Basic Autopower Roll bar?

[BayAreaZT]

I have a chance to pick up an Autopower roll bar for fairly cheap. It's the basic one with no diagnal, just the main hoop that mounts to the fender wells. Does it make sense to:

 

a) add a diagnal to it, cut the rear mounts and re-locate them to the top of the strut towers, then add a bar across the strut towers

 

leave the mounting how it is, add a diagnal from the main hoop to the top of one of the strut towers and a bar across the strut towers

 

c) just get a rear strut tower bace like the PDK one for now and add a custom roll bar later down the road.

 

This is for a mainly street driven turbo 240Z with occasional track days or autocrosses. I want to stiffen up the chassis a bit and have a good place to attach a harness.

 

[johnc]

Just bolt it in as is.

[BayAreaZT]

As is, wouldn't it just act like a bar inbetween the strut towers?

 

edit: actually after looking at it, I guess it would be stiffer than just a strut bar because of the vertical components.

[johnc]

No, its not stiffer then a strut tower bar and does not add any appreciable stiffness to the car. Its a roll bar and meant to protect the occupant in case of a roll over. If you want a strut tower bar, purchase and install a strut tower bar. If you want a roll bar, purchase and install a roll bar. Cutting up a roll bar to make it a strut tower bar is generally not a good idea.

 

The Autopower roll bar with the inner diagonal brace is fine for a street car and does offer a measure of protection in case of a roll over. The one pictures above is less effective because it does not have the main hoop diagonal brace, but it does help some.

[BayAreaZT]

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for the input.