Car safety question

roll cages are used in motorsport to increase the strength of the shell that is encasing the driver. The idea is that no matter what happens to the car the cage around the occupants will let them survive. Remember they are generally doing speeds far in excess of anything you *should* be doing on the road, even rally cars get upto 140ish mph, and corner at very high speeds. The cages in these cars are scratch built, it takes about 2000 hours to prepare a WRC shell.

If you are using the car purely for the road its overkill, there is no need.

I don't think a cage would be dangerous on the street, but if you really want one make sure its MSA/FIA approved. Remember Dale Earnhardts' fatal crash..

Do you wear a suit of armour when you walk to the shops ?

And wrap yourself in bubble-wrap when you go down stairs ?

Yep, a bad idea. Also it involves removing/butcherong trim and seats plus the girlfriend/missus won't appreciate having to climb over the side bars to get in. Forget rear seat passengers...

well when i go to basildon i at least think bout wearing one

hmmmm sounds kinda fun actually, wonder if they got any bubble wrap at work so i can try it :-P

Don't be stupid, I never ventured beyond the bedroom in such attire, those rumours were all untrue ;)

But to clarify, much of the car is now replaced with fibreglass to reduce weight so there isn't a lot of inherent protection left. If I can increase the odds in my favour a bit then that's great but if I'm spending time, money and losing back-seats for a roll cage only to build in more danger it's not worth it.

Thanks to the others who replied.

you *are* weird you know that right ? :)

You've reduced weight by fibreglassing?

And you havn't removed the rear seats and stripped the car out?

Your logic is different to our earth logic.....

Logic is in the eye of the beholder :)

Back seat and what little trim there is can come out fairly easily if I take it drag racing or hill-climbing. Fibreglass doesn't really alter the everyday practicality of the car, doesn't rust and replaced panels that needed replacing anyway. (Fibreglass has it's own issues but that's another thread). To put it another way, using fibreglass gives a weight advantage without giving up the backseat drivers - no wait, I mean... :)

Both very fair points, and I've always thought a cage to be overkill for road use. However, seeing something like this:

... has made me think again. I drive a car just like that, but without a cage. That accident took place on the road, and the driver survived unharmed apart from cuts and bruises etc. The car was fitted with a cage. It makes you think...

... how the hell he rolled his car on a straight bit of road? Especially a stable, fast, safe, perfect handling car like the 205 that's the best handling car ever in the world bar none.

Airbags and seatbelts for the road, most modern cars should roll niceley - for pics of many crashed / rolled everyday cars look on the salvage sites

is one that springs to mind).

Agreed, it looks like a standard boost gauge, does it say Turbo? I can't make it out. No 205, cept possibly the T16 came with a standard boost gauge, and it sure as hell don't look like a T16, and thats not an aftermarket add-on, is it the oil level indicator? That goes down after like 10 seconds of the engine being on?

Check the engine pic, she be a turbo.

That boost gauge looks like a 5 turbo...

-- Chet

Yea, maybe a 405 T16 dash or 205 T16 dash? Or has it been chopped in after? If it has, its been well done....

Yes, i just told you that on MSN you cheeky bugger :)

-- Chet

Its defo a 5 turbo one grafted in

-- Chet

Looking at the rest of the pics in the site it appears to have had a Turbo Technics install

and not initially very quick

Just trying to work out where he dropped it - somewhere in sight of Emley Moor

LOL

-- Chet

Strange that you've takin so much interest in somethin french :)

-- Chet

Roadsure.