Bullbars and airbags

[ScubyRoo]

Good evening all!

With my new purchase I have the luxury of airbags - very good things and I'm feel safer with them, definitely worth having!

However the law, at least in victoria, states that airbag equipped vehicles must have airbag complient bull bars with built in crumple zones. There is a good read (long but worth it) here. Here's an example of an aftermarket bullbar with crumple zones (the big red things):


.

I was wondering what airbag equiped subi owners have done as I can't find a replacement style bullbar for first gen outbacks (subaxtreme only do non-airbag model), the closest I can find this, which I think looks crap and isn't what I'm after:


So I'm really wanting to build my own as there doesn't seem to be anything commercially available.

I have one idea, and this is to use the existing front bar and using that is the base of the design. That way the original crumple zones are kept and it should be compliant - I've asked a couple of VACC assessment guys and they said they would pass road worthy on it so long as it retained the original crumple features.

Obviously it would not be as strong i.e. it would crumple in a collosion with a roo, but also with a person, which would be a good thing. I would design it so that if this were to happen it would be repairable by replacing the front bar and reattaching the bullbar if intact. What do you guys think?

The original bar looks like this:




What are your thoughts?

Cheers,
Owen.

[El_Freddo]

If you're after a decent bullbar and want to go the right way about it make two the way the engineer specifies. This way they can test one and approve the other... That's how it goes if you make your own tow bar - but seriously, who engineers their home made tow bar? Most will usually over engineer it to make sure there's no problem.

The idea of your factory frame work is a good one, you may be able to beef up the points leading onto the crumple zones and leave it at that. While they make look flimsy they're not. This way you can have a heavier bar on the front that is sturdy. It may crumple in a crash with a roo or another vehicle but that's what they're designed to do. Having a sturdier bar may deflect the object way from the rest of the vehicle, who knows in a stack - I'm not planning on having one that's for sure!

Have fun with it, you'll be able to create an attractive looking bar with some time and persistence! Best of luck.

Cheers

Bennie

[dale147]

G'day, I've got an Irvin make of bull bar on my Outback and it's air bag compatible, here's the link.
http://www.irvinbullbars.com.au/

Cheers
Dale

[tex]

I was certain that suba extreme made one for airbagged outbacks just not the real offroad one, As thats why I went way from the luxury packs but then discovered one on their website! It'd be worth ringing them and asking them. And by the way I have one of those factory bullbars as pictured but even it says its not airbag compatible!

[SUBYDAZZ]

I looked at the SubaXtreme website this week, and they do indeed have air-bag model bars, their bullbar pages are a bit dicky to navigate, perhaps that's why you missed it. They are $2.5 for my model though, ouch!

[ScubyRoo]

Thanks SUBYDAZZ, I've had a good look through they're website and as far as I can see they don't offer airbag approved offroad bar for my year ('96), only '99 onwards.

It's really annoying as I don't have the time to go through the process of designing, building, testing compliance and all that at the moment and a bullbar is something very important to me... I've got a lift and suspension to go in first before I can think about building the bar and I've run out of school holidays

Looks like a fair few weekends are gonna be spent in the garage if I want one for Robe/Little Desert in September.

Cheers,
Owen.

[dale147]

Here's my bull bar, it's hit 2 roos so far and has been ok each time