Thoughts about removing the roll bar pads?

WLDRIDE

WLDRIDE
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SouthCentral Colorado
I'm not sure I'm a fan of these zip-on pads. I'm thinking of removing them. Has anyone removed theirs in the past and then regretted it for some reason? Pros and cons of having them? What say you?

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Pro,would be you don't slap your head on a bare metal pipe. Con, I guess is they look pretty shitty without top on. Didn't even aim, just shot right thru holster. :cool:
 
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The foam underneath the wrap is part of the impact protection system. Should you get in a wreck, particularly a t-bone or a rollover, the padding reduces the chances or severity of skull fractures, concussions, etc. from contact with the roll bar.

If you don't like the looks, consider aftermarket roll bar padding. There are a lot of options available. There are multiple grades and certifications available. Some certified stuff is very stiff, and is only designed to mitigate helmet on steel impacts. Other stuff is very soft, and is for comfort only (not banging your head against the cage when dropping off a ledge, for example). The softest stuff won't do much in a highway collision. The OE stuff is in between, as it is designed not for comfort nor helmets, but rather to prevent skull injuries from an uncovered head in a on-road wreck or rollover. There are even multiple stage foams that have a soft exterior and a stiff interior to absorb skull impacts.
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The foam underneath the wrap is part of the impact protection system.
I'm not sure that was Jeep's intention at all. Seems to me that the "protection" the thin hard stock padding would provide would be very, very, minimal at best. More likely is its there to reduce the ouch factor for minor human speed head bumps while moving around the vehicle.
 
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I removed mine, I do prefer the look without it especially after I removed the soundbar too, however I recently put the covers back on to cover a big scrape I got on the bar when wheeling, so keep in mind it will scratch easy
 
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Pulled mine. Like the looks without them so much better. Ziptied speaker/light wires after covering them with black plastic wire looms. Keep in mind you will probably have to paint roolbar. Factory was very laxed when paint time came around. Only problem I have is putting soft top down sometimes rubs on sides of rollbar and scratches.
 
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I’m in the middle of the road.

I removed all of them except driver and passenger.

With a good wash and some black fabric paint, I think I would put them all back on.
 
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I removed mine along time ago, but it now wouldn’t fit with the custom cage anyway, some of my friends with custom cages have added padding back to their jeeps again , especially my tall friends and friends with kids and I’m thinking about doing the same. It does look cooler with it off, but I’d rather my kid not bang his head off it when I hit a bump.
 
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I took mine off and the part of the rollbar that touches my hardtop(right about the soundbar) squeaks when I hit a bump so I put that part back on
Yeah I forgot to mention in my comment that I had a similar problem. When driving at 80/100kmh with the window down, the hardtop would vibrate up and down on the top of the cage and damage the paint.
 
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We have "rollies" and "paddies " sir , two factions.

"Rollies" like the bare bars , and "Paddies " like the fatter, padded look.

I'm a "paddie " myself . Even liked them on CJ's. I was ahead if my time.

Be wary of "rollies". One posted he removed his and never looked back , but if you look closely , he still has rear view mirrors. Yep. Kind of hard to swallow that , isn't it .

Trust no one , but God and Jerry Bransford.
 
I fully prefer the look of roll bars without pads and even better, when they slope down diagonally beside the rear seats. When the Jeep is upside down the weight of the engine keeps the back up in the air

I do remember seeing Jeeps that were still on/off the road that never even had roll bars to begin with. I don't like them as much.

As for my TJ the pads are staying on. Banging your head on pads ain't bad and the wife thinks they look better than the CJ.
 
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We have "rollies" and "paddies " sir , two factions.

"Rollies" like the bare bars , and "Paddies " like the fatter, padded look.

I'm a "paddie " myself . Even liked them on CJ's. I was ahead if my time.

Be wary of "rollies". One posted he removed his and never looked back , but if you look closely , he still has rear view mirrors. Yep. Kind of hard to swallow that , isn't it .

Trust no one , but God and Jerry Bransford.
From the comments, it sounds like we have Rollies, and Paddies, and Half-Paddies. Haha!
 
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From the comments, it sounds like we have Rollies, and Paddies, and Half-Paddies. Haha!

Some guy stated a while back he ran no door on his side and a door on the wife's side.

We are mailing him a citation for that .