Max style!

Where to buy?

• Steel-It: Check Price

Smittybilt X20

Since the bumper was designed to accommodate the use of a winch, you’ll also need to factor that in as well.

For our installation, we went with the Smittybilt X20 Waterproof Synthetic Rope Winch with a 12,000 lb. load capacity.

Amazon is currently listing this model for $528.20, but the prices have jumped a bit over the past few months. Also, the price can vary depending on the load capacity and other options you choose.

Where to buy?

• Smittybilt X20: Check Today’s Price

SLDX 25” Light Bar

C4 offers three single-row LED light bar cut-out options on their site for two different sizes at 20” and 25”.

We found that the 25” single-row light bars were hard to come by, so we went with this cheap SLDX 25” light bar at $57.00 with one we found on Amazon by SLDX.  The sizing wasn’t exactly 25” from the light window end-to-end, but we made it work.

However, C4 offers preferred light bar options from the following:

• Extreme LED
• Baja Designs
• Rigid Industries

Lamin-X LED Light Bar Film

With the difficulty of finding a 25” single-row LED light bar came similar challenges with color.

We went with a 2” x 30” yellow LED film cover by Lamin-X at just $19.95.  This was cut to size with the goal of matching the Baja Design Squadron Pros.  The film came with a DIY install kit including a small utility knife, a spray water bottle for wet applications and a squeegee.

Where to buy?

• Lamin-X Light Bar Film: Check Price

Rhino USA D-Shackles

Rhino USA is a very popular shackle and recovery gear company in the off-roading world, so we went with their black gloss finish 3/4″ D-shackles.

At a break strength of 41,850 and an awesome price at $22.97 for two shackles, these things will likely outlive you and your rig; not to mention, well worth the investment!

We also picked up one of their tree-saver straps at $19.97 (because we care about Mother Nature).

Where to buy?

• Rhino USA D-Shackles: Check Price

Edge Trim

With any body or panel cuts you perform on your rig, you should seriously consider finishing them with edge trim.

Making perfect cuts and straight lines across factory plastic is not for the weak at heart and even with hands like Dr. Strange (pre-accident), the plastic melts and bubbles in spots.

We went with Seal Rubber’s small U-edge trim that contained a bendable metal lining. This was particularly important and beneficial because, for this installation, you’ll need to make every turn in the book to wrap around the bumper cuts.

We went with a 15-foot roll to ensure we had more than enough at a cost of only $11.99.  And well worth the price for a professional finish!

Where to buy?

• Edge Trim: Check Price

Weight

• C4 Lo Pro Bumper: +60 lbs.
• Smittybilt X20 (12k): +63lbs.
• SLDX 25” Light Bar: +5.7 lbs.
• Rhino USA D-Shackles: +4.7 lbs.
• Crash Bar Removal: -40 lbs. (The factory crash bar is 25 lbs., the brackets are around 5lbs. each and the plastics weigh less than 5lbs.)
• Total: 90-100lbs

Regardless of which 4Runner model that you’re installing this on, the aluminum crash bar is completely removed to make way for the lo pro bumper.

Here’s the bottom line: You’re looking at adding roughly 90 – 100 lbs. with a full installation which includes all of the items above and varies depending on the options.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

• Fits 2010-2013 4Runners including Trail, SR5 and Limited models (with cutting required)
• Comes with all mounting brackets and hardware needed for install
• Fits 8k-12k winches (some models with integrated control box may be too tall and will require adjusting the steel power steering cooler line to fit)
• Cutouts in front of bumper allow winch lever access
• 3/4″ thick D-ring shackle points
• Can be ordered with or without cutouts for various LED bars (Baja Designs, Rigid Industries, and Extreme LED) with the option to purchase the appropriate wiring harness
• Option to purchase a Hawse License Place mount
• Works with the TRD Pro skid plate
• ~8-weeks production time

INSTALLATION

An installation video can be found on C4’s website shot by Caleb on a Trail Edition (the man who designed and built the bumper).

Additionally, Steve Pheej Yang did his own installation video covering each step for installing the bumper on Limited model.

It’s important to note that the 10-13 Trail Edition bumper came with a hard plastic cover over the top of the bumper itself.  The cutting of the bumpers varies differently between the Trail and Limited/SR5 models, which both videos cover.

REVIEW

There is no comparison on lo profile winch bumpers on the market for the 2010 – 2013 4Runner models, because there is only one offered. We can honestly say that it really doesn’t matter because C4’s lo pro is a beast!

Over the last year, C4 has been pumping out more product offerings at record speeds and the competition can’t seem to keep up, regardless of whether it’s on an old or late model 4Runner.

They cover Toyota models and generations that other manufacturers stay away from, just like with this bumper.  This writer can specifically say they have gone to every well-known aftermarket manufacturer in this space and was shot down by everyone but C4.

They listened to their customers’, accommodated things to the extent they could in their designs, and stuck true to their word.

And now they offer the only lo pro on the market for the “Pre-Face Lift” 5th Gen 4Runner, or the OG 5th Gen. Can’t thank them enough!