Anyone install this Steeda roll bar?

formatting link
Here in Northern NJ, I have never seen a Mustang on a street with a roll bar. Soon I will give my 2K GT 'vert to my son who is about to get his license and wanted to make it a bit safer.

I'm just not sure if the absence of roll bars means they are too difficult to install or Mustang drivers are just not that concerned with rollovers. For $300 or so, having a roll bar would seem very prudent to me. Before I order one, is there something important I'm missing. According to Steeda rep, it's a piece of cake to install.

Thanks Ron

Reply to
unixzip
Loading thread data ...

Giving a 140MPH car to a young male driver is nuts, IMHO, with or w/o a roll bar. I suggest that you save the $300 on the roll bar, and spend it on a governor and/or a black-box recorder. {I still remember what this fool did as a teenage driver, and it wasn't pretty.}

Reply to
Bob Willard

Personally, I wouldn't put much faith in *any* "bolt-in" roll bar, especially a 4-point bar. If you are really concerned that he might flip the car, don't skimp, invest in a good 6-point welded bar.

It really would take a valiant effort, horrible luck or sheer stupidity to roll these cars. You already know that, though, if you've been driving it for 5 years.

Money well spent would be sending the youth to a reputable "performance" driving school. There, he can safely explore a vehicles limits and his capabilities. I'm not saying your boy is too young for a fast car, just suggesting that some track time will satisfy some of that youthful curiosity and teach him something more than parallel parking.

Reply to
John C.

I am 19 and drive a '91 5.0L for the 3 years I have had my license, and I have never been in an accident. If your son is responsible, flipping the car shoudn't be an issue, barring another driver doing something incredibly stupid, which is actually likely given the state of all the drivers on the road today. But anyway, I feel that the rollbar isn't neccessary, as long as you trust your son.

Clark '91 5.0 CHP Special Service

Reply to
CBeech

Ron,

I think there's something *VERY* important you're missing. This is his first car.

If you're worrying about doing the "prudent" thing to do, don't give your son a car with that much power as a first car. He's probably the best kid in the world, but unless he's getting his licence @ age 23 or older, the SAFEST thing to do (you said you wanted to make it a bit safer for) is store the car a few years and give it to him after he has his licence for a long while.

Practically ALL of my friends their first cars and did INCREDIBLY STUPID things with them. We thought it was fun at the time - now it gives me the cold sweats. And these were cars with SIGNIFICANLY LESS horsepower than a 2k GT 'vert.

Most welding shops can install a decent roll bar setup. But safety always begins between the ears. There's a reason they want young kids in the military. NO FEAR OF DANGER.

Good luck.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Reply to
Jimmy

I think if kids want to be stupid, they'll do it in anything they get their hands on. Is Civic a better choice? How long before his Rice Boy friends soup it up to do 10 sec 1/4 mile?

To me there is nothing more dangerous than an underpowered car. My GT (stick) saved my ass quite a few times by letting me quickly move out of the way.

The reason for bolt-on bar is mainly due to the fact that the closest good weld shop is 2 hours away and I need to leave my car for the whole day. I work almost every day and can't sit around all day at the shop while my car is being worked on. I know this Steeda will not be as strong as a 6 point bar, but it will be better that nothing at all (IMHO).

Thanks ROn

Reply to
unixzip

There is one aspect of a rollbar or cage that noone has mentioned. Of course it probably depends on your location, but most times if an insurance company gets wind of that mod... they'll cancel your insurance. Rollbar/cage = racing. Best you get something in writing from your agent before going ahead with this.

Reply to
Jafo

Good point. And Northern NJ they pay the highest insurance around bar none, I think.

Even more than us >

Reply to
Jimmy

It will take alot of money souping up a Civic to do 10's, where your son wil be WELL ahead of the curve with the GT. WELL ahead.

And there is something more dangerous than an underpwoered car. An overpowered car in the hands of a 17 year old male impressing his girlfriend, his buddies, or some yuppie BMW'er on the Turnpike looking to race. Just happened to me on the Taconic two weeks ago...yuppie BMW

535 tool trying to get me to race my camaro...I even slowed down and this dope slowed down as well kept trying to get me to bite...he got to race my cruise control...@ 55

But if a roll bar is what you're going to get for him, forget the bolt in. A "prudent" roll cage needs to be welded. You're concerned about him driving an underpowered car so you're giving him this one. Then go one step further and the time to get the job done right. If you're in Northern NJ, 2 hours from anywhere can out you in PA, NY, and or CT. There's GOTTA be a good weld shop closer than 2 hours away from you.

Good luck > I think if kids want to be stupid, they'll do it in anything they get > their hands on.

Reply to
Jimmy

Several others have made the point:

16 YO!

I dont care HOW responsible your son is, it ONLY takes ONE time!

And yes...I have raised FOUR sons through this... and I gave them ALL Mustangs to drive.. but they were 2.3L Foxes I gave them Mustnags because they were the safest cheapest easiest to repair cars available.

And the Safety is a big key... TWO of them arguably owe their lives to the Mustang build. Because, althoguh they were GENERALLY responsible drivers, they made a FOOP.. one totally not at fault but saved, nonethess.

If you INSIST on giving him that GT, then dont skimp. Besides welding in that bar, ALSO send him to 'skidpad' school... to teach him how to REALLY drive and how quickly he can lose control and gain it back.

I have a personal opinion that a good number of fatals occur due to the driver 'freezing' when things get out of control. At least in an advanced driving closed course skidpad, he might develop automatic responses that save his life.

And he should practice skid control whenever possible... that is ONE ticket I gladly paid for my kid when he was cited for doing do-nuts on a snowy parking lot.

Just my >

formatting link

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

I agree. It's absolutely insane to give a 16yo a car like a Mustang GT. That car can EASILY get away from you, even if you're an experienced driver who is distracted for a moment or if the pavement is even a little slick. If someone wanted to give their kid a "fast" car to bop around in, that car would be close to the very bottom of a long list for one of my children.

Also, insurance on a GT is outrageous in NJ. I can't imagine what it would be like to get coverage for a 16yo in that car in NJ. Better bring some KY when you go to visit your insurance agent. 8-)

Cheers,

Backyard Mechanic wrote:

Reply to
Ritz

What would you recommend for a 16yo?

My Dad scarred me for life by giving me a beat up 67 Impala. (One of the many reasons I had no girlfriends in high school).

Agreed, the GT may not be the wisest choice, but he just loves my car and has been waiting for it for 5 years. I'd hate to give him a Focus at this point :-(.

Cheers ROn

Reply to
unixzip

Better to be humbled by driving around a hooptie than getting seriously hurt or killed in an accident.

I know plenty of guys who were getting laid in high school that didn't have a car. Maybe it wasn't the car. 8-)

But seriously, that car can be extremely dangerous in the ands of someone inexperienced. Sometimes being a daddy means you've got to be the bad guy....

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Reply to
Ritz

The following may sound cold, but this comes from a retired cop who has witnessed the carnage...

You would not believe the number of good students (top 10%) out doing normal things, like going to the mall with their friends, never made it to graduation at my son's school... let alone the bad kids. Why? Because they are kids and they are human. Their judgment is not honed yet. They make mistakes which seem simple on the surface but can be life altering.

Why? In part because indulgent parents just had to give their kids the cars they wanted (or help them get them). They wanted their kids to fit in. Well, they did. They fit into a box that the rest of their classmates paraded by.... sorry for the loss, but still with the attitude that it could and would never happen to them... So many bright young kids, with whole futures ahead, took the driving test in mom's automatic, and went and got a 4 speed with a big V8... and never made it to voting age.

Another problem is even the most responsible kids behind the wheel are distracted by their friends conversations, stereo, etc. The less the driving , the more easily distracted. Especially the boys when ego and hormones are raging... when all it takes is for one of their friends to say "I dare you" or "you can make it... GO!" This is one reason why California changed the licensing rules. For something like the first year, the kids are not allowed to have friends as riders. (Of course, they do violate the rule...)... and driving at night is restricted.

Consider your child's future when they survive such an accident, when one or more of their friends didn't. It's bad enough to be a survivor and always feeling guilty because you lived and your friend(s) did not. It's even worse when you were the driver responsible for their safety and you failed them.

Scarred for life because of an old Imapala? Know what that Impala is worth today? Try having parents who can't afford a car when kids you go to school with are driving 'vettes and Mustangs. Try having your parents get you a stationwagon... or a Morris Minor... Try having to ride a bicycle to school when the cool kids are driving. I'd rather my kid belonged to the "out crowd" than the in crowd if he were still alive. I'd have given anything for something as cool as a Falcon or Comet.

To put it bluntly, if you want to attend your kid's funeral, go ahead. Indulge them. But, if you want to be a good parent, think more about their safety than how cool your kid will look. I'd rather have my kid wrapped in steel... like a Bronco, or one of those custom Presidential security vehicles... An old Caddy or Lincoln.... A Brinks truck... if it increased the odds he'd make it home.

When you get that call in the middle of the night...or those officers show up at your door... the one that invites you down to the scene, the hospital, or the morgue to identify a body... even when your kid was in the right... don't blame others. You had the opportunity to add a measure of protection and you opted for cool.

Don't blame others because the resulting lawsuit(s) cost you your home, your credit, and anything else you might have had... even if your kid was in the right. One of my best friends in school didn't get killed or even hurt, and he didn't hurt anyone. But he did roll the stop, and hit a drunk woman who ran the stop. In the suits which followed, his parents lost everything. Don't blame others when the blame game starts and your married falls apart (as most marriages do when a child has died for any reason).

Indulge them. Send them out with a cool custom made piece of jewelry which they can show off to their cool friends... their own engraved toe tag.

I don't know abut you, but I recall when I was 16.... I thank God my parents priorities were on being good parents, even when I believed they hated me, than on giving in to every whim and desire I had. And for making me work for what I got. Not just get good grades. You appreciate something far more when it has come to you the hard way, than if you were given it. I saw that in law enforcement. Many who didn't care how they treated the cars and equipment. They didn't have to pay for it. Those who bought their own gear took far better care of it.

So, pick your priorities. Do you really care about your kids, or do you care about how they look to others? Are they important to you, or just another accomplishment?

Reply to
Spike

I know a kid that started driving his own 92 LX at 15. Of course he paid for it and when he added the intake, cam, heads and blower etc. he paid for that too and did most of the installation as well. I never saw that car with the first spec of dust.

Reply to
WindsorFox

Hey if you're looking to give away a car, I'll trade you my 97 GT for your Steeda.... BTW what part of No. Joisey? I used to live in Oakland, West Milford and Lyndhurst. NNJ has some great food but the car insurance kills ya.....

Reply to
trotzo

Boy, Spike, of all the inane uninformed hackneyed nonsense that sloshes around inside that fetid mass of overripe cottage cheese you use for a brain, this one takes the cake. You could have saved a lot of time if you just cut to the cop's credo: everyone just stay home, so we cops can can enjoy our donuts (and our overtime and our fat retirement benefits) in peace.

180 Out

Spike wrote:

Reply to
one80out

Spike wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Presidential

The best thing a parent can do for his/her kid who's fresh behind the wheel is to lead by example, hot car or not. Kids with idiot parents that street race and/or drive agressively are destined for trouble right off the bat.

Sure, hot cars can get kids into trouble, but bad attitudes are where it all starts. It's not so much the car as it is the attitude. Kids who aren't paying attention or kids with bad attitudes can get killed just as easily driving a Civic as they can driving a V8 Mustang.

If they're not driving defensively, they'll get into trouble - guaranteed. Of course, this all applies to people of all ages and not just kids...

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

That was unworthy of even you.

Reply to
Spike

Hey Ron, You know your son better than anyone. You should know if he is the type that will go out and do something stupid or not.

Personally, I feel that if you feel the need to put in a roll bar, that somewhere deep down you think he is the sort that will do soemthing stupid. Think on it long and hard. Just because he has waited for 5 years to have it, does not mean that he is responsible enough to get it yet.

The roll bars (no matter which kind you put in) will make a mess of the car. Then the interior is all buggered up if he decides to keep the car as his first American dream it will make his "resto" project that much harder. A roll bar would make it harder to get in and out of for everyone.

I say, if the kid is a good guy , then leave the bars out. If he is a irresponsible or a wild ass, then make him take the bus.

OH, one more thing, just thought of this, If you install the roll bar it may give him a false sense of security and he will think he can drive like a madman simply because it's there.

Best of luck to you.

Kate Former owner of a 95 GT, that her 16 year old daughter drove through a brick wall.

Reply to
KJ.Kate

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.