There are several different types of roll bars, roll cages, and harness bars available. Most likely you want something for your car to use or have in for weekend track events. Lets face it, a harness bar or roll bar looks awesome in your DD and is functional to a point. I think I mimiced this with all my Porsche Project Cars (996 C2, 996TT, 997TT, 997TTS, 997GT3RS, 991TT). But is it really safe or legal by the sanctioning bodies? When it comes to your typical weekend fun events, you have drag racing, auto cross, and road racing.
If you are going to go to the drag strip, the sanctioning body is most likely the NHRA. Here in Arizona, Wildhorse Motorsports Park has a “run what you brung” event on Friday nights scheduled throughout the year. As long as you have an approved helmet and right attire, you can run. If your car runs quicker than 11.50 seconds in the quarter mile, you are required to wear an SFI spec 3.2A/1 fire jacket and of course long pants and shoes. Factory seat belts and a safe, tech approved vehicle is the only requirements. But when you are going for times faster than a 10.00 second 1/4 mile, you need yourself a proper cage. The NHRA states – All cars with an OEM frame must have roll bar attached to frame. Cars without frame use 6″ square 1/8″ steel plates on top and bottom of floor, securely bolted together with at least four 3/8″ bolts, or top plate welded to rocker sill. Maximum of 6″ from roll bar to driver’s helmet. Maximum of 5″ from top of roll bar to brace. All materials must be 1 3/4″ O.D. x .118″ mild steel or .083″ 4130 chromoly tubing, except A, which is 1 1/4″ O.D. x .118″ mild steel or .065″ 4130 chromoly tubing. Most enhtusiasts daily drivers are not in this territory. A 10 second and under car is 1000+ horsepower. The type of cage needed would be a Auto Power Roll Cage. Auto Power Industries sells these as bolt-in cages where you can attach the cage directly to the frame of the car. You can also custom configure the cages to have removal cross bars as needed. For cars slower than 10.00 and may want to have the added comfort of a roll bar or harness bar to attach racing harnesses, Auto Power 4 point roll bar, Cusco roll bar or depending on the vehicle, an Agency Power roll bar is perfect. NHRA 2014 rules are defined here.
If you are a track junky and love taking laps, you might find that weekend drivers education events are less strict on rules. However the benefits you get from a Roll Bar or Roll Cage are much improved. A roll bar is not for everyone. They are not required for these events either. When a Roll Bar is installed in a car, it is connecting chassis points thus stiffening up the frame from flex. Its the same concept of adding strut bars but x10. Track events you want your car to be flat and have less body roll. If you are at the step of considering a roll bar or roll cage, you have probably done your suspension parts such as sway bars, coilovers, control arms, etc. Unlike drag racing, road racing has your body being thrown left to right in the turns. Even though the safety factor is as important in drag racing, its not so much necessary for a “Run What You Brung” event to use harnesses. On a track, using racing harnesses is a very good idea. These keep you secure in your seat so you can focus on the finesse of the steering wheel not death gripping the steering wheel. When you run harnesses, you need to have them connected properly so they are at an ideal level behind the seat. The shoulder harness should be mounted behind the driver and above a line drawn downward from the shoulder point at an angle of no more than twenty (20) degrees with the horizontal. Your typical bolt-in roll bars have a horizontal harness bar that can be used for this. With the two big sanctioning bodies for Road Racing being SCCA and NASA, they have several different vehicle classes with different sets of rules. NASA Racing has such classes as the Boxster Challenge, Camaro/Mustang Challenge, German Touring Series, and more. All general rules for NASA Road Racing can be seen here. If you are building a specific competition vehicle, you will want to see what that classes rules are.
For those looking for a lower speed and more affordable form of competition, Auto X is very popular. The timed run in and out of cone courses can really test driver skill and vehicle setup. NASA does not require roll cages or roll bars, see rules here. However factory or aftermarket Roll Bars are required for convertibles. Similar to Road Racing, a bolt-in roll bar can help stiffen the chassis. Someone who is doing Auto X events is more likely to use their car as a daily driver. Unless your vehicle has a nice seamless bolt-in application like the Agency Power Porsche Roll Bar, you probably don’t want to hack up your interior. Harnesses are also beneficial for the tight whip like turns of Auto X. An effective upgrade for the typical Auto Xer would be a Harness Bar. Harness Bars connect the B-Pillars of the vehicle so you can mount your harnesses behind the shoulders at the appropriate height. These can be removed much easier than a full 4pt hoop design. Since they do connect the opposite sides of the vehicles structure, they do help stiffen it up as well.
So what is the right product for me you ask?
If you are looking for a multi-purpose roll bar/harness bar to give your car a race look, improved rigidity, and added safety run 5point harnesses, then we recommend one of the Auto Power Roll Bars or Agency Power Roll/Harness Bars. Combined with a set of Status Racing FIA approved harnesses, your weekend fun will be safer and more stylish. If you are looking for serious competition requirements, than you will want to follow the sanctioning bodies rules to the T. This is purely for your safety. Auto Power full roll cages can be built to accomondate these rules or specifications. You can weld them in place or bolt them in place to have a proper setup. Remember the importance of safety and the value of your life. So when you are building your weekend fun toy, speed is speed, anything can happen.
What other safety products are good to have?
So you are full equipped, do you have:
- SNELL or SFI approved Helmet? Check out helmets from Bell, Arai, Stilo, and more here.
- HANS device? You may have your head protected, but serious crashes can snap your neck. See here.
- Racing Harnesses? As discussed above, having a solid set of 5 point harnesses will make a driving difference. 4 point harnesses are really for show. That sub belt is what will keep you from falling out in the case of a roll over. See Here.
- Racing Suit? Does your organization require a fire protective SFI or FIA rated suit? Get one here.
- Gloves. When you are doing 120mph or more on a banked oval that NASCAR and IndyCar do 200mph, your palms sweat. Gloves are a great driving tool to keep your grip solid and in the case of a fire, your hands still working. Choose Here.
- Driving shoes? Head to toe should be fire proof. Also for road racers with manual transmissions, you will be doing heel and toe exercises. This is not easy with a large fat street shoe. Shop Shoes Here
Hope this helps and keeps you on the safe path. Any questions, reach out to one of our Performance Specialists at 1.480.966.3040.
