Roll cage?

[Nickp]

So seeing all these topless jeeps around these past few days (Arizona, weather just got nice) has made me rack my brain about what the top coming off the bronco will be like.To me a Jeep Wrangler with the doors and top off just looks so absolutely badass, BUT so do old Broncos. In a different way though, since old broncos didn’t have a roll cage. Do we think the 6g Bronco will have a Jeep-esque cage, or will it just be standard pillars? I have to assume from a crash safety perspective that it will need a cage but I have no idea.

I really hope the Bronco looks as cool as a Jeep with the top off, if not cooler for sure!

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[Stampede.Offroad]

It depends a lot on how much of the top comes off.

I'm not really a fan of the JL roll-over-protection-system. It's blocky and bulky. The older round tubing ROPS were far more aesthetically appealing.

Half the rumors would seem to indicate the top won't really come off the Bronco, just some inserts that pop out like the Renegade.

 

[Nickp]

And I’ve heard that too, I feel like that was one of the earliest rumors. I feel like it is likely not like the renegade though, probably more like the JL with the power top’s side windows.

And while I’m not a fan of the bulky roll cage, I think it’s probably necessary to pass crash testing.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

I doubt the change to a lumpy cage was for crash protection. Masses being equal, it's hard to beat a circle for strength.

NVH or the cost of packaging accessories would be my guess. With customer expectations going up, the number of layers or bulk of the NVH management materials could have demanded more surface area for support -- or perhaps the volume of electronics being incorporated into the cage meant more volume/surface was desirable to hide/protect it when the top was off.

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[Toyhoarder]

My bet is that the top won’t be fully removable like the old broncos. Just removable panels/glass.

 

[Ole Skool Bronc]

Jeep doesn't have "roll bars". If you read the fine print; they are called "show bars". Like most things; if you want it done right you have to do it yourself. Google up pics of rolled factory Jeeps and you'll see the windshield collapses right into the driver and passenger section.

Why would we trust Bronco's factory system any more? Are they going to call it "roll over protection"? For liability reasons; I doubt it. Therefore we are going to have to wait for a few people to roll them before we have any real truth on the subject.

 

[BroncoBuyer]

I-- or perhaps the volume of electronics being incorporated...

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My god man please don’t go there..

 

[OX1]

Jeep doesn't have "roll bars". If you read the fine print; they are called "show bars". Like most things; if you want it done right you have to do it yourself. Google up pics of rolled factory Jeeps and you'll see the windshield collapses right into the driver and passenger section.

Why would we trust Bronco's factory system any more? Are they going to call it "roll over protection"? For liability reasons; I doubt it. Therefore we are going to have to wait for a few people to roll them before we have any real truth on the subject.

I don't really follow crash ratings or rollover std on new cars, but I have to assume there is some std these days.
I looked on nhtsa for wrangler and all they have is rollover propensity (or % chance).

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

I don't really follow crash ratings or rollover std on new cars, but I have to assume there is some std these days.
I looked on nhtsa for wrangler and all they have is rollover propensity (or % chance).

I don't recall which organization is doing it, but there is a safety ratings standard for the ROPS to withstand X*vehiclemass directly from the top and from some angle to simulate roll over protection. This is one of the ways the Tesla models tend to get stupidly good ratings on because batteries are ridiculous heavy.

It's not new either. Toward the end of FSB production Ford removed references to the removability of the top because it wouldn't meet some roll over safety standard without it on AFAIK.

 

[OX1]

I figured the std was out there, just didn't care enough to look too hard.
And since something of substance has to be there, I doubt they don't put
it to use for others things like jeep did.

 

[BroncoMike]

Show Bars? I'm not a Jeep guy, but I've never seen that term - at least not in this context.

 

[Ole Skool Bronc]

Show Bars? I'm not a Jeep guy, but I've never seen that term - at least not in this context.

Excuse me, I just checked a new brochure on line to make sure and it's called a "sport bar" NOT a "roll bar" Mike; just look up a pdf for the new JL and you'll see it.

 

[BroncoMike]

Excuse me, I just checked a new brochure on line to make sure and it's called a "sport bar" NOT a "roll bar" Mike; just look up a pdf for the new JL and you'll see it.

Ah, okay. I have heard the sport bar term before. Some people on the forums say Jeep named it that way so people wouldn't think they have a *real* rollover cage and do even stupider stuff, some say calling it a "roll bar" would make people fear it rolls over very easily. Either way, there isn't a modern production vehicle made that has, from the factory, anything matching what a good custom shop would craft for a roll cage... of course we have to do it ourselves, we had to in the '70's and '80's as well.

There has been some discussion about a "convertible exception" to having the usual mandated crush protection, but I can't find documentation on it OR if it applies to the Wrangler. In the end, I'd rather anything offered on the BroncoBronco be optional, so I can choose the protection for my needs. With the possibility of a partially removable top, I doubt that will be the case as my guess is an exoskeleton (a la Wrangler) will be required to support it. Probably not going to take a sawzall to my new $45k truck, so...

 

[Jake_zx2]

If the Bronco just has pop out roof panels and nothing else, I will be sorely disappointed... might as well just get a 4 runner with a sunroof

If they have the removable rear quarter glass, I guess that would be better, but still not quite there. But that would at least get me to still buy one

I, for one, am rooting for a full removable top with a very wrangler-esque roll bar (oh lord, why did I say that... the anti-electric semantics police are gonna chase me down now LMAO)... roll bars looked good on the EB too

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