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| A better view of the driver's side "ladder bar" which is commonly employed in American race cars because of the favorable side impact protection. Often the lader bar protrudes out into the door skin to increase the crush zone around the driver. The laws of physics dictate that a ladder bar cannot be as stiff in-plane as an X-bar, and a ladder bar puts a lot of mass far from the center of the car. It really comes down to driver preference. The Europeans are quite concerned with safety these days, but they never use ladder bars. They are gravitating towards crushable foam structures (inside the door cavity) to absorb crash impact. |