pcarhombre

Hi folks! On a scale of 1-5, how necessary is a fire extinguisher to carry in the car (assuming no track time and no smoking of crack while driving)? IF you rate this as a must have item, is there one type superior to another?

logan2z

It's not necessary until it's necessary I have a 2.5 lb Amerex Halon extinguisher mounted to the passenger seat of my car using a Rennline mount. The mount works well, doesn't limit fore/aft movement of the seat, and puts the extinguisher within arm's reach in the event of an emergency. I think of it as cheap insurance.

Cactus

So true....can't hurt right?

NC TRACKRAT

If you've had a car catch fire or been near one that has, you'll always carry a fire extinguisher with you. HALON, although the most expensive, is the most effective and cleanest in fighting a gasoline fire. We have 2-1/2 lb. units in every vehicle except the truck. It has a 5 pounder as does my enclosed trailer. Two 10 lb. units are easily accessible in the garage. They're a small price to pay for peace of mind.

AOW162435

Hombrero,
I have a 2.5 Amerex Halotron mounted to a Stable Energies bracket. The entire assembly sits snug against the front of the seat and moves with the seat.





Rattles drive me nuts, so I secured the pull-pin with an o-ring:








Andreas

MarkD

Andreas, thank you very much for the rattle fix. Great idea...

This has been driving me insane for some time now.
I will save $$ on the Zanax prescription.

Stealth 993

I keep on in the garage, & have been looking at getting one mounted on the cage.

Really if you keep your car clean, & oil leak free, a engine fire is going to be very very, rare. In fact fires in modern Porsches is rare.

My car fire experience was with a Lancia, with duel weber carbs. Scared the crap out of me, when the car back fired up through the carbs & they caught fire. Halon did the trick fast! NO CLEAN UP!

Edgy01

As your car gets older the fire extinguisher grows in importance. I ordered one for my new car. I prevented an entire house from burning to the ground because of having a halon f/e in my Vanagon.

Raptor

Another less "intrusive" option with quick release hardware

David in LA

As long as you can find an unobtrusive place to mount it, IMHO it's worth having...just in case. Won't be able to put out a full blown engine fire, but can put out small electrical fires and more importantly buy you time when you need it.

einreb92

What is it about our beloved cars that makes spontaneous combustion (joke) such a potential threat? Do any of us in normal driving patterns really get to the point where the oil that keeps it lubricated turns against us and becomes the potential agent of death? I am asking in honesty because I'll get one if the health and welfare of my family is at question, but have no clue why the porsche is more prone to fire than say my Honda or some other vehicle. Somebody 'splain me please!

David in LA

Firstly, unless you remove the undertray, you will never know if you have a valve cover leak unless the oil drips onto the exhaust. So you could have a substantial amount of oil just sitting in your undertray, which would be ignited if say, you had debris caught under the engine and resting against the exhuast manifold. Or you could have an electrical fire....remember the wire harness recall? IIRC there was at least one RL's car that had a fire result from a bad wire harness (this was many, many years ago)

I don't think you absolutely NEED to have an extinguisher but for $200-350, it's fairly cheap insurance if you have the room for one.

NC TRACKRAT

ANY vehicle has the potential to cause a fire. Gasoline, oil..any combustible combined with heat and/or electricity can be a very dangerous combination under the right set of circumstances. Even a wheel bearing gone bad or a stuck brake caliper can cause enough heat to start a fire. A hot exhaust system over grass will start a fire. You might come upon an accident that calls for one. Why need one and not have it?

Paul902

I agree with all the comments above and also offer that it is kind of cool...it gives the car some cred. I've got mine in the back with my rollbar, and it gives the car the "I mean business" look. We cannot get Halon in Canada, but I got an FE36, which is the most effective/cleanup friendly option here, even though it cost a bit more.

Falcondrivr

this is the last car in which I didn't carry a fire extinguisher: