Has any one got one of these bars fitted to there navara and what you think of it. Two different panel beaters have told me now that cars that come in to there work shop after hitting roos etc have suffered the least damage to the front of the car.
Poly smart bars
- Thread starter choc36
- Start date
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Tappet
Member
I wanted one when I brought my Nav but they didn't make one for the Thai built truck.
What the panel beaters say stands to reason tho, the Bars have give. The energy of the hit has to go somwhere.
What the panel beaters say stands to reason tho, the Bars have give. The energy of the hit has to go somwhere.
Milkman
Member
I have heard really good things about these bars, I aslo see you can attach a winch to them now, 4wd action did a huge bullbar comparison, and they rated them very high, If I remeber correctly they were 2nd behind the Tuff bars,
Interested to see if they do make one for the Navara, Good luck
Interested to see if they do make one for the Navara, Good luck
Eug
Member
ive seen a couple on navaras. have also heard that these will out perform bullbars (steel) when hitting a kangaroo. wish they'd make them look better though.
K
KraftyPg
Guest
Suggesting that any number of cars have less damage than any number of other cars is not a very accurate account. Every roo (every animal) strike is different, both cases the panel beater above saw could have been small hits, without being able to compare two similar hits you'd never have definitive proof one bar survived better than another.
The worst mistake anyone makes is putting too much faith in any bar, all bars can break, all bars can bend, all bars can cause more damage to the car than the animal itself does, it all depends on how and what it hit and a lot less to do with the bar chosen.
The one downside of smart/poly/plastic bars that the makers don't like to admit, and when asked will talk around the topic like a politician at a media conference is how little damage one can sustain before needing replacement rather than repair. Part of the reason for talking around the issue is because each hit can cause different damage and describing a one crack fits all situation would be difficult but the other part is because they don't want to admit that it can take a very little hit to render them unroadworthy. Steel and ali bars can be bent back into shape or repaired under most cases, the same can't be said for plastic bars.
I know panel beaters and mechanics alike who hate plastic bars because of the work they create for them and I know owners who've trusted the things in heavily wildlifed areas who wish they'd never brought them. Personally I'd never buy one but I'm used to being different to others.
The worst mistake anyone makes is putting too much faith in any bar, all bars can break, all bars can bend, all bars can cause more damage to the car than the animal itself does, it all depends on how and what it hit and a lot less to do with the bar chosen.
The one downside of smart/poly/plastic bars that the makers don't like to admit, and when asked will talk around the topic like a politician at a media conference is how little damage one can sustain before needing replacement rather than repair. Part of the reason for talking around the issue is because each hit can cause different damage and describing a one crack fits all situation would be difficult but the other part is because they don't want to admit that it can take a very little hit to render them unroadworthy. Steel and ali bars can be bent back into shape or repaired under most cases, the same can't be said for plastic bars.
I know panel beaters and mechanics alike who hate plastic bars because of the work they create for them and I know owners who've trusted the things in heavily wildlifed areas who wish they'd never brought them. Personally I'd never buy one but I'm used to being different to others.
I use steel for one simple reason - I am not opposed to replacing parts when they become damaged, and steel bars in my experience perform well at protecting delicate components up front of the vehicle.
When I lived on the mainland, the times and routes I travelled unfortunately meant that animal strikes were part of the game. What I have found with steel is that it protects vital components (eg intercooler, radiator etc) well because it doesn't deform much (or mostly, at all) on reasonable sized hits.
On some larger hits, I have seem vehicles where the steel bar is heavily damaged - but the vehicle is driveable. A friend of a friend had a smart bar on his Pajero, and after one particular incident with a hairy grasshopper, the bar looked perfect. Unfortunately it had flexed so much when absorbing the energy of the impact that the radiator was fractured rendering the vehicle un-driveable. Sort of defeated the purpose of having a bar fitted...
Admittedly that is my only direct experience with smart bars.
That being said, I can see how they would be appealing to people for a variety of reasons. Comparatively light weight, comparatively pedestrian friendly being among them.
As everyones needs are different, a smart bar might suit yours perfectly well and would be a wise choice.
For my needs - the bars primary purpose is to protect the front of the vehicle in an attempt to keep it driveable in the event of an animal strike. Anything else is secondary. As such, the only one that fir MY needs was steel.
My recommendation would be think about what you want from a bar. Make a list, and rank it in order of priority and likelihood of event happening. Go from there.
When I lived on the mainland, the times and routes I travelled unfortunately meant that animal strikes were part of the game. What I have found with steel is that it protects vital components (eg intercooler, radiator etc) well because it doesn't deform much (or mostly, at all) on reasonable sized hits.
On some larger hits, I have seem vehicles where the steel bar is heavily damaged - but the vehicle is driveable. A friend of a friend had a smart bar on his Pajero, and after one particular incident with a hairy grasshopper, the bar looked perfect. Unfortunately it had flexed so much when absorbing the energy of the impact that the radiator was fractured rendering the vehicle un-driveable. Sort of defeated the purpose of having a bar fitted...
Admittedly that is my only direct experience with smart bars.
That being said, I can see how they would be appealing to people for a variety of reasons. Comparatively light weight, comparatively pedestrian friendly being among them.
As everyones needs are different, a smart bar might suit yours perfectly well and would be a wise choice.
For my needs - the bars primary purpose is to protect the front of the vehicle in an attempt to keep it driveable in the event of an animal strike. Anything else is secondary. As such, the only one that fir MY needs was steel.
My recommendation would be think about what you want from a bar. Make a list, and rank it in order of priority and likelihood of event happening. Go from there.
miner-matt
Member
I had one on my RTV falcon ute, looked good on it too. I would have got one for my nav but the look on them didnt really do it for me....
I agree with the panel beaters as well, each prang is different as pointed out but the one on my ute saved me from a LONG wait on the side of the road one early morning. Travelling home from a minesite at around 3 in the morning a cpl hours away from the nearest town I hit a pig around the 40 to 50 kgs mark. I was going at a fair rate of knots and for sure i thought it was game over and pulled over. Saw what i thought was steam and dred set in... But after inspecting the front the poly bar had a massive ding dead centre, the steam was a crack aircon evap. No other visible damage to the major parts i ripped off the plastic the had broken away from under the wheel arch and drove home minus aircon. By the time i had got home the ding had popped back out and looked like nothing had hit it but looking under the bar where the crease was there was a big crack.
The panel beater also commented on the how little damage there was, no chassis rail damage at all just needed some new bits of plastic, new aircon gear and obviously a new bar all covered under warranty. All situations are different with the size of the beast and how its hit, in saying that I wouldnt hesistate on putting one on mine if they suited the nav more... but alas i just couldnt bring myself to like the look
I agree with the panel beaters as well, each prang is different as pointed out but the one on my ute saved me from a LONG wait on the side of the road one early morning. Travelling home from a minesite at around 3 in the morning a cpl hours away from the nearest town I hit a pig around the 40 to 50 kgs mark. I was going at a fair rate of knots and for sure i thought it was game over and pulled over. Saw what i thought was steam and dred set in... But after inspecting the front the poly bar had a massive ding dead centre, the steam was a crack aircon evap. No other visible damage to the major parts i ripped off the plastic the had broken away from under the wheel arch and drove home minus aircon. By the time i had got home the ding had popped back out and looked like nothing had hit it but looking under the bar where the crease was there was a big crack.
The panel beater also commented on the how little damage there was, no chassis rail damage at all just needed some new bits of plastic, new aircon gear and obviously a new bar all covered under warranty. All situations are different with the size of the beast and how its hit, in saying that I wouldnt hesistate on putting one on mine if they suited the nav more... but alas i just couldnt bring myself to like the look
Enviro Bar
Fitted enviro bar to mine , happy with strength and build quality. Can take a winch apparently. have mounted light bar and spotties to mine. UHF to go on next week. Nice light bar. Had to get the Nissan one as the smart bar was only available for Thai build not Spanish. Fitted by dealer.
Fitted enviro bar to mine , happy with strength and build quality. Can take a winch apparently. have mounted light bar and spotties to mine. UHF to go on next week. Nice light bar. Had to get the Nissan one as the smart bar was only available for Thai build not Spanish. Fitted by dealer.
Attachments
seems you fitted it upside down lol
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