08-29-2006, 11:04 PM
this is COMPLETELY my own oppinion. But I think rollbars are for race cars or dedicated track cars. It seems like overkill to me assuming we're not talking about some really fast car. I do like the idea of race seats, because they give you some lateral support. I can't totally justify my oppinion, but here's a half assed attempt:
Ways you might crash on track during HPDE:
Spin and hit a wall or tree backwards. Rollbar help? No. Seats? No.
Spin and hit a wall sideways. Rollbar help? No. Seats? Yes.
Spin and hit corner of pit entry wall or tree directly in driver door? You're probably dead either way.
Rollover. Rollbar help? Yes. Seats? Yes. Likelyhood of roof totally crushing on single rollover in a well built car? Low. Don't post the pic of the BMW with crushed roof, I realize it CAN happen.
Hit a wall head on. Rollbar help? No. Seats? No. Harness would help a lot here, and that comes with the rollbar though. But if it's this accident you're scared of, you're still going to break your neck without a HANS.
Go flying into forest. Rollbar help? Not really. Seats? Yes. Hope you don't get speared by a tree.
Car to car contact is very rare, and when it does happen, both cars are likely to be moving somewhat in the same direction, so chance of injury is low, and car would maintain its shape. Rollbar help? No. Seats? Yes.
So, the dreaded rollover is the only one it helps you with. I've never seen an HPDE car rollover. They usually hit things while still on their wheels. Honestly, I think the chance of hitting a wall head on (lost your brakes) is higher than a rollover, so I'd get the HANS before I got a bar! And who does that? Probably the best thing you can do towards your track safety is to track a fairly slow car.
I don't think any of that helped anyone. A very poor "arguement". Sorry!
Ways you might crash on track during HPDE:
Spin and hit a wall or tree backwards. Rollbar help? No. Seats? No.
Spin and hit a wall sideways. Rollbar help? No. Seats? Yes.
Spin and hit corner of pit entry wall or tree directly in driver door? You're probably dead either way.
Rollover. Rollbar help? Yes. Seats? Yes. Likelyhood of roof totally crushing on single rollover in a well built car? Low. Don't post the pic of the BMW with crushed roof, I realize it CAN happen.
Hit a wall head on. Rollbar help? No. Seats? No. Harness would help a lot here, and that comes with the rollbar though. But if it's this accident you're scared of, you're still going to break your neck without a HANS.
Go flying into forest. Rollbar help? Not really. Seats? Yes. Hope you don't get speared by a tree.
Car to car contact is very rare, and when it does happen, both cars are likely to be moving somewhat in the same direction, so chance of injury is low, and car would maintain its shape. Rollbar help? No. Seats? Yes.
So, the dreaded rollover is the only one it helps you with. I've never seen an HPDE car rollover. They usually hit things while still on their wheels. Honestly, I think the chance of hitting a wall head on (lost your brakes) is higher than a rollover, so I'd get the HANS before I got a bar! And who does that? Probably the best thing you can do towards your track safety is to track a fairly slow car.
I don't think any of that helped anyone. A very poor "arguement". Sorry!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a van is a good guy with a van