comparing the two JUST PERFORMANCE WISE.. what are the main differences. can you weld in a bolt in cage to get same perfformance? id like to do welded cage, but those bolt in cages are so much cheeper.. any advice?

 

90% of boltins are made to fit with the interior installed. If the car is gutted, the cage will look small. Also, the small plates that are used to attach bolt-ins to the car are an issue. Given the same design, a bolt-in will weigh more b/c of the hardware and sleeves. Many bolt-ins lack proper NASCAR bars, whereas most custom cages will have them.

Yes, you can weld a bolt in. But why - the bolt-in + labor to weld it is close to the cost of a complete custom weld in cage.

If you have the money, get a custom welded cage. If not, make do with the boltin, with the realization that it is not a effective as a custom cage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">90% of boltins are made to fit with the interior installed. If the car is gutted, the cage will look small. Also, the small plates that are used to attach bolt-ins to the car are an issue. Given the same design, a bolt-in will weigh more b/c of the hardware and sleeves. Many bolt-ins lack proper NASCAR bars, whereas most custom cages will have them.

Yes, you can weld a bolt in. But why - the bolt-in + labor to weld it is close to the cost of a complete custom weld in cage.

If you have the money, get a custom welded cage. If not, make do with the boltin, with the realization that it is not a effective as a custom cage.

</TD></TR></TABLE>ya good points. car is gutted too, it only makes sence to do it then do it right.. thanks

 

Save your money and get a custom weld-in cage. I made the mistake of going cheap and getting a kirk bolt-on cage. I still regret not getting a custom cage

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SiRex91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Save your money and get a custom weld-in cage. I made the mistake of going cheap and getting a kirk bolt-on cage. I still regret not getting a custom cage </TD></TR></TABLE>

Which brings up another point. Kirk will customize their bolt-in cages, whereas Autpower does not (too my knowledge). So, you can get a Kirk with decent door bars, fitted a bit better, etc and probably still costs a little less than a welded cage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kirk will customize their bolt-in cages, whereas Autpower does not (too my knowledge). </TD></TR></TABLE>

Autopower does not, but just about any roll cage builder/shop will. Our Autopower was welded in, had door bars and an additional diagonal support bar running through the passenger area, all done by a cage builder.

Still, a custom weld in is two worlds away from a bolt it safety (and performance) wise, even if the bolt in is welded and modified with additional bars.

 

fwiw, patrick sharp recently rolled a 6th gen civic coupe at a ustcc event with an autopower 6 point bolt-in. PERFORMANCE-wise, it did its job.

custom is obviously superior (money not withstanding) because of additional mounting points, addded stiffness, and added protection.

if you're racing w2w, custom should be the way to go for you when the funds are together. if you're a weekend enthusiast, i think a bolt-in is adequate.

 

Our KIRK is a welded in version and 8-point as well. My fabricator requested tht the tubes be longer than normal so that he could get as tight of a fit in the CRX as possible. The door bars were bent a bit diffeently than some would have them-but are fine.
The point is that you can have a solid bolt-in unit that will do its job or you can have a custom one welded in that will fit tighter and probably be able to protect better. The quality of the welding is critical to the performance of the cage and KIRK is terrific as far as I am concerned. The best choice with a gutted car will be a custom unit because of the tighter fit you will get.
Just my 2 cents

 

thanks for all the replys, such great feedback
fyi, ive decided to weld in, pics in a week or so when i get it done

 

i must be real dumn.. what does FWIW mean.

oh and, yah, i was planning on getting a bolt in, but ima save up, and do it the right way. WELD IN

 

FWIW = FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

 

ahhhhhhh

thanx

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Yes, you can weld a bolt in. But why - the bolt-in + labor to weld it is close to the cost of a complete custom weld in cage.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you're willing to invest a significant amount of your own time, a weld/bolt combo can be done for much less. I started with a bolt-in kit from Kirk with extended down tubes, and kirk notched all of the additional nasscar/dash/x-brace bars before they shipped them to me. Once everything was welded up, it ended up costing me under $900 for a damn good cage, IMHO. Safety wise, I trust my life to it...what more can you say. The main thing I would gain from a custom cage at this point is head room and a little hand room from the a-pillar down tube. Still, I don't seem to notice when I'm driving.

 

I've had both, in the same car. A custom built, welded cage is several orders of magnitude superior to any bolt in I've ever seen. In addition to it being stiffer and safer, it's also further away from your head, arms and legs. Not a big deal on a web board, but when you try them back to back you'll know.

Well worth the added expense. And if you're diligent about looking for someone who's trying to get their name out there (assuming they actually know what they're doing), you can get a pro quality cage built for far less than you think.

Next time you're at the track, if you see a cage that really kicks ***, ask the car owner who did it. Most racers who have nice cages will talk your ear off about the design and the builder and the things they learned.

FWIW, my cage is here: http://www.nogumracing.com/karl/integra/rollcage/