Why you should get a Brush Guard!!!

[FordLover]

Just wanted to update everyone: I thought that the SRS system deployed airbags based on a sensor in the bumper area that was triped by pressure, thus why I thought without the guard it would have deployed the airbags. The adjuster told me that most cars, not specifically this one however, have G-Force meters in the cabin that deploy the airbags if forward motion G-Force exceeeds a certain parameter. Anyone familiar with Ford's SRS system care to clarify? If that is the case, perhaps the guard did more damage than good

SRS systems have evolved over the years. but they are surprisingly complex, they have a minimum of 2 g-force sensors, and 2 safeing sensors. All must close at the within a certain amount of time to fire the bags, and we're talking milliseconds here. Most modern SRS systems have 2 sensors around the front bumper, one on each side, and often have one in the center of the firewall. They also reset after an accident, so typically only the bags have to be replaced... along with the body work.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

as far as i know there are three airbag sensors in your car and they use g forces as there measurement.... you have to trip two out of the three to get the airbags to activate..... one is in the front behind the bumper somwhere ... one is on a frame rail right before the gas tank and im unsure of where the other one is.... now in my opinion a brushguard would help not to deploy airbags because it acts as a spring... you all seen how much that brushgard moved upon hitting the deer.... slowing the initial impact and then rebounding the dear away.... i have seen similiar situations with plows on pickup trucks.... we had a head on collision with a guy in a pickup with a boss plow and some poor high school student that turned in front of him with no warning in a ford probe... the truck was going 55-60 and the car was going 0 as it was sideways when it was hit... it totally destroyed the probe and plow bent the frame of the truck but didnt set off the airbags....the guy in the truck was fine... the girl in the probe was not so lucky....

 

[Brain]

I can only speak of experience with Ford's SRS in the '94-'96 Escort (I haven't had to deal with anything later). There are three sensors, two on the front radiator rail (one left and one right), and another by the drivers left foot in the kick-panel (safing). At least one of the front sensors (left or right) along with the one next to the driver's foot have to make contact at the same time for the bag(s) to be deployed. The sensors have a steel ball that has a cupped non-conductive washer between it and a contact plate in the back...when a collision occurs, the steel ball is forced forward (deforming the cupped washer) and closes the circuit for that sesnor. If the collision is bad enough, the sensors do have to be replaced (but that's probably small potatoes if the collision was that bad).

In this case I'd have to say that the brush guard helped to not deploy the airbags, but in other cases it can cause the airbags to deploy when they otherwise wouldn't. Since deer/elk are tall and wouldn't primarily be stopped by the bumper, keeping the animal's body from hitting up near the radiator helped keep the sensor(s) from being set off (as well as damage to the radiator, A/C condensor, etc.). If the incident was with another vehicle where the bumper could take the brunt of the impact, a guard could cause more shock (g-forces) to be transmitted into the frame, setting off the sensor(s).

On another note, I was thinking that to keep elk from flipping up through the windsheild you could weld on some spikes to the guard Could keep those loin cuts in good shape too...IIRC it was Alabama or Arkansas that recently upheld the laws that state that roadkill is legal to take and eat (if you hit it you can eat it). It could turn into a new form of hunting I can just imagine the ROADKILL RIG - thick wall, large diameter tubing filled with concrete, and six inch spikes welded all over, with the tubes extended back and around the fenders to hook up with the frame further back - kind of like a roll cage for the front. Camo paint and about fourty sets of driving lights (to blind the prey like 1,000 suns) should complete the package...I'm REALLY just kidding!!

 

[general x]

Doesnt ARB make their Brushguards, for Airbag equipped veicles, special so the airbags geometry isent messed with when installing aftermarket bumpers? I guess this wouldnt even matter for me because i have a 92 (No airbag)