Well, Here it is!

[GTS-R 001]

A while back a local buddy of mine who is also a high horsepower viper owner and an engineer, expressed concern that he felt his roll hoops on his car were inadequate for roll over protection, at the same time he did not want to spend an arm and a leg on a roll bar and he didn't like the idea of doing mods that he was unable to reverse if he so desired and the only roll protection options out there were ones that required drilling and bolting and replacing the waterfall and the option, left some seems, that he felt were unsightly.

A conversation ensued in which we brainstormed about what could be done that met his and most likely similarly minded viper owners, protection, yet aesthetics, with the ability to return to stock.

Well what we came up with was THE material used in roll cages , much stronger than steel by weight, I forget the figures but it is something like 2-3 times stronger than steel for the same size and wall thickness, CHROMOLY .

Next came the aesthetics, and simple install removal. Well we ordered a special Die and with some trial and error and few bends here and there and this is what we came up with, powder coated or painted (depending on color)

CHROMOLY ROLL HOOPS FOR SRT10 VIPER CONVERTIBLES

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FEel Free to thank Dimitri - Dipapa for bugging me to bring this to fruition

These are not thin walled stainless steel hops but fabricated by a friend of mine who build trophy trucks and sand rails etc. for a living. Nice thick walled tubing made to fit into the receiver on teh rear wall of the SRT10 converts in minutes.

 

[FLATOUT]

Love the idea and application Steve! Is there any way to get the hoops to flow better "shape" wise? For some reason they look too "round" to me. Also how well do you think these will hold up in a rollover when compared to the auto form rollbar?

Andy Wheeler

 

[GTS-R 001]

Love the idea and application Steve! Is there any way to get the hoops to flow better "shape" wise? For some reason they look too "round" to me. Also how well do you think these will hold up in a rollover when compared to the auto form rollbar?

Andy Wheeler

HEy Andy ,

All good questions as usual,

We picked the round because it is symetrical and the strongest shape both in the receiver area and under the curve so to speak. These are about and inch higher then the factory rubber/aluminum ones so the protection level is over an inch higher than factory as I don't think the rubber does you much good in a roll over.

The factory receiver for the roll hoops is a very stout piece and it is bolted to the main frame section behind the seats with 3 bolts each side.

Our hoops are the same diameter as the Autoform roll bar, we went with a thick wall thickness, I am not sure what the wall thickness of an autoform rollbar is but as you can see in the pics I have one leaning against the garage. The Autoform piece is made from mild steel, if it is the same wall thickness as our hoops, then our hoops are 2-3 times stronger. Their bolts up to the same place but has an extended piece than runs beside the seat and then bolts up there.

At this point I would subjectively say that for a pure roll over - ours, for a TBONE, where the viper gets the TBONE theirs by the amount of force it requires to push the tube.

If it was apples to apples same materials used, I would say the autoform bar in all situations but when you are using higher strength material it will come down to the forces and the way in which they are distributed.

 

[Barrels]

How much? Couldn't find them on your site.

 

[GTS-R 001]

How much? Couldn't find them on your site.

Sorry, they are going on the site tonight.

The "trim black" ones are $349
The powder coated red and other normal colors (red/yellow/silver/etc) $399
and Pearly colors SSG, Copperhead etc will be a bit more

We will also have CF wrap ones as well

 

[FLATOUT]

Thanks Steve,

I had a full chromoly cage in one of my old track cars so I am aware of the benefits.

Nice new addition to the market place.

Andy

 

[TowDawg]

I love the idea and the fact that it's much easier to install, but the trick will be trying to get tracks to actually recognize them as true rollover protection like they do the Autoform bar.
If tracks will allow these instead of the full bar, you will sell a TON of them!

 

[Barrels]

I love the idea and the fact that it's much easier to install, but the trick will be trying to get tracks to actually recognize them as true rollover protection like they do the Autoform bar.
If tracks will allow these instead of the full bar, you will sell a TON of them!

I agree. I track my 03 in stock configuration so this is obviously an upgrade. And the price of the autoform +shipping +install (seems a little much for DIY) is prohibitive. But I need more protection. Even though I drive with common sense and have never left a (dry) track with all 4 wheels, I know it isn't responsible to track with the stock hoops on.

If I am going to spend any money I want to know it will work in a rollover. I am more concerned with the mounting than the hoops themselves. Can you post pics of the mounting plate on the hoops as well as the area on the body where they attach?

 

[GTS-R 001]

I love the idea and the fact that it's much easier to install, but the trick will be trying to get tracks to actually recognize them as true rollover protection like they do the Autoform bar.
If tracks will allow these instead of the full bar, you will sell a TON of them!

We are using 1 3/4" .92 wall thickness Chromoly, the NHRA rules call for .083 wall thickness fro Chromoly. I am not sure what parameters the tracks are using to allow certain bars vs others and when I check the NHRa rules, I don't think there is a bolt in option for the SRT10's that actually complies with the rules for going fast, the options out there now conform to some of the rules but not all.

"4:10 ROLL BAR
All roll bars must be within 6 inches of the rear, or side, of the
driver’s head, extend in height at least 3 inches above the driver’s
helmet with driver in normal driving position or be within 1 inch of
the roof/headliner in the area above the driver's helmet, and be at
least as wide as the driver's shoulders or within 1 inch of the
driver's door. Roll bar must be adequately supported or crossbraced
to prevent forward or lateral collapse. Rear braces must be
of the same diameter and wall thickness as the roll bar and
intersect with the roll bar at a point not more than 5 inches from the
top of the roll bar. Crossbar and rear braces must be welded to
main hoop. Sidebar must be included on driver’s side and must
pass the driver at a point midway between the shoulder and elbow.
Swing-out sidebar permitted. All roll bars must have in their
construction a cross bar for seat bracing and as the shoulder
harness attachment point; cross bar must be installed no more than
4 inches below, and not above, the driver’s shoulders or to side bar.
All vehicles with OEM frame must have roll bar welded or bolted to
frame; installation of frame connectors on unibody cars does not
constitute a frame; therefore it is not necessary to have the roll bar
attached to the frame. Unibody cars with stock floor and firewall
(wheeltubs permitted) may attach roll bar with 6-inch x 6-inch x
.125-inch steel plates on top and bottom of floor bolted together
with at least four 3/8-inch bolts and nuts, or weld main hoop to
rocker sill area with .125-inch reinforcing plates, with plates welded
completely. All 4130 chromoly tube welding must be done by
approved TIG heliarc process; mild steel welding must be done by
approved MIG wire feed or approved TIG heliarc process. Welding
must be free of **** and porosity. Any grinding of welds prohibited.
See illustration. Roll bar must be padded anywhere driver’s helmet
may contact it while in driving position. Adequate padding must
have minimum 1/4-inch compression or meet SFI Spec 45.1. All
cars running 180 mph or faster, SFI Spec 45.1 mandatory."

According to these rules, there is nothing that complies, but what is out there is better than nothing and most tracks probably just waive it through, I am offering my hops as an "added protection over stock" I cannot certify these as track certified and in checking teh other options sites, there is not mention of any certification there, that I can find.

 

[Barrels]

I agree with your above statement. I would like to see the pics I mentioned for my own piece of mind.

 

[GTS-R 001]

I agree. I track my 03 in stock configuration so this is obviously an upgrade. And the price of the autoform +shipping +install (seems a little much for DIY) is prohibitive. But I need more protection. Even though I drive with common sense and have never left a (dry) track with all 4 wheels, I know it isn't responsible to track with the stock hoops on.

If I am going to spend any money I want to know it will work in a rollover. I am more concerned with the mounting than the hoops themselves. Can you post pics of the mounting plate on the hoops as well as the area on the body where they attach?

I will try to get you some pics this weekend, if you lean your seat forward in your SRT and remove the little panel behind the seats you will see the stock mounts,

 

[TowDawg]

I meant for road courses. You're right the Autoform does not comply with the NHRA drag rules, and I don't know of any bolt in bar that does.
There is no doubt in my mind that yours provide a higher level of safety that the stock ones. I would just hate to spend the money on them and still have a road course not let me on.
I wonder if I welded a cross-bar in between the two hoops if they might think it was the Autoform bar?

 

[Barrels]

I meant for road courses...There is no doubt in my mind that yours provide a higher level of safety that the stock ones. I would just hate to spend the money on them and still have a road course not let me on.

We are on the same page. However, I do think a road course will let you on when they see that you have substantial modified roll hoops. If for no other reason than they will assume you have a roll bar.

I believe that the hoop could be stronger than the autoform when it comes to downward pressure. However, if it does not have a substantial enough mount then the angular pressure will just tear it away from the car. I look forward to seeing the pictures.

 

[wikkid]

Clean that ragtop "please"

 

[Barrels]

I will try to get you some pics this weekend...

The East Coast weekend is over. You are killing me with the suspense!

 

[GTS-R 001]

We are on the same page. However, I do think a road course will let you on when they see that you have substantial modified roll hoops. If for no other reason than they will assume you have a roll bar.

I believe that the hoop could be stronger than the autoform when it comes to downward pressure. However, if it does not have a substantial enough mount then the angular pressure will just tear it away from the car. I look forward to seeing the pictures.

The Autoform roll bar attaches by bolts to the same piece of frame that the roll hoops attach to. These roll hoops attach on three sides of the structure, the Autoform piece attaches to just one side, the top, then the bent piece of the Autoform roll bar extends further and attached to the chassis lower down by the drivers hip, it is this part that reduces the seat travel. Each of these hoops is attached securely by a bolt that inserts front to back and then by 2 bolts that bolt down into the steel cross member behind the seats.

Here is a pic of the factory Roll hoop and its hardware

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Here are some pics of the hardware installed on the rear bulkhead steel crossmember that these Chromoly hoops insert into:

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You must be registered for see images attach

Picture of the Autoform roll bar attached

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If you feel you need the extra protection of a roll bar, the Autoform roll bar is the way to go, these Chromoly roll hoops are not being made to replace a full roll bar if needed. they are being made and supplied for the person that wants the roll bar look and the extra safety that can be afforded by a Chromoly hoop vs a small diameter aluminum bent tube

 

[Barrels]

Thanks. I'm still unsure of how your chromoly hoops attach to the car. I think you said they use the same brackets as the stock piece. Does this mean you ship them attached to these brackets already, or that I would have to remove the stock hoop from my brackets and replace it with the chromoly piece? Do you have a picture of what the piece you are selling looks like (a pic similar to the top pic in your last post, but of the chromoly hoop instead of stock)?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting before I put in my order.

 

[GTS-R 001]

Thanks. I'm still unsure of how your chromoly hoops attach to the car. I think you said they use the same brackets as the stock piece. Does this mean you ship them attached to these brackets already, or that I would have to remove the stock hoop from my brackets and replace it with the chromoly piece? Do you have a picture of what the piece you are selling looks like (a pic similar to the top pic in your last post, but of the chromoly hoop instead of stock)?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting before I put in my order.

The install is done by unbolting and removing the stock roll hoops and then slipping the new Chromoly hoops into the stock mounting hardware and reisntalling the bolts that held the stock unit in place.

I will have more pics shortly, we are using the prototype to finalize the jig for production.

Thanks

 

[Nader]

About time someone came out with a more functional hoop. I Purchased the star tech hoops years ago directly from Germany for 4 times as much. Similar concept but slightly different look.

Can offer one thought? You may want to shape them a bit more like the stock hoop. Just flows well.

I am impressed with your products.... These should be a big hit especially at that price.

 

[Slithr]

Can offer one thought? You may want to shape them a bit more like the stock hoop. Just flows well.

+1 ..... I also think the overly round shape doesn't quite look 'right'

 

[Barrels]

Any word on this?

 

[GTS-R 001]

"Any word on this? "

Haven't done much with it the last few weeks, Unfortunately once you start making the sharper bends to match the stock appearance you also weaken the bend points in the tubing where the sharp bends are.

 

[Barrels]

I was not one of the people who had a problem with the appearance. I only care about whether or not they will make my car safer at the track. I would like you to post a picture of what these will look like when shipped. That way I can see what hardware they come with and what kind of safety they might add. If I'm convinced they will make me safer I will be glad to be your guinea pig.

 

[GTS-R 001]

I will get you some pics shortly of the shipping units

Thanks!