Hi guys,

When I bought my car, the previous owner had installed a Cusco roll cage. The car was used for time attack and was not DD. However, it has been my DD for about 2 years now and I never removed the cage because I thought it made the care safer. Not so long ago I started wondering if the cage is such a good idea without a helmet... I figured that if during a roll I smashed my head to the cage it will probably be nasty.

With this said, I just want to know if my assumption is right. Should I remove it or should I just install some padding?

 

Absolutely remove the cage! If someone hits you, your head is going to slam against the cage. Personally, I would not drive it again until the cage is removed.

 

If you're not going to wear a helmet then definitely remove the cage for your safety. If you have no plans for it, sell the cage and get some upgrades for your car.

 

So basically, even with padding it would still be dangerous? Thanks for the info!

 

even with padding the cage is unsafe for street use as it stops the car from crumpling properly in a accident and could be the difference between a broken arm and your brains scrambled from banging into a metal cage. The only point of having a cage is to keep you safe in the event of a accident. Every racing body has different specs on what they need for a cage but in the end of the day 99% of cars with cages no longer have any street duty. but thats just my .02

 

here is a excellent debate about this subject by a engineer on the lotus boards..

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f163...ng-risk-70600/

at the end of the day many guys drive with cages on the street and many dont its up to you.

 

the cusco cage is a bolt-in cage; i hear they are okay for track use but if someone crashes into you it will break like nothing

 

how many people have bolt in cages. you see all people running 10's 9's and none really with cage do people just not run cages at all

 

Remove the cage, with or without padding it is not safe without a helmet. If you were to get into an accident you can rest assured that your injuries would be a lot worse (even fatal) than without the cage.

 

Guys don't run cages because they want to claim their 9 sec car is a "street" car if you're trapping 135 plus you need a cage, especially in a tin can like the evo.

The safety of driving it on the street depends on a few things, cage design (there are a lot of poor ones out there made to fit the car "easy"), How you drive (hey I have a cage, I'm bullet proof ), correct harnesses and seat to match the cage (keeps you in the seat instead of thrashing around).

I know plenty of guys that drive with cages in mustangs, I'll have no problem driving mine on the street or taking the kids to school with it there.

Bottom line to the OP is if YOU don't like the cage there remove it.

 

I thought at 11.0 you needed a roll bar

 

under 11.5 you need a roll bar, at 9.99 or 135mph you need a full cage. requirements change quite a bit when you start geting in the 10's and lower safety wise.

 

I daily drive with a full cusco cage.... I don't expect to get hit anytime soon but I guess yea sure you could hit the cage in a crash... ANYTHING else could also hit you too...I've been dd ing mine for 2 years now, cage doesn't get in the way, and no wrecks... So I guess it comes down to how good or bad you drive... Only time I'd ever say to NOT have a cage is if you have kids in the car

 

No one plans on getting in a wreck when they drive. Without a helmet,, there is no way you should drive a car with a cage on the street. If you drive alone 100% of the time, then you know and understand the risks, but a passenger might not. How would you feel if you had a friend ride with you and you got in a wreck and they ended up in the hospital with brain damage because their head hit a cage, and you were fine?

 

The cusco cages don't even work very well to begin with ..take it out

oh and the weight savings will make your car faster and get better mpg's for DDing