Actually, I'm very reluctant to give you such an opinion. That's kind of like asking a doctor to diagnose your illness based on an email. It wouldn't be responsible. There's no way that diagram shows enough detail. Sorry.

In general, you have to consider where the loads are being applied, where they are being resisted, and how they are carried from the one to the other. Also you have to ask what would happen if something failed. Is there any redundancy? Anything that might be a single-point failure should be made so strong that it will not fail as long as the accident is otherwise survivable.

 

Imagine this...

You are in an accident where your car does not roll over but the accident/crash is violent enough that your mellon smashes upside the metal bars in your "protective roll cage". You have just turned an accident that you probably walk away from into a serious head injury and quite possibly your death. Roll cages are not meant for street cars.

 

that's why you need a helmet if you have a rollcage (except for 4-point rollbar behind seats only).

 

Well, I must thank you for that grim visualization, but this is not the case with my car... 5 point behind the spoon seats with 4 pt harnesses... my head moves nowhere... I do think full race cages are overkill on street cars though, I will most definately not try to deprive your post of it's inherant validity...

 

i heard that you have to remove the soft top to install one of these roll bars, is that correct?

 

um, which? I didn't lose my softtop...

 

i appologize. i meant to ask does the top need to be removed to install the bar and then put back in or can you do it some other way to avoid this step?

 

all you need to remove is the rear tray under the soft top...

 

when i had my 6pt cage with brides and takatas's my head came nowhere near the bars ever. if you adjust the belts the way they should be very tight all the time, your body is not going to move which will keep you away from the bars. i am 6'0 and never came close. you have to remember if you are using oem belts then yes, because when you get into an accident the belts give a little before tensioning on you. but harnesses don't give at all.

 

maybe we should rephrase then... Using a cage without harnesses is stupid...