TR4/4A Roll Bar Recomendations

Before deciding to use a rollbar on a street car where you are not wearing a helmet, you should probably read this thread along with the links to the Pelican Parts forum contained therein: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/f...request-roll-bar-in-a-street-car/14131/page1/ There are a sizeable number of opinions that a rollbar that's not padded appropriately, with the drivers not helmeted and not wearing 4 or 5 point belts with high-back seats is an invitation to head injury in a rear end collision (which are pretty common in our low sports cars with stoplights often out of the line of vision of drivers behind us or even those on their cellphones.

Bruce...your wife is a very sensible woman. Most aftermarket roll bars are only cosmetic and offer little or no protection.
If you want your wife to drive with you, buy a sports sedan/coupe.:chuncky:

Even with a roll bar, I think you probably have better rear vision in a TR than in a lot of modern cars, so I'd be less worried about that. My concern is that most rollbars I've seen, other than those specifically designed for racing, have so little bracing that they'd almost certainly collapse in a rollover accident. I don't think you'd want a roll bar collapsing on you. Of course, if you roll a TR without a roll bar, you'll probably get smooshed anyway. Just depends how you'd like to go.

I see the points you are making for the most part. HealeyRick's reference opened my eyes some. Malbaby - you must not be married. In our golden years we wish to enjoy the car together and be as safe as we can be. We could buy a used half-track I guess but that opens up other concerns. Most of my reckless driving ended when I decided I wanted to live and got off motocycles. So back to the theme - Steve I do recognize what you are saying as well but would have to assume that a roll bar would be more protection but as always (think air bags etc) you can still be killed. That factor does not bother me as much as what HealeyRick is saying about rear end collisions. So based on little input it would appear that if I put one in that I would need to also put in high backed seats and padding on the bar. Does that sound correct?

Bruce...I am married and can appreciate your wife's concern regarding the lack of safety driving in our old TR's.
Fitting high back seats with added strengthening of the floor fixing points, plus lap/sash seatbelts would be a good idea.

As for all good of the above commits' see my head also less view at rear view mirror . This Bar was not SCCA cert. as it only attached to floor panels and back deck not frame. Soft top still had room. I never added a padding and have since removed Bar It did make the car easy to push around. Madflyer