rollcage suggestions

[jkcrewsn]

I didn't post the "seat suggestions" topic, but I was curious about that myself, lots of good info. How about rollcages? Does anyone have suggestions about that? Is it really necessary? Does it improve the stiffness of your car? Was thinking of getting a bolt in cage, since I am not interested in cutting the roof off my car, or gutting the interior (unless it's not that big of a deal..not sure). Does a bolt in offer close to the same protection? I like the idea of the removable side braces. Is the one Tweeks sells good, or does someone make a better one (like stable energies)? Thanks for the input.

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Jeff

'79 930
http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/jkcrewsn

[jkcrewsn]

Oh, and do you have to make any permanent (and unfixable) changes to the inside of the car? Other than the bolt holes in the frame rails of course.

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Jeff

'79 930
http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/jkcrewsn

[91C2wrencher]

JK, you might want to talk to the boys at Dougherty automotive and their DASport bolt in roll cage. I've got one. the fit is very nice and yes they stiffen the chassis and they do provide substatial roll over protection. God forbid you ever end up on your roof but I've seen this bar after a roll over and all that was crushed was the roof. my motto "safety first", because it doesn't always happen to other guy

[Randy W]

A welded in cage will be much safer than a bolt in. Bolted in cages can become detached in a major shunt and turn into something that can kill you. Still, any cage is better than nothing at all. Last summer, I saw a 996 on a flat bed being carted off SIR with the roof flat to the lower window sills and that's when I decided to have a chromoly welded in cage put in my track car over the winter. The down side to welded in cages is that they require alot more work and money, if done correctly - removal of most of the interior, including carpet and headliner, and windows and seals. Then painting it in the car requires meticulous work. Then all the glass, seals, carpeting, headliner, etc, needs to be reinstalled. Side bars can be removable, although welded side bars are stronger and add to the sill strength. Chromoly is much lighter but requires expert welding to be as strong. Check the rules for your club to see that tubing type/diameter/thickness/mounting points/contsruction will meet spec. A roll cage is a major decision, but once you have one, you will not want to track a car without one. It made a substantial improvemnet in the torsional stiffness of my rust-free, non-sunroof '72 coupe.

Randy Wells

[jkcrewsn]

I agree that a welded cage would be MUCH safer. But for my mostly street car, I can't justify doing all that. It would be comforting to have something for the days I plan to use it on the track though. When I become rich and famous I will have a track only car, and that one would definitly have a welded cage. Has anyone seen a bolt-in cage fail?

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Jeff

'79 930
http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/jkcrewsn

[Dave Bouzaglou]

We have installed most of the currently offered bolt in and weld in cages. For sure, the welded cage offers the best protection, BUT as others mentioned, just about the entire interior needs removal. So , back to bolt in cages. As the best ones are engineered to stress the chassis and not the mounting hardware, I seriously doubt that the failure rate can be much higher than a weld in unit. We have had very good experience with the Safety Devices product. The weld in plates go into the rocker box sections, it fits very well- allowing the occupants the maximum amount of space, the product is reasonably priced, and you can reverse install it almost completely. Only the welded plates remain in the car, ready to be recovered with carpet.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Get a welded-in cage. This guy wishes he had:





PS: Both occupants walked away!

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blue
'81 SC Targa

[This message has been edited by BlueSkyJaunte (edited 08-21-2001).]

[IMONBOOST]

Does the welding of a 4 point roll bar ( not roll cage) require removal of the rear/side and rear windows? Any suggestion on welding in a roll bar? I will be getting mine soon, a professional welder will do the job but it could be his first porsche job. How about fuel lines?

[jimbo]

PS: Both occupants walked away!

...Albeit in search of a change of shorts!...

[Obin Robinson]

i recommend a weld-in cage. also, honestly, if you are dead serious about a good cage that will get your ass out of a bad situation... ask a circle track guy to do it. give him the specs according to the PCA rules (they are tougher than the SCCA and even the Porsche factory specs). the circle track guys have to make cages that will keep a person alive in everything from a quarter midget that flips 12 times... to a super modified that hits a wall at 120mph.

a good cage is a worthy investment. even if you don't need a full cage, i'd recommend taking your car to a circle track guy and seeing what he can do for you. if you need help, i have some info on some great places that will go excellent work. otherwise, i highly recommend the DAS Sport cages... they'll even loan you a car while yours is getting the work done, and they specialize in 911s.

no matter who does it... make sure that it is built to the thickness rules that are specified in PCA club racing. you don't want to get a cage made only to find out that it's not PCA legal.

good luck!

obin

[addictionMS]

something to consider, cages in street cars are not a real good idea if you are tall enough in the seat that your head will hit the cage. In a race car, you have a helmet on and you can/plan on hitting your head plus you are strapped in with a5 pt harness. but on the street, you will not have a helmet on and a low speed side impact with a roll cage can kill you.

[This message has been edited by addictionMS (edited 08-22-2001).]