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I'm building a vette kart and was just running some questions by the group. There is a very small chance I register the vehicle. It has a salvage title currently. The car will be on wide slicks and will have 500hp so I want to insure the cage is adequate. Since the car wont fit into any classes it will be limited to HPDE so no wheel to wheel racing. Below was my cage idea. It is a standard 12pt cage with the addition of a second bar on the main hoop since there will often be a passenger. I also though about adding a cross bar (think of a strut tower brace) to the points coming off the main hoop that go down to the rear suspension purely for suspension stiffness.
Another question I had was should I go with the FIA X style door bars or NASCAR? The kart wont have doors and I know the NASCAR are designed to be spaced away from the driver so that there is a bit of room to crumple. But my thought is on a kart the cage is build on the outside of the frame and the FIA style will have a good deal of distance anyway. Below is what i mean by nascar bar (notice even tho the nascar bar is spaced out away from the driver, its still closer than what the FIA x bar will be if the cage is build on the outside of the frame
Last edited by Alexander K; 05-01-2018 at 11:25 AM.
Alexander K... before you buy or cut tube.... check out the specs for whomever you plan to run with. though most organizations wont require a cage for time trial stuff, you should still use thier regulations as guidance atleast. NASA and SCCA specs are online and have clear requirements for cage elements and material.
since you arent confined by doors i would agree with angling them outward, however, triangles are always stronger than rectangles, hence the design i went wiht.
Also consider whether you will drive this without a helmet. i drive mine on the stree way more than autocross. so.. to not have my skull impacted by the tube in even the slightest of accidents i flared the cage out away from the occupants...
those extra bars are fine, but not really necessary. You also need to decide if you are keeping the OEM a-pillars and b-pillar/halo. Those are structural, but the cage replaces much of that
NASCAR and FIA are very different philosophy, and I think both have their merits. If you plan on being t-boned by a 3500lb stock car at 200mph then NASCAR bar make sense, but I can't justify that in a sports car myself.
those extra bars are fine, but not really necessary. You also need to decide if you are keeping the OEM a-pillars and b-pillar/halo. Those are structural, but the cage replaces much of that
NASCAR and FIA are very different philosophy, and I think both have their merits. If you plan on being t-boned by a 3500lb stock car at 200mph then NASCAR bar make sense, but I can't justify that in a sports car myself.
excellent point on the b-pillar... the top of the partition is right were the primary/main hoop needs to be. initially I thought about landing the main hoop on top of the b-pillar (was a convertible). but the unsightliness of the b-pillar made me get rid of it and I am glad I did...
Alexander K... before you buy or cut tube.... check out the specs for whomever you plan to run with. though most organizations wont require a cage for time trial stuff, you should still use thier regulations as guidance atleast. NASA and SCCA specs are online and have clear requirements for cage elements and material.
since you arent confined by doors i would agree with angling them outward, however, triangles are always stronger than rectangles, hence the design i went wiht.
Also consider whether you will drive this without a helmet. i drive mine on the stree way more than autocross. so.. to not have my skull impacted by the tube in even the slightest of accidents i flared the cage out away from the occupants...
Awesome thanks. I sent you a PM with my number to ask a couple questions. This will be strictly track only and occupants will always have a helmet. I don't plan on running it in an classed racing just HPDE so my limitations are building a cage that offers adequate protection for what i'm doing.
Originally Posted by davidfarmer
those extra bars are fine, but not really necessary. You also need to decide if you are keeping the OEM a-pillars and b-pillar/halo. Those are structural, but the cage replaces much of that
NASCAR and FIA are very different philosophy, and I think both have their merits. If you plan on being t-boned by a 3500lb stock car at 200mph then NASCAR bar make sense, but I can't justify that in a sports car myself.
I see. I also thought the NASCAR bars were overkill. A Pillars will be removed and there are no B pillars since it is a convertible.
Are you saying the extra bars on the main hoop are not necessary?
One final question. The vette has two large braces running up through the dash. Would these make it a non-requirement for the cross brace for what i'm using the car for?
Last edited by Alexander K; 05-07-2018 at 04:57 PM.
05-01-2018, 11:24 AM
C5 - Cage Questions
