Why are Bolt-together/Bolt-in Roll Bars and Cages Against the Rules?

[Manifestospeed]

ManifestOspeed No. 3.1 . . . . **

Maybe its just me . . . .

But why is it that the SFI safety geeks can't come up with a new set of standards for quick street-strip cars, such as the new GT500? . . . . a set of standards that won't require making the back seat useless in the 11s . . . . A set of standards that balances safety with daily-driver utility . . . .

Don't the current safety rules actually work to REDUCE racing at the track and potentially increase street racing?

Why are bolt-in side bars "OK" on 130 m.p.h. strip-trippers, but bolt-in cross bars still illegal? Why is a bolt-together cage generally deemed safe for NASA,SCCA and HST "track day" events (where the potential for a big crack-up may be higher), but not on the quarter-mile?

Anybody else think that the track safety rules for today's turn-key "pocket supercars" (GT500, Camaro ZR-1) need a rethink? Is SFI behind the market on this one?

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**Even back in the 1960s, Mechanix Illustrated's legendary road test king, Tom McCahill, noted that you generally had to ruin your car to go drag racing . . . .

(McCahill's gripe back then was the necessity of "low" gears, which cut top speeds, killed fuel economy (not that anyone cared much back then) and wore out engines)

[Barry Donovan]

as cars function on resonance, and geeks even utilizing a -12v feedback...

the cage grabs the body. any turns or connections need one hell of a purty weld.

[Manifestospeed]

Huh?

[Beagle]

Speedy, you have to stay logged in to get your Barry decoder ring.

The bars need to be welded. They DID drop the NHRA stuff down from 11.99 to 11.49 and honestly, I was a little aggravated by that. Maybe it was the 1700 airbags in the new cars that made them think they were safer.

11.49 is moving. I'd suggest that a bolt in bar with unknown bolt strength is a crap shoot. I'm surprised they don't check the welds sometimes. What's wrong with a bolt in side bar? Last I checked, they are legal.

[SpiderGearsMan]

chinese bolts for one
pay up and race

[Beagle]

Thank you Jim, exactly.

**Even back in the 1960s, Mechanix Illustrated's legendary road test king, Tom McCahill, noted that you generally had to ruin your car to go drag racing . . . .

Weellllllll, here's how I see it. You buys your ticket, you takes your chances. I don't know who said that, but I do remember paying 30.00 for a steak in the 80's at TANSTAAFL's in Midland.

There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

I did get a young ladies number while I was there so I suppose it had it's rewards. Much like NEEDING a bar in your car. Hell yes, I get it. Camry's need one, and they aren't fast.

[skullbucket]

Why? Because it would be too easy for John Q public to get something accomplished easier.

[Huskinhano]

chinese bolts for one
pay up and race

LOL! I don't know know whether to laugh or cry because it's so true. I don't know how they let that stuff get sold

[yellomalibu]

Apparently the NHRA believes bolt-in bars generally aren't as strong and therefor not as safe in a crash.
*Now look at the big picture from their perspective*
If they made the rules more lax so the people with expensive new factory super cars could go drag racing, lots of other people would do bolt-in roll bars at home in their garages, too...
The entirety of drag racing would be less "safe" because a (relatively) few people with expensive new toys didn't want to cut holes in their cars or have their back seats inaccessible.

...or that's how I see it, but I'm not an engineer so I can't tell you about bolted versus welded joints.

[Beagle]

Unless you plan on running 9.99 or less, this is legal. That's a bolt-in for your GT500 because it's a unit body. I'm not sure that the side bar cannot be a removable piece. If you've got the coin for a GT500, you have the coin for a Kia to drive the brats around in. You don't want anything that fits in the back seat of the GT500 IN the GT500. Get it?

[Loren]

as cars function on resonance, and geeks even utilizing a -12v feedback...

Huh?

At some point we're gonna have the material to produce a Barry quote-of-the-day calendar.

Cool thing is, he's a pretty smart dude.

[squirrel]

It's a conspiracy.

They're out to get you.

[Loren]

Without being familiar with the details of who specifically allows bolt-in cages and who doesn't, my thought about inspection on those things is that it adds an additional layer (or two) of engineering factor to the deal and thus complicates things. For example, instead of welding a bar to a frame or to a reinforcing plate then the body structure, you now have a bar welded to a plate which is bolted to another plate, which adds another potential failure point, and then finally you're connected to the car. Properly done, there'll be no problem but now the inspector has got to check the plates and check the bolts and imagine how they're being loaded, and then see if they're even "real" bolts. If just once a car crashes and there is a story about broken bolts in the cage, then no one is gonna want to be the guy who approves them after that.

[Schtauffer]

I'm not sure that I would trust my life to a few bolts.

[TheSilverBuick]

I trust good quality grade 8 bolts plenty. Especially compared to non-professional welding. Bolts hold seat belts in, seats down, fenders to the chassis, bodies to the frame, suspension to the frame, etc. And rarely is it the bolt that breaks in a crash.