Roll Bar Comments

[Goose]

I just added a passenger roll bar to my SPF order and am questioning the decision. So, I'm looking for some comments/facts about the addition of this item. My wife, of course, outranks everyone and thinks that it should be there but I would like to know if the reasoning is correct.

I really don't intend on putting the car in a position to roll over, especially with a passenger, but anything can happen in an accident. I've heard various comments about the rollover benefit of these types of roll bars; in my opinion, they have to provide some additional margin of safety.

Our largest concern is regarding a rear end collision where one has no head rest to prevent the inevitable head snap backwards. We saw some head rests on a car at Carlisle that attached to the roll bar. Will this provide any safety benefit? If so, then the roll bars definitely stay and I'll need to know where to purchase them. (High-back seats are not a consideration for me).

Finally, from certain angles the two roll bars do not look correct, from others it looks perfectly natural to me. However, I can't help but wonder if it will detract from the future value of the vehicle?

I'm not looking to start any arguments with the subject, just some honest opinions/experiences/informational facts/...

Thanks,
Gus

[CowtownCobra]

I like the single full width roll bar, instead of double hoops. The single hoop is nearly the most identifiable feature of a cobra, so changing from it was not easy. When 2 single hoops are used, I think the car just looks too busy. I am still building my car, and have modified the chassis for a full width type of bar.

Just my $0.02 worth...

[Edley Rondinone]

MOST Cobras have only the driver's roll bar. Yours has two, which helps it stand out from the rest of the Cobras. I saw a picture of a Cobra with two roll bars, and thought it looked nice. I discussed the second rollbar with my cruise nite cohort, and he mentioned the BMW Z3 and Z4 (ugh!) have TWO roll bars, as well as the Audi TT convertible. I think they look neat; however, I like the look of the single bar on MY car. I also think that whatever YOU like at the moment, with the two rollbars, is what you should be concerned with. Drive the Cobra, be happy, and not worry about a small, if any, investment "loss" in the future. JMHO! Enjoy!!

[SCOBRAC]

I was with Turk on a shake down run in his new Shelby.. If I had a roll bar behind me every time he hit the gas I would have gotten whacked.. Be careful and let Mrs. Goose know before you switch in the hyper drive..

[G.R.]

Still considering having one retroed on our SPF--- I like the "classic" look of the single hoop but the originals were "race" cars driven by one driver, no passenger. I always feel a little uncomfortable when I ride "shotgun" with no hoop over my head

[Yeah758]

Here is a link to the info about the headrests.

[headrest info

[HighPlainsDrifter]

Gus,
Take a look at my gallery, there's a pic of my 6 point rollbar with headrests. I had an upholstry shop make up the matching padded headrests. The wife loves them, no more whiplash. If you have kept up with the cobra deaths posted on this forum, you'll see that the cause in the majority of them is because the driver and/or passenger has broken their necks or been ejected out of the car because the seatbelts are worn/installed incorrectly.
Oh yeah, why would you care what replica car guys think, it's your life!
Perry.

[oleyellar]

You ask for opinions..........
If you want a safe cobra, buy volvo and paint a snake on the door. These cars were built in the 60's to go fast. They were built when men were men and sheep were scared. No one, not even Carol built these cars with the thought in mind, Gee, what would happen to the driver in a rear end collision. That was of no concern. Remeber race car drivers were dieing regularly in the sixties. Driver Safety was second or third on the list.
People complain that the NHRA won't let these replicas run at a sanctioned track, would you if your livelyhood depended on a cobra owner building a safe car or better yet knowing how to drive it. Look at the death rate in the last year on this forum alone. The only "safe" replica I have ever seen was the PPG Superformance pace car that CART used in 98 or 99. The car was mandated to have a full cage installed with halo bars and everything. It looked a lot like a race car, not a street driven cobra replica. It was a real pain to get in and out of. Look what FFR had to do to get the spec racer to pass tech at NASA events. Original cars had roll hoops / bars, not the greatest, but that is what they did for the times. Look original, drive defensively and responsibly, and take your chances. Or go to the NTSB highway safety blah blah blah.gov and check out which car has the 25 star insurance crash rating and get one. Totally safe cobra is like an SUV with giant mudders and a 6 inch lift kit and the owner is surprised because it tipped over...........I smell a law suite, let's sue somebody!!!!!!
Sorry, I got carried away.... I'm done

[CRZN427]

I had a full width roll bar on my old LAE and liked it just fine. That allowed me to make a clear plastic panel that mounted inside the roll bar which did a great job of eliminating the "back draft" generated by the windshield.

I am in the process of building my new FFR and it also will have a full width roll bar.

I don't plan on ever needing the roll bar to do its designated job, but there are a lot of things in life that I didn't plan on that happened anyway.

If one of the unforseen events should ever come my way I want to be as safe as I can and I want continue to share my life and future experiences with my wife who will most likely be with me at the time.

I only drive on streets and roads, no track work, so I may not need the full protection as much as the competetor, but I would not be without it.

The affect on resale or the opinion of others is worth talking about but not having the protection is not an option for me.

[BILL WARREN]

HAS ANYONE ADDED A ROLL BAR TO AN SPF LATER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE? AND IF SO WHO DID IT AND WHAT WAS THE COST????????? I AM THINKING ABOUT DOING THAT AT THIS TIME.

[Mr.Fixit]

You ask for opinions..........
If you want a safe cobra, buy volvo and paint a snake on the door.

I prefer the roadster instead of the SC myself, I don't even like the driver's side "rollbar" The rest of the cockpit is very unprotected anyway.

[rdorman]

I have seen pictures from the sixties of Cobras racing with headrests bolted to the roll bars. They where very, very thick and actuall are a good idea. In an accident the roll bar designed to protect you will do a lot of damage to an unprotected head. You would be surprised just how much the body can move in an accident.

Personally I prefer the look of a single full width hoop over the double hoop. Seems to me I saw one where the single hoop was maintained and integrated into a full width hoop. I don't recall how nice it looked but at least there wasn't a hole in the body left by the missing downtube in converting to a single full width hoop. A custom made windscreen (removable) for a full width hoop I have heard also cuts down a LOT on the buffeting.

Rick

[SSS]

The best way to guarantee safety is a full roll cage, high-back seats, properly fastened 5-point harnesses, and helmets. The only other thing you can do is drive it like your grandma would.

Even with double roll bars, there are all kinds of bad things that can happen to you in a rollover. A roll bar probably helps in more ways than it hurts, but it won't guarantee your safety in case of a rollover.

[Tongue Pirate]

I personally think that a second roll bar takes away from the looks & value of the car. If you are racing with a passenger it should be on the track & in that case your reasoning may be more justified & there may be better roll bar options out there.

1 vote for Don't Do It!!!

[Chaplin]

Hey T.P. check your private messages.

As to the question, I would vote for one. If you are in an accident, chances of rolling over are proably not that great (assuming your not racing or otherwise driving like an idiot-which you hopefully wouldn't do with a passenger anyway). Therefore, in the run of the mill accident, one or two rollbars probably won't make that much difference.

And who is to say that having a roll bar is necessarily safer than not having one. As a recent example, look at the guy that was killed in Iowa- he only had a driver's side roll bar and he was killed, but his passenger (no rollbar) survived the accident.

[Back in Black]

Might also help protect against side intrusion in a low speed side impact...since there is scant else to protect in this way, it makes sense

[coyled]

The SPF roll bar, does it have that kink in it before it attaches to the floor. I wonder how strong that is?Maybe it was an ERA I saw. I always thought that the single hoop bars were not high enough on the ERA, SPF, and hi-tech and maybe FFR in the event of a roll over. I have a hi-tech. I built a new bar that is 5 inches taller and has the forward FIA bar brace also. I have door bars that go behind the seats, all the way around also. The new bar and original bar, bolt in and out. The other solution for headrests is a taller seatback. I have an aluminum seat for raceing with a high back. I changed the roll bar so that it still looks like a cobra but I have more protection in a rollover. In a crash with another car, any cobra owner should be crossing their fingers. Scott

[Tongue Pirate]

Message Checked Chaplin Thanks

[Goose]

Well,
After much pondering, I've decided that the car will have only one roll bar; especially since a second one can always be retrofitted at a later date if we so desire.

I don't plan to drive the car like an idiot (mostly interested in cruising) so, barring any unusual circumstances, I don't foresee that the car will be in a rollover situation where the roll bar will be needed. Also, I have yet to hear about anyone being killed due to the lack of a headrest in a rear end collision and, for now, will take my chances.

In the end, I think it's still safer than a motorcycle.

Thanks to all for the comments and opinions.

[Fred Douglass]

...and, noting that the Bennet full-width r/b on the Butler I bought had no fore- or aft-bracing and looked like an art-deco towel-bar to boot, I sh&t-canned it. I'm putting in a traditional tripod. But I will stll have the port-side hole and intend to link the Bennet hoop back across and give it a passenger-side brace---all of which will be removable. The metal-shop I'm working with is setting up a set of clamshell-and-socket (split) clamps to link the two roll-bars. Sounds complex, but it's really based on 6 bolts...one to anchor the addition to the original frame socket--the next four clamping it in place, and the final one anchoring it to the front. Slicker'n greased owl-sh&t!
My question is: will this lash-up pass inspection at SCCA tech-checks? And at most tracks? The bolted clamp is supposedly as strong and resistant to shear as a weld!(?)


I'd like to hear from Fixit, Cranky, other racers and other knowledgeable types, if convenient..