I've got a bit of a dilema at the moment. I've got a gen 4 which I'm using on the track quite often for track days. The car is totally stripped inside, and has various suspension mods.
My dilema is whether or not to get a custom roll cage built and fitted. Primarily, it would just be a six point cage. My concern is the pros and cons of the weight of the cage, over the increased handling characteristics.
Obviously the safety aspect of fitting a cage is one of the main benefits, but I need to know that the handling of the car will be more substantial than the "loss" in performance of the extra weight.
So to those with cages, does it affect the handling THAT much??
And just as a point of interest, I don't need to conform to any particular race rules, and any negative effects on daily driving don't particularly concern me.
No, I didn't say that. I said that the only reason to install the roll cage is for safety. Anything else it effects is meerly a side benefit/consequence of the cage. It will CHANGE the handling characteristics of the car but that doesn't mean they'll be any better. Most cages only weigh a bit north of 100 lbs, which doesn't constitute to much of a penalty when you're weighing your life. Though in any regard anything more than a roll bar is not recommended in a daily driver.
No, I didn't say that. I said that the only reason to install the roll cage is for safety. Anything else it effects is meerly a side benefit/consequence of the cage. It will CHANGE the handling characteristics of the car but that doesn't mean they'll be any better. Most cages only weigh a bit north of 100 lbs, which doesn't constitute to much of a penalty when you're weighing your life. Though in any regard anything more than a roll bar is not recommended in a daily driver.
If your not wheel to wheel racing soon, and still drive your car to the track, just install an autopower rollbar..
If your trailering your car to the track, get a custom rollcage..
If you're worried about the handling aspects of installing a cage, just install a bar. You'll need a cage if you ever decide to do any wheel-to-wheel, though.
I started with a bar, and now the car has a full cage in it. I really wouldn't worry much about the weight or handling aspects unless you start adding extra bars and whatnot for chassis stiffening.
If you decide on the whole cage route have a look at CSC Racing Products in Newmarket, Ontario Canada. They sell a basic 4 point Mini Stock cage kit for $231.00 CDN which is under $200 USD. It is custom bent kit for your make and model of car and it is a piece of cake to build with a decent welder. I installed one in my Cavalier Mini Stock (stripped) in a weekend... and I am buying another kit soon for my new stock car project... a '92 'Lude. Tried to upload a pic, but I haven't figured out how yet.... it wants a URL. You can PM me and I will send you some pics. I will be calling Ralph at CSC in the next week or two just to make sure he has the specs on the 'Lude. If not I will measure the car up and he will get the kit ready in a day or two. BTW, the standard kit is 1 3/4" x .095" mild steel tubing, but he will do custom sizes and/or chrome molly if you need that as well. A great guy to work with, and very reasonable prices.
If you decide on the whole cage route have a look at CSC Racing Products in Newmarket, Ontario Canada. They sell a basic 4 point Mini Stock cage kit for $231.00 CDN which is under $200 USD. It is custom bent kit for your make and model of car and it is a piece of cake to build with a decent welder. I installed one in my Cavalier Mini Stock (stripped) in a weekend... and I am buying another kit soon for my new stock car project... a '92 'Lude. Tried to upload a pic, but I haven't figured out how yet.... it wants a URL. You can PM me and I will send you some pics. I will be calling Ralph at CSC in the next week or two just to make sure he has the specs on the 'Lude. If not I will measure the car up and he will get the kit ready in a day or two. BTW, the standard kit is 1 3/4" x .095" mild steel tubing, but he will do custom sizes and/or chrome molly if you need that as well. A great guy to work with, and very reasonable prices.
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