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Anyone know where to get a roll bar for a '99 Explorer? I've searched the web all over and found nothing.
My wife is concerned because of all the SUV rollover press.
It's interesting that there are zillion sites condemning the Explorer for low roof stregth and rollover tendency, yet there are no links anywhere to find a roll bar. They sure have a lot of links to find a lawyer AFTER someone gets killed due to a rollover, typical I guess.
The explorer is a very stable vehicle. What causes it to roll over is not the explorer, it is the driver. The person driving it must realize that It is not like a car, nor does it handle like a car. It is desiged for the off-road. As long as the driver does not make a sudden and hard turn at high speed they will be fine.
I'm not sure I'd call my Explorer stable.... yet.
Your money may be better spent on a handling package to improve control. Explorer Express has thangs.
Short of that, you should make sure your tires and shocks are up to snuff. The biggest issue with rollovers has been tire failure, mostly through overheating from underinflation.
RE: Looking closer at the spare on my '98, after purchasing it just this spring, I was amazed to find a brand new Firestone Wilderness AT!
"High center of gravity" vehicles are far more prone to rollover than low slung sports cars. Always have been. Go to any junkyard and you can see lots of evidence of this. Not just Explorers, but every sort of SUV made can be found totaled out from a rollover accident. I see them all the time as part of my job.
I own an Explorer and don't worry much about it needing a roll bar. The junkyard evidence I've seen (and I've seen a bunch) tells me that Explorers have quite robust roof structures. Ford took pains to design them to be. A roll bar would certainly add a bit more strength but I doubt it's really necessary.
Much more important would be making sure that everybody wears their seat belts. The biggest danger in a rollover accident is being ejected from the vehicle.
I have no problem with my wife and kids riding in the Explorer. I know that they all wear their seat belts at all times.
Thanks for all the responses. It's not the driver (i.e. my wife) I'm worried about, it's the other people on the road causing the driver to have to make an erratic move. Normal driving is fine and I bought the explorer because it handled way better than the Jeep (only V8's in that size at the time).
I'm sure it'll handle way better when I replace the lousy Goodyear R/T's that Ford gave me in the recall, With Yokohama Geolanders or Michelin Cross Terrains (any advice here would be welcomed).
About the rollbar. If there was something cheap and easy, it'd be great. But since there doesn't seem to be (which I find surprising), I'll let it go.
Thanks again, Gangle
Last edited by ganglegreen; Dec 29, 2003 at 08:33 PM.
Tires? When I had mine replaced by Ford, I waited until Michelins were available. They gave me LTXs, which worked great on dry, wet and in a terrific snowstorm experienced here(NY) last Xmas. When I bought another X, I put another set of these tires on.