Hey guys. Lets face it, evos aren't the safest cars around. But what about making them a bit safer? Specially those T-Bones?

A roll cage could help at least in the side impact.

Looking to do this for a daily driven car. And all seats usable. Something like 4point cage, nothing TOO serious.

Anybody have done this?

 

roll cages = not for daily driving

PERIOD

 

Also agreed.

 

Roll cage = remove the rear seats. Totally irresponsible to put a passenger in there with bars all around.

I've got a half cage installed in my daily driver, the main hoop and cross brace are all padded with FIA-grade padding, and the rear seats are gone. I'm pretty satisfied with this arrangement.

 

If you have a roll bar installed and back seats, your car just became 2 seater. You should never drive with people in the back when a roll bar (or harness bar for that matter) is installed. Exposed solid metal bars (even when padded) are not too friendly to people's bodies and heads. Even in a slow impact, the body damage is too great to risk it. For this reason, you will almost never see people drive cars with full cages on the road because it is too risky to the drivers head without a helmet and being properly strapped in.

What about roll bar padding – will that not protect if I add it? The answer is sort-of. The soft foam-like stuff that feels like it will, is only good for protecting someone from banging on the metal directly when getting in or out of a car. Think about it, you can compress the foam with your finger with not much effort, in a 30 to 0mph impact into a concrete barrier, as much as 80G can be generated on your body. Do you think that piece of foam that you can pinch between your fingers is going to be of any help? The other type of roll bar padding is the dense stuff, which you can't pinch with fingers. Most think that it is of no value as it is not soft. On the contrary, this material is what deforms and absorbs some of the impact. But given that it is so hard, you are still taking a significant risk without a helmet and without being properly strapped in.

Some roll bar padding is SFI/FIA certified and there are fire resistant and non-fire resistant versions. Make sure to investigate the detailed specs between the cheaper and more expensive stuff – there is a reason some padding is more than others.

Several debates can be found where people argue that hitting a padded roll bar is no different than hitting the plastic interior of any modern car. You can even find the references that some certified padding passes the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) standards... but, the bar is much closer to the passengers heads and protrudes inside creating obstacles from an otherwise virtually smooth interior. Research and use your brain to determine if you are willing to take that risk for your passenger or as a passenger before getting in.

If building or buying a pre-made roll bar, make sure it satisfies the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and NASA (National Auto Sport Association) required specifications. This is so it meets some minimal safety requirements. In the future it can be easier to build on to the bar to make a full cage or have a greater chance selling it to someone else. One of the primary components is the tube diameter/thickness for the weight of your car. The type of material for the roll bar also matters. Proper design, welding and technique are also key items that make or break a roll bar. Make sure you research the roll bar builder before buying or ordering a roll bar. One of the most popular bolt-in roll bar manufacturers in the US is Autopower. They most likely already have a bar ready to be put in for your vehicle.

By all costs avoid the "show cages". These are usually made from thinner tubing, have all sorts of fancy bends to work around the car's interior and are basically not that effective from a protection point of view. None of these bars would meet the minimal safety standards of the major racing organizations.

 

lol

I guess i misunderstood how the 4 point roll cage was installed then :S
Its a upside down U loop and then 2 pipes going beside the front seats or going to the back sseats?


So what can you do the make the car safer if you dont install a roll cage?
Yes i am a safer driver, no i dont drive like an idiot..

 

if you worry about safety for your daily driver, you should look into defensive driving, and not cages.

 

these cars are not THAT unsafe that you need a cage...they are on our roads legally...clearly it is not that big of an issue

 

Yes but every time i see a car crash where a car and a SUV/pickup is involved, the person in the car always gets damaged more, especially in a T-bone.

And the only way to prevent this side impact = roll bar/cage ??

And this doesnt apply to evo's only, any small car vs other bigger car/suv/pickup.

 

yea my buddies evo got T-boned by a lady in an suv who ran a red light... ironically my friend riding shotgun would have had his spinal cord severed if he had been wearing his seatbelt because the door mashed so far in... lady was going about 40 mph

 

EXACTLY! need to explain myself more??

so what does one need to do to prevent injury like this? (other than getting a new bigger car).

 

Im running custom 6 point rollcage, DD. No rear seats, kindda hard to get in and get out, (I care less) , no passangers in the back. Personally i feel a bit safer and i dont see how can i hit my head agaist any bars, unless i rollover the car (upper bar) - also i did it because i want to put the car on the road course this year.

 

Hmm. I guess people in the back aren't safe . Since its a DD I will have people sittin in the back sometime

 

And how will a 4pt help in a t-bone?

I think you need to go and look at the physics here.

Having any bars in the driver area (6pt+) is not safe. In a t-bone, you will impact those metal bars. Metal > bone/flesh.

4pt = no rear passengers for the same metal to bone impact in a crash.

If you want safer - get a bigger car and make sure you are going faster than what is impacting you.

 

You don't need to explain yourself.

You will probably need a full cage to protect from side impacts.