. put the cage in, your safety is the number one thing . and as stated by others it will make car faster , stiffer better all round. plus it looks kool. and your mom and dad still loves ya most likely. so put cage in. it isnt that expensive . more so when you consider it may save your life. but you also need the other safety equipment too, helmet , harness etc. it just makes sense to do this.
Negative...it's designed for use only with a helmet...picture this...let me take a piece of rollbar tubing, put a piece of padding over it, and then let me take a 40 mph swing to your unprotected head.. Like I said...I'm not trying to dissuade anyone...but after 20 years as a professional Firefighter...I've seen firsthand just how brutal vehicle accidents can be. A Roll bar in a street car tends to give people a very false sense of security. They think they're better protected...THEY'RE NOT. They are not intended to be used without a helmet or harnesses...period. Most tracks will not let you run without a helmet or harnesses if there is a rollbar in a car...no matter how fast, or slow, it is...
In a car running in the range that you are shooting for, I would like to see a 6 point rollbar, and tie it in to a sub-frame connector system (outriggers going from the connectors to the rockers). It would be good for you and the car. A little weight in the back of these cars won't hurt anything... they are really nose-heavy due to being so light overall.
i understand that the roll bar padding does not eliminate the damage. but i do know the when i bonk my head on an exposed bar vs padded it hurts alot less. also sfi roll bar padding is high denistly where standard padding is not. i do agree that roll bar padding does not make it ok but we only have so many options when we have street strip cars. thank you for being a firefighter.
Most of the 1/8 th mile tracks around here are not sanchtioned by NHRA or IHRA. Every track has it's own set of safety rules based on NHRA or IHRA rules, but they are not very strict on any of them until maybe you get into the 6 second and faster cars. Some tracks tech the cars, some don't. You are expected to know the rules for your car and abide by them. Every once in a while, they will ask someone to leave if they think a car is unsafe, I think Blown 5.0 has been asked to leave Bama Dragway one time for running too fast without a cage. As far as a safety crew, it mostly consists of volunteer personel, some with rescue squad experience, most without. Every track I've been to has an ambulance on site at all time, and usually two paramedics. Some tracks have a fire truck, too, but not all. Probably a lot of difference to what you are used to seeing at a sanchtioned track. Maybe not a perfect condition, but very seldom do they run into anything they can't handle. Not saying it couldn't be better, but it has worked this way for many years, and I don't see it changing anytime soon.
Most of the tracks I will be racing at have some NHRA events and pretty much follow NHRA guide lines. Being from the West Coast, well sometimes our view of drag racing safety/tech is a little different because we have grown up with it since year 1. I myself also look a little differently at safety since being a licensed tech inspector for the SCCA, and they look at safety even deeper than NHRA..............when I tech a car I sign my name in the log book.......(so does NHRA/IHRA)..........it makes you think twice because if you sign off on something you know isn't right and that person gets hurt or worse........................you are at fault and I'm not sure that is a burden I could live with. So...................the same goes for building your own car and protecting your own life and the others that race around/with you.............be it on a road coaurse or 1320' of straightaway. I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel it's each persons duty to build his/her car as safe as they possibly can no mater if you have a 13sec car or a 8sec car and when I hear people that say, "Well, I don't want to wear a helmet, or I don't need a drivers jacket or full suit, or I don't want to build a cage...........................it gives me the impression that the person is some kind of jerk or maybe they feel they are bullet proof, or just plain stupid......................(don't get me wrong, I am not sold on the idea of driving a racecar on the street or having a permanent cage in a street car)............... pardon me if anyone is affended by this, but that is the impression I get. I've been around drag racing longer than some of you have been alive and I've seen people walk away from crashes without a scratch.....................and I've seen some that were bagged and tag'd. Just one last comment...............I went to our own Redding Drag Strip (hadn't been there for some 25+ years) and during an NHRA event not too long ago. I told the tech inspector that car hadn't been on the track for sometime.....................he didn't even walk around the whole car, and the only thing that he seemed interested in were the dates on my harness and window net!!!!!!!!!!!!...........I couldn't believe it! Then they let a 72 Blazer (with not top, no cage, not even a roll bar........and a guy with only a helmet and jacket) race...............Oh Yes, it had a blown SBC in it and was certainly capable of 11 second runs.......................and this is the Oldest continueously run NHRA strip in the USA....................and in my mind this was totally unacceptable! IMHO
I understand completely. Just was letting you know how different it is as compared to there. Like I said, I don't agree with them always myself, I want to know the guy next to me is a s safe as me if not safer. I would tend to add extra safety stuff myself wheather I actually needed it or not. I may be a southern outlaw redneck, but I value MY red neck!
^I say if your gonna have a fast car. MAKE IT SAFE!... When I start on my maverick at least a roll bar,racing seats,harness will be installed as well as a fire exstinguisher mounted in center where center console is now. From experiance I have two sides to rollbars/cages/belts. 1. rollbars/cages minimize injury in a crash/flip. 2. They also cause "MORE" damage if your not strapped in!!! This is my miata after a 105MPH flip/crash 2 miles from my house. Even though it was close to house dont take belts/cages for granted. They are made for a reason. Without a rollbar in my miata I would be DEAD! Although the headache from my head slamming into the bar hurt like HELL!. I was not wearing my belt and GLAD I wasnt. I am 6'1 300lbs. If I was wearing my belt I would not have hit my head, but I wouldnt have been able to crouch in pass. seat while flipping.
I think that everyone that drives on the street at over a 100 miles per hour without buckling up, should get a roll cage ... safety first
For sure if your going to drive like that on a 2 lane road in you need a roll cage. God help anybody in the other lane.
i have a 4pt cage with door bars that you can pull a pin and they swing out it a nhra legal cage for a pinto witn the main hoop modified slightly for my mav im runnin high 11s on spray but its always nice to have the security of a cage just last week at the local track a dodge srt 10 pickup got loose and came in my lane it was kinda scary but there was no damage done but im glad i had the cage if it did get hairy
As far as driving 105mph on the street...................well...................I am not even going to comment........................the only place for that kind of speed is on the track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!k And as far as the Miata.................I race a Spec Miata in the SCCA and I can do 110/115mph down the front straight................but not having a roll bar in a Miata..............especially if you are going to drive 105mph on the street.............................is insane..................but in a normal street driven car........................Why do you need a roll cage?????????? IMHO
I have came to the decision that the car needs a bar but I don't want one. If I am at a track that requires a cage at a certain et I will shortshift or something else to scratch off some et. I might put in a cage later though
I assume you will put in some sub-frame connectors though???????????? When you get the car going..................the easiest way to dial down the motor is to use a throttle stop or if you have an MSD box you shorten the Rev Limiter from say 6500rpm to 5500rpm......................I have a throttle stop on the Maverick and they work well without having to physically dial down the motor like retarding the timing. Short shifting can lead to non-consistant times.......................I also have an MSD 7AL3 and can bring the rev limiter down...............kind of six of one or 1/2 dozen of the other.............................................IMHO
