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-   -   How safe is your roll bar? (http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/all-cobra-talk/100511-how-safe-your-roll-bar.html)

Cobra Lite 10-28-2009 01:24 PM
How safe is your roll bar?
 
For those of you who don't check Jalopnik daily...
Here is a warning for all of us who like to drive "briskly"
No fear, neither the driver nor his passenger were injured, amazingly!

http://jalopnik.com/5390934/mustang-...over-tire-wall

Notice the bolt-in rollbar punched through the floor with the bolt plate and bolts showing. (see photo 8 full size)
Notice the roof and rollbar together did little to protect the people.
Now, how do you get out of the inverted car? Doors won't open.
Add a little leaking fuel and hot engine parts....
Not a good way to go.
I think they crawled out through the trunk after the car was turned back over.

Bolt in roll bars are "Style Bars" if they are bolted to the floor pan. Even the rear bracing will do nothing if the vertical bars give.

Now, how would your car do in a similar situation. Or more important, how would your head do? The very tiny footprint of a single hoop bar impacting dirt with the weight of the car on it will sink in to some degree. The Mustang had already lost all its speed before flopping on the roof as you can see it didn't slide.

Wear a helmet. Pad your rollbar. Drive carefully.

Enjoy life, it is priceless!

BOURRET 10-28-2009 02:05 PM
I alsolutely do not care about the safety of my roll bar. I have one only because I must look officially legal for racing.

Silverback51 10-28-2009 02:21 PM
It's hard to tell for sure, but by one picture it appears that the car did not have a cage. It was a single hoop bar. Not a good situation for a full size car.

TButtrick 10-28-2009 02:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverback51 (Post 996516)
It's hard to tell for sure, but by one picture it appears that the car did not have a cage. It was a single hoop bar. Not a good situation for a full size car.
Look at pic #1. Click on the "Full Size" link under the pic. It has a four point roll bar but as the first post mentions, it punched through the floor in pic #8. Simply not a good roll bar install from the get-go.

Silverback51 10-28-2009 03:45 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TButtrick (Post 996521)
Look at pic #1. Click on the "Full Size" link under the pic. It has a four point roll bar but as the first post mentions, it punched through the floor in pic #8. Simply not a good roll bar install from the get-go.
I still think I'm right. When I look at picture 1, I do not see any cage structure running down the A pillar. And in picture 8, the only thing I see punched through the floor is the hoop. Nothing up front.

rustyBob 10-28-2009 06:59 PM
Who was the "official" that inspected that car?
he shouldnt have been on the track to begin with.........

Double Venom 10-28-2009 06:59 PM
Silverback51,
I have to agree, that is NO cage. A simple 4-point "mail order" from Jegs or Summit maybe, but no way is it a "cage". Point 1 as mentioned, no A-pillar bar, point B no horizontal side bar from front to back, C no diagonal bars for either side. Nothing showing through the rest of the car bottom. If there was a cage it had to be the weakest cage possible!
DV

DAVID GAGNARD 10-28-2009 07:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rustyBob (Post 996592)
Who was the "official" that inspected that car?
he shouldnt have been on the track to begin with.........

I've run at Hallet a few times and this is one of the most difficult tracks to run on!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not a good place for a novice to learn on!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:
I have to agree, that is NO cage. A simple 4-point "mail order" from Jegs or Summit maybe, but no way is it a "cage". Point 1 as mentioned, no A-pillar bar, point B no horizontal side bar from front to back, C no diagonal bars for either side. Nothing showing through the rest of the car bottom. If there was a cage it had to be the weakest cage possible!
looks like a simple/el-cheapo hoop behind the driver, with maybe 2 bars running to the rear, definetly bolt in and not bolted-in correctly......Not even close to anything a car like this should have in it!!!!!!!!!! This type of car should have nothing less than a professional 8 pt. cage in it..........

David

fastraxsg 10-28-2009 07:45 PM
Bet there are some sponsors out there that are wishing they hadn't signed on to this project.....

LoBelly 10-28-2009 08:25 PM
I was reading the comments below the article

nice to know that spontaneous outbreaks of Python can still be relied upon.

LoBelly

Rwillia4 10-28-2009 09:22 PM
I like the last pic with the bumper sticker "look better, go faster" ...it should read "look better, brake sooner"

Ralphy 10-28-2009 09:32 PM
The bar surely did not do it's job. But it also looks as if the tire barrier is what launched the car, not being high enough. Bet that got changed.

Ralphy

TButtrick 10-29-2009 03:34 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverback51 (Post 996534)
I still think I'm right. When I look at picture 1, I do not see any cage structure running down the A pillar. And in picture 8, the only thing I see punched through the floor is the hoop. Nothing up front.
Agreed. Nothing up front. Thought you were implying a two point bar.

Fordzilla 10-29-2009 05:11 AM
Agreed, It did not have a proper cage. Even a mild steel full cage would have supported this car no problem. I run a heavily modified 69 Mustang Pro-Street Drag car. A full cage is a must. I have the whole car tied together. Can't skimp on safety.

Rwillia4 10-29-2009 01:13 PM
I wonder if the installer had extra parts once he was done. Maybe some 4"x4" mounting plates or brackets to tie into the B-piller area. ...jacka$$

Cobra Lite 10-29-2009 05:53 PM
Autopower
 
In the article feature of his Mustang it lists an Autopower Rollbar.
Probably the first one on the Autopower Page: http://www.autopowerindustries.com/rollbars.asp
The "Street Roll Bar"
Or perhaps the "STREET-SPORT ROLL BAR" as they say designed for street use.
Since he lists harnesses in his description, the street-sport would give him attachment points.

Notice how TINY the base plates are! Real strong guys.
Nothing to bolt to the side sills for strength either.

And! the main hoop (er, only hoop) is PRE-BENT for you! I am sure the side bends are to give more interior room for the seats but I can just see those as the weak points that allowed the bar to bend as it was punching through the floor.

Scary "Roll Bar" in any case. Don't trust your head to this! :eek:


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