VT Bullbar question.

[Kdouble]

Hey guys and gals I'm new to the forums so be nice please

Anywho a couple of questions,

I've been looking through the forums and everybody seems to say if you're installing a non factory bull/nudge bar it needs to be "airbag approved" Now my first question is the airbag impact sensor on a VT is inside the car beneath the center armrest console so wouldn't any bullbar mounted to the chassis be fine to use as it shouldn't affect the sensor? If I'm wrong please let me know, secondly my car didn't come out from the factory with a bar so will it still have the proper mounting points and if so where would I find them?

Thanks for looking and if it helps my car is a Series 1 VT sedan 3.8L

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Welcome to the forum.

The SRS sensors only sense deceleration, not actual impact. A bullbar has to be airbag compatible because it can't affect the rate of deceleration sensed if the bullbar wasn't there. The mounts and the bullbar itself have to crumple at the same rate as a bumper so it doesn't affect how the sensors trigger the SRS system. There is no actual sensor that is at the front of the car that senses an impact.

The SRS system is designed to trigger when deceleration is equivelant to hitting an immovable object at 40km/h or greater. If the bullbar were too rigid, then the sensors may trigger when doing under 40km/h making an airbag deployment dangerous. If the mounts were to collapse at too fast a rate, then the airbag may not trigger until a higher speed, putting the occupants at greater risk of injury.

Each bullbar or nudgebar has it's own mounting system, they can utilise the existing bumper mounts or they have their own brackets and mount to different places. It all depends on the style and brand. The car itself doesn't have existing bullbar mounts as such.

[MikeCuzzy]

Not_An_Abba_Fan

Hey mate, do you have any idea where to look at getting a bullbar for a Commodore? And how much it might cost?

Thanks,
Mike.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

What sort do you want? There are a few manufactures that do them. Smartbar do the plastic bar, ECB do a tubular style bar, Bluey's Ute World do the big 5 poster as well as a few places over here that manufacture their own.

[MikeCuzzy]

Sort of thinking this style:



Just found it on google, but I've always like that style. Balances nicely on a Commodore, don't think the snow ploughs work on Sedans.

[Tand16]

I used to run a bar on my VX. The one I ran was a factory holden iten that mounted on the steel reinforcement behind the plastic cover, all I know is that this was airbag funcion would not be affected and it mounts with 4 bolts

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Sort of thinking this style:



Just found it on google, but I've always like that style. Balances nicely on a Commodore, don't think the snow ploughs work on Sedans.

That's called a nudge bar. Pretty cheap, most people that sell bars can do them. They are around $500.

[MikeCuzzy]

That's called a nudge bar. Pretty cheap, most people that sell bars can do them. They are around $500.

Ahh, Nudge Bar, noted. Lol, only just started with the idea of having one, $500 sounds really good, guess that's going on the wish list. Thanks mate, much appreciated.