[6pack] Roll Bar

[Robert M. Lang]

Hi,

I'd urge you to do just a bit of searching on the team.net archives on the 
subject, because it has been discussed in depth in the past. Some folks 
are really quite passionate with their answers.

There really is no absolute right / wrong on this one.

However, as touched by other responses, not all roll bars are created 
equal. The parcel shelf bars are for the most part cosmetic. Yes, they are 
made with 1/5" DOM tube, so the tube itselfs shouldn't crush in all but 
the most severe impact, but the support is basically fairly thin steel (I 
think the body is 15 or 16 gauge) so unless you spread the load over a 
really wide area (like 6 by 6 inches) the parcel shelf will crush in a 
rollover...

The better bars are the ones that bolt to the floor next to the body 
mounts. They have a diagonal brace from the passenger lower corner to near 
the driver top corner and there's some safety stuff built in (like the bar 
for a back brace. The setup is way better for rollover and crash 
protection because it extends pretty much the full width of the passenger 
tub. The stock Autopower setup like this is too tall to allow you to 
"erect the hood", so this is pretty much a race only setup. There is a bar 
available (Hi Ted!!) that will fit under the hood so that's a good 
compromise, but there are tradeoffs (like the bar to the top of your head 
_may_ not be adequate in a worst case rollover). Read up on the 
"broomstick test".

The really big deal for ME is that rollbars are made of a material that 
has essentially no "give" in a collision. If one of your body contacts the 
bar under a collision scenario, you will -BEST CASE- break bones. So, you 
MUST pad whatever you install. Pad it very, very well. Especially if 
there's any chance your head can hit it.

So, there are tradeoffs in the safety aspects of the bars available. 
Ultimately, your decision should be based on how you use your car. I can 
say from direct experience that it is very, very hard to roll a TR6. It's 
not impossible, but a lot of factors have to stack up against you and in 
those circumstances the roll over potential may be the least of your 
concerns. But 10 minutes in a head trauma ward should be enough to 
convince most folks that a head strike on a roll bar (or any hard part in 
a car) is just plain bad.

regards,
rml
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Bob Lang              Triumph TR6!!            |  This space for rent
2010 NER Solo Chair                            |
Voice:617-253-7438                             |  Cell: 339-927-4489
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