124 replies to this topic

[Andrew O]

Rolled my autograss mini, flipped over about 6 times on the screen/bonnet, it had a cage, I was strapped in, suit, helmet, still scary, can still see it all in slo-motion when I think about it, and this was years ago...

I guess the one thing I learnt from racing was even the smallest bump at 30 HURTS, makes you more cautious on the roads, especially when you're surrounded by glass and with just a poxy seat belt holding you in...

What effect did the roll cage have ?

[Burnard]

Yea

I think if your gonna have a cage, it need to have door bars and a cross brace on it, or no frontal parts at all. to me it just seems like those 2 bars bolted to the floor and nothing else could easily bend inwards and brake someone leg or worse.

I am fitting a cage to mine, but its going to be the full FIA spec saftey devices one from minisport:


Probably OTT, but it aint gonna go anywhere!

Yeah i will be fitting a cage with door bars in. It would be great to see some pictures off yours

I havent bought it yet, like i said, i will be fitting one, more than welcome to take a look once its in.

At the end of the day everyone has their own opinion about roll cage but in my view if you are in a Mini doing say 40 mph and you have a crash you are in the Sh^T so i would rather have a roll cage

Do roll cages help? I have heard mixed reviews.

Roll cages at high speeds can sometimes have negative affect

I.e

Being hit 40mph causing the standard intrusion that might not of even killed you or hurt you but with a roll cage depend on what style the force could actually bend or force the cage into you or your head swinging widly into it as i dont really see your being able to control your body in an impact.

To be honest id rather not be impaled by tube of steal

and before you mention rally cars, they are set up correctly and used differently and they dont normally have head on collisions with other lump of metal travelling at the same speed, normally clip something and roll thus why its called a ROOOOLLLL cage

Ok that is your opinion ( Which you are entitled to ). However there is no evidence either way to say that roll cages work or don't work in a road collision. But what i do know is that roll cages do their job very well in rally cars ( Including mins ) and if it is good enough for a rally car to have a roll cage fitted and go 50 mph in to a wall and be fine, There is no reason why it would be any different on the road. So when i come to have my Mini on the road i will be having a 6 point roll cage professionally fitted.

Will you be wearing a helmet at all times? A fixed positioned bucket seat. fixed saftey harness with friend to tighten it up?

I currently have a cobra moncaco pro seat, which is fixed mounted with a 6 point harness. I will be changing the seat to a suzuka pro carbon, keeping the same 6 point harness.
The cage will also be padded as required.

And i will always be wearing a helmet when on track.


As it stands i hit my head on the B piller every time i go round a corner, and thats without a cage, so i doubt its going to be any worse!

[Andrew O]

That was my point exactly. Thank you. I would love to see the cage once it's done

[bobs]

Rolled my autograss mini, flipped over about 6 times on the screen/bonnet, it had a cage, I was strapped in, suit, helmet, still scary, can still see it all in slo-motion when I think about it, and this was years ago...

I guess the one thing I learnt from racing was even the smallest bump at 30 HURTS, makes you more cautious on the roads, especially when you're surrounded by glass and with just a poxy seat belt holding you in...

What effect did the roll cage have ?

Hard to remember, it did stop the A pillar (from what I could see) coming any farther into my face.. the shell was kind of alright, the main part of the shell that is, wings were a gonner (well would be if it was for road use), shell was kept more rigid from the cage so it all pulled out well, but I wouldn't have wanted to re-live that without a cage fitted... Have a memory of watching the mud hit my face and seeing the A post fold up against the cage like tinfoil... Did land back on all four wheels, facing the opposite direction!

Getting back to the pits and hearing my older brother ask if I was hungry then offering me a roll, didn't see as funny back then as it does now...

This kind of roll, is a bit different than hitting something head on, or rolling and smashing into something solid, like you would be more likely to do on the roads... I kinda just bounced over, rather than crumpled into something HARD, and I was well strapped in, protected and supported.

My brother hit the re-inforced fence when he was a junior at about 25mph coming out of a dust cloud on a bend, and the whole front of the mini caved in, whiplash in this kind of crash even with protection was still apparent...

[Ethel]

Take it up with your insurers first if you want to fit a roll cage.

[retroracer1275]

i have the minisport one, to be honest its abit over the top. but looks good

[Andrew O]

i have the minisport one, to be honest its abit over the top. but looks good

I love the look of that, Bet it would help loads in a crash

[benb12]

I got hit by a minicab at a crossroads a few months ago





I got away with a broken leg, cuts and bruises. I was knocked out for a while (head hit the b piller) so I don't remember anything. I think the only thing that worries me with minis is how thin the doors are, so I wouldn't mind a cage with the door bars.

[CaptainBland08]

HOLY HELL!!!! i would consider yourself lucky to be alive if you dont mind me saying so:S

[Andrew O]

I got hit by a minicab at a crossroads a few months ago





I got away with a broken leg, cuts and bruises. I was knocked out for a while (head hit the b piller) so I don't remember anything. I think the only thing that worries me with minis is how thin the doors are, so I wouldn't mind a cage with the door bars.

Has the roof been cut to get you out the car ?

[benb12]

Yes they cut the roof off and they cut the passenger seat free so they could get to me easier.

I do consider myself lucky Mr Uno man I know that if that cab came through my door... well, it doesn't bear thinking about really!

[benb12]

Here is a pic of it once I stripped it of anything useful. Looking around the car it was amazing how the whole body had twisted. It even caused most of the fuel tank clips to pop out, which on an estate hangs at the very back of the car. At the front the teardrops mounts were about a foot from where they were meant to be. It hasn't put me off minis at all because I've always known that they won't stand up as well as a 60 plate Renault in an accident! It just means that you've got to be on the ball at all times. I think young people in more modern cars need to realise that too - so many are under this subconscious illusion that because they have airbags, ABS, crumple zones etc. that they can drive however they like. They need big spikes pointing out of their steering wheel, not airbags!
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Attached Files

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Edited by benb12, 30 August 2011 - 02:56 PM.

[MaxAndPaddy]

Jesus you were lucky to survive ...did the cab pull out on you?

Glad your ok by the way!!!

[Andrew O]

Here is a pic of it once I stripped it of anything useful. Looking around the car it was amazing how the whole body had twisted. It even caused most of the fuel tank clips to pop out, which on an estate hangs at the very back of the car. At the front the teardrops mounts were about a foot from where they were meant to be. It hasn't put me off minis at all because I've always known that they won't stand up as well as a 60 plate Renault in an accident! It just means that you've got to be on the ball at all times. I think young people in more modern cars need to realise that too - so many are under this subconscious illusion that because they have airbags, ABS, crumple zones etc. that they can drive however they like. They need big spikes pointing out of their steering wheel, not airbags!
 DSC03441.JPG   667.59K   26 downloads

That is one twisted up Mini, Bet it was scary to crash in. And i also think that people take safe cars for granted

[Sam14]

Basically as Mini owners and a community we can give the middle finger to death, to god (not that he exists), all daredevils in the world, Evel Knievel etc

and say "Hey bet you cant do this"

The fact that we all have the kohonas to step into a mini every day and even after some horrific accidents and seeing mini accident with minis, we still put on our pants and socks in the morning and jump in our small sized mad small car called a mini and DRIVE!

Thats something for us to be proud of

Oh yeah....driving in just pants and socks, it so the way to go