Bending SFI Roll Bar Padding

I need some advice on getting 45.1 roll bar padding to bend to fit my dragster cage. I bought Kirkey padding and e-mailed for the best way to bend it. They said warm it up with a blow dryer, It still keeps breaking. Anyone have a better way or a different brand that is more pliable?

 

Padding

How old is the padding? It get's a lot harder and brittle as it get's older. Don

 

Don, Padding is brand new.

 

padding

I got my padding from Taylor as all my safety stuff. I see alot of that orange padding around. Maybe it is a lot easier to bend. It really has to be hard so it absorbers the impact I know some times it cracks on the sides.. I have just gone and used it anyway. I just try to do it warm and take your time. Don

 

Padding

Scott, I also bought Kirkey padding and ended up breaking just about every stick I had trying to bend it around the cage. Tried eveything, heat gun, hot water, you name it.
Ended up using USI padding and never looked back.
http://hdmolding.com/markets.racing.safety/

 

Roll Bar 45.1 padding

The BLACK padding has been shown to me , to be much harder than optimum To do the job at hand !!

The inventor of the Orange - Aid product has much to say in this respect if given an audience .

This is the same fellow who has the toughest Wheelie bar wheels as well !!

Check it out !! http://www.stbarinc.com/orange-aid/index.html

 

the black is very hard as to bending it I have always broke it also...I think the chrome molly is softer than the roll bar stuff...lol...Dave

 

Too Hard is not Good (In this Case )

The Orange - Aid has been proven to absorb more impact , to a greater degree of safety to the driver

Click the link & give John a call sometime , He will be glad to explain why .

 

Da pad

Orange aid for sure. best stuff out there. If you install it right and you better, you dont have those thousand zip ties either. In fact he does not want those on his pad anyway. Good luck and God Bless

 

Thanks guys, we are going to look at all your suggestions, we have already scoped out the orange stuff. Thanks again for your help.

 

Not sure which brand I bought - it is attached with Velcro - the manufacturer said to bend it very - very - very slowly....took my time and worked out great - no tears or cracks...takes patience...

 

Orange Aid. Hands down. I fought three brands of the black pad. I threw away 2 new sticks of it after getting pissed off enough. My car has OrangeAid on it now. I love it.