Daily Driver Roll Cages?

[sinned]

The general rule is don't run a cage if can't wear a helmet. Since it is illegal to wear a helmet on the street you shouldn't drive a car on the street with a cage. If you get T-boned with a cage I guarantee severe head trauma and probable death. There is no way to avoid head to cage contact in that type of collision.

If you were going to insist on running a cage in a street car than build it away from the driver; this throwing the rule books out the window and positioning tubes as far away from the driver as possible. Keep the main hoop at least 8” back from the driver and make sure the halo is as tight as humanly possibly to the roof. Position the driver seat to sit low and for Gods sake always wear a full 5-point harness when driving.

[71OLDS]

Good topic and something I've been struggling over myself. Add to the discussion that I have a convertible. Are we only talking about a full cage vs a 6 pt roll bar w/removable door bars?

With a full cage the driver does have bars above, infront, behind etc, but for a 6 pt roll bar w/the door bars removed for street driving, and a the 5 pt harness on, I can't see how there would be anymore risk of injury/death for the front seat passengers in a convertible. Kind of a catch 22 here. If I have no roll bar of any kind and an accident causes a rollover, I'll probably be pancaked...w/it I may live but if my head hits the main hoop in the rollover I could die due to head injury....maybe the 5 pt harness would prevent my head from hitting?

Then I have the backseat issue. So the crossbar behind the seat can't be removable (to pass tech) and then there's the rear down bars. So if I have rear seat passengers, assuming they want to deal with climbing under or over the bars to get in (or put the conv top down and "Duke Boy" it in over the side), then they have a bar infront of them, to the side, and one above. What about a 5pt harness for the riders in the back seat? I guess that and padding are my only options. For those who forgo the rollbar running 12s or faster at the track, what do you do? W/my convertible I can't go faster then 13.49...

[71Nova]

I run a 6 point in my Nova. I originally wanted removable door bars and removable rear cross bar but the fabricator recomended that I not use pin in bars. He said in a side colision on the street the pins could snap and the swinging side bar could rip you in half. Also he said the car is noticably stiffer with a welded in cross bar. I feel safe on the street with my car. 5 point harness, no halo bar, racing seats with a tall head rest. One other point that is important to bring up is make sure your harness, and seats are anchored to the floor corectly.

[DocDave]

Wow. Great Topic. I too was going to have a cage put it my street car. Removable Sides and Cross Bar. I realize this probably will not meet NHRA standards as a valid cage but it will get me on the local track (me hopes). The bars would be removed for street driving and the cage will be as close to the pillars and ceiling as possible. The goal here is to stiffen the car up a little and provide some type of rollover protection at the track.

This post does have me re-thinking the entire thing though. I am only going to have 500 - 600 HP. Production cars are putting up numbers close to this and there is no cages there. Hmmmmm.

[71Nova]

DocDave I am really happy that I got mine. I noticed the increase in stiffness the first time I went over rail road tracks. Felt much more solid and smoother. Just make sure that the guy that puts it in knows what he is doing. The chassis fabricator that I went to told me stories about how some shops in so Cal have made the roll cages out of exhaust tubing to rip off the buyer.

[ProTour69GTO]

what about Joe Rogans Cuda it has something in it would something like that be safe

[andrewmp6]

you can i have and do right now the bars could hurt or kill you in a wreck but how many people die a year in a normal car at 35mph. i rather die in a 68 mustang then a prius.