Litespeeds

Right now I am slowly turning my 1988 944 into a track car but don't know when and if I will ever race it in Spec944 class.

Should I get a rollbar that is a bolt-in with an option of a complete rollcage so I can add to it later if needed?

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to get and where for the best price? I am leaning towards the Autopower.

I also might be interested in a used rollbar if it is in good condition.

josephsc

I'm at the same place -- my 944 is slowly, but surely becoming a trackcar, but not necessarily a racecar. I'm in the process of ditching my BK harness bar in favor of Redline rollbar. I'm sticking to a rollbar for the bolt-in ability since a real rollcage requires drilling and/or welding.

tomrc

I'm going with a roll bar in mine because I'm still going to keep it on the street, the race seats are hard enough to get in and out of, I don't need a cage to make it worse. However if I do decide to make it a dedicated track car I'll put the full cage in it.

Bri Bro

Same here. Very pleased with the Redline rollbar and I hope I never have to put it to the test. Heavy peice of steel and well made.

Kurt R

You don't want a cage in a street car. The bar above the window is too close to your head and if you get in an accident it will split your head open. Padding won't help much.

Also girlfriends hate climbing over door bars, especially if they are wearing skirts.

BlueDog944

I'm at the same place too! I think the Redline rollbar is the best option. Mainly because if/when you decide to get a full cage dropped in, there seems to ALWAYS be people like me that are looking to take your Redline bar off your hands.

Oddjob

Absolutely - do not put a full cage in a car that still sees any street use. Its very dangerous unless you want to wear a helmet on your drive to work.

spazegun2213

what they said!

What i would do is get something like an autopower roll bar that is bolt in, and if you ever need to make it a cage, you can have some bars welded in at a later date.

BeerBurner

This thread interests me, too, since I plan on building a track flogger down the road and I want to have the flexibility of going to a full track car should I so desire.

With regards to the Redline bar, does anyone have any information on how well they handle roll overs compared to the more conventional bars? (I know it won't be SCCA legal or anything but it seems like a good option as an interim rollbar.)

BB.

mein51

A good friend of mine lives <2mi from TWS and sometimes needs help bringing his and his wifes cars to the track so I usually help out. I've driven his E46 racer a few times for him - what a pita! It was impossible to navigate in a harness and helmet, I'm glad I was just following!
If its for the street, stay with a roll bar.

spazegun2213

Ok, while i could not find any pictures of the bar, i really cannot reccomend that people track with a bar that is unsafe in a roll over. There are reasons why clubs dont allow this bar (PCA and scca will not allow the bar) is for YOUR safety.If the car goes over your chances of getting hurt actually increase if you are belted in with the bar.

I'm sure for Autoxing its great, but if you really want to track your car, go for something that WILL do the job and keep you safe
[steps off soapbox]

oh and Beer (and anyone in the dc area) as soon as i get the 944 running I'll start renting it out to HPDEer's.

Bri Bro

Do a search, lots of posts on the redline bar. It isn't a cheap device, very well built and is a good choice for cars that live a dual life, street and DE events. It will stop the roof from coming down on your head, I am certain of that. I have seen lots of full cages that a bolted to the thin floor pan with a 4x4 plate. I always wondered if it wouldn't just push through the bottom of the car.

http://www.homestead.com/redlinerenn...guardPage.html

Dr.Porsche

Here is mine. Pics a re a lil better than on that site.
https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/287954-seat-delete-and-rollbar-repaint.html

M758

The redline roll bar is really the best compromise I believe.

Here is why.

Street cars should not have a roll cage. Too much risk of unhelmeted street accident causing head to bar (even padded) contact. NOT GOOD.

Proper Roll bars are best if you will have street car that will see lots of track time. They do 2 things well.
1) Proper harness mounting
2) Good roll protection


Now for racing only a cage will do. If you must drive race car on the street you take a risk.

So Litespeed... you are in a unique situation.
You have street car that will be tracked mostly. So I would normally say get a proper roll bar.

HOWEVER you are considering racing it. To racing you need a full cage. Now here is the kicker.

If you want a full cage you really will need to ditch the roll bar and start over.

Why? Well to make weight in a 944 spec car especially a late car you will need to remove alot of stuff. A typical bolt in cage is 1.75" dia by .120 wall for the main hoop. Typical cages are 1.75x.095 or 1.5x.120. So the cage is actually made from lighter tubing than a roll bar. It is strong since there are more bars to support its load. So If you add on a front section to a roll bar you have a heavier cage than if you just put in a cage to start with. Also I relly prefer custom cages as they give you much more interiror space and can be mounted to stronger locations. Bolt in cages are closer to you and father from the car since they need to fit many different cars. (even if they are the same model they leave extra space).

So given this I'd for the redline bar.

What you gain is 95% of the benefit of a proper roll bar, but something easy to remove and sell off if decide to start racing.

The only down side to a redline bar is that it does not meet most rules as "roll bar". This may or may not be imporant to you. I know that NASA does have rules on roll bars, but the redline bar is really a very stout harness bar and they don't require roll bars in any class. The do reqiure cages in racing, but that is it. So they only place you can run into a problem if someline PCA says you need a "roll bar" as it won't meet the common roll bar standard.

Now in non-roll over wreck the redline bar is just as effective as a proper roll bar. In a roll over well probably not as much, but I would guess it would provide 90% of the performance of typical bolt in roll bar.

Again the big advtange is they hold thier value. Should I ever decide spend any really track time in my Turbo S I would get a redline bar. This way I can put a couple race seats the redline bar and wear my HANS without putting too many holes in the car and thus being able to maintain the street car value of my Turbo. Plus I could easly remove it for extened weekend street trips.

spazegun2213

ok, after seeing a picture, i agree thats its the best intro into caging a car..... my bad.

but I'm still a little worried that if you roll over you are depending on 4 screws