Looking to get a Roll Cage

[obarrera]

What's up everyone. Im planning on getting a roll cage soon but I don't know what brand or type to buy. I want one that will let me keep all my seats, including the rear seat, and maybe one that I can weld on my self cause they might be cheaper?

If anyone knows of a roll cage like this please let me know, thanks..

[USsil80]

y do you want a cage.. what type pf racing are you going to be doing.. becouse if you aren't going to track it and make it a track car, you will be more unsafe in it with a cage in it then without..

[obarrera]

I want it for drifting. I don't really drift yet, but those are my plans. Just curious, why would it be more unsafe to put a roll cage if I don't track it then if I do track it?

[USsil80]

the front hoop that goes by your head is alot harder than your skull... if you get into a accident and hit it without a helmet you are going to be AFU... i would suggest learn to drift... and put your money else where for know

[crackler]

What's up everyone. Im planning on getting a roll cage soon but I don't know what brand or type to buy.

Get a custom roll cage. PERIOD

I want one that will let me keep all my seats, including the rear seat,

Doubt it will happen with the rear seats still usable. They might be there, but no one will be able to get into them, let alone out of them.

and maybe one that I can weld on my self cause they might be cheaper?

This is a ****ing joke, RIGHT? Price should be THE LAST thing to consider when it comes to safety gear. If you aren't a roll cage builder, or professional welder, then leave it to a professional. Find the local SCCA/NASA/other REAL sanctioning race body in your area and ask who builds good cages, Any one who road races should be able to point you to a local fabricator / cage builder.

I bet this guy is glad he didn't get the cheapest cage he could.http://www.lotustalk.com/forum...61500/

If you are serious about actually drifting this car, then look at getting a rear roll hoop and down bars, and get real (Not that spongy **** padding) padding. I If it is a street car, you deffentally don't want a full cage, unless you plan to roll everywhere with a SA helmet on. If it is going to be a track only car, than do a full cage. You have to compromise when dealing with a street and track car, and you need to know the consequences of your compromise's. It is easy to build a street car, or a track car, it is a lot tougher to build a dual purpose car and not make it unsafe for one or the other.

Good luck, and for your loved ones sake, buy the best saftey gear you can afford.
Modified by cracker at 8:48 PM 9/20/2008

[keith0486]

i would say get a cusco bolt in that way it can be removed when not needed so much.

[obarrera]

USsil80, I've seen padding on some roll cages, would that help?cracker, no it wasn't a joke, by cheaper I meant price not quality, my brother in law is a professional welder and I thought maybe I could find a roll cage I could weld my self at a lower price, doesn't have to do anything with quality, I just said one that isn't already just bolt on or ready to use..And it's not so much that im gonna be drifting, I just want my car to be safer incase of an accident, almost everytime I go cruise around in my car I drive fast, and I want to feel safe, or atleast safer incase of an accident. Thanks for the suggestion on buying a good quality cage though, I know what mean.

[adrianfromthecastle]

i would say get a cusco bolt in that way it can be removed when not needed so much.

pretty much any roll cage that's made can either be welded or bolted on. Its just a matter of putting holes in the base plate.

and Cracker pretty much nailed it. Daily driving a 4 pt cage isn't as dangerous as like 6pt where the bars pass through the b pillar and down the a pillar.. for those types of cages, those paddings are mainly intended for use with a helmet. Otherwise, they still have the vibration power to split your skull like a watermellon.. even with the padding on. So ironically, getting a cage may not be in your best interest unless you're driving with a helmet all the time.

As far as what brands to go with... again, Cracker pretty much nailed it. Get a custom one built. I know a guy that does cages, and he charges about $100 per point. Also, Autopower roll cages are very nice too. They don't cost too much (actually around the same price as a custom), and fitment is pretty good.

[crackler]

If you are driving fast enough on the streets to feel like you need a cage to be safe, then you need to chill the **** out, and get it on a track to get your fix. And you damn well don't need passengers along for the ride. Killing your self is one thing. Killing or turning your friends into vegetables is a whole nother deal. And that isn't even getting into killing / maiming / disfiguring some innocent person on their way to the store.

A cage on the streets isn't a good idea. First off, there is that whole splitting your skull open / breaking legs , arms, ect part (I have seen lengthy discussions among spec miata drivers about the placement of the front down bars and the risk of breaking ones leg). Then there is the general pain in the *** part of crawling in and out of a caged car. Have you ever tried to egress out of a car with a full roll cage, not just a hoop and down bars? it is a pain in the ***, I know, I have done it. Then you have the really cool part of cutting holes in all of your interior pieces to pass the bars through. Ohh and as a side note, depending on what you make the cage out of, and how good your local fire/rescue personals gear is, there is a potential that it will take a much longer time to cut your silly *** out because most of their tools aren't ment to handle roll cages. This also increases your chances of severe, life long, if not fatal injury's. They might look cool, or baller, and it might impress the ricers, but any one who knows anything about real racing will probably laugh at you if you answer any of their questions honestly on why your car is caged. It's just not worth it.

That being said, I have a roll bar on my miata, I also have the **** padded out of, and a seat with fairly good containment. I know the risk I am taking with the roll bar, and I am okay with it, considering I don't have a real roof on my car. Plus if I ever manage to get this car on track, I will have to have a roll bar to pass tech.

I have seen a home built cage take an impact from two separate cars, plus a very hard hit from a concrete retaining wall. The driver walked away, the car was completely twisted. The factory welds in the body broke in several places, and there was not a single piece of straight sheet metal on the car. The entire car was completly twited up. The roll cage looked unscathed. (He did a meticulas job on it btw. Some of the nices bends in tubing I have ever seen. So a home built cage is possible, but if you don't have a rule set to follow on what exactly needs to be done to have a leagel cage, and if you aren't 100% sure what you are doing, then take it to a race shop and have them do it. Like Adrian said, costume cages aren't much more than an OTS cage is.

I am not trying to be an ***, or clown you. I just want you to stop and think REAL ****ING HARD, before you put a roll cage, in what is probably a street driven only car. This decision could have life long implications.

My .02 FWIW

[obarrera]

Alright cool, thanks a lot for the info.

Cracker, I don't take friends with me when im driving fast, whenever I know im gonna speed I go at midnight when the freeway is empty, no cars..im only risking my own life. I don't go out and speed on the streets where there a **** load of people.

But yeah, thanks for the suggestions, that's why I always ask before I go buying stuff and putting it in my car.

[crackler]

Alright cool, thanks a lot for the info.

Cracker, I don't take friends with me when im driving fast, whenever I know im gonna speed I go at midnight when the freeway is empty, no cars..im only risking my own life. I don't go out and speed on the streets where there a **** load of people.

But yeah, thanks for the suggestions, that's why I always ask before I go buying stuff and putting it in my car.

I'm no saint either.

I inferred that you wanted the back seat so you could take your friends along. Just keep it smart and be safe.

[obarrera]

Jaja the rear seat is for something else.lol Or else I would remove it.lmao

Nah but yeah, I guess we all drive a little fast sometimes, just gotta know when & where.

[Speckid14]

His car guys, just giving you a heads up. Just make sure you think things all the ways through bud. Look at the sport/street version on the websites below.

Here are some links:http://www.ioportracing.com/Me...AP671A ... om...p.htm

Hope those help, Good luck on the buildSpeckid

[-RJ-]

hmm tahts pretty interesting info, i never thought of the consequences of having a roll cage. but then again i want one so i can compete in races too as i have a s13 vert lol

[onosqv]

Let's all look @ the root of this here. OP wants a roll cage because:

he wants to get into drifting - notice the want - that means he's probably newbie & won't be going formula d, pro am, etc. Most drifting events don't require a cage, especially for beginners & even intermediate level - stick to parking lots, lower speed venues. Once you get your driving better & know more about the sport, then you can decide whether you want/need a cage for your level of driving.

All said and done, you don't need a cage for your purposes, especially if the car is mostly daily driving. As others have pointed out (and you would have found if you did a search for roll bar/roll cage on this forum), can potentially be more dangerous than not having a cage/bar for dailying.