Sport Bar on bed

TRLBOSS2019 · July 7, 2019

Hello Bow-Tie Nation,

Question for 2019 Silverado owners, has anyone purchased and installed the Sport Bar sold in the Chevy accessories catolog. I like the look, but I'm not 100% sold on the look. Any opinions.

jlong1984 · July 7, 2019

My opinion is, it looks terrible.

One of the dealerships in my area had several with the 'Sport Bar' already installed, they were RST models. Maybe you can find a dealer that has one and go look at it in person?

Wiggums · July 7, 2019

For the same reason I am not putting a camper shell on my truck.. it covers up the lighting in the back and I'd have to use the inferior one on the sport bar or shell instead of the good third brake light on the truck.

I am going to put a tonneau instead, that way, the lighting is still in place and original.

dctackett10 · July 9, 2019

I installed one on mine and had the dealer wire up the third brake light for it. I really like it. I think it gives it an more aggressive look

dctackett10 · July 9, 2019

I’ll try to get a better picture later

tinbad · July 9, 2019

1 hour ago, dctackett10 said:

I installed one on mine and had the dealer wire up the third brake light for it. I really like it. I think it gives it an more aggressive look

I actually like how it looks with this color - very nice looking truck ? is it shadow gray?

Also love those smoked out tail lights - how did you get them to look like that?

dctackett10 · July 9, 2019

26 minutes ago, tinbad said:

I actually like how it looks with this color - very nice looking truck ? is it shadow gray?

Also love those smoked out tail lights - how did you get them to look like that?

Yea. It’s shadow gray metallic. And they are taillight covers from car id

Wiggums · July 9, 2019

You know, I'd buy it if it didn't line up with the third brake light. If it was taller and allowed me to add in auxiliary lights, I'd consider it.

Thomcat · July 22, 2019

Went out of my way to get an RST with it , just like my old '16 Silvy......off road lights are coming for the '19. On '19 sportsbar does not get in the way of the cab lights because the assembly is tilted downward underneath the sports bar....doesn't matter anyway with the additional in bed lights.

Extra lights on top of the bar are useful off load and separates it from the classic look of a pickup. Projects the message that it's a versatile sporty people mover like the Avalanches and sometime heavy, bulky $hit hauler.......not just an ordinary service vehicle meant for transporting a pile of rocks or manure.

Thomcat · July 23, 2019

On 7/9/2019 at 2:53 PM, Wiggums said:

You know, I'd buy it if it didn't line up with the third brake light. If it was taller and allowed me to add in auxiliary lights, I'd consider it.

So what's stopping you?

Bed lighting and CHMSL are mounted in an angled pod on the '19. In addition bar contains predrilled hole for aux lighting and running wires.

The sports bar contains an integral rear facing LED bar replacing and brighter than the stock lamp in then pod.

Stock roof pod directs bed lighting downwards at 45 degrees clearing the bar and lighting the bed area. No light blockage .

Silverado4x4 · July 23, 2019

I think they would look better with the side plate removed.

Wiggums · July 24, 2019

1 hour ago, Thomcat said:

So what's stopping you?

Bed lighting and CHMSL are mounted in an angled pod on the '19. In addition bar contains predrilled hole for aux lighting and running wires.

The sports bar contains an integral rear facing LED bar replacing and brighter than the stock lamp in then pod.

Stock roof pod directs bed lighting downwards at 45 degrees clearing the bar and lighting the bed area. No light blockage .

It still blocks the third brake light. I don't want two at the same time. That is why I'm going for a tonneau cover instead of a camper shell.

Thomcat · July 24, 2019

4 hours ago, Wiggums said:

It still blocks the third brake light. I don't want two at the same time. That is why I'm going for a tonneau cover instead of a camper shell.

There's no two on at the same time, whether stock or added on.

It doesn't use the stock third brake light....with the factory option in the '19s the stock third brake light is deactivated so it doesn't light, instead only the LED brake light on the rear of the bar is active.

My '16 did not come with the sports bar......I added it.The power wires for the LED brake light are internal and snaked through the stake hole on the driver's side to the front engine fuse box. GM's instructions called for removing the fuse box and deactivating the wire going to the third brake light and substituting the positive from the bar's LED.......this way the stock light is deactivated and only the bar's rear LEDs active. No way I was going to pull the fuse block .....instead, easy peezy....remove the original third brake light fuse and substitute a dual piggyback fuse tap...insert only the fuse for the pigtail feeding the bar's LEDs and leaving out the the second fuse feeding the stock brake light......then only the LED bar will light and no power will feed the stock light.......less than five minutes to insert tap and connect the pigtail to the positive feed.......... no pulling the fuse block and easily reversible/removable for swapping to the new Silverado (didn't do mine because the '19s was black to match the rest of the RST's blackout trim and dealer boosted the trade price to leave it). And as far as the 8 Cree LEDs in the bar's lighting being inferior to the stock, one filament bulb....uh, uh, much brighter

And I have a tonneau cover on the '19 which also has internal LED lamps built into the bed. My '16 didn't have them and add on bar blocked most of the bed lighting......no problem......... LED bed lamps made specifically for lighting the bed under the cover are easily installed in those lacking them fed by an dedicated unused electrical tap fed by the bed lighting switch near the spare tire and wires snaked behind the driver's lamp into the bed.....another less than 30 min job.

However, bar does cost $995 but dealer met the $875 internet price which was good because it cost $150 shipping if buying on line; that is a valid one reason for not opting for it.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Thomcat

dctackett10 · July 24, 2019

15 hours ago, Wiggums said:

It still blocks the third brake light. I don't want two at the same time. That is why I'm going for a tonneau cover instead of a camper shell.

You have a better picture of your lights on the bar. Trying to decide between 2 like yours or just getting one that’s really long.

Also. Where did you get yours at and how much

Wiggums · July 25, 2019

7 hours ago, dctackett10 said:

You have a better picture of your lights on the bar. Trying to decide between 2 like yours or just getting one that’s really long.

Also. Where did you get yours at and how much

Was it directed to me?

You replied to me.. I don't have a sports bar on mine. My F-150 had a camper shell which was $1,400 including installation from Bel-Air Shells in Garden Grove, CA. I was mildly annoyed at how it made my light from the cabin useless even though the shell came with its own light. It would have been better if there was some glass up there so that I don't have to use third-party lighting.