role cage (Lee i need your help on this)

[mightydread]

Hi guys, I'm looking into buying a role bar or even maybe a role cage . but i'm not sure on which one to get because i still use my mcs as my dailly driver.

here are some good choices for me.

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=IPRS&Category_Code=AP351

Okay Lee this where i need your help, can i use any one for driving events and schools? if i get a full cage with removeable door bars , i'll still have the dash cross bar in the way of my radio and i wont have a back seat, but i think with a role bar i'm able to leave the stock back seat in and theres no cross bar in the way of the dash.

any advice would be great
thanx
mikie

[Lee]

Autopower and Kirk are all great products. If you want to keep use of the rear seats, then perhaps you could make a rollbar with removable crossbar and harness bar. You do not need a full cage and it will be a pain in the proverbial a.. to live with.

Then you will have to pick between bolting the cage in, or welding it in. A welded cage is going to be stronger because some heavy plates are welded not only to the floor (useless) but mainly to the rocker panels, which are way stronger and will not cave-in if you flip.

Shipping a cage from San Diego (Autopower) will cost you mucho $usd. Perhaps you could have one done locally to your specs. If you want to discuss the subject any further, meet us on Thursday for the monthly meeeting. Perhaps we can talk David into stepping in. Otherwise, GTA in St-Lambert can make excellent rollbars, but they might be a bit pricey. also, make suure the car is rustproofed after the sheetmetal has been welded.

[Andrei]

If you want to discuss the subject any further, meet us on Thursday for the monthly meeeting.

Monthly meeting is on Tuesday at Zanetti (7.00 pm)

[Lee]

Oups. 6:30PM?

[blacksheep]

A Mini rolled @ Tremblant this summer without much damage. It's a strong car, do you really need a cage for casual lapping?

IMO if you have a roll bar / cage you shouldn't have passengers in the back seat, EVER. If you ever get hit from the side or roll over, the tubes will cause severe injuries to your passengers (and to YOU if your head or body hits one of the tubes so you should have racing seats and 5 - 6 point harnesses to keep you securely in place)

Also check with your insurance company, some companies will cancel your coverage if you fit a roll cage since it's considered a "racing modification". And if you fit it without telling them, they can refuse to pay if you ever have a major claim.

[Andre]

A Mini rolled @ Tremblant this summer without much damage. It's a strong car, do you really need a cage for casual lapping?


I'm not sure if I would say "without much damage". I think the general consensus was that the car was a write-off. On the otherhand, If you mean that the car sacrificed itself to protect it's occupant, then I agree with you. (I did find it funny that I did not see any airbags go off).

I will say that the mini is a strong car. It weighs nearly as much, if not more than my e30 and is the size of a Civic; it's built like a brick sh**thouse but it could be that the driver was just very lucky. Can we catagorically say that this is the case with all cars in all situations when out on the track? (Say some that are a little older and may have a little rust in places unseen)

Lets take the worst case scenario and the driver has an off at the end of the straight-away at Tremblant or even somewhere else... say Mosport. How much of the car do you think would be left then? You don't necessarily have the same proximity to other cars when you are lapping and doing DE events as you do racing, but many of the risks are similar. There are pros and cons to both weld-in and bolt-in cages but seeing the speeds that can be attained, a cage (of any type) is cheap insurance.

Do I have a cage in my car? Not yet; I'm still deciding if I'll be able to do some club racing next year. If so, I'll be putting the absolute best/safest cage I can afford into the car. If not, it'll be a 4 or 6 pt bolt in cage most likely by Kirk. (Mightydread if you're still looking maybe we can get a small deal on shipping or something if we order one at the same time).

In short, it's all a calculated risk, lapping isn't racing but it isn't tiddlywinks either; you need to be informed as to what you're dealing with and make your choices accordingly.

~andre~

[blacksheep]

you need to be informed as to what you're dealing with and make your choices accordingly.exactly

I was just giving more information in case it was stuff he hadn't thought about


On the otherhand, If you mean that the car sacrificed itself to protect it's occupant, then I agree with you.that's basically what I meant to say, I just expressed it badly. The car sustained quite a bit of damage but did its job of protecting the occupants.

[Emre]

Hi guys, I'm looking into buying a role bar or even maybe a role cage . but i'm not sure on which one to get because i still use my mcs as my dailly driver.If this is indeed your daily driver, then don't even consider a full cage! First of all, it's a major pain in the ass to squeeze through a cage every morning on the way to work. More importantly, it's unsafe to drive a car with a full cage unless you're strapped into your seat with a 5- or 6-point harness and wearing a helmet. That's not exactly what you want to do everytime you have to go to Couche Tard to get a liter of milk.



Okay Lee this where i need your help, can i use any one for driving events and schools?Most organizations will let you run with a 4-point cage provided that it's designed and sized properly, uses appropriate materials, is mounted securely, and meets SCCA and/or FIA standards. Most (but not all!) Kirk and Autopower rollbars meet SCCA standards.

If you get one custom made for you, you'd better make sure the builder knows the appropriate guidelines and builds the cage to spec. Get it in writing if you can. And don't pay for it until a tech steward signs off on it. Too many people have gotten screwed by incompetent and/or crooked "race shops."



if i get a full cage with removeable door bars , i'll still have the dash cross bar in the way of my radio and i wont have a back seat, but i think with a role bar i'm able to leave the stock back seat in and theres no cross bar in the way of the dash.Don't get anything in front of the B-pillar unless you're willing to make this a dedicated track car (i.e., offroad use only). If accessing the back seats is important to you, then get a rollbar with a removable harness bar and cross brace. Remember, your backseat will no longer be safe for passengers.

Emre