ExMB

Most DEs prohibit you from getting out of the car in this case. But, human nature what it is, who knows how one would react. Not sure how much a small one like that would help.

This one.

Gary R.

Are there studies anywhere on what an airbag does when deployed to a helmeted head in a street car with 3 point belts?

LuigiVampa

I have taken to wearing my firesuit in most DE. At the very least I wear a fire retardant long sleeve shirt.

Fire and injury does not know it is only a practice.

ProCoach

Hot fluids, debris coming inside the passenger compartment... Many reasons for a barrier layer. Why I don't wear open face helmets in closed cars, too.

I have been in two cars that caught fire, one electrical and one big engine blowup (mid-engine car).

Glad I had a suit, gloves and gear on and the small handheld help knock things down until the good guys got there...

DE in both instances.

docwyte

I've carefully considered this as I drive my car to the track. Due to my relatively short (31.5") inseam I have to sit fairly forward in my 951, that would put me uncomfortably close to the front hoop on a rollcage.

So I went with a welded rollbar instead, I'm not a fan of the bolt in rollbars, they attach to the weakest parts of the car and can easily punch through. Google for the images of the mustang that rolled at Hallett, the rollbar punched through the floor completely, those guys are lucky to be alive.

I also welded in the harness mounts.

So I have a:
#1 welded rollbar with SFI padding
#2 welded harness mounts
#3 6 point harnesses
#4 full face helmet
#5 fixed back seats (Recaro SPG XL's on Recaro sliders) passenger seat all the way back
#6 HANS
#7 Halon fire extinguisher, mostly due to organization requiements.

I agree that if my car is on fire, I'm not reaching for my extinguisher, I'm bailing out of the car.

For the first time ever, I had car to car contact on track. What I thought happened in my head was very different than what I saw on video. It got me seriously considering at least adding door bars to my rollbar. If I hadn't been more aware I would've been hit directly in the drivers door instead of in the back of the drivers rear quarter panel.

I haven't done it yet as I'd have to delete the speaker panels/armrest and at that point I may was well go to a full cage...

TXE36

Agree. The ones I have are for putting something small out before it gets big after getting out of the car and before the safety crew arrives.

-Mike

HoBoJoe

If my street car stays around for me to advance to solo groups, this is my approximate list. The Sparco Ergo seats are on the top of my list already.

This video made me decide to budget a Hans into my roll bar/seats/harnesses budget.

dasams

I drive a street car to DE's and wear a helmet on track. My thoughts are that a three pt belt and airbag are appropriate but fully aware that there are no backup airbags to protect in a rollover or other multi impact event.

JCP911S

Unfortunately there is no "middle ground"... what's good for the track is bad for the street, and vice-versa... it's either 0 or 100... no in between.

Some of the world's best engineers design safety systems on modern cars

Either build a dedicated track car with full race equipment, or take your stock street car to the track, and learn to drive.

Anything in between is dangerous.

Matt Lane

I take your point about compromises, but that's probably overly dramatic.

Nothing is binary - a properly mounted roll bar, harnesses and
Hans can unquestionably augment safety in an otherwise 'street' car.

Best,

Matt

JCP911S

I love drama.

But physics is physics and a system is a system, and every element of a race-car safety system has a specific role to play... take one element out, an its not a system.

Without a HANS device, racing harnesses can cause a fatal basal skull fracture (your body decelerates much faster than your head... and your neck isn't strong enough)

Without a full-containment seat, racing harnesses can cause a fatal lateral neck injury (you accelerate laterally, and the shoulder harness breaks your neck).

Gees... Joe Garage wizard is just smarter than professional engineers.

wjk_glynn

This FIA approved HANS-with-3-point-belt system is interesting: http://simpsonraceproducts.com/hybri...lt-compatible/

Apologies if this has been beaten to death, but (after a search) it doesn't seem to have been discussed much.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Karl.

white924s

I think this is going w bit too far...I think some modifications can be made before the full safety gear is needed.

For example, a 911S is basically a 911 with some enhancements to suspension, motor, and brakes, but the safety systems are essentially identical. Would you say that a stock 911 S is somehow more dangerous to drive on track than a stock base 911? Of course not.

I think that the issue of dual purpose car safety gear is not something that really lends itself to easy one-size-fits-all hard and fast rules.

Circuit Motorsports

I've owned pretty much all the head restraints. The hybrid is the one I still use.

ProCoach

Agreed. Plenty of data to support that.

True, but in both your examples, the threshold of impact would need to be very high. Extremely rare in on-track incidents.

Agreed. Sort of like DE protocols...

VERY popular among the DE set, locally. Elegant solution.