Cage Time I Belive...

[mikeyde 1]

ok i like the look of my 205 (standard) interior, but i want a cage purely for safety. i need to keep my back seats in so was wondering what cage to go for? 1/2 Cage? would be painted black and the carpet cut around to fit. anyone done this?

jus tips please! im a little unsure

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

Cages are dangerous in road cars as you dont wear a helmet or have harnesses.

 

Lots have done what you want to do but i guess its mainly for style purposes.

[mikeyde 1]

how exactly are they dangerous in road cars? i dont understand, surely a car withou may fare worse in an accident than one with?

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

For a start there is more parts to bang your head on.

 

I really cant see the point in a road car as you dont or shouldnt go that close to the limit on public roads.

[mikeyde 1]

you do not have to be at the limit to crash mate.

[Doof 11]

Yes but driving on the roads can be very unpredictable, ice, idiots and mechanical faults can all lead to a serious accident.

[Justin 9]

I'd rather have a well padded cage in my 205 than not though - even if you have a trackday biased car, where a cage is essential - there is a fair chance you will use it on the road. Make sure it's padded well, that's all, with proper padding not just Armaflex or whatever.

 

Justin.

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

They are just too much of a pain for everyday.

 

Some pics of mine

http://photobucket.com/albums/v19/stu8v/My...Past%20Present/

[feb 47]

you do not have to be at the limit to crash mate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Totally agree on this. Let us know how you get on. Safety devices have a cage where you can keep your back seats (removable or no diagonal rear branch can't remember). I have their catalogue and prices at work; give me your e-mail and i can forward you the info they have sent me. I think if you pad it well and install harnesses you have much more protection than without a cage.

I have been thinking about this sometime now as well...

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

I've been looking at this for a while now, especially after seeing how easily 205's fold, not forgetting the extra stiffness added to the shell.

 

The Safety Devices cage is my preferred choice at the moment, as it comes with a removable rear section so the rear seats can retain their use when required, and removable door bars.

 

I remember Matt Cony's old TT with a SD cage in, and I was very impressed at the fit of it inside the shell, although the fact that you lose the use of the sun-visors concerns me.

 

I think Peter Lloyd Rallying down in S.Wales sells them at good prices.

[Simmy 0]

Cages are dangerous in road cars as you dont wear a helmet or have harnesses.

 

Lots have done what you want to do but i guess its mainly for style purposes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Try asking mattcony (old forum member) if he'd agree with you. He had a rather nasty accident in his 1.9 turbo technics over in france, lets just say he wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for his cage.

 

I think to say that cages in road cars are dangerous and are mainly for style purposes is a narrow minded and quite fankly stupid statement! Agreed there is more to hit your head on... but it can be padded!! a rollcage isn't gonna make 10mph bumps any safer but check the name.... roll-cage... a rolled car (which isn't uncommon even on the roads) WILL be much better off fitted with a cage. you really think they use them for style?? seriously?? that's what the Dimma cage is for!

 

 

In response to the original question there are many options that mean you can keep the rear seats... have a look on the main site articles about rollcage installation, i believe there is a car fitted with a full cage inc. diagonals that has retained the rear seats (dunno how useable they are though ). Either a front (i.e. 1/2) cage or a full cage with removable diagonal.

[mikeyde 1]

cheers everyone, im gonna find out prices and il let yous know how it goes

[MartinM 0]

I'd advise you look at your likely insurance premium - if you go into the depths of a quote at, eg elephant, and declare that your car has a cage, just watch the premiun go up by about 75% :-(

[mikeyde 1]

i'd have expected it to stay the same TBH, i guess they think if i have a cage then ill be doing some acrobatics or sumthin, ohwel, shall look into it on monday.

[danpug 1]

Try flux if you get a cage. Two companies they deal with allow them. Mine dosen't charge any extra a year for one.

[tagy 1]

I could have a cage for no extra with HIC.

[feb 47]

I could have a cage for no extra with HIC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is HIC Highway insurance and through who are you insured to them?

Thanks,

[tagy 1]

HIC is the broker, they insure you through highway.

[feb 47]

HIC is the broker, they insure you through highway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am insured to Highway through Greenlight; others going through flux may have better deals?

it's strange how insurances charge more for modifications likes suspensions and brakes. After all, they make the car handle better thus making it safer.

[Guest CB-Dave]

if you're going to have a cage then wear a helmet every time you get into the car. Also, seats that offer lateral protection and a 5 point harness should be worn.

 

FIA approved padding available from saftey devices should be used anywhere there could be lateral impact (so top bar, front cross bar, front a pillar bar, side bar etc).

 

If you want a racecar for the road, then you will have to do it right - cages are for motorsports, if you drive your car on the road hard enough to require a cage, then imo you don't belong on the road.

 

Remember COAST:

 

C - concentration

O - observation

A - assertion

S - spacial awareness

T - training

[Guest CB-Dave]

ins co's charge more for modifcations that are percieved to increase car safety because they (justafiably so) think the driver will get cocky at the increased 'safety' of their new bits and thus brake later into corners etc.

 

standard parts give you a fairly large talent barrier, if the talent runs out there are escape routes - whereas if you put uprated parts on and suffer a dramatic loss of talent, you're well out of the talent barrier and as such could cause more damage to yourself and others.

[Guest CB-Dave]

I think to say that cages in road cars are dangerous and are mainly for style purposes is a narrow minded and quite fankly stupid statement!   Agreed there is more to hit your head on... but it can be padded!!   a rollcage isn't gonna make 10mph bumps any safer but check the name.... roll-cage... a rolled car (which isn't uncommon even on the roads) WILL be much better off fitted with a cage. you really think they use them for style?? seriously??  that's what the Dimma cage is for! 

In response to the original question there are many options that mean you can keep the rear seats... have a look on the main site articles about rollcage installation, i believe there is a car fitted with a full cage inc. diagonals that has retained the rear seats (dunno how useable they are though ). Either a front (i.e. 1/2) cage or a full cage with removable diagonal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

half-cages usually cover the rear of the car, not the front

 

the dimma cage is called a showcage and as such is a half cage made of ally - it offers zero protection in a crash.

 

if you had a 10/20mph lateral bump (ie you lost the car and went sideways into a kerb) even with a padded cage you'd probably have whiplash injuries and head trauma. Moreso than impacting the window tbh as the window "gives" whereas the cage simply won't, you don't just *bounce* off the padding and have no ill effects - the padding is to stop deformation of a crash helmet, not your head. A crash helmet is there to stop deformation of your head.

 

So yeah, a roll cage will protect a car in the event of a roll, but it's not much cop if the driver is turned into a vegetable is it?

[richard 0]

I was off the same opinion as some of you until recently.

 

Then started looking into things in a bit more detail.....Now for 1 i would love to have a proper SD cage in the car but looking at how violently the body can get through about in a slow accident (let alone a biggie) then you will have to consider wearing a helmet at all times. Oh and wearing decent harnesess as well....or else you will snap your neck and crush your head on the front beam of the cage if you have a frontal impact.

 

Matt was extremely lucky in his accident as the car rolled over front over end so there wasnt as much movement as there would have been if it had gone side over side.

 

Remember in motorsport the rules about wearing helmets, harnesses etc are there for a reason, on the road you dont have those restrictions so you wont be wearing a helmet....

 

If you want to see the effects of hitting a bar, you could always get a apple or potato and hit it with an iron bar. Now imagine thats your head......

Edited January 23, 2005 by richard

[Guest mitten boy]

This is pretty interesting reading. Have got a full cage to go into my 205 which is for track days but also my every day driver at the moment

[Simmy 0]

half-cages usually cover the rear of the car, not the front

 

the dimma cage is called a showcage and as such is a half cage made of ally - it offers zero protection in a crash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

My mistake on 1/2 cage... i knew that, just wasn't thinkin for some reason

 

Yeah i agree the dimma cage is a show cage, offering no protection, as i said in my post its for entirely for show and style.

 

I have buckets and harness's fitted in my car, which i would recommend everyone to do before fitting a rollcage, though personally, in my situation, i'd much rather have a rollcage fitted than not. with the harness' fitted properly there's no reason why my head should come in contact with the cage.