Custom front bar vs airbags

[gudge]

Hi guys. I've just bought a 2000 gu wagon with an alloy front bar on it. Now I've got steel winch bar off a 99 ute with a ding in the left hand side and was thinking bout cutting off the sides off the winch cradle part and welding on some tube "wings". All good until I thought of the airbags. So what I wanna know is if and how can I do it. Where are the sensors? And how do they work? Thanks guys

[Yom]

inertia sensors mounted on either firewall, floorpan around transmission tunnel or under front seats or around steering column...can't remember exactly for the GU.

[gudge]

Oh really , so i shouldn't have a problem modifying the bullbar, well as far as the airbags go anyway

[4wheelinls1]

If you modify the bar you will potentially make the car unroadworthy, the bar has passed testing to assure its operation with airbags, no modification is allowed on these from a roadworthy perspective.

Joel

[gudge]

As I suspected

[nabstud]

It will bolt up no worries, but the mounts are made differently so they don't affect the airbag operation.

[brooksy]

Oh really , so i shouldn't have a problem modifying the bullbar, well as far as the airbags go anyway

Depends where you want to modify the bar



brooksy

[pigletracing]

If you modify the bar you will potentially make the car unroadworthy, the bar has passed testing to assure its operation with airbags, no modification is allowed on these from a roadworthy perspective.

Joel

what joel says is quite true. thats why the likes of ARB, TJM ect spend thou$and$ to get there bars approved so if you have a crash you will be covered by insurance.
now with saying that, if you want to put a custom bar on your car, thats up to you, just like thousands of us have.(I have them on mine)
at the ends of your chassis there are some angled up peices that are a little crinkly looking, they are about 6" long & look like they are part of your chassis. they are the crush tubes, a bullbar ( factory bumper, ARB, TJM, custom ect) bolt to this.
Its this crush tube that in an impact will give, & depending on how much it gives is what makes the air bags go off. So basicly its not the bar itself, but what the bar is bolted to that wil make the airbags work.
cheers piggy

[85lux]

The testing for airbag compatibility for bulbars is to make sure the airbags do not go off in a small crash. ie hitting a roo on the freeway. Thats why arb etc allow for their bars to slide/give in a crash. This ensures that any small impacts are not transferred in a "sharp" manner which may deploy the airbag blinding the driver if it is not needed.
Jim

[cruzinnboozn]

The testing for airbag compatibility for bulbars is to make sure the airbags do not go off in a small crash. ie hitting a roo on the freeway.

I would have said hitting a roo on a freeway would be a big crash......