Which bull-bar for Pajero Sport

[Jas2909]

Yes they have one, but I don’t believe they have bought any stock yet

[silverbull]

The question really come down to an alloy bar or a steel bar

I think that should be changed to "the question really comes down to a steel, alloy or polycarbonate bar (aka smartbar)" The smartbar is a valid choice.

[erad]

A polycarbonate bar will most certainly yield if you hit a roo or whatever. I think they are ugly as sin, but they are designed to do a job and they do it very well. If you hit a roo, the deflection may also cause body damage, but you will most likely still be driveable.

There are 2 big advantages to Poly bars: Surface finish and weight. The finish is easily maintained with vinyl restorer. A moderate hit with the Poly bar, it will resume its shape, an alloy bay once bent is not easily repaired. As for the weight, I used to have a poly bar on my NL Pajero, and when I did the timing belt, I used to remove the bar to gain easier access to the front of the car. It was light enough to remove by myself, and I reckon it weighed about the same as the original bumper bar setup, so it didn't add much weight to the front wheels.

[old Jack]

Since ARB purchased Smartbar in 2014, several changes have happened.
1. Price has increase significantly, over $1000 extra a bar fitted!
2. Weight of bars has doubled in most cases from the low to mid 20kgs to 40-50kgs.
3. The design direction has changed, some would say for the good, whilst others would not agree.

Appearances are a personal choice but technically the Smartbar concept is the best for absorbing impacts from animal strikes. It is the only bullbar that has been tested and improved the safety rating by ANCAP, it was fitted to a Hilux and changed the results from 4 star to 5 star rating.

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/products/smartbar-helps-toyota-hilux-improve-ancap-score/

OJ.

[silverbull]

Jared, you also need to consider if you have any of the radar guided stuff in your Pajero Sport, so any exceed model or any of the range from MY18 designation forward as you'll find the ARB bar is not tested with these and they won't fit it. Many other bull bar manufacturers have not done testing and certification with the radar models also so your choices get reduced.

Edit: - duh just noticed you already bought the car with a bar now. Didn't delete as others may still find the comment useful.

[silverbull]

I think they are ugly as sin

Yes it is their main drawback, though the Pajero Sport model is much better than some others in this regard. For me though the Pajero Sport itself is an ugly car so any accessories are really only lipstick on a pig in this regard. Love the PS for what it is though!

[silverbull]

Since ARB purchased Smartbar in 2014, several changes have happened.
1. Price has increase significantly, over $1000 extra a bar fitted!
2. Weight of bars has doubled in most cases from the low to mid 20kgs to 40-50kgs.
3. The design direction has changed, some would say for the good, whilst others would not agree.

I'm likely to get a smartbar for my PS (still awaiting their forward radar certification). The price is hard to swallow, you'd think moulded plastic would come out cheaper than pressed and welded steel. I'm interested to know why the weight has gone up and what the design direction changes are if you know OJ and are willing to share the info.

[old Jack]

I'm likely to get a smartbar for my PS (still awaiting their forward radar certification).

The price is hard to swallow, you'd think moulded plastic would come out cheaper than pressed and welded steel.

The "ARB Tax" and at the moment they still want you to buy their steel bars. The moulds are very complex and expensive to make, and with vehicle manufacturers changing the front of the vehicles on a yearly basis these costs must be recovered over a short period of time. However ARB are not stupid and now have both alloy and plastic bars in their offerings for modern recreational 4wds. This has future proofed their business if and when steel bars are no longer legal, lose market appeal or vehicle structures are not strong enough to carry the weight.

I'm interested to know why the weight has gone up and what the design direction changes are if you know OJ and are willing to share the info.
I believe the steel mounts and winch mounts have changed and are now over engineered in typical ARB fashion so this adds to the fitted weight. The designs have become more wrap around to better suit the profile of modern 4wds so there is more plastic. There was a obviously a considered effort to "toughen up" the look of the Smartbars and make the designs similar across the range, just like the ARB steel range. Many mining companies and government departments no longer allow steel bars fitted to light 4wd vehicles because of the concerns over exceeding front axle loads particularly on utes and ute based wagons.

OJ.

[ron2503]

Yes they have one, but I don’t believe they have bought any stock yet

They were taking orders at the show so they must have stock ready to roll. The 4x4 store near me is also looking at bringing these bars to Australia.

[DID Dash]

Not much airflow to the intercooler and radiator on that PIAK Bar, nor any protection for the headlamps. I don't understand why anyone would go for something like that. Fashion over function ?

[Jas2909]

Not much airflow to the intercooler and radiator on that PIAK Bar, nor any protection for the headlamps. I don't understand why anyone would go for something like that. Fashion over function ?

Looks yes but winch is my main reason for this bar. Headlights are poly so they won’t break

[DID Dash]

Hi Jas2909, fair points you make and I hadn’t thought about it from that perspective having never had a winch but have copped a roo on the tail once where the bullbar side hoops saved the lamp and fender. I suppose thats the beauty of the wide range of gear the suppliers offer up, something for everyone. I am running without any bullbar for the first time in 25 years on my PS. So costly for the small amount of times I am on the roads at night where I really need it and preferring to keep the weight down and fuel economy up. Time will tell how wise this strategy is. Fingers crossed.

[nj swb]

So costly for the small amount of times I am on the roads at night where I really need it and preferring to keep the weight down and fuel economy up.

I've been in two roo strikes and an emu strike during daylight hours. The emu strike (no bullbar) broke a headlight, and dented bumper, guard and bonnet.

The roo strikes were lower speed / dirt roads, and the car came off better than the roo. One with bullbar, one without.

The dopey buggers can get you any time - day or night.

[silverbull]

The "ARB Tax" and at the moment they still want you to buy their steel bars. The moulds are very complex and expensive to make, and with vehicle manufacturers changing the front of the vehicles on a yearly basis these costs must be recovered over a short period of time. However ARB are not stupid and now have both alloy and plastic bars in their offerings for modern recreational 4wds. This has future proofed their business if and when steel bars are no longer legal, lose market appeal or vehicle structures are not strong enough to carry the weight.

I believe the steel mounts and winch mounts have changed and are now over engineered in typical ARB fashion so this adds to the fitted weight. The designs have become more wrap around to better suit the profile of modern 4wds so there is more plastic. There was a obviously a considered effort to "toughen up" the look of the Smartbars and make the designs similar across the range, just like the ARB steel range. Many mining companies and government departments no longer allow steel bars fitted to light 4wd vehicles because of the concerns over exceeding front axle loads particularly on utes and ute based wagons.

OJ.

Thanks OJ. I suppose ARB try to get inside their potential customer's mindest and give them things they think they want like a tougher thicker looking poly bar to counteract the folks who say only steel can do the job. Anyway for me the use case is animal strike protection and across my whole car I try to keep the weight down where it's practical to do so which makes smartbar the best choice. I'm not yet decided on the winch or non winch version as there is a 9kg difference and I'm not sure I'll ever put a winch on.

[old Jack]

Thanks OJ. I suppose ARB try to get inside their potential customer's mindest and give them things they think they want like a tougher thicker looking poly bar to counteract the folks who say only steel can do the job. Anyway for me the use case is animal strike protection and across my whole car I try to keep the weight down where it's practical to do so which makes smartbar the best choice. I'm not yet decided on the winch or non winch version as there is a 9kg difference and I'm not sure I'll ever put a winch on.

I went through exactly the same decision making process almost 8 years ago when I brought my Challenger, it was my first 4wd in 30 years of 4wding that I did not have a winch fitted. After deep reflection about the amount of times I used the winch to recover myself vs other people, were there other recovery options, did I need the extra weight of a winch bar, winch and Aux battery over the weight limited front axle, was I happy going off road with a naked and unprepared 4wd?

My decision was no winch but I did buy 2 sets of Maxrtax's (about the same price as a cheap winch), 8 years later I do not regret the decision of being winch less, and I have discovered the wonders of Maxtrax recoveries both forwards and backwards, they are safer, quicker and more effective than winching in all conditions except for very steep rocky tracks.

OJ.