1.5" Roll bar padding?

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66) 07/20/2020 at 13:34 • Filed to: None

0

22

Oppo , any experience with roll bar padding? My father in law has an old Jeep with Tuxedo Park trim. He had a roll cage/roof structure installed in it. He has approximately 430" worth of roll bar tubing he wants covered. He is very tall, Jeep is very, very tiny, and he doesn’t want his head an inch away from a metal tube without any padding.

Tubes are 40mm/1.5" thick. I found stuff like this:

https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/roll-bar-padding

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=2395

I have no idea what is good, what is legit, what to avoid, how important is SFI rating, and how they stay on (do they just have adhesive inside the tubes, or do you also wrap them with something.)

Oppo, any suggestions?

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 13:46

1

Who knew that would be so complicated? I would have thought the only drawback of using a hacked up pool noodle would be aesthetics 

MUSASHI66 > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 07/20/2020 at 13:50

0

I sort of wanted to just buy insulation tubing from Lowe’s and cover it up with electrical tape, but he wants the proper product, with good density. If he hits his head, he want some protection, and proper density covers.

Gone > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 13:56

1

Not sure there’s a good answer to this one. The SFI padding is very hard and is really designed for contact with a helmet. Not a lot of give. Usually it’s backed with sticky tape, but you can zip tie it in place too. SFI padding can project far out as well, reducing clearance.

The standard rollbar padding is too soft to do much except protect you from bumping it when getting in/out. Even then it’s not really useful.

I mean maybe you could wrap some CE 2 moto padding around the softer High Density foam (link inside the Pegasus link) , or maybe an SFI shell and get better non-helmet protection out of it. You’ll still get messed up in an accident... Even being within 6" of it can be dangerous given how much one moves in a crash.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 13:58

3

You’ll want a non-SFI rated padding for this application. SFI-rated padding is very, very dense is designed to cushion the impact between a helmet and the tube. It would provide very little benefit in protecting a non-helmeted head or limb from impact with the tube. Non-SFI is much softer and designed to do what you’re looking for.

On racecars, SFI-rated padding is installed along the top tube, and non-sfi padding along the down tube and door bar where it is possible for an arm or leg to hit the cage in a side impact.

For installation, some padding is adhesive and sticks to the tube. For non-adhesive padding zip ties are usually used to hold it place, and zip ties are still used as a reinforcement even with adhesive padding.

This is the padding I would recommend for this application:

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=2390

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 13:58

0

For his use case I would suggest some pool noodles. Slit them the long way and then wrap it around the bar. Hold it on with some zip ties. You can find them in black but you will probably have to order them online as most people want brightly colored pool noodles. That should be enough to prevent painful bumps and stuff.

SFI is what you want in a racing application but you don’t really want it next to your head without wearing a helmet. It’s a very hard foam and is basically there to provide some level of impact absorbtion and prevent the shell of the helmet from cracking against a roll bar with most of the safety coming from the foam in the helmet . It’s better than a bare metal tube but will hurt when you hit it. As for how the SFI stuff is secured it does have adhesive on the inside of it but that adhesive is garbage so you want to zip tie it too.

Just Jeepin' > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 13:58

0

I have no idea, but I’m curious to see what others think. I’d like to replace mine (I’ve toy ed with the idea of permanently removing it but that seems like a bad idea).

Nom De Plume > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 14:03

0

Since I was too late making a pool noodle comment.

Forget the hardware and automotive product supply chain. If it exists in a form suitable to this application you would like to have one of the smart molecular substances like D30 padding in key areas and general bump protection of the type you’ll probably find in all other places.

Cash Rewards > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 14:11

0

What is he trying to do? I agree with other comments about sfi padding, but so long as he knows that any other padding is just for accidental bumping of an elbow or knee. In a n accident, no padding is going to help your head getting smushed by a roll bar. That’s why I haven’t installed one yet on my Miata, I’m no t convinced it will be far enough away from my head that it won't be a hazard on the street.

StudyStudyStudy > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 14:12

2

If it is strictly a comfort scenario the pool noodle is acceptable. Accidental head bonks are perfectly mitigated by them. If it is for an accident scenario you want something a bit more serious, but the SFI stuff is generally made with helmets in mind. It should dissipate force, but really if your head is that close you either need to lower the seat, remake the bar, or employ some harnesses or something to prevent lateral movement if you plan on driving around without a helmet.

Some, if not most have adhesive backing and stick directly to the bar. Others use straps, but generally those are not desirable as they can rotate around the tube.

The 430 inches is quite a length is there a picture for reference? If he wants just protection for the finish they make protective covers. The impact mitigation stuff is pretty pricey and is generally used in areas that are likely to interact with the occupant, but once again generally assumed that the occupant will be wearing a helmet.

MUSASHI66 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/20/2020 at 14:41

1

Cool, thanks for the info!

MUSASHI66 > StudyStudyStudy 07/20/2020 at 14:53

0

I didn’t take a photo. It is a bar behind the head and going all the way down along the B pillar , angled supports in the back, plus the piece above the door going a long the A pillar to the floor, center bar between the back and the windshield.... Not at all what I would have chosen to do and a complete overkill, but it is there and it is not changing.

MUSASHI66 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/20/2020 at 14:53

0

Perfect, thanks!

MUSASHI66 > Gone 07/20/2020 at 14:54

0

Or just go all out and drive it with a full face helmet :D. It would be ridiculous with stock wheels and stock engine.

MUSASHI66 > Nom De Plume 07/20/2020 at 14:55

0

This is way too high tech. 

MUSASHI66 > Cash Rewards 07/20/2020 at 14:56

1

He just wants protection from bumping the head into it. Neither fo us ever did any research into SFI or pool noodle benefits, so I figured I’d ask in a place where plenty of people have them. 

MUSASHI66 > Just Jeepin' 07/20/2020 at 14:57

0

If you have stock Wrangle bar , they make replacement kits. It seems we’ll be pool noodling this car. 

Nom De Plume > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 15:06

0

This exact packaging of something that has existed in numerous industries for many years is being passed off as such. I didn’t have time or ease of ability to run a broader search instead of linking the first video that came up. Which should be enough to prove it works well and repeatably.

Having some general idea what I’m talking about should help if it pops up in some random product you come across without the highly branded ($$$$$) trademarked name.

onlytwowheels > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 15:37

0

SFI 45.1 rating/approval is required by most racing sanctioning bodies. It is the best padding in areas where the head could  make contact.

https://www.sfifoundation.com/wp-content/pdfs/specs/Spec_45.1_081105.pdf

https://www.sfifoundation.com/wp-content/pdfs/manufacturers/45.1%20Manufacturers%20List.pdf

https://sfifoundation.com

kanadanmajava1 > MUSASHI66 07/20/2020 at 16:36

0

I have 1. 2 meters of FIA approved padding (made by Lifeline) . It’s incredible stiff and it basically feels like hard plastic. It’s designed to protect a head inside a helmet. But hitting your bare head against it would be painful. But still of course less lethal than hitting your head a gainst steel tube.

I’m assuming that it’s very similar to the SFI padding. The softer padding might be more comfortable in everyday driving but it’s nearly useless in accidents.

Roll bars can be deadly. If you are wearing a tightened belts/ harness and you can stretch your head so that it comes even slightly close to the bars then the car can be dangerous . During a crash body can stretch quite a lot. A frie nd of a friend died when he crashed  a car with a roll cage and hit his head against the tubing.

StudyStudyStudy > MUSASHI66 07/21/2020 at 12:27

0

Is it a street car is I think the important question.

If it is accompanied with harnesses and a helmet, you could get away with a scuff pad to prevent accidental bonking or marring of the cage. If he wanted additional protection, some of the impact dispersing SFI stuff where his helmet might be close to hitting would be beneficial.

If it is a street car, then the advice would be to make sure in any situation you cannot interact with the bars. Mine involved setting my seat back and low. I I went on a trail this weekend and more than once I hit my head against the roof and against the door frames and that was just some mountain roads.

To be clear if his head is an inch away from a metal bar, there really isn’t any material that is less than an inch thick that would protect him in the case of an accident.

MUSASHI66 > StudyStudyStudy 07/21/2020 at 23:15

0

Street car, no room to move anything 

StudyStudyStudy > MUSASHI66 07/22/2020 at 17:18

0

Then I think a  good life insurance policy would probably be the best bet.