Roll Bars May Become Mandatory
Thread Starter
|
BOMBARDIER
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,804
Likes: 319
From: Houston, Tx
i've been reading and thinking about this..... i understand where ya'll are saying a 6pt cage on a 3500lb car is safer than a 6pt cage (made from the same material) on a 7500lb truck. let's not reinvent the wheel here let's make it more efficient..... why not increase the STRENGTH rating on the roll bars.
why not rally for a stroncer tubing to be used in these trucks? to me it would be simpler and more efficient. we built a roll cage one time in a car using 1 3/4 inch x .144 tubing. all mild steel and it passed NHRA tech many times. didn't cost up more than 100bux to make and worked..... why not look into 1.5x the wall thickness of a larget tube with slightly thicket wall thickness?
if a bridge won't hold XXXXX ammount of weight with 6 contact points why add 4 more made of the same material? why not built it to support the weight from the begining with 6 contact points and larger material?
these are my thoughts as i don't race my truck regularly, it's not "super fast", but have built a few cars that have been VERY fast and lasted a long time and never once was safety an issue.
why not rally for a stroncer tubing to be used in these trucks? to me it would be simpler and more efficient. we built a roll cage one time in a car using 1 3/4 inch x .144 tubing. all mild steel and it passed NHRA tech many times. didn't cost up more than 100bux to make and worked..... why not look into 1.5x the wall thickness of a larget tube with slightly thicket wall thickness?
if a bridge won't hold XXXXX ammount of weight with 6 contact points why add 4 more made of the same material? why not built it to support the weight from the begining with 6 contact points and larger material?
these are my thoughts as i don't race my truck regularly, it's not "super fast", but have built a few cars that have been VERY fast and lasted a long time and never once was safety an issue.
Diesel Fan
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 27
Likes: 6
The rules do need to change...the question at hand is, how much ?
You could have small, reasonable changes, like larger, thicker tubing which would be a good thing IMHO...or large, unreasonable changes like caged 12 second trucks...but one way or another, changes are on the horizon.
You could have small, reasonable changes, like larger, thicker tubing which would be a good thing IMHO...or large, unreasonable changes like caged 12 second trucks...but one way or another, changes are on the horizon.
Perhaps you could convince them there is something seriously wrong. Even a small group, if they shout loud enough, and say it's for the "common good" will be listened to.
Heck, you can't have a cigarette on the beach anymore.
Diesel Bomber
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,564
Likes: 285
From: Olympic Peninsula
BTW nice to see more hot rods here.
Super Moderator
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 14,872
Likes: 764
From: Houston, Tx
Lmmafo (just like LMAFO except with a phrase enhancing M added)
says the man with this avatar....
Ok back to topic, yes it is very serious and can change the sport completely what will come of this.
says the man with this avatar....
Ok back to topic, yes it is very serious and can change the sport completely what will come of this.
Last edited by 2500HeavyDuty; Mar 25, 2008 at 01:15 AM. Reason: Edited for 2141Pete so he now understands what LMMAFO stands for and not adding another post so the thread remains ontopic.
Diesel Fan
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 27
Likes: 6
Most of the basics in the handbook come from the 1960's. Cars were neither light, nor safe. Neither were the pickup trucks. Yes, they did have them back then. Not all the cars had seat belts even.
Relatively recently, in lieu of the fact racing was getting safer, they eased up on the minimum requirements, and so far have had good luck.
The #1 safety equipment problem is not the rulebook, it's whether folk follow it.
If we actually follow the existing rulebook, and run the trucks setup in a responsible fashion, we will continue to have good luck. No bias/radial tire mixes. Tube tires get tubes (stiffens the sidewall). Engines tuned correctly for drag racing.
Low CG's will do more to prevent rollover injuries than all the tube steel in the world. No rollovers = no rollover injuries. The Crankshaft Height rule should be enforced.
I like the FAA method. Make sure it's safe before it takes off, rather than skip preflight and give each passenger a parachute instead.
