Rollbars and SOLO I

[Brian]

We get a lot of folks calling and asking for SOLO I bars despite not competing in SOLO I. Here is some general advice on rollbars and on the SOLO I bars in particular. We sell the good bars made by Autopower, Harddog, and Bossfrog....some are SOLO I rated, some are not. SOLO I bars are NOT always your best choice.

MYTH #1: You want a SOLO I Bar. Very often the first thing somebody says to me when they call about a bar is that they want a SOLO I bar. I usually ask them some questions and usually they quickly come to the conclusion that they thought they wanted a SOLO I bar but they really do NOT because they do not want the compromises that come with it. What do I mean by compromises? Stand next to your Miata with the top UP. Look at the curve of the rear roof line. Regardless of brand, all the rollbar makers are stuck with that same curve if they want to make a bar that fits with the factory softtop. Therefore, the TALLER the bar, the more FORWARD the bar must be in the car if it is still going to fit under the softtop! If you are tall, this means the taller SOLO I bars are going to be CLOSER to your head and limit the room for your head to move around in an accident. On the race track your head would have a helmet...but driving around town it would have, at most, the optional padding available with these bars. That's something to think about. Thus, in a rear end accident in town with no helmet the SOLO I bar may actually be LESS safe because your head is more likely to hit it. Had plenty of friends with really good lumps on their heads and lucky to be alive.

Myth #2: You need a Solo I bar to autocross or attend track days. This is the companion myth to the one above. Autocross has NO bar requirement at all and very few tracks and track day hosts demand a solo I bar. Obviously, check with whatever organization you track with for local rules. Most are looking to see a four point bar in the car and that is it. I did over 25,000 miles of track and autocross time in my 99 Miata with a basic Autopower "Street" Bar.

So, if you want a SOLO I bar, certainly we are happy to sell you one from each of the brands we carry but just be aware of the compromises and understand that it is not automatically your best choice because it meets the SOLO I regs...

For those planning high speed track events I like the BossFrog designs for their roll over tested engineering. One key to the Boss Frog Clearview's strength is the rear brace foot. The foot is a formed triangle, which provides lateral support to the vertical hoop brace. Other manufacturers weld a flat plate on the brace tube, which gives no structural support at all to the brace. In rollover testing per SCCA guidelines, this rear brace foot helped support the vertical brace tube, passing the testing with almost no deflection.