finalzero

Hi,

As per the title, trying to find out the legal aspect of roll cages if you have one fitted to your mode of transport.

I plant to do my share of track days next year if not this year and am seriously considering a bolt in or permanent roll cage however wanted to know what the legal aspect of this is i.e how does it affect insurance and is it frowned upon in an accident i.e don't want your passengers smacking their heads against the roll bar.

The cage I have looked at is a Cusco bolt in cage that lines up with the A/B pillers and goes over the dash, still leaving ample space of people to get in and out but are these more for show than anything else and do cages offer rigidity when installed properly?

Cheers,

Fz

GC8

I would disregard any Japanese rollover cage. Theyre principally cosmetic and serve little real purpose.

dohc_turbo

where were you looking at the cusco rollcage?

bushiwarrior

the porche GT3 RS has a factory fitted one doesnt it?

MartinM

They're not illegal.

They're a mod you must declare to the insurance company (unless it's a GT3 RS )

The insurance company will either refuse to cover you or slap on a hefty premium

They're a slippery slope to proper seats and full harnesses (done in the order seats, harnesses then cage)

911

I have had 6 point FIA/UK supplied bolt-in cages in my 911 road/hillclimb car for 12 years and a similar spec cage in my road/hill Sti V3 for 5 years.

They are legal in this country. They will present no issues for the MoT.

For track and road you MUST pad the cage locally where your head will reach on impact. Having had a spill in my 911 racing you will be amazed how far your body stretches on impact...
You must use the correct rollcage padding that fits,absorbs, and is fire retardent.

Taking any car on a speed track or competition I feel a cage is needed, the combo of racing seat/4 or 6 point belts and cage makes a massive difference to the control of the car:

The seat sits you lower in the car and locates you laterally, the belt keep you firmly in it so no bouncing about, and the cage adds security. All confidence building.

If you think it out it is possible to keep the seat belt and the racing seat belt in use.

You will be surprised how comfortable a racing seat is on long a journey

Finally, a 6 point cage in an Impreza will:

Stop the use of the sun visors (you have to remove them to fit it)
Unless the design has a removable rear diagonal, you will loose the use of the rear seat.
You might loose access to a fully opening glove box!

You must declare the cage to the Insurance Company AND explain that you will be track daying the car. It cost me £15 to do this.

Graham.

badgersport

I'm never a fan of roll cages in road cars. No matter how much padding you put around it, it's still a piece of steel tubing that will smack you on the head in an accident. Track day or competition cars and it's a different matter - excellent idea, holds the whole car together but you have a crash helmet to protect your head when it all goes wrong.

Let's put it this way - I doubt an insurance company would pay out much if an occupant of a roll cage equiped road car suffered brain damage after hitting their head on the roll cage in an accident.

GC8

Theyd pay what they were made to pay! Few firms will increase your premium by only £15, as Graham's did, though...

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

I really don't get the argument that a correctly fitted and padded roll-cage when used with a proper seat and harness is any more dangerous to your un-helmeted skull than smashing it off an uncaged A or B pillar - either way its going to hurt lots and do some damage if the accident is big enough. But then this argument has been done to death and I still don't see what the big issue is

911

Done to death I agree, it is down to the individual.
You will note in my pics that the car is padded with MSA/FIA approved padding on the passenger side too.

For years I've driven my wife and daughter in caged hillclimb road going cars with no sense of worry, and part of my work is Heath & Safety director for a large company!

If it were just a road car I wouldn't bother, but for racing?

A cage is now mandatory in my class in Hillclimbs, and a hillclimb is simply a closed road where you know nobody is coming the other way, but the scenary is mighty close at 90 mph on a road 12 feet wide.

I'll put up with a cage.

ZEN Performance

Certainly not true.

Many jap cages are very good, and upon inspection from an MSA scrutineer, deemed acceptable for speed events (sprint/hillclimb).

Some of the cusco range are going through FIA or MSA approval at Mira at the moment. Granted some of the more user friendly cages with doglegged stays are a bit questionable, but that is not the majority of jap cages, you can order a cusco cage in a wide variety of configurations.

GC8

I speak as I find Paul. I would certainly concede that my experience is almost exclusively of kit that was manufactured ten years-or-so ago: much may have changed.

Id still prefer an SD cage...

Simon

911

Over the years of competing I've seen several aluminium cages in 911's (illegal now) and 2 Jap cages without a rear diagonal, but that is legal to the Blue Book which has always struck me as odd from a design point of view.

There was the spint car with a solid cage made from exhaust pipe and filled with concrete....but that was in the late 70's.

CrisPDuk

Having a front roll cage without fitting harnesses is asking for a severe dose of concussion at the minimum.

dynamix

iTrader: (3)

Interesting thread.

GC8

In my experience/opinion, you shouldnt fit a rollover cage, harness or racing seat on its own or with only one of the other items. If youre fitting a full cage then you need a properly installed seat fitted a low as possible (to lower your CoG and more importantly to clear the reduced headroom). When you have this then you can fit a six point harness (four point items are useless).

finalzero

It's something I am considering, and yes if I was to do it, I would do the job properly i.e lower seating position (anyone else find the stock seat height too high), harnesses etc.

I will make a decision next year whether to keep the car for track use or trade up and go for something like an STi Forester (another sprog on the way).