edit: It is a roll bar that I am wanting, not a full-blown race cage. More info further down

<insert lame introduction here>


I have a couple years of welding under my belt in mig/tig/smaw/fcaw
So I'll be welding this myself
I mainly want added protection for normal daily driving (soccer moms and their suvs scare the **** out of me) However I eventually want to turn this thing into an autocross car. I don't plan on gutting the interior and I'd like to keep the back seats if possible. I would like to have the option of reclining my seat unless it would be very difficult to do this w/o compromising safety.

Any of you guys have pictures of other cars with a similar application?

Also, I remember seeing a site that sells kits with the tubing already bent and cut to size for my car, just requires welding. Anyone know any good sites for this?


Modified by Bense at 5:23 PM 2/19/2006


Modified by Bense at 7:14 PM 2/23/2006

 

bump

 

bump

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I mainly want added protection for normal daily driving (soccer moms and their suvs scare the **** out of me) </TD></TR></TABLE>

if it's added daily protection get a different car. daily driving a car with a cage is like playing roulette with a loaded semi-auto.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MI KENT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

if it's added daily protection get a different car. daily driving a car with a cage is like playing roulette with a loaded semi-auto. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I plan on using harnesses.

 

helmet?

 

Driving with a harness on the street is even less safe. if you have a cage you NEED a helmet. Do your research, google, H-T and lots of other sites have been through this. There are very very very few DOT approved harnesses for street use. Anyone who's ever legitamatley raced a car like a single seater will tell you harnesses have to be very tight to work properly, most people wouldn't do that or use a proper five or six point system on the street. to use a harness you need a harness bar on your cage. that means its absurdly unsafe to have people in the rear seats (assuming they can get back there). why am i still talking, ugh s.e.a.r.c.h

sorry that sounded flame-ish. its not :-) I know alot of poeple have similar questions though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Niles &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Driving with a harness on the street is even less safe. if you have a cage you NEED a helmet. Do your research, google, H-T and lots of other sites have been through this. There are very very very few DOT approved harnesses for street use. Anyone who's ever legitamatley raced a car like a single seater will tell you harnesses have to be very tight to work properly, most people wouldn't do that or use a proper five or six point system on the street. to use a harness you need a harness bar on your cage. that means its absurdly unsafe to have people in the rear seats (assuming they can get back there). why am i still talking, ugh s.e.a.r.c.h

sorry that sounded flame-ish. its not :-) I know alot of poeple have similar questions though.</TD></TR></TABLE>

see that's the thing, I have researched and haven't found anything about this. I searched for about 2 hours before posting this because surely someone has thought about this before.

Say if I were to forget about the rear seats and implement a bar for the harness. How would this make it more dangerous on the street without a helmet. I read about how you can hit your head on the tubing which can cause serious injury, but if I have a harness, I don't see how this is possible.

You're right, I am very inexperienced with designing cages, considering that I've never done it. Instead of calling me a newb and flaming me, why not provide me with information to help get me pointed in the right direction. I mean afterall, that's what I was requesting in the first place

 

we're just trying to help you stay alive man.

read this thread: http://ef-honda.com/main/viewt...+cage
more specifically read what rallymatt says in it.

 

rollcages are for race cars unless you want to drive around the street with a helmet on and all the proper safety equipment in place at all times. If you don't you will die. that is all.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MI KENT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">we're just trying to help you stay alive man.

read this thread: http://ef-honda.com/main/viewt...+cage
more specifically read what rallymatt says in it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

See now, that's some good stuff, this is why I came for advice instead of just slapping some **** in my car. So as far as making my car safer, what can be done? Please don't just respond saying "get a new car" because I'm not going to settle for that (at least not yet) Obviously there are several cars designed to be safer without compromising the safety of the driver & passengers.

I am not trying to challenge you guys, but I am honestly curious. If you take a look at my other projects I am all about doing lots of research and reading before even stepping into the shop.

 

make sure the brakes are up to spec, safe tires, and suspension.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MI KENT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make sure the brakes are up to spec, safe tires, and suspension.</TD></TR></TABLE>

All of which have nothing to do with a SUV hitting me.

 

I think what makes it hard to search is all the threads with titles that don't quite describe them well :-P

Anyway, there's some stuff on safety, harnesses, and harness bars here:
https://honda-tech.com/zero...age=1
although not as much about running cages on street driven cars.

The best way to make any car safer in an accident is to increase its ability to absorb energy progressively. In practical terms it means more crush space or more stuff to crush.
There are companies that make foam for filling auto body cavities (like frame rails, and other hollow spaces) you could try calling one of those companies and seeing if that would help. I've never used those foams so I don't know about them.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I am all about doing lots of research and reading before even stepping into the shop. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Thank goodness for people that do their research instead of expecting to have everything spoon fed to them!


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So as far as making my car safer, what can be done? </TD></TR></TABLE>
That is a really good question that is really tough to answer, which is why I think that so many people just take the easy way and buy 6000lb ford excusions.
I would love to know what people have done about this.
P.S. there was an article this month in racecar engineering about rally car crashes and some good information about load transfer through and across body structures, injury thresholds, etc.

 

I think you mean roll bar, and not roll cage. That is more than likely why you're getting the answers that aren't seeming to help.

I got my roll bar kit from S&W and I did a somewhat writeup on it. Just search S&W either in recent or archived posts.

 

u want a 6 point cage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ALL IMPORT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">u want a 6 point cage.</TD></TR></TABLE>

that's what I was thinking.

 

spend 1000$ on some takata harnesses... im sure those 4point harnesses are used in caged applications im pretty sure they are DOT approved

grow lots of hair to absorb the impact from the cage inches from ur head

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Elwuudz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">spend 1000$ on some takata harnesses... im sure those 4point harnesses are used in caged applications im pretty sure they are DOT approved

grow lots of hair to absorb the impact from the cage inches from ur head </TD></TR></TABLE>

expletive takata

 

u can get a 6 point chromeolly cage for 400$ with all thge bends u just notce it & weld them paint

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ALL IMPORT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">u can get a 6 point chromeolly cage for 400$ with all thge bends u just notce it & weld them paint</TD></TR></TABLE>

but is that something that will render my car unsafe for the street?

 

http://www.autopowerindustries.com/Roll_Bars.htm

YEAHHH THIS is the site that I remember seeing a while back.



I was thinking about having the horizontal and diagonal brace with the bolt on option. Would this be safe for the street?

 

swracecars.com 8 pt. for like $169 for teh win.

Hundreds of dollars more and a savings of 30 pounds isn't economical for a street car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stealthmode62 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">swracecars.com 8 pt. for like $169 for teh win.

Hundreds of dollars more and a savings of 30 pounds isn't economical for a street car. </TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah something like that too.

With using either one of these, the swracecars.com 8pt or the autopower 6point, and using a harness (like one with two shoulder straps and a lap belt) would that be dangerous for the street?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">http://www.autopowerindustries.com/Roll_Bars.htm

YEAHHH THIS is the site that I remember seeing a while back.



I was thinking about having the horizontal and diagonal brace with the bolt on option. Would this be safe for the street?</TD></TR></TABLE>
I don't see how it could not be safe if it is properly padded and secured in the car. I would use on of the full wrap around style racing seats with it.