I've also thought about that.

Dirtman, thank you for bringing up an important point: clearance between the drivers head and cage, and the importance of harnesses. That's not something that's mentioned much, and I've seen a few build threads on JKO where the cage seemed really low in relation to the drivers head.

Resharp, I don't know if it'd be worth your time to build off the existing roll bar, as that would be your weakest point. Not sure I'd weld thicker tubing to it. I imagine if you had a bad rollover, the stock roll bar would act as the crumple zone or have some give...and the thicker tube above your head could crush you?

Definitely a big decision and commitment to go with a full, proper cage. However, the way I see it is if you're even considering a cage, you're probably wheeling terrain where it's warranted/there's a chance you might have a pretty serious rollover. Aside from your safety, you should consider the vehicle recovery and how your Jeep will fare too. Not too many of those bolt-in cage rollovers look like they can be driven home. Bolt-in cage is overkill for a flop, but also not sufficient for a serious rollover. I suppose it's better than nothing, but still a shortcut in my opinion. Just my $0.02.

 

voice of reason be like and I be like

I don't disagree in general. It's a big dilemma.

 

Hahah, I hear you

 

I'm not an authority, but I would be shocked if manufacturers were incorporating crumple zones in the passenger cell.
Firewall forward, absolutely, rear seats back, absolutely... passengers cell... that is typically the strongest, most rigid part of the vehicle.

 

most actually do add crumple zones in areas that intrude on the passenger compartment... But, it's basically an irrelevant point when it comes to off-road. And one could argue it's irrelevant on-road as well, if one considers the reality of what motorsports does with cages.

Having said that, I think the "tie to the frame" is an overkill statement that the 4wheeling community has latched onto for many years, somewhat without consideration to the value of other options.

Does the cage have to go to the frame? No. Not at all. Is there value in ensuring the seating is tied into the cage if the cage isn't frame mounted? Absolutely. It's worth considering the use of the vehicle - DD/light wheeler or off-road-only/high-risk wheeling? They impact the practicality of cage design and implementation.

Bear in mind the "sport cage" label is driven in large part by liability.

 

Around 2006 or so one of the popular vendors of the time was sued because their bolt in "roll cage" had failed and collapsed in a rollover. The vendor bought back all that they had sold and you began to see the term "Sport Cage" used. This was sometimes accompanied by a disclaimer that the "cage" was for appearance only and "will not protect the occupant(s) in the event of a rollover." I had bought one of their cages for my YJ and was contacted by the retailer from whom I'd purchased it, who detailed what was going one and instructed me to remove the cage and return it. I got a full refund very soon after. I replaced that cage with one from another vendor and noted in their instructions the "appearance only" verbiage had been adopted by them a a result of the lawsuit. SO, I'm not sure any of the cages being sold for JK has ever been tested for integrity, etc.

 

^^ that is interesting. thx.

 

Synergy quit selling cages due to insurance cost and liability. I require a waver to be signed before I will build one for a customer.

 

Most of what my thoughts are have been covered above. I put a Poison Spider in a buddy's JK for him, and the fact it ran to the floor made it a better choice than the Rock Hard mine came with. Replacing the upper bars that run from the A pillar/windshield to the B pillar was eye opening, as those things weighed about as much as a 6 pack of empty beer cans. The PS cage replaced those, where the Rock Hard cage clamps around them.

The factory "cage" is a false sense of security for anything beyond a hard mall crawl, which is where some kind of high 90% range of Jeeps sold end up. I've seen the aftermath of a rollover and they hold up about as well as the windshield frame using the windshield for strength. While I think the bolt in cages are a hair above, I have pretty much zero faith in anything bolt in should you actually need that protection you think you're getting. While a bit better than the stock nonsense, it's a total false sense of protection. If you really want a cage that will protect you, look at a weld in setup with multiple points that tie into the frame, not the floor, with adequate cross bracing, like what you'd see in a race vehicle that has to go through tech.

On the bright side, the Jeep market is less inundated with the tube bender and welder garage engineers who are putting cages on the SXS's and getting people hurt when they fail, due to a lack of understanding in not only engineering, but also metallurgical properties, like what happens to metal when you weld on it and spot heat it to the point that the characteristics and strength properties totally change.

If you want a cage to actually work, spend the money and have it done right.

 

While a weld in cage is better than a bolt in cage, both are better than the factory cage.

I flopped and bent the crap out of the factory sport bars. I now run a Poison Spyder cage and the reason I chose it because they have legs that extend to the floor and the connections are more solid than a clamp style joint. My cage has been modified to reinforce the cage to Jeep connections at the frame.