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timmay5.7 · 11-10-2010, 11:26 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

airbags go off?
Still, better than nothing.
I plan on getting an ARB, but it came with the sovereign, so its lower on my list of things to do.

Whitey1 · 11-10-2010, 11:35 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

No the airbags didn't go off. I think its gotta be a big hit to make em go off. Hitting a roo doesn't count as a big hit. Now running up the back of a tractor in your falcon does like the one we towed in last week. Airbags went off in that one.

MRW82 · 11-10-2010, 05:10 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

It looks like the bullbar has done it's job brilliantly. sure, the bullbar is a write off, but the damage to the rest of the prado looks minimal. the bonnet is 'popped up' but looks undamaged, except for where the UHF mount has dented it a little.

was the radiator or trans cooler damaged? if you were in a remote place you could rip the bar off completely, change tyres and drive back to civilisation. what would have the damage been with no bullbar at all?

a bullbar is designed to minimise damage, not to be invincible.

chester · 11-10-2010, 06:06 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by MRW82

It looks like the bullbar has done it's job brilliantly. sure, the bullbar is a write off, but the damage to the rest of the prado looks minimal. the bonnet is 'popped up' but looks undamaged, except for where the UHF mount has dented it a little.

was the radiator or trans cooler damaged? if you were in a remote place you could rip the bar off completely, change tyres and drive back to civilisation. what would have the damage been with no bullbar at all?

a bullbar is designed to minimise damage, not to be invincible.

100% agree from a purerly safety point of view it has performed its design function flawlessly, i find it strange that some people think by fitting a bull bar the car is indestructable and therefore steel is the only way to go (and yes i actually have a steel one)

William · 11-10-2010, 06:08 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by MRW82

was the radiator or trans cooler damaged? if you were in a remote place you could rip the bar off completely, change tyres and drive back to civilisation.

... and hope you don't hit another roo or it'd be game over :lol:

Originally posted by MRW82

a bullbar is designed to minimise damage, not to be invincible.

Totally agree. I'm not so sure how an ARB bar would have fared. Anyway, we've hit a roo on the freeway with an 06 Rav4 before. All it had was a nudge bar. I'd say it's not so the bullbar you have, but more importantly the time you have to slow the vehicle down before impact, which is what really makes the difference. Here are some pics, excuse the quality, was taken at night with a phone. Corner impact - required: a new bumper, headlight unit, some dents knocked out and respraying. We could have saved $400 from the insurance excess if we had a bullbar!

Cheers

Whitey1 · 11-10-2010, 09:04 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by MRW82

It looks like the bullbar has done it's job brilliantly. sure, the bullbar is a write off, but the damage to the rest of the prado looks minimal. the bonnet is 'popped up' but looks undamaged, except for where the UHF mount has dented it a little.

was the radiator or trans cooler damaged? if you were in a remote place you could rip the bar off completely, change tyres and drive back to civilisation. what would have the damage been with no bullbar at all?

a bullbar is designed to minimise damage, not to be invincible.

Fair call but unfortunately the radiator and trans cooler have been damaged so no, you couldn't drive it home. According to the towie it was a fairly big roo.

Originally posted by William

Totally agree. I'm not so sure how an ARB bar would have fared. Anyway, we've hit a roo on the freeway with an 06 Rav4 before. All it had was a nudge bar. I'd say it's not so the bullbar you have, but more importantly the time you have to slow the vehicle down before impact, which is what really makes the difference.

Cheers

I totally agree there on the actual speed that the impact occurs .My wife hit a roo with our arb bar and just bent the number plate but she saw it coming and reckons she was probably only doing about 70 when it hit(down from 110).
I'm still not sold on the soverign bar as I've fitted a few on Prados and Hiluxs at work(replacing them after prangs) and just think their a little on the flimsy side.

matt150 · 11-10-2010, 09:31 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

A little bird tells me I may have an ARB steel winch bar soon...

MRW82 · 12-10-2010, 10:03 PM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by Whitey1

Fair call but unfortunately the radiator and trans cooler have been damaged so no, you couldn't drive it home. According to the towie it was a fairly big roo.

well that shut me up.... :wink:

Offroader · 13-10-2010, 07:14 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

For this very reason I always slow down to 80km/h during morning and evening "Roo hours" or try to schedule driving at another time. I'd expect the sovereign bar would hold up reasonably well with a strike somewhere below this speed. More disturbing than the bull bar deformation, is that tyre blown off the rim! I could cope with the bull bar but not a tyre like that at 110 km/h.
Fortunately enough, I've not hit a roo head on yet, but had about 4 impacts right into the door panels at lower speeds of around 40km/h on bush tracks. Interestingly, I've had far more close encounters of the fur kind driving the petrol than the diesel under the same conditions. Wonder if the turbo whistle or some other noise in the diesels provides advanced warning? :shock:

tassie tiger · 13-10-2010, 07:45 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by William

Originally posted by MRW82

. We could have saved $400 from the insurance excess if we had a bullbar!

Cheers

Maybe. The Rav has no chassis so the impact from the bar goes to its mounting points. There is not a lot of substantial metal in the front of the Rav so you may well just transfer the damage into the front rails.

tassie tiger · 13-10-2010, 07:47 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by Whitey1

This Prado just arrived in the workshop this morning.
Hit a roo. Not sure how fast he was going.
I'm glad I've got an ARB bar on mine!

Did they explain how the LF tyre shredded?

rastabacko · 13-10-2010, 07:59 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by William

Originally posted by MRW82

a bullbar is designed to minimise damage, not to be invincible.

Totally agree. I'm not so sure how an ARB bar would have fared. Anyway, we've hit a roo on the freeway with an 06 Rav4 before. All it had was a nudge bar. I'd say it's not so the bullbar you have, but more importantly the time you have to slow the vehicle down before impact, which is what really makes the difference. Here are some pics, excuse the quality, was taken at night with a phone. Corner impact - required: a new bumper, headlight unit, some dents knocked out and respraying. We could have saved $400 from the insurance excess if we had a bullbar!

I hit a Euro a few years ago in a Patrol with an ARB fitted. Jumped out from a railway pylon, never had a chance to slow down, and cleaned her up at 110. Bounced right of, all it did was clean the mud off the bullbar, but I think it has more to do with the angle and height, this photo looks dead center and low, whereas my hit was level with the bullbar, and jumping away.

Have also had a red roo jump into the rear passenger down in a captiva, that one was quite weird, dented the door a little, and the roo was fine!

Brett

Whitey1 · 13-10-2010, 08:40 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

The LF tyre is not shredded, just popped of the bead. The roo went under the car and also bent the side step. I have to retract my statement about the trans cooler being damaged(I pulled it apart for quoting yesterday), its a manual so no cooler at all. The oil I thought was coming from a trans cooler was from the air con condenser which had taken a big hit and pushed into the radiator busting one tank wide open(no bush fix possible there). If it wasn't for the radiator tank then you could have just changed the wheel and driven home(slowly).

William · 13-10-2010, 09:00 AM

Re: Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Originally posted by tassie tiger

Originally posted by William

Originally posted by MRW82

. We could have saved $400 from the insurance excess if we had a bullbar!

Cheers

Maybe. The Rav has no chassis so the impact from the bar goes to its mounting points. There is not a lot of substantial metal in the front of the Rav so you may well just transfer the damage into the front rails.

Yeah, we fit the nudge bar ourselves and were surprised at the way it was attached to the car. Very weak in my opinion. I think it's merely for cosmetics. Since we didn't put the nudge bar under insurance, it wasn't replaced, instead the panel beaters just bent the nudge bar right back out. It's that weak! I reckon a bullbar on a rav would look rather weird anyway.

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Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

Why you should choose an ARB over Soverign bar

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