Talking with a fellow today and he said that he cannot get insurance for his car because he has a roll bar in the car. Does any body know who will insure the car with a roll bar.
My previous insurance company (with my previous truck) told me they didn't care about any modifications except I was not allowed to add a roll bar. I thought that was quite odd.
I understand that a street car being driven on a race track is not insured under regular car insurance (and a waiver must be signed at the track in order to be allowed to race), but does that mean it can't legally be driven on a race track? What I mean is, if the owner of a vehicle is willing to accept the risk, does an insurance company have the legal right to demand that anyone insured with them, is not allowed to accept the risk on their own, and attend a track day event, time trials etc?
Also, does "it will be insured as a modified vehicle" mean that it is required to be insured under those policies that severely limit the usage of the car? Can it only be driven in parades, to car shows etc?
I need to look into this before I start prepping a daily driver for occasional track days ... which would definitely include a cage.
Why ? How fast is your "street car" going to go that you need a cage. The modified car ins is restrictive but not totally unreasonable. You can drive to club events and cruise nights. You are allowed to drive for pleasure, service and test drives. The only restrictions I have with this type of ins is I am not allowed to drive to work, use it for work, or use as a primary vehicle. No coverage for damage in shopping mall parking lots, and I would hate to have to try and make a claim if I was Tboned exiting a Timmies drive thru at 8:50in the morning. There are restrictions but at least I can drive my 55. Ed
Yes he wants to use it strip and street so that would make a difference and he said that it was also tubbed and they had a problem with that also. Thanks Glenn
Homer
-- Edited by Homer on Tuesday 27th of January 2015 09:14:59 AM
Those bars you see in a Jeep or Mustang aren't roll bars ....in the Mustang they are "light bars" and in the Jeep they are " sound bars " . If you wish to experiment to see their roll bar capabilities , make sure your life insurance is paid up !
-- Edited by teejay99 on Tuesday 27th of January 2015 09:15:28 AM
Those bars you see in a Jeep or Mustang aren't roll bars ....in the Mustang they are "light bars" and in the Jeep they are " sound bars " . If you wish to experiment to see their roll bar capabilities , make sure your life insurance is paid up !
-- Edited by teejay99 on Tuesday 27th of January 2015 09:15:28 AM
If there is an interior light mounted to a roll bar...did it not just become a light bar???
If there is a mp3 player hanging off the roll bar...did it not just become a sound bar???
Hot rodding and racing has always been about playing with the rules in the grey areas.
The insurance companies allow you to drive these cars "to and from your mechanic"...gotta find a mechanic, "in a parade"...how many cars does it take to have a parade? "cruise night"...well I heard there was one up here some where or I wanted to get there early, and my personal favourite "FOR TESTING"...
I recently drove a classic 1980 Lincoln town coupe for over a year with historic plates and antique insurance even in the snow, back and forth to Woodstock, daily.
Got pulled over once in Norwich(every day I would meet him at 6:15am) and when asked about the historic plate and daily usage, my response was "I'm testing it".
I was then asked by the officer to explain why I had a lunch pail on the seat beside me, and my response to him was...
"officer this is an old car, it could break down at any time, I could be stranded out here for days, and a mans gotta eat."
He gave that look and let me go.
Would I have gotten away with that in my 20's, probably not, but as an old grey beard, well, it has its advantages.
Those bars you see in a Jeep or Mustang aren't roll bars ....in the Mustang they are "light bars" and in the Jeep they are " sound bars " . If you wish to experiment to see their roll bar capabilities , make sure your life insurance is paid up !
In this factory Jeep window sticker (from 1976), the Jeep Corporation itself refers to the item in question as being a "roll bar".
Here (below) is a pic of a 1967 Shelby Mustang interior with the factory tubular roll bar, apparently welded to the floor, bolted to the roof in two spots, and has the seat belt retractors mounted to it as well.
I drove a tubbed and caged car for several years. I only insured it for PL/PD (regular insurance co, no restrictions) ... I didn't cover the car for collision. Due to the car itself not being covered, the insurance company didn't ask for an appraisal or pictures. Now, could they have refused to pay if I had been involved in an at-fault accident? Luckily, I never had to cross that bridge, so I guess I'll never know.
I figured that I'd argue in court (in the event of an at-fault accident) that it is entirely the responsibility of the insurer to determine what exactly they were insuring BEFORE taking my money and that since they never asked for any specific information regarding whether or not the car was modified, and if so, to what extent, I was not guilty of failure of disclosure and my insurance should be considered valid.
Might have been from 76 and 67 but when I was selling new from 1990 and on , "They Weren't " ! I have doubts on that Shelby , looks more cosmetic than functional . Any of the "roll bars " we/ I sold for any Mustang had to be described to the buying customer as " not a roll bar" ...we probably should of had it in writing for legal purposes but we didn't . They were bolted to the floor after drilling holes through the carpet ...there was virtually no strength and we sold hundreds of them for $1200 installed .
Might have been from 76 and 67 but when I was selling new from 1990 and on , "They Weren't " ! I have doubts on that Shelby , looks more cosmetic than functional . Any of the "roll bars " we/ I sold for any Mustang had to be described to the buying customer as " not a roll bar" ...we probably should of had it in writing for legal purposes but we didn't . They were bolted to the floor after drilling holes through the carpet ...there was virtually no strength and we sold hundreds of them for $1200 installed .
I agree with you regarding how useful (or rather useless) a single hoop is (although the early Shelby Mustang one did bolt to the roof so that has to help some), but I can't see Ford allowing a part of the seat belt system to be fastened to something that is just there for decoration (my word). I have heard that the earliest Shelby Mustang roll bars where 4-point, before they switched to just the single hoop.
My guess (not being involved in the insurance industry) is the insurance companies where worried about roll cage components being installed too close to the occupants heads (bare tubes with zero padding), with the result being the possibility of major head trauma that might not have occurred had the vehicle not had a cage. Cages are basically made for racing, and most (if not all) race events generally require a helmet to be used.
Strange thing is, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is street legal and comes with a factory installed, and I quote directly from Porsche literature, "roll cage". You can also get the cage installed in a regular Porsche 911 GT3 (non RS) if you tick off the "Clubsport Package"). Again, I'm guessing a factory installed cage is more acceptable to insurance companies, as the MOE must have to meet certain safety standards in order for the car to be street legal, where a home bent and home installed cage can be located anywhere in the car ... meaning too close to the occupants and the "safety" item has now become a hazard.
Because we provide low-cost, agreed-value coverage, we are not able to provide coverage for certain vehicles due to how they are used and the increased risk associated, including: •Daily-use vehicles •Camping, off-road, or utility-type vehicles •Late model vehicles that have been highly customized for looks or performance (commonly referred to as “Tuner”) •Vehicles that are highly customized for appearance and suspension (commonly referred to as "Lowrider") •Commercial-use vehicles •Motorcycles or scooters •Replicas of the 1963-67 Shelby Cobra Roadster •Vehicles that are used for racing, timed events, autocross or drivers education •Vehicles modified with features such as a roll cage, wheelie casters, parachutes, nitrous components or modifications that permanently remove the roof and/or doors. •Vehicles with 700 hp or greater (manufactured or modified) •Right-hand drive vehicles newer than 25 years, specifically those imported from Japan •Dune Buggies •Motor homes or recreational vehicles
You can do and say whatever you need to, to get ins. You can go along with the restrictions or play with the rules, I was just testing the tire pressure, honest. You can have a buddy who is a mechanic say it was coming in for service everyday at 9:00, but the ins. cos. hold all the cards at claim time. I guess the bottom line on this comes from Dirty Harry "do you feel lucky". Ed
what about a sway bar? traction bars ? gimme a break 
