I'm currently looking to buy an S2k, and one has come up that has a roll bar (Hard Dog) installed in it Link to ad. I plan on using it as a DD with the occasional TD a couple times a year. Originally I was worried about how the roll bar would look out of place and not be reasonable for a DD car, but after seeing pictures it doesn't look that obtrusive and the extra safety it provides is a plus. Not to mention, the bar would help when I would hit the track those couple times a year, since I understand its mandatory for convertibles with some TD organizations.

It seems the downside listed on the ad is that the bar affects the soft top going up and down. I've already emailed the seller inquiring about the severity of the impedance, but I'm unsure if there are any other issues that having a roll bar on a DD would create.

Does anybody DD with a roll bar? Any feedback on the pros/cons?

Any other thoughts and feedback is appreciated.

EDIT: Just found a couple of threads addressing this exact issue... hahaha my bad. example thread
Thanks

 

Well I'm still curious as to people's experience with the soft top going up and down with this model of hard dog roll bar:


Does it just need a little bit of manual assistance to get past the bar, or is it a situation where one must struggle with the top to get it down or up?

 

i've got the hard dog bar and the top goes up and down no problem. if it's installed correctly it should fit snuggly inside the soft top. looks like the problem might be the padding on the bar if that's a picture of the actual car. the tolerances are very tight, especially around the sides of the bar when the top is going up and down. might have to adjust/modify/remove some padding for smoother operation.

 

I've got that bar with that padding, top goes uppie/downie normally, no problem whatsoever. It is close on either side, though, like ~1/8" clearance. Given production tolerances between different cars and bars, I can see how some installations might get hung up.

My car is a daily-driver, I installed the bar so I could track it. Honestly, I can't even see the bar in the rearview. Totally unobtrusive.

 

Been thinking about an HD bar myself so I can track the car, but non-helmet daily driving safety is what concerns me the most. I'm tall and sit with the seat all the way back so I am quite sure I'd strike the bar in a hard front or rear collision.

 

if you guys havent heard of the rockstar bar.. you should check it out. our bars are better then the competition. there are a few reviews from our customers explaining the difference between ours and competitors bars.

 

I just confirmed with the seller that there is no issue with clearance with the bar and the top. I misread...

 

You know I'm in sort of the same boat, and not to high-jack a thread, but Doesn't the bar make LOTS of wind noise?!? I've got a roof rack on my crx (for carrying my bicycle around) and the round bar makes so much noise I can't even open the sunroof or I need ear plugs! Does the roll bar not do the same thing with the top down?

 

I haven't noticed any wind noise.

But.....to the op
My bar must be on the tall side. Top is so tight that it I had to stretch the soft top quite a bit to get it closed. Not gonna say it caused the recent tear I got since the top is at least 6 to 10 years old, but I wouldn't doubt it sped up the process.
Oh and mine is from GTMotoring.

 

A rollbar shouldn't create much turbulence with the top down. There is so much open space around the bar that it shouldn't affect wind noise too much. All of the cars we have put bars in have had no issues with wind noise.