Installing a roll bar with insurance and or warranty in mind.
 

So I was toying with the idea of either buying a roll bar or having a custom one made. I have a specific idea in mind that isn't offered in any of the pre-manufactured ones.

In my search through a dozen or so roll bar threads this topic was mentioned only once and got a couple mediocre replys but had a lame thread title. Therefore it may have been overlooked.

How do insurance companies feel about roll bars? There's the typical "you race the car, therefore you're not covered." But say you need to put a claim in for something that happened on normal roads, not racing? Can they legally deny you biased simply on a modification?

And 2: How about warranty work done at the dealer? Its easy to remove things like say, intake or exhaust modification before bringing it as to not raise any suspicion. A roll bar however in another story. Can you get denied warranty work simply because "you probably race the car"

Does anybody have any real world experience with this or know somebody who may have gone through it?

Your warranty cannot be denied unless they can prove that you adding the aftermarket part in caused whatever you are trying to warranty to fail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuso...s_Warranty_Act

Insurance companies can be very weird. I have seen people talk about getting their insurance revoked because the company found out they race at the track or drag strip. Even though it would not be the insurance companies problem if you crashed there they still refused to cover the car on the street. I guess they assume that if you race legally at the track then you must also race illegally on the street.

or that you would tow it a mile away from the track and say whatever happened, happened on the street. (hit and run, freak accident, etc etc) thats what i would do lol

EDIT: why do you want a roll bar?

Well...As lame as it sounds, and I'm sure I will get flack for it,

1: I love the way they look.
2: I want to mount racing harnesses in through my Recaros
3: In car camera
4: They just look so damn cool in the cars I see at the autox. To me it shows "I mean business"

roll bars mean business
and roll cages mean i own the business lol

I know you can fish the straps through the holes( maybe... measure the diameter of the hole, IIRC... harnesses are 4inches wide, or maybe 3inches wide i forget. Schroth makes a 2inch dot approved harness IIRC the only dot approved harness to wear during driving on public roads.

On bucket seats they have holes towards the top like youre recaros, but the buckets also have side holes by the hips for the straps, and there is no (hook?) below youre crotch in the recaros. I would use it for autox and just about it. I wouldnt feel safe using it on the street, not to mention how uncomfortable it is, when correctly strapped in to a seat with a harness your back/body shouldnt be able to move from the chair. Changing the station on the radio will require removal of the harness.

Is it worth the $1000+ for something that is %90 show? (bar fabrication+belts)

Also, i mentioned in youre other thread that if you go the autopower route that you will have to cut holes in the plastic side panels in the rear.

sorry, none of this probably helped you.

It is helpful! thanks.

Yes my only intention is to use the harnesses for autox. I intend to keep the oem seatbelt in place and use for normal driving.

In regards to price, I know people have spend thousands more on items that are 100% show.

I just went out and measured the holes. Exactly 3and9/16 inches wide at the base (oem R3 recaros). Shouldn't have a problem getting 4"wide through.

I have heard of a few people having problem with the plastic inserts breaking and popping out during normal driving though. I cant imagine they would last very long with harnesses in use traveling through them. I have a buddy that works at a machine shop though. When the time comes I may have him make me some 2-peice aluminum inserts to bolt in place. I may be able to get the remaining 7/16" then.

yeah they break without even using them, makes no sense... so many things about the r3 doesnt make any sense to me :crazy: 19inch wheels, halogen not xenon lights, recaros tabs breaking. bleh!

i believe they are covered under warranty though, if not i remember people saying they were $50 per hole, so $100 per seat

I wish the recaros were less dailydriverish, there isnt enough bolster for me, i wish it was taller and more bucket seat like the recaros from the rx7 RZ + Spirit R

They put halogens in the r3? I have a sport with the halogens and they are horrible lights, I figured all trims up from that had xenons.

1) Rollbar for looks = rice. Don't do that to your rx8. Roll bar with rear seats installed = ugly and eve ricer.
2) No need for a rollbar to fit a harness. Just make a harness bar and hook it in place of the rear seats (which you wouldn't be able to use anyway. 4pt harnesses are dangerous and the recaros aren't made to work with 5\6 pt ones (even your scrotum really isn't but still... better lose them than your spine).
3) No need for a rollbar to mount a car camera in the back.
4)It's just added weight in your case.

R3's do not have halogen lights. HID's. I don't know where you guys are getting that?

Like that Cayman RS ? hehehe

This is the 2nd thread i have seen him post that R3's dont have HIDs .... clearly he is misinformed

1. Rollbar without rear seats installed = really f**King loud with a 3" exhaust

2. How do you plan on attaching the harness bar to a car without B pillars ;)

3. That I agree with...but if you refuse to drive on the track without a neck restraint then you alreay need a harness attachment point...so the camera mount is a bonus :)

4. Wish there was a way to get the bar without the weight...but they go hand in hand :)

There are a couple of big bolts in the rear that can be used to retain the optimal harness angle with some modifiction and thought. Since they're far away you will need to cross the straps though.

Track = earplugs... since that's the only place where a cage\rollbar may be useful sound isn't a problem... unless you are over the db limit and have to go home crying!

i think a member called mark ryan (calypso) had a cage in a 4 port auto and the backseats were useless but he did have a tv in the roof for the back seats. weird. iirc trex had a cage in his 8 too

MY BAD! it was the sports that came with halogens! i havnt looked at my 2011 rx8 brochure in a while. i mixed them up.

Sport has HID. That's the minimum package that comes with HID. Only Base came with halogens.