There are heaps of bull bars on the market to suit the whole range of vehicles, so there’s a knack for knowing the right kit for you. Following is the expert’s guide to what to look for when you have your eye out for the best bull bars to suit your drive.
With bullbars, choosing on looks alone is the biggest mistake you can make.
It’s the easiest mistake in the world to prioritise the looks of bullbars over the functionality they give you. And that’s OK, you’re allowed to want your vehicle to look the business. But just as crucial is the experience and convenience the bull bars will make to your lifestyle.
Bull bars deliver a number of functions. Aside from the obvious namesake of protecting essential vital vehicle parts should you hit animal, they assist with mounting crucial kit like winches, driving lights, light bars and antennas… which means you need to consider the following:
Be confident that the bull bar you select has great design, high quality standards and compatibility your vehicle safety systems like airbags, parking sensors, lane warnings and cruise control.
The majority of bull bars are made from steel, aluminium or plastic. In general, steel bull bars give the greatest strength and so are best suited to areas where there is a high chance of animal strikes.
Alloy bars are not as strong as steel bars, and they have the advantage of being significantly lighter.
An alternative to steel and alloy is plastic, a low-density polyethylene that is UV stable and resistant to chemicals… not to mention light, corrosion resistant, light crash resistant and cost effective.
Choosing your bull bar should be mostly about the usage you need. Animal strike probability, lots of off-road, scrub and rocky terrain… different bull bar designs deliver different results.
If your vehicle is equipped with airbags, you need to make sure that the bull bar you choose is compatible with your air bag mounting system… other compatibility issues to think about include parking sensors, radar cruise control, emergency braking systems and lane departure warnings.
Be sure you choose a bullbar that is compliant with AS4876.1 and including a compliance label to this effect applied to the bullbar. This assures that the bar you have chosen is fully ADR compliant.
