bull / roo bars.

Post by **..lee..** » 13 May 2008, 15:26

[IMG:906:680]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg19 ... /sync1.jpg[/img]

not my van but,

i`ve just bought a similar bull bar and wondered what people know about them. there seems to be a lot of different designs, are some aftermarket and some oe vw.

would like to know what i`ve actually bought.

thanks lee.

Post by **R0B** » 13 May 2008, 16:40

a useless lump of metal....

would like to know what i`ve actually bought.

Post by **rugchucker** » 13 May 2008, 17:09

How many kangaroos are there in your area?
It looks too high to be effective on the neighbourhood bunnies

Post by **..lee..** » 13 May 2008, 18:07

not many roo`s but there`s a lot of bull at times

seriously though i`m thinking it could be a cheap answer to the spare wheel mount issue.
as others, i`ve been thinking of mounting spare wheels on the back but come to relise that although it`s probally the coolist way to carry them it`s a very expensive way and it does seem to prevent you from fitting bike racks and the like.

also it should offer some protection to the front of the van from branches and stuff.

question is who knows the origine of my "almost" useless lump of metal.

Post by **R0B** » 13 May 2008, 20:45

mounting your spare on the front.wont do the airflow to your rad a lot of good.

i`m thinking it could be a cheap answer to the spare wheel mount issue.

Post by **thefatsurfer** » 13 May 2008, 20:47

Same as mine! Sorry no idea of origin but they come in handy going off the beaten track and nudging branches and bushes out of the way, particulaly when keeping momentum up on the muddy bits. Also handy for when the enevitable BMW goober tries to bully you out of the way. Each to their own.

Post by **..lee..** » 13 May 2008, 21:22

with regards to air flow is there proof that fitting any bar/wheel on the front of a t25 reduces cooling capacity.

i remember in the early 90`s the nissan rally team used to run constantly with lamp pods on the front of the sunny because tests proved the cooling system was more efficient that way.

something to do with air pressure and aerodynamic flow.

the t25 aint no sunny but finding out the hard way has never suited me really.

Post by **R0B** » 13 May 2008, 21:54

if you have a bliddy large object like a wheel and tyre.blocking the grill then i think its fair to say the rad wont be getting the air it should...

Post by **minke** » 14 May 2008, 05:32

Have a look at the front mounting bracket for a T2 on JK.

Mount the bracket onto the bull bars (Have to drill holes in bull bar tubing).

This will mount the wheel well forward of the grill allowing the airflow to vortex back behind the wheel and thru into the rad.

Thats how I normally mount mine, if going on long trips,much easier for wheel change if punctured especially for the muscularly challenged.

Kev..

Post by **Bilbo Blue** » 14 May 2008, 06:24

'aerodynamic flow'

Bull bars and spare wheels can't be aerodynamic, can they?

Post by **poshbuggers** » 14 May 2008, 07:32

I doubt that the wheel will create much difference to airflow as a wedge doesn't do speeds like a racecar, they already have a crap CD coefficient and mounting a bullbar /wheel will only cause frontal disturbance rather than directional issues anyway.

The real issue is weight anyway and a bullbar can make the van feel nose heavy. If you can balance that out and its not a problem - go for it.

I'd use the bay mounting bracket as noted above, this means you keep reasonable access to your lights/rad etc and retain airflow around the wheel.

The one you have is very popular here. I had one and still don't know who the manufacturer was.

Post by **..lee..** » 14 May 2008, 08:18

well i guess i`ll give it a go seeing its been done before without the suggested overheating problems.

still interested to its origines though.

cheers lee.

Post by **coilspring** » 14 May 2008, 11:14

just a thought but one thing I learned from my landrovering days is that if you do have a small front end prang with a bull bar the mountings are usually the first thing to bend (it's physics innit, fulcrum point and all that) so the great big, steel bull bar gets pushed into the front of said vehicle resulting in more damage than if it didn't have a bar.....

Post by **poshbuggers** » 14 May 2008, 11:32

This type bolts under the crossmember or onto the chassi rails IIRC.

The weak point is the amount of flex you get towards the top.

Might be prudent to brace it around the grille area.

Post by **..lee..** » 14 May 2008, 16:38

i think unless you hit something very high and very hard its unlikely to cause more damage with the bar on than off as the bumper itself acts as a sort of stop with regards to the fulcrum point of the bar or thats how they`ve been designed to work anyhow.

i dont think i`ll be trying the theory out intensionally.