tlee1234

Hey guys,

did some research on roll bars, and seems that some people are not recommending roll bars
for cars that are daily drivers since on impact on the streets without a helmet can be dangerous.

Doing further research it looks like some have seen rolled s2000 on the track and on street and have
seen that the stock hoops are quite strong (and also the s2000 a pillars).

Is there any roll bars that is not dangerous without a helmet for daily driving?

what are your thoughts

MMisencik157

It all depends on your driving position. I personally feel like my head is too low and far away to contact with the stock seat belt and there is no chance when Im wearing my harness, but then again I have an aftermarket seat and seat rail.
I did a few track days without a roll bar and didn't think about putting one in until reality slapped me in the face and I saw a few cars flip at my local track. The stock roll hoops are useless for anyone over 5'6" and the windshield was never deigned to handle a rollover at anything beyond speeds you would see on the street (legally). My opinion is that the benefits of the roll bar on track outweigh the potential risks on the street.

postman

no need for a roll bar if the car will never see the track. if you do need one though you can and should have padding on the roll bar. i personally have a hard dog bar and use there custom high density padding they sell and am very pleased with it. i have a small you tube video if you want to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YA2SBEamok

rockstar garage

there are plenty of OPINIONS on s2ki... sure the stock roll hoops are going to be sturdy. But, from first hand experience..


I was in a roll over situation on a public road. I am 6'0" and the car was completely stock. i rolled the car over and the car ended upside down. The a pillars are what supported the car and was angled by the edge of the trunk. the roll bars NEVER touched the floor. the way the car is designed, they are not supposed to unless the a pillars give in enough. when i was upside down in the car.. i could hear the a pillars and windshield giving in under the pressure.


in a roll over with stock seatbelt and seat, you will slide out of your belt. you will not be stuck in the seat, like if you were in a harness. you will fall upside and hit the roof with your head, back, shoulders etc.. I came out of my seat with the seat belts on and landed on the back of my neck. i got out of the car as fast as i could when i started to hear the windsheild letting go.


anyways... thats how i got into making roll cages. lol. bars similar to ours and the HD bars sit far enough behind the seats where they shouldnt be anymore dangerous than the soft top frame that comes on your car.

if you have a bucket seat, roll bar or harness... you should always have the other 2 items as well. they all are designed to work with eachother and used without, arent nearly as effective.

ndogg

I agree that the benefits provided (especially for taller people like me) by a roll bar outweighs the risks on the street if the car is tracked often.

And you can mitigate the risks by using an aftermarket seat to sit further from the bar. As well as using padding on the bar. I plan to use an SFI pad (which is super dense) and a non SFI closed cell foam on top of that.

chuhsi

i have a hard dog with padding and an aftermarket bucket seat (no more 6pt harness)

if this car was a 100% street driven car with stock seats and 3pt belt, i would stay stock given the roll bar cost and risk of whacking my head on it.

check out some of these videos to get a sense of how much your body and head fly around during impact:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/v.../676195405001/

tlee1234

Thanks for this reply and sharing your experience in a roll over.

what is the most cost effective FIA/SFI seat / harness for the s2000?

robrob

As someone mentioned above I believe the stock soft top frame members are more of a threat than a Hard Dog roll bar with padding. So if you're cool with driving your car with the soft top up you should be good with a padded roll bar.

///RS-2000

I've been daily driving with a Hard Dog roll bar for a while and with a bucket seat my head comes no where near the roll bar. I sit bellow the tallest part of the bucket seat.

rockstar garage

Bucket seats don't necessarily have to be fia rated. There are plenty of good seats out there that are non fia rated. The company just didn't spend the overhead to put it thru the expensive testings.

I use recaro tho.