LiveNupe

I'm planning to install the Euro GT3 seats in my car with a harness and roll bar. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of the BK roll bar vs. the Tequipment?

NNH

I thought BK only made harness mounts and trusses?
DAS make a nice bolt-in bar. I put some install photos on this thread

LVDell

Your 2 main options are the Tequipment Harness Rollbar or one of the Das Sport Bars (Weekender or Race).

Zookie

i like the OEM 4 Point Bar, you can still access the rear Seats, anyone got pix?

CWay27

In my book the techquipment rollbar, is no more then a harness bar safety wise. If you are looking for a real rollbar, get the DAS sport cause in either case, you won't remove it every week-end.

LVDell

What about PAG's book?

LVDell

Alot of the regions will NOT allow you to run with only 4pts. You will need either the factory 3 pt or a full 5/6 pt harness setup.

LiveNupe

Dell,
Why'd you pick the Tequipment over the Das Sport Bars?

CWay27

I have nothing against the bar but I just find the bars ends (attachment points) a little bit weird. A pipe in itself is very strong but once it's flattened, it becomes very weak and from what I remember, thats how the bar ends are finished......

Anyways this is just my opinion!!

LVDell

Live.....picked it b/c it required no MODIFICATION to the car like the Das Sport does (i.e., drilling into the body of the car!)

CWay27.....I see you changed you original statement (which I will not post to respect your right to change your mind and your opinion) but as long as I am "just" doing DE, then my risk of rollover is EXTREMEMLY minimal and the bar itself it still very strong. How many DE incidents have you heard of that involved a rollover? My guess is NONE. Regardless, do you really think PAG would just produce a piece of jewelry? Nevertheless, I would take my car in rollover at just about any track (except the oval superspeedway at Daytona going fender to fender with restrictor plates ) and never feel like I was lacking safety and feel very confident that I would walk away with virtually minimal injury.

10 GT3

Well...we had one last month. No it wasn't one of the incredible stable cars driving power through the rear wheels with engine and weight nicely set way out back. It was one of those unstable, hard to control, front engine, front end heavy, all-wheel drive cars...a Lancer Evolution.

Joking aside, it was all driver error and it did happen. It was a green driver who entered a turn too fast. The car pushed to the outside where he dropped 2 tires off. Rather than do what we are told to do at our first event and what the instructor said...lift off and drive straight off, regain control and enter back on track when it is safe; the driver tried to play hero. Despite the car pushing with a lack of grip, the driver did not lift and turned back onto the track still in the turn and not under control. The car turned suddenly straight to the inside of the track, head-on into the curbing. Hitting the curbing it blew the front tires. Upon leaving the track on the inside, one of the wheels caught in the dirt (actually mud from the previous nights rain) and the car flipped over onto its top. There was no roll bar and fortunately, neither the driver or instructor were injured. Since the car had only the OEM seat belts, the instructur braced his hands against the roof (which partially collapsed in the roll over).

The reality is that any roll bar is better than no roll bar. That is a bar with at least 4-points hard mounted to points off the frame where the car is stiffest. A style bar has only 2 points for mounting and should never be mistaken for a roll bar. These typically break or bend in a roll becoming more of a safety hazard that a help.

LVDell is right aobut the Techequipe rollbar. Porsche's Techequipe rollbar with harness mounts is a 4 point that has diagonal triangulation for stiffness. It mounts to the rear seatbelt mounts because these are point mounted off the frame designed to support high loads in a accident. Despite weighing only 27 lbs it could have a tremendous benefit in a high speed rollover.

LVDell

Very well said.

CWay27

You are right and I admit I did change my post has I tougth alot about it and looked at every angle.

I from my own eyes never witness a rollover but a few years ago, my buddy took me to the track to introduce me to the sport. When we got there eveybody was talking about the incident. A student had taken the pit entry for the track and when e realised he had gone the wrong lane (coming in pretty fast), I guess he tried to correct his error but was too late and he nicked the wall and rolled over. It wasn't pretty for the 993.

You guys bring good points and I respect that.

Regards

LVDell

As we respect yours as well. We are all on the same team and would NEVER want to see anything bad happen to another when it comes to safety systems.

The best point to take away from this is that both bars are good (maybe not equal) and provide very good protection in the unlikely event of a rollover. It is defintely better than nothing and increases your chance of walking away (as does each increasing level of safety).

Safe motoring

bnewport

In my region, I've seen maybe 3 rollovers in 12 track days. A 944 (T3 BIR), an M3 (T3 BIR), a 964 (T1 BIR). They do happen even in HPDE. I have the weekender bar also but had a harness bar welded 3.5 inches higher (center to center) than the stock bar which is too low to be useful.