Pics of most street-friendly roll cage?

[Bster13]

I will be purchasing a used Super Stalker at the end of the month:

 

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/bster13/Freds_Stalker/26600001.jpg

 

I'd like to put a full cage in it for the following reasons:

-Head on collisions w/ other vehicles or wildlife.

-Side impact.

-Rollover protection.

-Pass certain HPDE inspections (will I need it?)

 

I'm not certain of what type of roll cage (if any at all) I need to run HPDEs w/ other Lotus 7s or Porsche CLubs of America or BMW Car Club of America, . Does it need to be FIA, SCCA approved? Pls. school me on this.

 

I'd also like to know the following:

Would I modify my current roll bar or start anew w/ the cage?

 

Are there advantages/disadvantages of running the cage inside or outside the bodywork?

- I don't care about aesthetics, but does drag come into play?

- What about price?

- Does the driver/passenger space get diminished all that much with an internal cage?

 

Here are some cage ideas I found. Feel free to attach more if you think it would be better suited for street/HPDE duty.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=13919&g2_serialNumber=2

 

http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pB7PglbVQAf5ddvSnrghYEvdsDzcHiW42nNqSGO4BF5x7jh65KALRoXRDaveEx2I3brtJr1EybRc?PARTNER=WRITER

 

 

http://www.blackplategarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Lotus-7c1.png

[Bster13]

http://www.selfishracing.co.uk/Images/thecar.JPG

 

http://www.playtoymotorsport.com/images/race_caterhamr400_2.jpg

[Bster13]

Also, what does your average 7 replica roll cage cost?

[rnr]

I'm not certain of what type of roll cage (if any at all) I need to run HPDEs w/ other Lotus 7s or Porsche CLubs of America or BMW Car Club of America, . Does it need to be FIA, SCCA approved? Pls. school me on this.

 

Depends on the club. Most clubs will require some level of rollover protections (broomstick) but a full cage is usually not needed for HPDE. You will likely need arm restraints.

 

I'd also like to know the following:

Would I modify my current roll bar or start anew w/ the cage?

Depends on the construction of the current bar and what changes you need to make. It looks like it is well under broomstick and will have to be raised at which point its easier to cut it off and make one from scratch.

 

 

Are there advantages/disadvantages of running the cage inside or outside the bodywork?

- I don't care about aesthetics, but does drag come into play?

- What about price?

- Does the driver/passenger space get diminished all that much with an internal cage?

 

Loss of space would be the be the biggest reason to go external. Unlike most passenger cars you dont really go internal (as in inside the frame) but rather weld directly to (and in line with) the frame. My cage is welded directly to the chassis and curves outwards to give more shoulder room.

 

Here are some cage ideas I found. Feel free to attach more if you think it would be better suited for street/HPDE duty.

 

This is my current setup

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2708/4458998282_98b2936e08.jpg

 

This setup is great for street driving since it is pretty easy to get in and out while providing excellent side protection with no loss of forward visibility.

 

I will likely add a removable front hoop section at some point in the future. Removable because it will make entry much more difficult and while I will put up with it my wife will not.

Edited August 2, 2010 by rnr

[Bster13]

rnr- I had know about your design...def looks beefy for side impacts and I see where entry would be relatively easy. Only thing missing for me would be deer protection...I can just see the nose of my 7 taking out a deer's legs and the thing flopping on my face. haha.

[Kitcat]

There was a photo here somewhere a while back of an undercut deer that landed in the windshield of a se7en, a Caterham, I think. The windshield was buckled and bowed but provided sufficient protection so that the driver, unlike the deer, was uninjured. I think it came up in one of our periodic discussions abt the pros and cons of using a Brooklands screen (this was, of course, a con).

[Bster13]

Hrmm... that's interesting. I guess how strong your windshield mounts are plan a big role in this as well and that prob differs greatly between manufacturers? Does having Lexan vs. safety glass matter much? Not sure of the strength differences in those two either.

[supersportsp]

Are you planning on wearing a helmet on the street? If not, a full cage will certainly not be friendly to you in even a minor incident. Soft head hitting hard cage equals bad things...

[S1Steve]

Bster, Is the yellow stalker in your first post the car you are going to buy ??

[Bster13]

@Supersportsp I agree, if not helmet, the metal on head contact will hurt a bit. Plus foam padding would be in order.

 

@S1Steve YES!

http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/bster13/Freds_Stalker/

[rnr]

rnr- I had know about your design...def looks beefy for side impacts and I see where entry would be relatively easy. Only thing missing for me would be deer protection...I can just see the nose of my 7 taking out a deer's legs and the thing flopping on my face. haha.

 

Actually I sit very very low in the car and the lexan brooklands shield is only a couple of inches below the top of my helmet. I am not very concerned with getting hit by anything on the street.

 

However I am going to be adding the removable front hoop to give me some additional protection for track days.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4679292358_d13bbd641d.jpg

[Bster13]

Hrmmm..I noticed that about the WCM S2k I sat in over the summer. I wonder if that will be the same in my Stalker.

 

I'd say with helmet and a high hood like that, I might be quite ok w/ your roll cage design....now is that approved for NASA, SCCA, FIA, BMWCCA, PCA types of HPDEs?

[rnr]

I'd say with helmet and a high hood like that, I might be quite ok w/ your roll cage design....now is that approved for NASA, SCCA, FIA, BMWCCA, PCA types of HPDEs?

 

HPDE usually does not require any specific type of cage beyond passing a brooomstick test. As for actual racing it will likely need to have the front hoop added but the rest is waaaay over the requirements for NASA/SCCA

[xflow7]

There was a photo here somewhere a while back of an undercut deer that landed in the windshield of a se7en, a Caterham, I think. The windshield was buckled and bowed but provided sufficient protection so that the driver, unlike the deer, was uninjured. I think it came up in one of our periodic discussions abt the pros and cons of using a Brooklands screen (this was, of course, a con).

 

I don't know if mine is the one you are referring to or not, but here is my datapoint on deer vs. Caterham.

 

Needless to say, I replaced the windshield with another windshield rather than the Brooklands I was considering prior to...

[snookwheel]

Give Dennis or Scott a call at Brunton. They have recently developed a new cage designed for easy in/out access.

 

Scott

[turboeric]

Are you planning on wearing a helmet on the street? If not, a full cage will certainly not be friendly to you in even a minor incident. Soft head hitting hard cage equals bad things...

 

A cage on the street will need to be padded. The soft stuff most commonly seen (looks like pipe insulation) is only OK for protecting you from bonking your head while getting in and out. It isn't enough for crash impacts. The SFI 45.1 rated stuff (sold by Kirkey and many others) is much denser and will protect a helmeted head from roll bar contact in a crash. Obviously, your unhelmeted melon won't have as much protection and the standard SFI 45.1 material is too hard for an unhelmeted head.

 

The absolute best solution for a street driven car is something like the dual durometer padding made by BSCI. Street padding It is SFI 45.1 padding covered by a second layer of softer padding, to more gently decelerate your noggin in a crash. Looking at video of actual heads in crashes, it is amazing how much the head gongs around in a car, especially in a roll over. Pad anything even remotely near your head. It would be way too ironic to be killed by your safety equipment.

[Bster13]

It seems like the cage protects you from what is outside, but could be a detriment to what is inside if not prepared.