Agency 6 grab handles ?

[mkosina]

Does anyone have the A6 handles, https://agency6.com/products/ford-va...oat-black-pair ?https://agency6.com/products/ford-va...oat-black-pair

I like the utilitarian looks, but slightly leery of crashworthiness of mods like this..

[BrianW]

I don’t quite see the point of using them over the stock grab handles? They are a bit longer at the top, but is that really necessary? And $150 [emoji15]

[Twoxentrix]

A while back a member here shared they had installed these...can't recall who it was. IMHO, they have considerably more 'presence' than OEM (Stick out much farther, more robust, and longer, etc). My concern is associated with Safety; do they become an additional threat to the driver or passenger if in a crash or rollover???

[JWA]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

A wile back a member here shared they had installed these...can't recall who it was. IMHO, they have considerably more 'presence' than OEM (Stick out much farther, more robust, and longer, etc). My concern is associated with Safety; do they become an additional threat to the driver or passenger if in a crash or rollover???

Given a super quick glance at the webpage and as a former heavy damage collision damage auto repair shop I don't think in about 90% of most frontal crashes they'd be much of a safety threat due their placement "as is" on the A-Pillar. This is primarily due that body part's design and construction which is quite robust and not overly prone to deforming or moving inward so as to threaten the people "cocoon" created by most post 1975 vehicles.

To my eye they're a bit unsightly and don't seem to offer much improvement over the factory-installed grab handles. Cost is certainly an issue for some but as they don't really improve the breed they're not something that would attract me

[mkosina]

Thanks, that's certainly a relevant perspective. Also doesn't "seem" like it would be an issue vis-via cocoon penetration or airbag deployment from the NTHSA crash tests , but that's of course pure head on scenario, not bodies flailing around while rolling down a hill.

So I guess still curious if anyone has these and if they are helpful in a lifted van, for example...

[mkosina]

So ended up getting these with a web discount; nothing indispensable for sure, but does make it a little easier to get up into a lifted van. I also happen to like the rollbar aesthetic, but that's a matter of taste. All in all a nice US-made accessory, I have spent $130 on more forgettable things before. I talked to the guys on the phone and they are pretty friendly, just a small shop here in northern CA that have a badass E350 they hang all kinds of goodies on themselves.

One thing to note that removing the stock handle exposes a more square hole; I was a bit dismayed at first by this as the handles are round, but once actually installed it somehow works, everything being a more rectangular affair overall.

Install was super simple with an M8 socket on 3" extension; they do not include the required bolts and turns out reusing the old ones is not practical due to some retainers, so best to have new ones on hand.

[yonah]

I like the aesthetics. For a bit of added utility, one could affix one or more of these RAM 1" clamping ball mounts for a solid foundation for a GPS, iPad mini, SwitchPros panel, ARB Linx control unit, etc. Just make sure you get the right ID-spec'd clamp to mate with the grab bar tubing diameter:



https://ocmounts.com/products/ram-to...20group%20%231