Roll bar, yay or nay?

[pbirkett]

I'm contemplating a roll bar for my Eunos... but I thought I'd post here as I guess this could apply to any rag top...

Now, I've never actually rolled or even crashed a car yet, but anything is possible, and I do like to hoon it.

I would imagine if I ever rolled the car without a roll bar, and I had the roof down (or even up), then I dare say it would snap my neck in two?

However, I did read the odd comment that unless you are wearing harnesses then it wouldn't help all that much, is that true?

I do like the look, I actually prefer the look of a proper roll bar to a style bar, and if something is going to be there, it may as well have a purpose I think.

So, do I pull the trigger on one? I could do without spending the money, but on the other side, if its a good safety device then its a no brainer, and seeing as the car primarily gets used for hooning, then it could be a worthwhile buy + I do like the look. However, if I need to wear harnesses, then there's no way as I'll not be replacing the recaros.

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Seez said:

Nay

Why not?

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Parrot of Doom said:

If you roll it, yes you're going to get squished. The chances of you rolling a car are quite small, however you only have to watch that video of the the woman driving into the gate to see how easily a car can be rolled.

What about roll hoops - so long as they're structural, they might look a little bit nicer than a ruddy great bit of tube.

The hoops are generally classed as "style" bars, and are not (officially) a safety measure... although I've heard reports that they have helped in some cases...

Oddly, I don't mind the look of a roll bar. In a way, it would kind of toughen up the appearance of the car, which I don't mind at all.

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The Wookie said:

If it's a proper, structural, welded in jobbie then a mitigated yes.

If it's close to your head, bear in mind that it could quite easily give you a head injury that you wouldn't have had if it wasn't there. If it's not a proper item, then you've got that disadvantage along with the fact it will most likely collapse if you do manage to turn it over.

If you're a keen driver and like a good hoon down a back road, then I'd say on balance it's worth having. If you're just a tootler who never gets near the limits, then it's more likely to cause you injury than save you

Something like this is what I was thinking of

http://www.trlane.co.uk/mx5_rollbars/

It secures to the seatbelt turrets and then to the car body behind the seats.

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Seez said:

I would say nay unless you are racing it? Surely driving on the road doesnt require a roll bar and I would say it might impact the value of your car if it isnt done right.

If you are that worried about it, maybe it isnt the car for you.

Plus as you say you are not overly keen to spend the wonga on it.

As Homer Simpson once said:

"you wouldn't have thought I could have put a price on me and my family's safety, but here we are..."

Well not racing it, but I do like to make progress down twisty roads.

Twisty roads can have all manner of things to catch you out, such as slippery mud left by a tractor on a corner, loose gravel etc. I imagine if you inadvertently end up sideways and hit a kerb you could easily roll it.

To be fair, I tend to give myself a good margin of error on corners, so I do see what you're saying - I never drive at the limit on a corner, but even so, I've heard of folks who have still managed to roll a car without driving at the limit.

Its all about getting opinions, and making an informed choice, so I thank you for yours

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SClarke said:

I guess it will depend a bit on how far away from your head it will be. Since you are far more likely to have a front/side/rear impact than roll your car the potential for smashing your head in on a solid piece of tube placed conveniently behind you would seem to warrant serious consideration. I have a rollcage in one of my cars but I always have a helmet on when I drive it so the risks are different than yours.

HTH

Thats a good point... and I know some have complained that the roll bar can end up very near your head, I guess it depends on the particular rollbar...

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varsas said:

Might want to discuss this with your insurance company. Anecodal evidence suggests insurance companies/police don't like roll cages in road cars (roll bars are probably a different matter.)

I wouldn't drive a roll cage equipped car without a helmet.

Yes, being taken up the oxo tower by the insurance company was a concern.

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The Wookie said:

Like I said though, it's a balance. For example pay attention how close the bar is to the side of the head rest! If you get hit hard up the back, you could quite easily biff that

I think its possible it might have been that very bar that someone complained was too close to their head over on nutz.

I imagine headbutting it would hurt. A lot.

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GravelBen said:

Yes from me, I've got one But I'd say no to a full cage if anyone suggests that.

Mine is a 4-point bolt-in job, main hoop mounts to the floor behind rear seats and stays go back to the chassis rails just in front of the rear struts.

It also tightens up the chassis quite noticeably which is nice

Which one do you have?

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The Wookie said:

pbirkett said:

To be fair, I tend to give myself a good margin of error on corners, so I do see what you're saying - I never drive at the limit on a corner, but even so, I've heard of folks who have still managed to roll a car without driving at the limit.

You can easily think too much about it, but you've just got to go with the balance of probability

So does that mean you think I should or shouldn't?

I suppose its quite unlikely to happen, but certainly not impossible.

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Munter said:

For those wondering how strong the MX5 screen is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGHzyNJ3-kI

Thats actually quite disturbing

@ JR - thanks for the post... these posts have certainly put me off a bit.

I think if anything, I think I'd go for a strong hoop style bar which I couldn't headbutt or a strong style bar... or perhaps just try not to roll it

[pbirkett]

Right, this has been an interesting debate, and certainly there seems to be an argument each way for going for one.

Personally, I'm kind of on the side of getting one at the moment, but only provided it is well enough designed so that it is not too close to my head, had it not been for this thread, it is something that may not have occurred to me before.

It does seem like some designs will keep the bar far enough away so that may not be an issue.

To the guy asking about the Recaros, my Recaros are kevlar fixed buckets so the seats wont bend back as I can't adjust them anyway, so I reckon the seats would be safe.