Single or Dual Roll Bars

[AL427SBF]

FYI, U.S. law requires that the windshield frame on convertibles be able to support the weight of the car - why is that?

A quick look at sport convertibles (like Miata's, BMW Z4/Z6, Porsche Boxer, Cooper Mini's etc.) shows most have factory installed dual roll bars - why is that?

There's a track day event and you decide to go, no roll bar so you can't play - why is that?

Some tracks require instructor seat time 1st, no passenger roll bar, go home - why is that?

According to some, roll bars have nothing to do with safety (or increasing a level of safety), but I can't connect the dots as to why so they need to elaborate a little more. Why are these dual roll bars so popular on many sports cars, a factory installed item, and required for recreational track days?

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

FYI, U.S. law requires that the windshield frame on convertibles be able to support the weight of the car - why is that?

A quick look at sport convertibles (like Miata's, BMW Z4/Z6, Porsche Boxer, Cooper Mini's etc.) shows most have factory installed dual roll bars - why is that?

There's a track day event and you decide to go, no roll bar so you can't play - why is that?

Some tracks require instructor seat time 1st, no passenger roll bar, go home - why is that?

According to some, roll bars have nothing to do with safety (or increasing a level of safety), but I can't connect the dots as to why so they need to elaborate a little more. Why are these dual roll bars so popular on many sports cars, a factory installed item, and required for recreational track days?

A Porsche 911 and Corvette do not. Are they unsafe cars? In fact, many manufacturers have moved to retractable hardtops for increased safety.

Do you see any open cockpits in NASCAR or the Nationwide series of racing?

Roll overs represent a very small fraction of auto accidents. The overwhelming majority of accidents are side, front or rear impact. In general, Cobras offer ZIPPO in those areas. No ABS, no crush zones, no air bags, no 5-star safety rating, no modern engineered reinforced structure that modern cars offer.

Dual roll bars in a Cobra are about as useful in those instances as a single roll bar. Zero.

You and your passengers are more likely to die from heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia/Alzheimer's, etc. than a roll over accident in a Cobra. Do you and your passengers take care of your bodies with a proper diet and exercise? Do you tell your wife and kids to put the fork down and get to the gym? Do you and your passengers get screened for various ailments, diseases, etc.?

I'm talking about perspective. However, as I mentioned before, if the dual roll bar helps you and your passengers feel better psychologically, satisfies you and your passenger's emotional need for safety, and makes you sleep easier, then the dual roll bars have done their job.

Love your wife? Come on. Seriously? That's a load of hypocritical crap. Personally, I'd focus on a proper lifetime diet, rigorous exercise, medical screening, life insurance, a will and trust, putting money away for retirement and saving for your kid's education. And buy a 5-star crash-tested modern car. That will keep you, your wife and your kids "safer."

[AL427SBF]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

A Porsche 911 and Corvette do not. Are they unsafe cars? In fact, many manufacturers have moved to retractable hardtops for increased safety.

Do you see any open cockpits in NASCAR or the Nationwide series of racing? ...

David Caldwell of Chevrolet on the Corvette -
"The car is amazingly strong" says Caldwell of the 2005 convertible. "The vehicle structure comes mainly from the center tunnel, which is intgral to the chassis. The aluminum windshield frame is very strong and, God forbid, if the car were involved in a rollover, the windshield frame would support the vehicle. We do not need the additional pyrotechniques found in other cars where a rollbar pops out of the back or some other safety system is required."

Porsche 911 Cabriolet, Mfg Info -
"A Rollover Protection System installed behind the rear seats is extended within fractions of a second if forces indicating the possibility of certain types of accidents are detected. The Rollover Protection System consists of two extendable assemblies which, together with the windshield frame, help maintain the space around the normal occupant seating positions, if the vehicle rolls over."

This discussion has to do with roadsters, hardtops were never on the table lol.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

This discussion has to do with roadsters, hardtops were never on the table lol.

This discussion has to do with the love of your wife, kids and other passengers. And that discussion ends when you buy, drive and race a 5-star crash tested 2014 hardtop. It's far safer for you and your loved ones. Anything else is just an illusion, or even delusion, of safety.

And I might add, flu shots, pre-diabetes testing, cholesterol screening, PSA's, Mammography, Colonoscopy, Pap smears and yearly dental and medical checkups, proper diet and exercise, are all an excellent start in lengthening the lives of you and your family. Because based upon statistics, in all likelihood, death will occur from one of many medical issues. Not from roll over accidents in a Cobra with zero, one or two roll bars.

[ERA2076]

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

FYI, U.S. law requires that the windshield frame on convertibles be able to support the weight of the car - why is that?

A quick look at sport convertibles (like Miata's, BMW Z4/Z6, Porsche Boxer, Cooper Mini's etc.) shows most have factory installed dual roll bars - why is that?

There's a track day event and you decide to go, no roll bar so you can't play - why is that?

Some tracks require instructor seat time 1st, no passenger roll bar, go home - why is that?

According to some, roll bars have nothing to do with safety (or increasing a level of safety), but I can't connect the dots as to why so they need to elaborate a little more. Why are these dual roll bars so popular on many sports cars, a factory installed item, and required for recreational track days?

Because it is not enough for your neighbor to run his own life - he has an undying, insatiable appetite to run yours.

chr

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by AL427SBF

FYI, U.S. law requires that the windshield frame on convertibles be able to support the weight of the car - why is that?

A quick look at sport convertibles (like Miata's, BMW Z4/Z6, Porsche Boxer, Cooper Mini's etc.) shows most have factory installed dual roll bars - why is that?

There's a track day event and you decide to go, no roll bar so you can't play - why is that?

Some tracks require instructor seat time 1st, no passenger roll bar, go home - why is that?

According to some, roll bars have nothing to do with safety (or increasing a level of safety), but I can't connect the dots as to why so they need to elaborate a little more. Why are these dual roll bars so popular on many sports cars, a factory installed item, and required for recreational track days?

I think you might need to do some research. Convertibles are exempt from this law.

Standard No. 216; Roof crush resistance; Applicable unless a vehicle is certified to 571.216a. - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Standard No. 216a; Roof crush resistance; Upgraded standard. - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Also, Europe really has no standard either. Certain manufacturers, like the ones you listed, have taken it upon themselves to create a rollbar type of safety device, but they are still not int he same league as a true rollbar. Most were tested by turning the car upside down and letting it rest on these supports. If you were moving down the road at 60 mph and the car flipped, all bets are off.

The fact is simple: If you are in a car without a roof or a full cage and it rolls over, you will probably die.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

The fact is simple: If you are in a car without a roof or a full cage and it rolls over, you will probably die.

Uhhh, do you mean "die as a result of the roll over"? ... or just that you will eventually die?

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by patrickt

Uhhh, do you mean "die as a result of the roll over"? ... or just that you will eventually die?

Both actually!

[AL427SBF]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

Both actually!

Oh Sh!t, patrickt has more than 1 life.