trapp

I know a full cage is better then a 6 point roll cage....

I run about 6 events of HPDE a year....

I'm thinking of getting a Roll cage such as the one made my RSD or the one by West Coast Corvette....both are 6 point cages.

Has anyone installed one of these and are they not really designed for road racing..(HDPE)

any input is welcome..

(I'm still debating on buying a used race car with full cage but I'm gun-shy of buying a car with all kinds of issues)

tom

Supercharged111

I believe the cookie cutter cages/bars mount to an area on the car that's easy to punch through. A proper cage is a PITA to build from what I understand.

skxf430

Do you drive your car on the street? If so, you don't want a full cage, it is too dangerous and you don't want to be driving with your helmet and HANS on all the time. LOL But seriously, with only 6 HPDE events a year, I don't think you should go to the extreme of installing a cage but maybe install a rollbar instead.

What kind of car are you driving?

trapp

2011 grandsport
Procharger
Lg sways and shocks
Upgraded radiator/oil cooler
R6 tires
Carbotech Xp 20/10
Castrol SPF
Lg loovered hood

skxf430

Very nice setup!!!!

If you still drive your car on the street, I would only look at a rollbar. The full cage on the street just isn't practical, unsafe and illegal in many states. I would find a local shop near you that can fabricate a nice rollbar rather than buy a generic rollbar off the shelf.

StreetSpeed

I bought my C5Z with a very nice custom welded roll bar - cost the previous owner 3Gs FYI.

AU N EGL

If you put a cage in, most likely it be looked at to SCCA Solo I or NASA standards.

many of the so called off the shelve or "cookie cutter" cages may not pass tech at events.

Do a full cage, do it right or dont do it at all.

side impact is more likely then a roll over. so door bars, and not the single swing out detachable door bar, but the nascar door bars are what is needed for protection. That means full race cage.

Good Luck

Bill32

Actually Tom, you only need a 4 point roll bar system to pass any SCCA tech except wheel to wheel.

And if you're running PDX (HPDE) in a coupe, you don't even have to have a 4 point.

It's getting downright scary with the speeds that today's street cars run at.

I totally agree: "Do a full cage, do it right or dont do it at all. "

SCCA specs for full cages are in the General Competition Rules:

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...%20January.pdf

JDIllon

I went with the custom built 4 point roll bar with cross bars in the rear that is bolted in thru the frame of the Z06. You could have it welded in if you wanted. Mine is designed so that if I wish to go to a full cage? I can add to it and have a full cage later on. The problem with a full cage is that they are not safe for street use. So I went with the custom roll bar. JD
Here is a picture: some protection is better than none at all, plus it really stiffened the car up.
[IMG][/IMG]

trapp

So what you saying is if I don't plan on doing a full cage then do nothing at all...

I have a coupe but it's not a Z06 which is a solid top verses a removable top on the coupes... I thought in a roll over situation I would be better off with a roll cage. I know what your saying about side to side impacts..I roll cage will not help much with only one bar...

PushinTheLimit

I'm another on either going to a full cage or nothing at all. But you could always do just a harness bar which would be removable if you wanted to sell the car for a car with a built rollcage later on down the road.

StreetSpeed

I say it depends on what you're using the car for now and what you intend to use it for. If you're only going to be doing HPDE then I think a roll bar only is fine. I've been doing HPDEs since 2006 and I've seen cars roll, I've seen cars hit the wall, but I've never seen car to car contact. I'm sure it happens but not enough to say "full cage or go home."

GettReal

I am a little surprised by the responses saying full cage or nothing? Maybe its just how it comes across, so I will disagree if you say Full Cage or nothing, but I will agree with you if you meant do a full cage OR a roll bar as long as its done right.

If you WELD in a 4-6 point roll bar, that is surely going to add significant safety to your vehicle, and for HPDE, it is a great compromise. As long as you keep the OEM door internals in place, you already have decent side protection but having an additional door bar again is just MORE safety.

Typically when you ask a question like this, you will get responses from people based on what they have i.e the full cage guys will tell you thats the only way to go.. and since I have a welded in 6 pt bar, I go in the category of saying that is enough for HPDE. With that said, a full cage is IDEAL for being on a track but not always practical, since not everyone can have a race car.

Regardless if you go cage or roll bar.. you HAVE to have padding attached anywhere where your body may come in contact with the bars, especially on the street when you aren't wearing a helmet.

Thats my 2 cents.
Steve

heavychevy

I agree with steve. There are many a flipped car that have been saved by a bolt in roll bar. And there is a bar literally right next to your shoulder, it's range is limited but it will prevent that part of the car from crumpling in on you. That combined with side air bags is certainly better than straight stock.

I think it was the NASA event last year where the DE1 guy flipped his skyline. I don't think he had a cage and he was lucky that his instructor was out the session before and the car did not impact on the top on his side. The moral of the story is, don't assume that because you are in DE, or lower run groups that it can't happen to you. You are not in control of everything that happens on the track.

Full cage or nothing is nonsense. Especially for a street car. There, I said it.

davidfarmer

I don't say a 4-pt bar is BAD, just not worth the trouble 99% of the time. It offers nothing in the way of side impact, and the OEM rollover protection is very very good. I'd say at best, you are getting some frame stiffening in only the rear of the car, which could keep your frame-rails straight in a rear impact (not safety related).

I'd NEVER do a cage for DE, unless it truly is a track only car. And a track-only car that has a full cage is pretty much a race car by my definition.......

As others, just MY $0.02 worth

trapp

You brought up another question I had...will the door bar actually interfere with side airbags?

heavychevy

Almost certainly unless the manufacturer has found a way for it not to. Do you have any pictures of the cage your are looking at?

95jersey

cage on the street is a NO NO...you or a passenger could be killed in an accident (without a helmet).

JDIllon

If you are doing a full cage!!! You should have no need for side air bags!! Or steering wheel air bags. You should be in a full 6 point harness with Hans and a restraint type seat. In which case the air bags would have no effect. When you put race seats in the car, in most cases the air bags are disabled and there are no side air bags at all. As you can see by the comments above! These are all personal choices!! I did what I thought was right for me and the way I use the car. I would love to have a full cage but I had 2 problems with that. 1 as mentioned even a small accident with a cage in a street car without a helmet and fully strapped in, can be fatal. 2 As soon as you fully cage a car, it is as David said, for all practical purposes a race car and the value falls accordingly. My chioce was as shown above. For me the next step would a gutted full out, caged race car. Just my .02 JD

heavychevy

He's talking about this bar/cage. Most people associate 6 point with a full cage.

Definitely will add some side protection, but not sure if better than a side airbag, or interferes with one. You probably need to call them and ask. Also should not be an issue on the street.