I think this was a long time coming, but I’ve finally installed the half-roll bar in the Evo. Half, as I’m keeping the car as streetable as possible. The back seats are basically not usable anymore, but still capable of holding a good amount of stuff. That said, a huge disadvantage is that I can no longer fit the race or street tires in the back of the car. It would physically fit inside, but the bars prevent there from being enough space to get inside in the first place. This wasn’t important when I was trailering the car, but the Evo will be somewhat “on its own” soon, and unable to fit tires in there. Tools, equipment, etc. will fit fine still, at least.

The roll bar weighs, if I had to guess, around 40-50lbs all-in. I’ll find out for sure soon enough when I get the car weighed next week, or at least a better idea how much I’ve added. It does, however, provide a ton more rigidity to inside of the car, and it’s behind the driver. It should also partially be offset by the weight of harness bar that I removed. That was a loyal piece of the Evo for a very long time, and weighed around 10lbs. I thought about selling it, but am gonna hold onto it just in case.

The fitment is great, and I was even able to retain my rear seats. I’m going to need to remove the rear seatbacks frame so the bar can mold around the seat a little better, but I’m pretty darn happy with how it ended up. I had it powdercoated to wrinkle black before installing, and while I initially thought it was too smooth/not wrinkle-y enough, I think it’s perfect for what it is. The next time I visit home, I’ll actually install the harnesses to the harness bar and add some collars to keep them in place.

The roll bar requires drilling into the car, and bracket plates are bolted onto the other side for reinforcement. I spray coated these with Boeshield T-9 to prevent corrosion, and will probably do so regularly. The carpets were also retained, as I opted for a more street friendly look, and we basically cut flaps into the carpet and slip-fitted the brackets in. All-in, really happy with how it turned out – just need to fix the rear seat backs soon.