C 5

Hey all, soon I'm having an either 6 or 8 point roll cage installed in my c5 z06, I will use it for circuit tracks and also end up driving it on the street and such, I understand caging a car can bring safety risks into equation, and can often make non fatal crashes fatal if your head strikes the cage. Well I would like to pad the bars in some padding that is safe enough for non helmet crashes. Basically my goal would be to drive this car safely on the street without a helmet, what would it take for it to be safe up the the point where I can drive it without a helmet on the street SAFELY?

Jason Staley

I'm running this padding on my 4 point roll bar so I can still use stock seats when I'm not a track. The padding does take up a bit of space, but the combination does appear to make a good safe padding.

Dual Durometer SFI 45.1 Roll Bar Padding

The inner core consists of a low-profile piece of SFI 45.1 padding to satisfy the rules of any sanctioning body that requires SFI-rated padding. The outer layer is a 1/2" thick pad of softer (but still very firm) padding for comfort. The outer layer absorbs minor bumps and low-speed impacts, but if heavier impacts occur, the force is absorbed by the inner core. The softer outer core can easily be removed and reinstalled when needed.

This padding is supplied in 36 inch long pieces. The 1 1/2" ID is flexible enough to fit bars up to 2" diameter. The low-profile padding is designed to cover just one side of the bar. Black only.

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...p?Product=2397

RX-Ben

Need a helmet, the padding won't do much in an impact.

Supercharged111

Which brings up my question, how is hitting your head on a padded bar any different than the existing roof? I imagine the only bar that poses a threat is the one that runs over the driver's head and to the left of it, the rest are untouchable if buckled up right?

c4cruiser

If the factory seat belts are working properly and the air bag is there and functional, there really should not be an issue. Depending on the seat installed, if the seat bottom is lowered, that would provide some extra clearance. Harness belts are not DOT approved and most all states will not accept them as a substitute for the factory belts.

Here in WA, they are illegal for street use and if you get caught, the fine is $128. You might be able to get away with wearing both at the same time as LEO's look specifically for the presence of the diagonal shoulder harness. And theyalso check at night using night-vision equipment.

I've never seen anybody driving on the streets with a helmet and I would expect that full-face helmets would especially be a problem on the streets. There would be a lack of visibility to the sides and a helmet could reduce the ability to hear things around you.

ZedO6

I drove a caged car on the street occasionally. I would not even think of only using the stock belts...they allow way too much upper body movement which translates into head and body impact with the drivers side B pillar and roof bars. Even with that, a tight racing harness may not prevent head contact with the upper drivers side roof bar. Roll bar padding does nothing if your unhelmeted head contacts it during an accident

I'd consider a ticket the minor consequence with driving a caged car on the street. My caged car had a very low seat which worked well for my height and helped to reduce the likelihood of head contact. YMMV.

Jason Staley

Even if some believe that NO padding is going to help. I think this particular padding would go a long way to reducing injuries.

No compression


Hand pressure applied to the outer softer material


Fairly hard inner foam that meets SFI 45.1 requirements

UrbanKnight

Safely isn't going to happen if you drive a caged car on the street, that's just the sad reality...

You can get "less likely to turn you into a vegetable" though..

But its a risk you have to be willing to take and weigh your options... Safe on the track, or safe on the street.

Supercharged111

Plenty of naysayers, but I'm honestly not convinced either way. how many people have actually been injured by their padded cages and how many of those would have still been injured without the cage present?

kimmer

Just wear a helmet and if you get pulled over tell the leo you have dementia and thought you were riding your bike.

Jason Staley

ZedO6

Well lets see...the highest survivability on the street is with a complement of air bags cushioning the impact of your body/head into anything immovable.

Or I can just slam my head into a .040 hollow bar of steel with a 1" pad around it....

C 5

Thanks for all the replies. But surely a caged car with a 5 point harness in a proper race seat is safer than a stock setup? Most likely I would get a 6 point cage at the very least. Wouldn't a cage be more safe if there was sufficient padding and or helmet? Is the only factor in being safer than stock the helmet protection against the bar?

ZedO6

I think we all agree a proper cage, racing harness with a racing seat and a Snell rated helmet are multiples safer than a stock seat and seat belt. Snell helmets are DESIGNED and tested by simulating an impact into a roll bar Your unhelmeted head will fare much worse is the only caveat to driving a cage on the street.

froggy47

A little side track, but is anyone familiar with racer named Schumacher who is is a 7 week induced coma because he crashed skiing using a helmet that had been modified to mount a camera, weakening it?

Just saying when you violate the standards of safety equipment, be prepared for unintended results.

"Chances are" you'd be ok with sufficient padding, but there's that one in (pick your number) xxx chance you won't.

skxf430

Also, when wearing a harness don't forget to wear some sort of Hans device. You don't want to use a harness without one.

Supercharged111

So what you're saying is you don't know. To err on the side of caution is respectable, but with date to back up that decision would be more respectable. Perhaps I should google padded roll cage injuries myself since that opposes my current stance.

braknl8

Just be mindful that if you ask enough people.... eventually you'll find one that tells you what you want to hear. Stay safe.

Supercharged111

I've only taken the pro-cage stance because EVERYONE has taken the anti-cage stance. If anyone in this thread is open minded, it's me. Facts would help the OP make an informed decision as opposed to doing what is perceived as the safe thing.

ZedO6

I agree...you should test out a full cage in a street driven Corvette without a helmet. Let us know how that works out.