Just set up a beautiful Slick Top, new SOP now requires Roof Bar.

Mar 25, 2014
186
TX
Hello everyone,

I just recently finished creating my ideal black 2014 Tahoe PPV slick-top rig.  Just the right amount of lighting in just the right places and a nice clean roof (no antennas up there either).  My POV is also my Daily Driver, and I don't want it to stick out too much when it's not lit up.  I was trying to avoid a roof bar to make it as "normal" looking as possible....to me, a big light bar on the roof draws a lot of attention.

Trouble is, our chief recently sent out a message stating that we can no longer run slick tops due to "visibility concerns."  I disagree, but i'll stay off the soapbox.....

I'll have this truck for at least 6 years.  Likely across multiple departments.  Not all will have this rule.  At the same time, I don't want to just sit idly by and miss fires because of my stubbornness.  So my choices are,

  1. Sell my interior bar to buy the slimmest / lowest profile roof bar as possible, to meet standards but still look relatively clean.
  2. Toss a cheap magnetic mini-bar on the roof when I'm responding for this particular department and look goofy as hell rolling down the road.
I don't generally like the look of an "unmarked" car with a big light bar on the roof, but I'm not interested in putting big "FIRE/RESCUE" labels on the car because I have another job in an industrial field and it might raise eyebrows if I show up in a Fire vehicle with industrial equipment.  I'm curious if anyone else out there has dealt with this type of change, and how they handled it.....And what possible lighting solutions I have.  What slim bars are there?  I like Liberty bars, but they're still pretty high profile.  Does anyone have any solutions I'm not thinking of?
 

tsquale

Lifetime VIP Donor
Oct 12, 2010
10,511
Minnesota, USA
I'd see if he would be satisfied with a throw light/beacon such as a Whelen L32. Quick and easy, not too expensive, and bright.

Also, let's see the current setup!
 

Hoff

Member
Aug 2, 2011
892
SW Ohio/US
Whelen Legacy, Tomar Blade, Feniex Avatar are the thinnest that come to mind immediately.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Storm4200

okc_f150

Member
Oct 3, 2013
318
Oklahoma City
The Feniex bars are going to be the thinnest you'll find, also some of the brightest. You can paint the cap of the bar to match the color of your truck, should help it blend better. The new Feniex bars already come with flat black tops.

Having a mini-bar wouldn't be a terrible idea. If you have your truck all synced up, it's going to be hard to sync a removable mini bar.
 
Mar 25, 2014
186
TX
I like the Legacy, i think if I had to go with a permanent bar that would be my choice. 

I'll research some throw beacons....my only issue with that is that it'd look so damn goofy stuck up there with an otherwise clean interior light setup.
 

TACKLEBERRY

Member
Sep 20, 2010
231
Norton, MA
I'm gong to echo what others have said; get a Whelen Legacy with the fatory tinted lenses.  It'll look like a horizontal roof rack bar.  I saw a Boston PD Special Operations blacked out Explorer with one.  Didn't even realize it was a lightbar until I was right on top of it.
 

pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
Hello everyone,

I just recently finished creating my ideal black 2014 Tahoe PPV slick-top rig.  Just the right amount of lighting in just the right places and a nice clean roof (no antennas up there either).  My POV is also my Daily Driver, and I don't want it to stick out too much when it's not lit up.  I was trying to avoid a roof bar to make it as "normal" looking as possible....to me, a big light bar on the roof draws a lot of attention.

Trouble is, our chief recently sent out a message stating that we can no longer run slick tops due to "visibility concerns."  I disagree, but i'll stay off the soapbox.....

I'll have this truck for at least 6 years.  Likely across multiple departments.  Not all will have this rule.  At the same time, I don't want to just sit idly by and miss fires because of my stubbornness.  So my choices are,

  1. Sell my interior bar to buy the slimmest / lowest profile roof bar as possible, to meet standards but still look relatively clean.
  2. Toss a cheap magnetic mini-bar on the roof when I'm responding for this particular department and look goofy as hell rolling down the road.
I don't generally like the look of an "unmarked" car with a big light bar on the roof, but I'm not interested in putting big "FIRE/RESCUE" labels on the car because I have another job in an industrial field and it might raise eyebrows if I show up in a Fire vehicle with industrial equipment.  I'm curious if anyone else out there has dealt with this type of change, and how they handled it.....And what possible lighting solutions I have.  What slim bars are there?  I like Liberty bars, but they're still pretty high profile.  Does anyone have any solutions I'm not thinking of?

My favorite slim bar is the whelen legacy; it's IMHO the brightest low pro bar right now. The avatar is also slim and more economical .

As for the lightbar question, it depends on your response area & frequency....if you're in an urban area with lots of intersections & responding regularly, then go with a full size lightbar. On the other hand, if you're in a more rural/suburban area and don't respond frequently, a good throw light like a whelen L31 beacon with a mag/suction mount (it's basically a double stacked version of the L32 and much brighter) will do fine.  Having a minibar for a throw light, on the other hand, is impractical and awkward to store/throw 
 
  • Like
Reactions: 336 and Storm4200

Station 3

Member
May 21, 2010
3,395
Edinburg Texas
I would just buy a LED throw beacon on the roof and call it day just to meet specifications but you will still rely on your good slick top lights to clear the way... Just use that little throw light to meet you SOP rules..

Goofy or not it will save you a lot of trouble and money than to be a whacker like BOULDER :popcorn:  with a bar on your daily driver.

I also am from Texas im from South Texas and SOPs say we need 360 degree lighting and that in our dept means you need a lightbar or throw beacon on the roof. So I have a slick top and to be a jerk I throw a old NYPD Federal Fireball on the roof for shits and giggles and to be compliant.
 
  • Like
Reactions: minig0d and PJD642
Mar 25, 2014
186
TX
I would just buy a LED throw beacon on the roof and call it day just to meet specifications but you will still rely on your good slick top lights to clear the way... Just use that little throw light to meet you SOP rules..

Goofy or not it will save you a lot of trouble and money than to be a whacker like BOULDER :popcorn:  with a bar on your daily driver.

I also am from Texas im from South Texas and SOPs say we need 360 degree lighting and that in our dept means you need a lightbar or throw beacon on the roof. So I have a slick top and to be a jerk I throw a old NYPD Federal Fireball on the roof for shits and giggles and to be compliant.

I'd really prefer not to have something on the roof permanently, so a mag-mount slim LED beacon like a Feniex Cobra Mini-X or something would probably work for when I'm responding for that particular department.  Then just pull it off when I get on scene.  We literally only have to have roof lighting to be moving through traffic, no other time.  If I roll up on a MVA while I'm driving home, for example, I can just flip my interior lights on. 

In our department 360 used to mean "I can see a light from any angle" - not necessitating a roof bar.  That just recently changed.  I know we have a ton of people who run slicktops because this isn't their only job and they don't want to stick out....so it frustrated a lot of people that had invested hundreds or thousands of dollars into their rigs.  ALL of our investigators run slick-top Tahoes or Expeditions with a few grand worth of Whelen gear, and none of them can run code now.  Yet one of our new guys has a 80's F150 and an e-bay roto-beacon, and he's fully released!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

CHIEFOPS

Member
Jan 24, 2011
1,532
NYC
magnet mount throw-light: Whelen Cadet- clear lens, colored filter, will throw a nice colored beam of light
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,962
Messages
449,805
Members
19,102
Latest member
Hilux01

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.