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kellysti
novice poster
7 Posts |
 Posted - 02/23/2011 : 15:58:50
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Hey everyone,
I did a search on the forum for this and didn't find what I was looking for, but if it's out there and I missed it, I apologize. Looking for advice/opinions on a roll cage...actually, racing seats and netting as well. Regarding the roll cage, I plan to cage my car this year and I trying to determine if something like a six point autopower cage is sufficient, or if I really need to go all the way to an FIA homologated welded cage to get any degree of protection. I realize that there are alot of variables, but I'm just looking for general opinions. I have an 05 Suby Sti which has become primarily a track car. And I'm also competing in NASA TTA as of late last year. As part of this upgrade, I plan to do seats and I'm thinking about netting. So any opinions/advice there would be much appreciated as well. Thanks! |
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registering
intermediate solo poster
104 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2011 : 08:15:40
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You'd definitely get protection from an autopower cage, it's not wasted money. However if your car is primarily track-bound and you're already doing time trials I think the way to go is a welded cage. It's not too much more money-wise, and it offers the best protection. Of course that's easy for me to say since it's your wallet. :) Seats are a must, especially if you're looking for good lap times (I've been looking for some new seats lately as well). I'd recommend a 5+ harness to go with the seats. I think money spent on a HANS-like device offers more protection than a net (if you had to choose between them) but I don't have any experience with netting either.
Just my two cents. :)
Josh
2007 Silver Miata Sport |
Edited by - registering on 02/24/2011 08:16:04 |
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dew-e
novice poster
18 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 14:27:58
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My advice based on my own experience is that you first need to determine how much money you are willing to spend. Once you have a budget in mind, determine what groups/class you are going to be racing in.
The group and class is very important because a cage can have multiple purposes, safety is obviously the first one, but chassis stiffness is another major benefit of a cage. Some classes will have no limits on the number of bars or the number of attachments points. Other classes are very strict that you can only have 6 major attachment points plus 2 attachment points for foot protection, commonly called a 6+2 cage.
Once you have figured out the above, find a competent builder who has done a lot of cars and has a lot of positive referrals. Make sure that they are experienced in building a cage for a road race car, and the class/group you are interested in. There are a lot of drag car cage builders that do great fabrication work, but their road race cages suck. There is a big difference between what NHRA wants to straight line cars, and the standards from groups such as SCCA.
Final word of advice, don't skimp. Don't go with guy XYZ because it will save you 200$ or some BS like that if the cheaper guy doesn't have the creds to back up his work. Also realize, that this is an area where the old saying you get what you pay for is 100% true. Building a safe and effective cage that also looks good is a bit of an art form, and it takes time and effort. Expect to pay for that effort.
A few other items, no organizations doing amateur road racing require FIA approval of a cage. Almost all organizations rely on the SCCA GCR as the starting point for their cages with some minor variances. I'd personally spend the money on having a good custom weld in cage done because you will have more flexibility and options about the cage as opposed to a cookie cutter pre-fab cage. There is also the option of buying an autopower and having a reputable shop install it as a weld-in. Some of the mounting points on the autopower bars are not as good as they could be.
As far as seats/harnesses and other equipment. I hate SFI only equipment. SFI is raping the amateur racer by requiring their equipment to be replaced a lot more often than FIA requires stuff to be replaced. Harnesses with FIA rating can currently be used longer than SFI only rated equipment. The small extra cost is worth it to me. Insist that you racing seat(shell) is FIA approved, and have it all installed properly.
You'll probably end up spending more money in labor than you expect in order to make sure it is all installed correctly. |
Edited by - dew-e on 02/28/2011 14:31:42 |
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EricArmstrong
intermediate solo poster
91 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2011 : 17:06:15
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I second Dewey's opinion. If you have the wallet, don't scrimp, go with a good welded in cage. SCCA is a good spec - they dictate tube diameter and wall thickness based on weight of vehicle. Lots of organizing bodies call for SCCA spec rather than writing their own.
Ask your builder what he plans to use - ERW or DOM tubing. NHRA, for example, allows ERW (or at least at one time did) but SCCA explicitly calls for DOM. (DOM is drawn over mandrel and ERW is machine hot welded. DOM starts out as ERW but goes through other finishing processes to make wall thicknesses uniform - you can't tell painted ERW from painted DOM - ask ahead and check the bare tubing if you go SCCA spec).
You said you are doing NASA time trials. Look at the point deduction and CCR rules on the cages. While you would think a safety upgrade would be points free, it does stiffen the car as Dewey notes, and if you do some extra things, you start adding points to your class designation. |
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kellysti
novice poster
7 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2011 : 12:29:02
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| Hey ya'll...thanks for the great advice. I'm definitely going to take it. One last question...anyone know any good shops in atlanta that could do the work? Thanks again! |
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The management
admin/chief tire changer
883 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2011 : 11:00:45
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numero uno: Robinson Racing in Cumming. Barry Trivette is their master fabricator. also, Forged Performance in Marietta... if you're the kind of car guy that digs mandrel-bent steel tubing and exquisite welding, you'll be ecstatic with the work.
PS, it won't be cheap... but, it might save your life! Kind of like a HANS device...
Drive Well, The management |
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kellysti
novice poster
7 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2011 : 13:37:37
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| Thanks Mark...I do alot of business with Forged, so I pinged Decker. I also just sent an email to Barry at Robinson. Have a great day! |
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Topic |
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Roll cage advice
