Roll Bar Question

[944boy]

Personally I wouldn't remove it, however if you drive any true speedster (especially a 50-60's car) you have 0 protection from the factory.

That being said, I love the feeling of safety snuggled in my caged 944. I still don't feel safe with a 3-point belt either.

It's up to you, but I don't think it will help to remove it. Maybe if you plan on keeping the hardtop on, you could have a custom bar made that would fit to the top. It could be made to give you more storage room and protect you better in case of an accident. That way you wouldn't loose rigidity or safety.

[Paul]

The shoulder belts mount to the roll bar, another point that could take the stress is going to be hard to find.

[releese78]

Ouch, I forgot about the seatbelts...good point.

Anybody see any objection to taking out the soft top and leaving it in the garage? That will probably help me accompish my goals, while being completely reversable in the event that I sell the car.

[Paul]

No objection, in fact send it and all of its mechanical pieces to me!

[coreseller]

Funny you mentioned your prior Mustang......3 years ago I went down to Tenn. for a high speed autocross event with a friend who had an identical to mine '01 Mustang Cobra vert. We went down to the Tail of the Dragon for a couple of runs the night before the AutoX event. My friend got a little careless and went off the side of the mountain, hitting a tree while airborn and flipped the car sliding down the hillside 100 ft or so. He had a "light bar" in his Cobra (looks like a roll bar but not tied into the chassis, mainly decorative) and I witnessed it save he and his father's lives. It did indeed fold over but it still provided their melons safety room while the car was upside down. I'm betting your roll bar would help you a bit more than you think in the event of a rollover.

[rick3000]

I wouldn't remove it. You'll lose rigidity, safety, and seat belts. Even if you don't roll over, it will be very helpful if you get broadsided. The hardtop adds no structural support, so in a crash it will do you no good.
Even if you head is above the roll bar, if you flip your head will get pushed down toward the steering wheel wheel, so the bar will offer more protection than no bar. You can do what you want, but I wouldn't risk dying or serious injury just because you think the bar is useless.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by coreseller

... My friend got a little careless... went off the side of the mountain, hitting a tree while airborn... flipped the car sliding down the hillside 100 ft or so.

A little careless...?? What's a lot careless...? LOL

[jmatta]

Why not just sell the car and buy a Cayman? It sounds as though that's what you are trying to turn the Box into anyway. Maybe it's a matter of dollars, but the difference can't be that much; plus you'd get a 3.4 in the trade.