Safety stuff for 9s

[Archer Fabrications]

I figure this would go under "preparation" but im shooting for a 9.99 @ around 135+ although i doubt ill make it there without building the head running my HX40. ill more realistically hit a 10.9. track has been rained out everytime i have been able to make it down tune will be by english racing.

My question is, what is the average needed safety equip for running a 9s?
i did a search and couldent really find specific answers, i know every track will be different so im open to dsmers experience with their local track regulations as well.

how many point roll cage?
drive shaft loop?
certified seats and harnesses?

Anything else? Is there any shortcuts to avoid a full cage or things i can dodge to pass tech for this ET & Trap? if a cage is needed what is the bare bones i can get away with id like to save as much weight as possible with the cage since im planning on running this with an almost full weight GSX on street radials with no spare tire. STM looked like they had a few evos running 9s without cages, how they get away with that is beyond me. I believe pacific raceways here in washington requires a cage under an 10.9 but im not positive. post your track safety regulations for 9s please!

 

[dexterholland04]

IIRC, at the local tracks near me (ESTA Raceway Park and NY Int'l Raceway Park), you need the following:
- DOT Approved Helmet (Current)
- 6-point Harness (Current SFI Tags)
- Fire Jacket (Current SFI Tags)
- 10pt Rollcage

The current NHRA Rule Book has all of the rules and requirements...find it and read it!

Also, on a side note: your HX-40 should get you pretty far into the 10's. Especially with it being a 7-blade pro. I ran 10.90's on it and went back and made some small tweaks and the next time I had the car out, it ran 10.30's. It's all in the tune and how you set the car up!

 

[snowborder714]

I'd start with page 309 of the 2012 rule book. It'll reference other sections with more details, but should give you an overview of everything you need.
http://bremertonraceway.com/2012_NHRA_RuleBook.pdf

Is there any shortcuts to avoid a full cage or things i can dodge to pass tech for this ET & Trap? if a cage is needed what is the bare bones i can get away with id like to save as much weight as possible with the cage since im planning on running this with an almost full weight GSX on street radials with no spare tire.

I understand what you're getting at, but this is not the mindset to have going into safety. If you want the car to go fast, please do everything you can to be safe. Just remember - this is not only to keep you safe, but also to keep everyone else around you safe.

 

[Colt90tsi]

Pacific Raceways requires a roll bar starting 11.49. Anything after 11.00 requires a full cage.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Thanks guys ill read the NHRA rules in links provided. I found pacific's rules and ill post them up.
Thanks dexter, your dsm is actually my inspiration for getting the HX40 your 685 dyno run, love your dyno video The tune is gonna be from English so im very hopeful ill get deep in the 10s, even though this will be my first time running at the track after my stuff is back together, i do practice my launches and shifts everywhere i drive, (hense why my trans naded)
Snowboarder, i didn't mean to cheap out on the cage, what i ment was is there a way to avoid doing a FULL 10 pt cage and just putting bars in necessary spots i was unaware that a 10pt WAS needed though so i suppose ill have to look into the S&W cages. not sure how STM got away with 9s with no cage.. or at least no cage that i can see.

thanks for the info guys

sadly i cant get that pic to not be horizontal

only current saftey equip i have is a helmet, and a motorcycle jacket, dont know if that would count as a fire jacket, but thats all i got so far everything else saftey wise is stock, only frame type stiffening is a Megan front strut tower bar at the moment, anyone have a recommendation on harnesses and seats that are light weight and would fit my fat 250lb ass?


snowboarder, in that ruel book on page 309, i see in some of the feilds it says 4:4 and 10.4: or what not, what does this mean, thats not an ET because it has a ":" just a little confused there.

 

[dexterholland04]

Heh, I'm 6'2 230 lbs and I use a Corbeau Forza Wide seat and a Crow Enterprizes harness. The seat is actually pretty comfortable for being a fixed-back seat and I have plenty of leg room with the roll bar and all.

PS: I wouldn't bother launching my car on the street...why beat on it all the time. Plus, track conditions (at a decent track) are usually much stickier and require a little different technique from launching on the street. Before this season, I had not been to race at a track in over 5 years...it took me 10 or so passes to get down into the 1.5x's from 1.8x's for 60 fts. My advice, have your friends tape you and watch the videos after each run to see what you can do to improve your launches. It worked for me!

Edit: It's not my video you're thinking of...badman21 made 685 on the dyno. I've been to the dyno once and made 315awhp on STM's MD at 18 psi and pump 93. I do log 65+ lbs/min though at 40psi on Q16.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Heh, I'm 6'2 230 lbs and I use a Corbeau Forza Wide seat and a Crow Enterprizes harness. The seat is actually pretty comfortable for being a fixed-back seat and I have plenty of leg room with the roll bar and all.

good to know, im also 6'2 working on a driver weight reduction ill look into those seats, this is my current daily driver at the moment... gonna be one hell of a grocery getter if you ask me.

Other International "local" track regulations to be posted also appreciated, if i plan on traveling. or do most just follow the NHRA standards, i know everyone is different, curious about the track where the Ohio DSMshootout is held, as well as English town and some of the larger tracks in California and Oregon.

 

[snowborder714]

Snowboarder, i didn't mean to cheap out on the cage, what i ment was is there a way to avoid doing a FULL 10 pt cage and just putting bars in necessary spots i was unaware that a 10pt WAS needed though so i suppose ill have to look into the S&W cages. not sure how STM got away with 9s with no cage.. or at least no cage that i can see.

I understood what you were getting at, but a cage is a cage. You have to have a certain number of mounting points with certain sized plates at the base of them, meet specs for the halo/hoop, etc. Send an e-mail to STM and see - their track just may be more lenient, or they may sandbag all their runs and get one good balls-out run and then get kicked out.

sadly i cant get that pic to not be horizontal

Rotate before uploading.

only current saftey equip i have is a helmet, and a motorcycle jacket, dont know if that would count as a fire jacket, but thats all i got so far everything else saftey wise is stock, only suspension stiffening is a Megan front strut tower bar at the moment, anyone have a recommendation on harnesses and seats that are light weight and would fit my fat 250lb ass?

I doubt the motorcycle jacket is SFI approved. The helmet has to be SNELL approved and be no older than '05 to be usable. DOT approval doesn't cut it in auto racing.

I'm sure that STB is not doing anything, FYI.

Harnesses have to be SFI approved and either in 5 or 6 point and 3" wide. Seats will all depend on how much you want to spend, comfort you require, etc. There's a lot out there in varying price ranges.

 

[bastarddsm]

OP, some tracks are a little more leaniant. Specifically, IHRA tracks will let you get away with mroe than NHRA tracks will.

 

[dexterholland04]

The helmet has to be SNELL approved and be no older than '05 to be usable. DOT approval doesn't cut it in auto racing.

Whoops, you're right!

Basically, don't cheap out and do it the right way. At the end of the day though, some tracks are more leanient than others.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

My shoei rf1000 is snell aproved i had an 08 gsxr600 heh do those s&w cages come to you so you can weld it yourself? Just prebent? Or whats the deal for cage certification

 

[dexterholland04]

The S&W roll cages come pre-bent and notched. You just need to cut them to the exact length and weld them in. Have fun though, you better have an acetylene torch to heat the floor plates and a big ass hammer to contour them to the body. Oh, and have a fire extinguisher on hand too...you will set the car on fire...more than once .

 

[spoolin ddub]

- DOT Approved Helmet (Current)
- 6-point Harness (Current SFI Tags)
- Fire Jacket (Current SFI Tags)
- 10pt Rollcage (can get away with a 8point)



- oil catch can
- trans scatter shield
- driveshaft loop
- fire extinguisher
- if located on the firewall of bay the fuel pressure regulator has to be a certain length away from the trans


Just cause you want to go fast don't cut corners on safety.

 

[Steve93Talon]

Off the top of my head...

Roll cage - 10 pt minimum (certified)
Window net
5pt harness
Parachute (over 135mph I believe)
Helmet
Fire jacket and pants
Neck brace
Scattershield
Driveshaft loop
NHRA license
Engine drip/catch pan/blanket
Fire extinguisher

As other have said, some tracks may be more lenient than others. If you're running test & tune, you'll also typically get away with less equipment than in an event.

 

[TWOpointFORliter]

At my local track on test-n-tune nights there are no safety requirements. Last time I was there I seen a turbo mustang running 9's with a passenger and not even a helmet on either of them. My advise is to go to your local track and watch few times to see how lenient they are on the rules. Most likely if you call they won't tell you over the phone they don't care about safety. You just have to see for yourself.

Also I am in no way saying you shouldn't take the proper precautions to be safe. Just saying there are places for people to run there street cars that are fast and don't meet nhra guidlines for safety.

 

[11secDSM]

Off the top of my head...

Roll cage - 10 pt minimum (certified)
Window net
5pt harness
Parachute (over 135mph I believe)
Helmet
Fire jacket and pants
Neck brace
Scattershield
Driveshaft loop
NHRA license
Engine drip/catch pan/blanket
Fire extinguisher

As other have said, some tracks may be more lenient than others. If you're running test & tune, you'll also typically get away with less equipment than in an event.

That list pretty muh sums it up. Just want to correct the parachute mph to 150.

 

[Detective Coating]

FWIW STM runs at NYIRP and things aren't too strict there from what I have seen.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

thanks guys for your replys. good to know on the 8 point cage vs 10 point, ill probably end up going for broke on a 10 point if im gonna do it at all, my origional goal was to have a 550 hp street beast and didnt plan to do a cage or anything, but we all know how goals increase. dexter. good to know about setting the car on fire haha i dont have a cutting torch at all just a grinding wheel, so maybe ill have to go to a friends shop to get the base for the cage figured out. im probably decently far off from getting that put in, and i havent really planned on running an event yet, at this time i just want to do a test and tune to see what i run after im tuned up on the HX40 so hopefully pacific will be fine with my setup, they did give me a tech card with all the saftey stuff on it needing to be checked off last time i was at the rained out TNT but i never got inspected cause everything got shut down

 

[Archer Fabrications]

i am curious, are there any S&W cages for the 2g? or will the 1g kit work on the 2g? are there any other companies offering a pre bent tubing cage for the 2g dsm?


edit: just found the 2g talon eclipse S&W cage, doesnt say if it can come in chromoly or stainless? any other companies similar to S&W?