Yesterday we asked whether or not Pro Mod style cars would ruin Hot Rod’s Drag Week, and got a ton of interesting comments, but I would say that most people think they are a bad idea. With that said, there are a lot of people that don’t approve of them but feel that they do fit the rules so what are you going to do about it. Today’s question comes from several comments where guys mentioned that a roll cage, or funny car cage, made a car completely un-streetable. I’ve driven caged cars on the street, along with cars that have just a roll bar or no bar at all. Getting into a minor wreck with a caged car does give your head more hard things to bounce off of, so I can see why some people would feel uncomfortable with that.
NHRA rules state that a rollbar or rollcage tube must be padded wherever the drivers head may contact it when belted in the seat. On my own backhalf Nova, which has been on Drag Week, I have padded only those places where my helmet can contact the cage when belted in. For street driving, I should add some padding I suppose.
The question is, padded or not, would you daily drive a car that has a roll cage or roll bar in it? And for bonus points, would you feel more or less comfortable in it than driving the same car without the cage or bar?
If a bare rollbar/cage will crack a helmet like an egg imagine what it would do to your head. The soft foam I see on some bars is more than useless.
Daily driver, No, I just can’t see living with the hastle of jumping
in and out of the car every morning and afternoon as well
as the gas station, hardware store, etc. Just because a
car doesn’t qualify as a DD does not mean it’s not a street
car however.
The ’69 RR I am working on to be my daily driver for non-rainy days has one. Did about 1400 miles of Power Tour this year with it and it wasn’t any big deal.
Mine is a 8 point roll bar, not a full cage.
My ’75 Duster has a 8-point cage in it, however I would never use it as daily driver status, that is why I have my 2005 Dodge Ram.I agree with ImpalaSam on this topic.
10 point cage in my 55. I am putting swing out bars in over the winter.Other than that, i drive mine everywhere.
For years I had a 1971 Falcon XY (Aussie model, same model as a Phase 3 GTHO) which had a bit of a racing pedigree – it was a rally car for many years before I got it. It had a full cage in it, Recaro seats etc. I put a back seat in it and bingo! instant family car! My kids were 1 and 4 1/2 when I put that car back on the road. Put high density foam everywhere I could on the cage, tho the wife did bump her head a few times..but yeh drove that car everywhere for many years. If anything, we felt safer in that car than if it didn’t have a cage in it. We went on a number of camping trips in the far north (the outback if you like, tho I’ve never really liked that term) and took it places most 4WD owners would think twice about – it had uber strong suspension and massive amounts of reinforcement everywhere – I’ve never driven such a rigid car ever. I still regret getting rid of it to this day…
No, heard way too many stories about people getting killed when bouncing their heads off a roll cage when driving without a helmet. Plus, there’s the hassle of getting in and out of it. A roll bar would be OK, but a full cage is too much tubing for everyday use.
Ditto here, rollbar but never a cage.
YES ! But it really has to need it.
“Door Bars” make entry and egress very easy. I’ve got a simple four point 4130 bar in my daily, and it’s a pain in the ass as I have a diagonal that goes forward along the seat bottom. I think I’m going to move up to a full cage with door bars, and it’ll have better protection, and be easier to get in and out of. Padding is most usefull, especially if you’re smart enough to use a dual density foam, which is exactly what is used in helmets.
I’ve driven my mid 11 sec ’78 Chevy Malibu will a roll bar all over the place. Being a full frame car, I’m not sure the cage would help much in the event of an accident. However, I do believe being belted in with shoulder straps and a lap belt would be beneficial.
Yess I drive it. Have one fitted with a roll bar & one fitted with a full cage. It makes a car so much stiffer and corner so much better. Even my wife agrees with that.
Guess if you drive like a granny its not worth the investment….
If I had a car worthy of a cage, I would need it. When I drive something fast, I can’t keep my foot out of it!
I have been driving my Kia Spectra fro the last 3 years with cage in it. Very small car compared to mozt of you guys. I have no problems getting in and out. And it looks cool …
Older cars are so un-crashworthy (frontal or side impact especially), getting killed from the rollbar or cage is the least of your worries. It is like saying you won’t wear a seat belt because you might get trapped in the car if it catches on fire. If you are that worried, shouldn’t you be wearing a HANS device in your street car?
I’m putting a full cage in my Anglia for just that reason. A 2300 lb tinfoil car like that wouldn’t stand up to any T-Bone accident in your typical city intersection and would fold in half in any front or rear collision.
Jeeps have roll bars with front hoops right ??? see many of those driving around
I have a cage in my 55′ but opted not to due the funnycar cage that surrounds the drivers head for that reason. It really depends on how fast you are going, if you are gonna go to the track you have to have the appropriate safety gear for your e.t.
Yes I would even though I have never had an accident; it’s the others I worry about. Especially the youngsters.
When I was 18 I had a low 11 sec. 4 door chevette with a 12 point in it. Then, it was my only means of transportation so I drove it everyday. Back then it was cool to be the guy with a roll cage in his car. Now I don’t think I would enjoy it all that much.
If it’s properly built with the idea of being a daily driver, heck yes. But some definite thought needs to go into the design.
Roll bar hoop over my head with bars angling back and one angling forward to the footwell yes (mainly to stiffen the car up so it won’t creak on the tail of the dragon next time and also to be legal over 135 at Wilmington) But no hoop or horizonal bars on the sides of the front occupants heads. No way am I going to have to wear a helmet to be safe in my own car.
Swing out door bars would make it alot more liveable, I had a Baja Bug about 25 years ago that had a 6 point cage and it wasnt too bad.
I have had daily driver pro street cars with full cages and never really gave much thought to this subject, but I must say I feel better protected in a caged car. I’ve always padded the head area anyway, plus I don’t drive more careless in a caged car as opposed to a non-caged one. As a matter of fact, I’m trading a basic, creature comforted street car for another pro street car this weekend. 🙂
…. HELL … ” YES” ….
I agree with Mike P, bdk, Phil Quinn, Chuck and more, Yes I would daily drive a car (vehicle) with a roll cage in it!