Rollbars

[Billybig]

Afternoon,

Had my Chim since May now and while its great fun never really get to hammer it on the open road so I want to do a track day. Looking on the PalmerSport Bedford site I see that they only allow soft tops on with roll bars. I have seen a chimaera with them on but where can I get them from and just as importantly how much?

Cheers

Will

£862 fitted at Tower View anyone beat that for cost?

>>> Edited by Billybig on Friday 19th November 15:24

[FunkyGibbon]

I've got the Rollcentre bar. See this thread...

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=28193&f=13&h=0&p=1

[Billybig]

Cheers FG,

Do you know if any track days are permitted without one?

[longjon]

Also, whilst this is up (have been thinking about it a bit too) are these removable, ie can you get temporary ones that you can put in for trackdays, or do they become a permanent fixture of the car?

[shpub]

If they are to do their job correctly they need to be secure. They can be removed but it is usually fit and forget.

www.t-v-r-services.co.uk for the roll centre bar.

[jellison]

They know how to charge! The bar is less than 300 quid from rollcentre. They are very narrow looking from behind and can obsure rear vision. For that dosh you can get a custom one made from a one of specialist rollcage people.

[shpub]

As virtually all of the other designs put the bar next to your head so in the advent of almost any accident, the combination of whiplash and a steel bar is like clubbing yourself with a baseball bat... I'm not totally convinced that many actually know what they are doing. They look great, probably cheaper but more likley to damage you in an accident so probably not a great bargain.

As for pricing, special mounts and jigs had to be made for the roll bar because it can't be welded directly to the body/chassis which is why the costs are higher than a standard weld in hoop. Fitting is not trivial and quite labour intensive.

This has been covered so many times, just go through the threads before making any conclusions.







>> Edited by shpub on Saturday 20th November 07:35

[jellison]

I'm not knocking the bar as such - ha, I got one within weeks of getting a chim. As all mountings on the shelf though the bar can't be as stiff as one with wider angle from the main hoop and the rear bars. Gonna get a stiffer custom one next time.

[spend]

For my 2p worth, it seems the factory style rollbar creates the largest box section possible (within the confines of the body/roof), which I believe is most important for stiffening/strengthening the chassis. There may be problems with head clearance, but it certainly seems to give more side protection - which to be honest is what I would be most concerned about.

Correctly adjusting seat & pedals makes the bar un-noticeable - at first I was always hitting it with my head, but now I dont even notice it. If you are worried about the "baseball bat effect" think about the roof hoop being splintered and smashed into you! As for it being cosmetic only, it seems pretty strong to me - and certainly better than nothing at all.

Dave

[harrow_chim]

I have been on a trackday at Bedford autodrome in my Chimaera without a rollbar. I think that if you read the smallprint in the Bedford blurb it says open top cars "should have" a rollbar not "must have". It's a great facility but a bit on the pricey side with a limited number of dates. I think there's more about it in the trackday forum.

Nick

[M@H]

Billybig said:

Cheers FG, Do you know if any track days are permitted without one?

Bookatrack don't have a requirement for a rollbar, just a helmet. I've done Anglessey and Llandow circuits with them in the past with no Rollbar (or Db Tests ).

Cheers
Matt

[griffter]

jellison said:

I'm not knocking the bar as such - ha, I got one within weeks of getting a chim. As all mountings on the shelf though the bar can't be as stiff as one with wider angle from the main hoop and the rear bars. Gonna get a stiffer custom one next time.

Do you really want to stiffen up your outriggers? I think stiffening the rear section of the chassis, to which the rollcentre bar bolts (albeit onto the outrigger diagonals) is more important - a wider bridge isn't necessarily a stiffer bridge (in fact it's usually less stiff). Also more important is a proper fixing (ie four bolts/clamp) than a single bolt through the rollbar 'foot' into the seatbelt mount. And how rusty are your outriggers?...

I think you bought the right bar first time

(I just wish Tower View would sell it for DIY fitment)

>> Edited by griffter on Tuesday 23 November 13:09

[RichB]

Billybig said:

Looking on the PalmerSport Bedford site I see that they only allow soft tops on with roll bars.

My Griffith at Bedford without a rollover-bar Rich...

[jellison]

The bar is good but the fitted cost bear no relation to the cost of the bar - none.

[Graham]

jellison said:

The bar is good but the fitted cost bear no relation to the cost of the bar - none.

Isnt that a bit like saying a bit Autocad should only be the cost of the cd... the money is all in the development...

I've got a towerview/rollcentre bar and inho it was well worth it...

I do get the noise of the fuel pump transmitted into the car now though and will have to insulate it somehow

G

[pigpen]

When last at the Oulton trackday there was a chap doing a bit of market survey work for a new roll bar and it looked very very good. I thought I saw it mentioned in passing on here the other day - not sure if his name is Quinny or something like that. IIRC he was talking about £400-£450 covered & fitted. I was interested but have seen nothing from him on here since.

Mike

[jellison]

No the mounting points are there in the later models and should not take a competent garage long to fit the small rear mounted bar if that is what you choose.

It is not rocket science! (Having had one I know I could have fitted it in an afternoon - and not put small holes in my rear screen with all the upp'ing and downing of the hood / screen. My last one on this - getting it done properly next time.

[shpub]

pigpen said:

When last at the Oulton trackday there was a chap doing a bit of market survey work for a new roll bar and it looked very very good. I thought I saw it mentioned in passing on here the other day - not sure if his name is Quinny or something like that. IIRC he was talking about £400-£450 covered & fitted. I was interested but have seen nothing from him on here since. Mike

The reason was liability insurance and the fact that his design had the same baseball club problem that most of the others have. It is a real difficult problem to solve because there is virtually no space.