Had a shower thought this morning, what happened to rollbars?

Roll bars are not needed due to numerous vehicle safety improvements and Federal roof crush safety standards implemented in 2013, making roll bars unnecessary. Often they were used as a light platform, and now there are many more options with the smaller form factor of LED lamps.

You can read all the info from IIHS below.

From IIHS
https://www.iihs.org/ratings/about-our-tests

Roof strength test
Deaths in rollovers have declined dramatically in recent decades. A major reason is electronic stability control, which helps prevent many rollover crashes, particularly single-vehicle ones, from occurring in the first place. Roofs designed to perform well in the IIHS roof strength test, conducted from 2009 to 2022, have also helped mitigate rollovers when they do occur.

We discontinued the roof strength test because virtually all vehicles were earning good ratings, and an updated federal standard phased in between 2013 and 2017 was similar to our requirements for a good rating.

Why does roof strength matter? When vehicles roll, seat belts and side curtain airbags help protect the people inside. However, for these safety technologies to be most effective, the roof must be able to maintain the occupant survival space when it hits the ground during a rollover. Stronger roofs crush less, reducing the risk that people will be injured by contact with the roof itself. Stronger roofs also can prevent occupants, especially those who aren't using safety belts, from being ejected through windows, windshields or doors that have broken or opened because the roof has deformed.

In our test, the strength of the roof was determined by pushing an angled metal plate down on one side of the roof at a slow but constant speed and measuring the force required to crush the roof. The force applied relative to the vehicle's weight is known as the strength-to-weight ratio. The peak strength-to-weight ratio recorded at any time before the roof is crushed 5 inches is the key measurement of roof strength.

A good rating required a strength-to-weight ratio of at least 4. In other words, the roof had to withstand a force of at least 4 times the vehicle's weight before the plate crushed the roof by 5 inches. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio was 3.25. For a marginal rating, it was 2.5. Anything lower than that was poor.

The figure below shows sample results for two vehicles — one rated good and one rated poor. Peak force for Vehicle A is 7.26. Since that number is higher than 4, the vehicle is rated good. Peak force for Vehicle B is 2.31. Since that number is lower than 2.5, the vehicle is rated poor.




The following video shows how the roof strength test was conducted. In this test of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, the peak force is 19,571 pounds for a strength-to-weight ratio of 4.90 and a good rating. The playback speed of this video has been increased. The plate normally crushes at a rate of about 1/8 inch per second.

https://youtu.be/wowEpkOMrqE?si=4VCkm9HOs5BFSg1y

In every test, the roof was crushed 5 inches. What varied — and can't be seen in a video — is the force used by the machine to achieve that degree of crush. To demonstrate how roof strength can vary and what those differences mean for people inside a vehicle during a rollover, IIHS conducted a demonstration in which two vehicles with different roof strength ratings were subjected to identical force. This video shows what happened when the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, rated good for roof strength, and the 2008 Kia Sportage, rated poor, were each subjected to a crush force of 15,000 pounds.

https://youtu.be/8o3g4wdTt44?si=u3CfhBoAp4JObkLi

 

Thanks
crashnburn80 very interesting read for sure

 

Did someone say retro “roll bar”?

Black-Horse Off-Road
IMG_3200-edit by Mike M, on Flickr

N-Fab - SE Toyota T-Force edition bar
Pic-1 by Mike M, on Flickr

Unknown, got it on CL.
DSCN0305-edit by Mike M, on Flickr

All strictly ornamental. I wouldn’t use them as a tie down, let alone a crash protection device. I like how they look, it’s my truck, the end.

 

I like the way they look too, all of yours look very cool. That Black Horse one with the bracket looks perfect on the double cab!

 

i'm starting to see a lot more trucks with them again. i think the comment about taking up bed space was right on the money.


i'm still planning on building one for my truck, i want the styling. but i demand it must fall outside the tonneau cover so i can still use the full part of the bed.

of course, my other car has rear window louvers that took me 10 years to finish, so you could say i'm pretty firmly stuck in the 80's anyways...

 

Let me push the way back button for you young guys. This was my truck when I was in the 11 grade in 1976.

 

They still exist to an extent in terms of non-functional modern day fads to hang more expensive gear off of. If they did a modern day re-make of movie Back to the Future, here is your truck. Just paint it black and throw some LEDs on top and all of a sudden a new generation of kids want a Toyota truck.

 

Don’t forget “The Fall Guy”.

 

Expert in lights and rollbars. Does @crashnburn80 have any good quiche recipes?

 

Helps to have a degree in vehicle design. But I do also like to cook...

 

I'd sell them if interested.

Seen both the 2013 and 2016 in person, can confirm @MikeyMcFly has some badass rigs

 

Best damn show on television.
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ZphPj_xgKQw

 

We’re the same age, but I had to drive a 1963 Volvo 544 with 300K miles on it. Girls wouldn’t even talk to me.

 

That's real sad, Because that truck in my picture was a pantie dropper in it's day

 

Probably because it had that sentimental post card painted on the door.

 

Yes, that's why outward visibility is so poor in newer trucks.

 

Im trying to figure out which light bar will fit with my OEM Toyota trifold. I 100% am putting a light bar on mine. I cannot figure out which one is going to work. Oh yeah and I am not drilling into the truck either. This is definitely the look I am going for.

 

they're all about the same for mounting style.

in the picture you posted, that unit has 2 different mounting options. 1st is shown-- where there's some 'C' shape brackets underneath the tubes. this allows the bar to sit above the cover. but it means the panel closest to the cab will be non-movable unless you can slide it backwards.

the other mounting option is without the 'C' piece, and the tubes fall directly onto the top of the bed rail, which would prevent a cover from being installed.

so far, i haven't found any designs that sit the tubes entirely outside the cover, and would allow my rollup cover to roll entirely up to the cab unobstructed.

 

yeah I am going to give this a go it comes saturday. The other TKMauto one looked like it was too long and you couldnt fold the panel. I really like my tri-fold so will be a good write up if it works. I think it might. (For my trifold bed cover)

 

Love the 9 foot CB whip , too.