Thread: L322 Bullbar development! Finally

Just before starting - go weigh the front and rear of an L322....

Check your front axle weights - depending on where you’re at will have an impact on how much you can hang on the front.

Several variants don’t have much room to move.

Yeah i understand the weight issue, not much room to move after LT tyres, full tank of gas and a car full of camping equipment (if any).

With respect to the whole airbag thing, I'm on a mission, probably a little obsessed at this point, about finding out the truth of the matter. There seems to be so much misunderstanding, and people (including myself) making assumptions. My job is in analytics, I'm kinda built to get to the bottom of things and connect dots.

I don't see any test standardisation, or at least i haven't found any information on the subject aside from 'doesn't adversely affect' that statement is not good enough for a test. What i HAVE found, is a person claiming to be crash tester saying there are no standards in Australia for bar testing. If you know of any or can articulate what the standards are that would be great.

I'm sure ARB and TJM put alot of R&D into their bars and they make great products (most of the time), but i feel like this has been blown out of proportion a little bit with everyone scared to pop a bar on. I mean really what actual proof is there that these adversely affect air bags when coupled to a well made crush can or mount. Toyota themselves say that any bar created without the pulse data from the manufacturer is guessing and full scale testing is required to know for sure. That puts 99% of bars ever made in the unknown category.

I care about occupant safety, but the car is not my daily rig and i get around the bush with it. The lexus is made for speeding (joke, understand speed is not determining factor largely)

Again No Luck !



Hi Laurie,

Apologies if you haven’t had an answer to your below email, I have been on leave and it looks like a lot of the enquiries were missed.

Unfortunately we do not have any plans to make a bar for your vehicle, we have a long list of priority builds to get through.

Sorry for the inconveinience.

Kind Regards

Adam Hixon
Business Development Manager

Ph: +61 8 8384 0200
Fax: 08 8186 1120
Email: ahixon@smartbar.com.au
Mobile: 0477 818 101
Website: SmartBar Bull Bars - Australian Made, Lightweight and Tough
SmartBar
36 Waddikee Road
Lonsdale
SA 5160

Originally Posted by irubix

Yeah i understand the weight issue, not much room to move after LT tyres, full tank of gas and a car full of camping equipment (if any).

With respect to the whole airbag thing, I'm on a mission, probably a little obsessed at this point, about finding out the truth of the matter. There seems to be so much misunderstanding, and people (including myself) making assumptions. My job is in analytics, I'm kinda built to get to the bottom of things and connect dots.

I don't see any test standardisation, or at least i haven't found any information on the subject aside from 'doesn't adversely affect' that statement is not good enough for a test. What i HAVE found, is a person claiming to be crash tester saying there are no standards in Australia for bar testing. If you know of any or can articulate what the standards are that would be great.

I'm sure ARB and TJM put alot of R&D into their bars and they make great products (most of the time), but i feel like this has been blown out of proportion a little bit with everyone scared to pop a bar on. I mean really what actual proof is there that these adversely affect air bags when coupled to a well made crush can or mount. Toyota themselves say that any bar created without the pulse data from the manufacturer is guessing and full scale testing is required to know for sure. That puts 99% of bars ever made in the unknown category.

I care about occupant safety, but the car is not my daily rig and i get around the bush with it. The lexus is made for speeding (joke, understand speed is not determining factor largely)

stop making up statistics....

ARB - I can speak to this - gets the crash pulse data from the manufacturers including Toyota, and then do real time crash testing (sled tests) to confirm that their bars don’t alter the crash pulse.

The phrase ‘doesn’t not adversely affect’ does clarify quite a lot - as in - cannot create a negative outcome compared to standard.

As for an engineering perspective - “a well designed crush can” - means what exactly? Nothing! It could be well designed, over or under engineered, and completely unsuitable. Or it could easily alter the characteristics of the frame it’s attached to. It’s not that simple.

Finally had bar fitted on next trip to Perth after it came back from powdercoaters.
Bar weighs in at 26kgs and likely a couple of kilos for steel mount brackets (and lights).
Trade some of that weight gain off against removal of steel cross rib that fits behind plastic bumper.
I attach pic of ribbed reinforcing behind the bar in area where cross rib was removed and likely very much stronger up in that area than original.
Airflow appears to be unimpeded, as drove back the 1000k in 44c heat and nil chanage in temperature from pre bar fitting,.
Perhaps some aerodynamic "drag" from bar as fuel use per 100k appears up from usual 9 to 9.9L/100k, but will have to drive a bit more to see if that was maybe partly due to headwinds and travelling quick.
Unfortunately, maker says that will only supply if he does all fitting, and that he will not send interstate for others to fit.
Am not concerned for kangaroos now, worst that might happen is lose a couple of lights.
Final cost was $2900.

Do you have a pic of the certification plate for the L322 that is fitted to the bar?

Originally Posted by Tombie

stop making up statistics....

ARB - I can speak to this - gets the crash pulse data from the manufacturers including Toyota, and then do real time crash testing (sled tests) to confirm that their bars don’t alter the crash pulse.

The phrase ‘doesn’t not adversely affect’ does clarify quite a lot - as in - cannot create a negative outcome compared to standard.

As for an engineering perspective - “a well designed crush can” - means what exactly? Nothing! It could be well designed, over or under engineered, and completely unsuitable. Or it could easily alter the characteristics of the frame it’s attached to. It’s not that simple.

It may not be accurate, but I been told that later model vehicles with front triggered airbags rely on some level of inertia sensor, that "sense" when vehicle has had a sudden major de-acceleration (as in impact), and that the sensors then set off the bags.
This seems a bit of a different explanation to my understanding of some sort of sensor behind the bumper in front of vehicle that is set off when impacted upon.
I have seen L322's which have been "swiped" across the front taking out most of bumper and grill perhaps headlight/s, but has not triggered the airbags. (??)
Be easier to understand if auto makers were a bit more forthcoming about what actually triggers the airbags.

My MY12 L322 does not have any sensors in the front bumper. It has a sensor somewhere on the body each side front for frontal impact and each side middle and rear for side impact. The restraints control module has an accelerometer and a roll-over sensor inside the module.

The days of airbag sensors mounted in the front bumper are long gone.