Roll Cage
Turbo Mini Forums

Hey ... Recently came into a bit of money (about time too ) and am gonna order A) my bodykit (radcor retaliator) and B) a roll cage for little Georgia (thats my mini )
I've been looking around and the best deal i could find was in a little advert on page 144 on this months Mini Magazine by T.T.Lyle Metal designs ... you get

- 6 point Road cage ?129.50
- Door bars (pair) ?39.50
- Dash Brace Bar ?25.00
- Rear Diagonals ?19.50 each ... i want 2

so that totals ?233 plus P+P for a complete cage made os 38mm dia steel tubing finished in gloss black.
Seems good to me?
Anyone know of these cages or have any opinions on other cages i could get?
Got a tricky Speedometer question coming up soon too ... will post that in a bit :)
Cheers in advance guys, you are always do diddly darn helpful

NO LONGER A <3 lover of BOLT-ON plastic <3 .... (and DOUBLE proud of it)

Personally I think that that cage looks like a pile of sh!te. It looks what it is (IMO) cheap.

Also, I don't think that it meats any MSA specs either.

Minispares do a full safety devices cage (with fixed rear diagonal for ?260 +vat. Worth the extra cash I reckon.

I'll probably be buying a dash bar from these guys though.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

What makes you say it looks cheap? It looks like all the others to me ... apart from not being red? Is it the way its bolted together or what ? :)

NO LONGER A <3 lover of BOLT-ON plastic <3 .... (and DOUBLE proud of it)

I agree with Wil_h. It looks well dodgy to me.
Just get a proper one, a Safety devices item or similar

Chris

It's the way that the rear cage is made, it's fussy. Look at the Safety Devices one, it only has one hoop.

If you want gaurenteed safety the Safety Devices one is the one to buy. If you want one that looks good to people less pedantic than me then get the T.T. Lyle one.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

why bother with a cage if its totally useless in a crash IMO..

Alex

AlexF

Trust me if your going to put one in for god sake put one in thats worth putting in. I've seen some accidents in my time that would have dismembered the driver if it wasn't for the cage.

Not sure on this as i don't know what the cheap ones are made from. But proper ones are made from decent materials. Good cages are made from cds tubing usually a good chrome moly steel.

I bought one of those cheap ones for my van he made it specialy fot the van as it is about a foot longer I cant fault the cheap version it is without a doubt a lot stronger than no roll cage.

Edited by AllanMcD on 10th Jan, 2005.

http://www.rabdunn.co.uk/

Personally id go for a roll centre one. much prefered it to my safety devices one

although you say any cage is stronger than no cage you have to consider that if it does crumple it will make a mess of you. also make sure you have proper seats and harnesses otherwise if you do have a crash and bump around the car you'll do some serious damage hitting all the bars! make sure its well padded in all areas that your body/head can reach.

on the road cages are dangerous full stop!

They are designed to work with harnesses and helmets!

Thats why insurers don't like them. If they will cover you, often you find the personal insurance is dropped!

alex

AlexF

I do have Cobra Monaco's in black and sparco 3 point harnesses so i'm ok in that dept ..... do you have a link for roll centre? or know how much they cost roughly?

I'm pretty sure TT Lyle wldnt sell a cage that would crumble like it wasnt there in a crash.... would they?
I suppose in a way i'm only getting it for the racer look anyways .... i dont intend to ever crash it

On 11/01/2005 08:37:52 iain said:

Personally id go for a roll centre one. much prefered it to my safety devices one

although you say any cage is stronger than no cage you have to consider that if it does crumple it will make a mess of you. also make sure you have proper seats and harnesses otherwise if you do have a crash and bump around the car you'll do some serious damage hitting all the bars! make sure its well padded in all areas that your body/head can reach.

NO LONGER A <3 lover of BOLT-ON plastic <3 .... (and DOUBLE proud of it)

no one EVER intends to crash LOL well maybe banger racers!

If you don't ware a crash helmet with your cage you are at a MASSIVLY higher risk of injury! Seats and harness are only part of your safety requirments.

alex

AlexF

Righty Tighty Whities ..... i'll buy some padding then ... it had never really occurred to me before!

NO LONGER A <3 lover of BOLT-ON plastic <3 .... (and DOUBLE proud of it)

rollcentre are easily found on google

think its ?295 + vat including all the door bars etc. think its a bit cheaper than a SD one.

I have already put padding on the cage but I don?t intent putting the thing on the roof the cage is in because my van is over 33 years old and I just fell safer with it in place.
I have tested a roll cage a few times a long time ago when I did stock car racing I didn?t have full belts or special seats but I was in my late teens and you are invincible then (I must have been because I am typing this now!!!!!!!!)
I think I will splash out on new seat belts I have some modern seats that came with my van.
Allan

http://www.rabdunn.co.uk/

i have rollcentre and its a quality cage

I have a 6point SD one and it stiffens the shell up a treat. Really noticably, that's why I bought mine. I have twatted my head on the bar behind me as I am tall, will pad up properly in due course. Also make sure you are reinforcing the floor properly, otherwise the legs will go straight through the floor when you wreck it.

I feel safer in a caged car than without. But I only go really rooting it around in the dry.

Mateys cage does look a bit dodgy allthough I think the seamless tubing is a bit overkill. Some of my mates run off roaders with exhaust pipe cages, designed for repeat rolls and they stand up fine to proper cartwheels. Although I would prefer a good one as hopefully it will last you years.

Bugger off, I'm getting there.

a bar hits your head at say 60 mph

and 1" piece of foam is going to do what exactly?


Alex

AlexF

I have hit tarmac at over 100mph on a number of occasions I have done it in denim with leathers and with leathers lined with foam I can assure you that foam is a good absorber of shock impact. I would rather take my chances with a cage than with a standard car that was designed around 50 years ago
Ps these crashes were on a motorbike but most wise people will understand where I am coming from

http://www.rabdunn.co.uk/

have to agree a bit as any protection is better than none

although ive mounted my seat nice and low so i have 6 foot of headroom lol

oh forgot to say i looked at the 129 quid cages that are mentioned in the mags and if you look close at the pic the rear cage is flexible jointed in other words not worth a wank

HI THERE.
If you plan blasting around which am sure you will, get a FIA cage made from 3mm seemless tubing mine was purchaced from mini sport years ago, forgot the price now.......... but
dont go for a chepo
i also substituted the external plates which came with the cage & made new ones out of Stainless 5mm plate also made them larger,
iam going to add shortley A front bar just below the centre clock across from leg of the front cage pillar to the other as mini front enders high impactc! have a tendency for the engine to come in the cab and join you.
dont skimp with the cage as ther are too many
"Ding Dongs" on the road driving 4x4 of roaders waiting to pull out on you!

Edited by BENROSS on 13th Jan, 2005.