Passenger Roll Bar -- Yes or No

[littlewave]

Originally Posted by era427tp

Two roll bars is a guarnateed way to ugly up a Cobra.They weren't used in the 60's and they're not needed now.When I see a Cobra with 2 roll brs my first thought is......crummy,budget kit( FFR,Shell Valley,Cmc)

That's a nice thing to say. FFR,Shell Valley, CMC, All can be great cars just depends on who is building them. Even if they are built by some one that dose not have very much experience they still put alot of work into there COBRA and should/can be very proud of their car.

[flaflier]

Single or none.. My 2 cents..

[jp65cobra]

I have a BDR and I have 2 roll bars. I drive it a lot but don't feel any safer because these cars are simply not safe. I wear my harness, yes, but I am always worried about getting creamed from the rear or side.

No one has ever said they don't like the look.

[aa909]

Hey Jeff

Good to see you posting on here. To be honest I can't really comment on the safety aspect either way, I thought about getting two on mine but in the end decided the single roll bar was aesthetically more pleasing to my eye.

If you are considering resale down the road, then you may need to consider which setup is more "popular". I personally didn't base my purchase decision on whether or not a backdraft had 1 or 2 roll bars. actually before I bought mine I was really considering a used SPF which had 2 roll bars.

[patrickt]

Cartman, do not base your decision on what any of us tell you. But, if you plan on having anyone special in your passenger seat on a regular basis (wife, child, girlfriend, boyfriend, whathaveyou) then you might want to ask them "Would it be ok with you if I have a roll bar and you don't?" If they're not special, then no need to ask....

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Cartman, do not base your decision on what any of us tell you. But, if you plan on having anyone special in your passenger seat on a regular basis (wife, child, girlfriend, boyfriend, whathaveyou) then you might want to ask them "Would it be ok with you if I have a roll bar and you don't?" If they're not special, then no need to ask....

Pure unadulterated BS. If that were an actual line of rational thinking, then every single one of us should sell our cars and drive a Cadillac, Buick, Mercedes or BMW.

IMHO, we're all just fooling ourselves with any choice (none, one or two roll bars). G-d forbid, but the probabilities are side, front or rear impact, not rollovers.

IIHS Picks Safest 2011 Vehicles, VW Group, Kia-Hyundai Lead GM, Ford - WOT on Motor Trend

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Pure unadulterated BS.

But what if his wife won't ride in the car with him unless there's a roll bar on her side as well? Shouldn't he at least ask her whether or not that's important to her? Or should he not care?

[aa909]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

IMHO, we're all just fooling ourselves with any choice (none, one or two roll bars). G-d forbid, but the probabilities are side, front or rear impact, not rollovers.

probably the most honest and to the point post.

[Steve Gallegos]

Ok, I am a BDR owener, I had a second roll bar installed because my wife enjoys my hobby.

[RodKnock]

To say that any one of us cares less about who they drive in the passenger seat of our Cobra is ridiculous.

Did you know that in modern cars with both driver's side and passenger side airbags, that a driver is more likely to walk away from a crash than the passenger?

So, by your thinking, as we hop into our BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac, Buick or whatever, we should drive ANY passenger in the center backseat to be safer.

[RodKnock]

I just have to shake my head in the utter nonsense that driving around a car that replicates a 50-year old car, but adding a 2nd roll bar and thinking we're safer.

Drive alone and make them feel even safer. In fact, don't ride a bicycle or cross at a traffic light in an urban area either.

We should all walk around with body condoms, so, just in case, if we fall down, we'll be better protected.

I hope everyone has their house tested for mold, you know, just to make sure that your family is safe from toxic mold exposure.

[rodneym]

What if you drove a vintage convertible?

I know 99.9% of our Cobras aren't original, so if you want, go for it.

But I wouldn't admonish an MGB owner who drove his gal to the Dairy Queen.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by rodneym

What if you drove a vintage convertible?

Your example can be distinguished from our Cobras in that the passenger in the vintage convertible does not look over and see the driver "seemingly" being protected by his roll bar while the passenger is sitting naked and forlorn with none.

[kevins2]

Don't have my Cobra yet but the same applies to riding my Harley. My wife sometimes gives me grief about the safety issue (which I actually appreciate that she cares - but I still want to go ride the thing). Once, I responded "maybe I should just stay in bed with the covers pulled up over my head". She got my point and off I went.

Seriously, from a safety perspective, Cobras are essentially 4 wheel motorcycles. The best thing you can do is to drive one with the same habits learned driving a motorcycle, like don't just take off when the light turns green - look both ways. Asume the driver up ahead is going to change lanes right into you - stay out of the blind spot or look for them to check their mirror or at least be ready to get out of their way. Assume that everyone at a side street is going to pull out in front of you and watch their wheel to detect that they are starting to move. Actually I drive mostly out in the country and will do the same with the Cobra. The biggest hazard is deer and I haven't figured out a good way to avoid that possibility. I think it will safer in the case of deer to have the seat belt/harness loose enough so I can duck!

Regards,

Kevin

[CSX3183]

The idea like another said, that you would be safer, and your wife will be safer with an additional roll bar is nuts. If you never drive over your limits,( and be sure you know what they are) then the chances of rolling over are about the same as hitting the lottery.

If you haven't found your limits, don't do it on the street, find a way to do some track time. Getting T-Boned or even run over by a semi, is much more probable,,,,, and no matter how many or how big of a roll bar, ain't gonna help you.

There's nothing like being next to an 18 wheeler, on an entrance or exit ramp, and him not seeing you, you'll be able to tell anyone who want to know, just how scary the underside of a 57" trailer looks as it get's ready to swallow you up.

[jhv48]

My wife wouldn't ride in the car unless it had two roll bars.

So I only installed one!

Just kidding. Happy wife, happy life. I have two!

Sometimes life is a tradeoff!

[RodKnock]

And to carry this line of thought even further....

Everyone. Stop eating the donuts, cakes, cookies, cheeseburgers, fries, sausage, the inhalation of sugar and salt by the tablespoons and smoking. Get your butts on a treadmill, Stairmaster, you know, indoors, where you're definitely safer.

As you get older, you need to work your muscles more, since you lose muscle mass every year.

If you truly care for your loved ones, then make a life decision to maintain a good weight by eating right and exercising EVERY day. For your entire family.

[Cashburn]

Patrick,
One thing to note on a BDR vs. the blunt force trauma thing is our roll bar is moved back (behind the wall, and why the 3rd leg is more vertical) so there is much less risk of hitting your head on it then a car that has a more traditional bar in front of the wall, behind the seat) setup.

I remain as neutral as can be in the decision. If you want it, you get it.

[andig]

I must admit that I keep going back and forth on the one roll bar vs two roll bar question. Aesthetically, two balances the car (imho) but clearly one imitates the originals.
Jay is currently building out BDR 1091 for me but I haven't made the call to get him to install number two.....yet.
I echo Kevins2 comment that I view the cobra as a four wheeled motorbike and hope I will have the common-sense to drive it with the same caution as I ride my Harley i.e. I may be unlucky and have someone hit me/knock me off but won't be driving it like an a$$hole and overturn it on the road or end up in a field.......still undecided on 0ne v two though!

Andy

[RodKnock]

My point is the hypocrisy that we don't care about our passengers because they don't have roll bar for their side.

Every one of us makes decisions everyday that compromises or increases the health, welfare and safety of ourselves, our families and our loved ones.

And the 2nd roll bar on our Cobras ranks where on this list of decisions?

Install the 2nd roll bar. But just don't say that the rest of us here that own Cobras with one or no roll bars don't care or care less about our passengers.