PSA For you folks that are removing / modifying the crash bars to install bigger tires.....

[Peragrin]

Since we are all OK with removing safety equipment...........

Do you think it would be OK to remove my seat belts? They wrinkle my suits.

How about tail lights? Not crazy about that red color.

Move to New Hampshire. no seat belt law for adults. No helmet law for motorcycles.

(still seat belt laws for young kids though)

heck if you prove you can post a bond to pay for damage in an accident to other parties you don't even need car insurance.

of course I know several people that have been bitten by the above.

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[JACKSMYDOG]

King of the trolls gets trolled, LMAO!

 

[Todd Chapin]

Funny I saw 2 2021 Broncos brand new on dealers lot in North Virginia. One was a Sasquatch with 35s...crash bars removed. Another one with same tires....crash bars removed. I inquired and was told that this was SOP for new Broncos with 315/70/17s. Interesting, no?

 

[AdamHarris]

Funny I saw 2 2021 Broncos brand new on dealers lot in North Virginia. One was a Sasquatch with 35s...crash bars removed. Another one with same tires....crash bars removed. I inquired and was told that this was SOP for new Broncos with 315/70/17s. Interesting, no?

It’s very interesting yes. I have asked the question but no one has an answer. Some on here will talk down to those who have taken theirs off as if we have 0 care for any safety equipment at all or the welfare of our loved ones, however they are strangely silent and even forgiving to FoMoCo concerning the thousands of Broncos missing them.

 

[Langwilliams]

I tried to google search info on off center hits those are designed to protect against. No info came up on the % of accidents that involve an off center hits.

 

[AZRanger]

If you are in an accident powerful enough to dislocate a wheel and send it towards the cab area, then a 2”~ thin wall square tube (held on with fasteners and not welds or a continuous part of the frame) is not going to stop it.

If ford is willing to bet their reputation on it by removing them, then they don’t consider it an issue. It’s like a cab mount chop on a Tacoma, EVERYONE does it to clear tires.

Remove bars. Get big tires. Be happy.

 

[KJRR]

Are you all still beating dead crash bars?

 

[AzScorpion]

Are you all still beating dead crash bars?

We could discuss catch cans.

 

[Ronbo]

I know that this topic has been beat to death, and I know this wont change anyones mind, and frankly, it’s not intended to. People are going to do what they are going to do. That’s ok by me. But this is one reason why I personally will never remove the crash bars on my truck. Personal choices.

Crash bars doing what crash bars do…..

Versus inadequate frontal crash bar protection.

As Jeff @JDowns so succinctly put it, and I quote him;

I will leave this out there though. If you have any question about insurance just ask your provider. I can tell you from discussions with Geico, removal or modification of any device considered structural in nature can void your policy unless you have modified vehicle coverage. When I lifted my F150 I had to have modified coverage. You would be surprised at what is considered modifications to providers; level lifts, lifts kits, bumpers front/rear, etc. IMO it's silly to be paying for coverage and not have a discussion with your provider about what could void that coverage.

Very good advice Jeff.

Wishing you all the best on whatever you decide. Im out.

 

[AdamHarris]

For the 217th time we are hearing "Modifications CAN void your coverage" etc etc. All I'm asking for is 1 actual example of an Ins. company voiding an individuals coverage after an accident on account of underbody modifications. I have been driving for 29 years, lifted vehicles, lowered vehicles, aftermarket wheeled vehicles, etc. Never once have I had a State Farm or Farm Bureau (the only 2 Ins. companies I have ever had) ask me or even comment on any aftermarket equipment on my vehicle. I've been involved in 4 accidents over the years if I remember correctly (1 was charged to me) and never once did lowering or lifting or underbody modifications ever come up with an adjuster.

So would those of you afraid of removing these ever own a Sasquatch bronco?

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I know that this topic has been beat to death, and I know this wont change anyones mind, and frankly, it’s not intended to. People are going to do what they are going to do. That’s ok by me. But this is one reason why I personally will never remove the crash bars on my truck. Personal choices.

Crash bars doing what crash bars do…..

Versus inadequate frontal crash bar protection.

As Jeff @JDowns so succinctly put it, and I quote him;

I will leave this out there though. If you have any question about insurance just ask your provider. I can tell you from discussions with Geico, removal or modification of any device considered structural in nature can void your policy unless you have modified vehicle coverage. When I lifted my F150 I had to have modified coverage. You would be surprised at what is considered modifications to providers; level lifts, lifts kits, bumpers front/rear, etc. IMO it's silly to be paying for coverage and not have a discussion with your provider about what could void that coverage.

Very good advice Jeff.

Wishing you all the best on whatever you decide. Im out.

The top photo doesn't look to be enough damage to cause wheel to feet intrusion, and the bottom looks to be so catastrophic the bars would have been obliterated as is the rest of the front end.

IMO, the crash bar is only going to come in to play and make a substantial difference in a very small amount of collisions. For example anything under 50km/h differential won't be enough to break-through with or without beams, any thing above 70km/h differential would break through if beams were there. The collision also has to be the perfect amount of over lap, or the vehicle in just the right amount of yaw.

I could crash my truck at 10km/h and say look how good the crash bars worked, and another at 90km/h and blame the lack of bars. Apples and oranges, again, just my opinion.

With that said I do accept that I will probably be held liable if the unthinkable does happen, and their removal is noticed.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

For the 217th time we are hearing "Modifications CAN void your coverage" etc etc. All I'm asking for is 1 actual example of an Ins. company voiding an individuals coverage after an accident on account of underbody modifications. I have been driving for 29 years, lifted vehicles, lowered vehicles, aftermarket wheeled vehicles, etc. Never once have I had a State Farm or Farm Bureau (the only 2 Ins. companies I have ever had) ask me or even comment on any aftermarket equipment on my vehicle. I've been involved in 4 accidents over the years if I remember correctly (1 was charged to me) and never once did lowering or lifting or underbody modifications ever come up with an adjuster.

So would those of you afraid of removing these ever own a Sasquatch bronco?

Here's an easy answer, call your insurance agent and ask....

"My name is Adam Harris and I removed my intrusion bars from my Ranger. Does that play into liability if/when I am in a collision which they may have prevented my or my passengers injuries?"

 

[AdamHarris]

Here's an easy answer, call your insurance agent and ask....

"My name is Adam Harris and I removed my intrusion bars from my Ranger. Does that play into liability if/when I am in a collision which they may have prevented my or my passengers injuries?"

Why in the name of God would I purposely bring up something like this, that would otherwise NEVER even be a concern, to a greedy insurance company that would love to deny ANY claim for ANY reason. Naw I'm good.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

Why in the name of God would I purposely bring up something like this, that would otherwise NEVER even be a concern, to a greedy insurance company that would love to deny ANY claim for ANY reason. Naw I'm good.

Okay, leave your name out of it, and call random companies asking if it is a factor, and how it would play out if you removed them and then had injuries which may have been prevented had you not removed them.

Have you read your insurance policy and what it says about removing safety equipment?

 

[YaBoiNewton]

The main question to ask is why the USDM Rangers have those crash bars in the first place. The ROTW do not have them. And it's not like the US market is so crazy about protection and vehicle safety given that you are allowed to run 40" tire if they fit. OTOH, the EU market is anal about safety. The ranger 2012 got 5* on testing, and that's the base of the 2019+ USDM Ranger as well.

https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/ford/ranger/10926

People call those bars crash bars, but I really doubt in reality they are a crash aid, honestly. Since in US you can fit whatever tire it the hub and fender can receive, I honestly believe that Ford tries to limit the warranty calls on CV, hubs, transmission components in order to discourage you guys. I could be very wrong on this, but then why on earth the rest of the world does not have them? Mind you, in US you do receive a metal bumper, tow hooks. The ROTW has plastic bumpers, no hooks (except the Raptor), so in a collision, the intrusion would be much more detrimental.

Again, to me, these flimsy bars, bolted, with huge room to play with sound like bugfixing or preventive measure for something else than crash prevention.

I am a project engineer for an automotive safety systems supplier, actively validating multiple projects for the same OEM in multiple global markets. The North American region actually has higher standards for crash protection than the European, African, or Asian counterparts. Multi-stage deployments for air bags, lower effluent gas limits, more rigorous environmental conditioning standards, etc.. Any given OEM will have two versions of the same product: one for North America and one for the rest of the world. It's strange that the same manufacturer meets different standards based on the regional market, but the fact is vehicles sold in EMEA and Asia tend to be cheaper and contain fewer safety features. The exception to this is obviously the high end luxury vehicles, but this holds true to the majority of cheap passenger vehicles on the road.

As to whether or not the crash bar actually aids during an impact...there is crash test footage freely available that demonstrates how effective the intrusion beams are during the impact scenario they are designed for. It's actually pretty cool. Offset intrusion is demonstrated frequently enough in real world traffic that the OEMs in North America to consider them in frame design. I bet higher end vehicles in the RotW contain similar features in their frame designs.

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