1/4 Mile At A Time

[8695Beaters]

Well the Viper I want is a roadster. There's a big hole in the middle of it. A carbon roof and some chrom-moly fixes that pretty well.

My new car has a roll-bar in the rear. No rear seat, but it's not like it's a taxi anyway. Still, I wouldn't reccomend rollcages in street cars. Even good cages bend and buckle. And steel is harder than bone.

[jembr325]

Eyes,

Did you read my comments at all or did your eyes turn red when you saw "American"? Haha

Thats why I've always bought foreign cars -- because I'm a nut for a car that can blend good handling with good performance, quality design and construction, and a well appointed interrior at a decent price point. Its the whole package. But I do have respect for American racing history.


Just to play devils advocate here:

You have to understand what the intent of the car was when it was designed -- Americans have been big on straight-line performance. Thus, you have to respect american muscle for what it was designed to do... throw you in the back of your seat. There were some glorious days in the 70s in Detroit. However, they have also made some great race cars... for example the Ford GT 40 (Ford won the Lemans Series from 1966 - 1969). You also have to appreciate the Shelby Cobra -- still one one of the best handling race cars. Finally there is the 'vette -- the latest z06 posted faster lap times at Nurburgring than the NSX, one of two Nissan GTRs, Mercedes CLK 63 AMG, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, and Porsche 996 GT2 (see their website).

The problem is they dont make good well rounded production sports cars that are relatively affordable (under 35k), handle well, and are reliable (but Honda really didnt get a cost effective pure sports car until the S2K -- prior it was the NSX). However, I suspect this will change now that they are hiring many of the great engineers behind the Japanese and German brands.

But if we are going to just walk out on the field and point our fingers at American cars... lets at least give them a chance... after all we live in America. How about that ugly looking wicked stepchild made by Dodge -- yes I know we all cringe when we pull up to those punks. But, who do you think would make it around the track faster -- a stock Dodge Neon RT-4 or a stock Civic SI (similar price bracket)?

I love Hondas, but you'd probably loose your money betting on the stock Civic SI in this instance. Don't get me wrong -- I wouldnt buy one personally, but I know several who have these... and they were neck and neck with my lightly tuned 350z for $10 grand less.

So I suppose that its just different strokes for different folks -- so dont hate on your boy here, who will always be a foreign car lover, when he pulls up next to you in his new z06 (which he garages next to his tuned s2k) and for fun he lets his foot hit the petal so that all 505 horses give you a healthy growl -- thats just my way of saying hi. =)

[8695Beaters]

Well I had the choice between a 1988 Mustang GT and a 1990 Nissan 240SX with an SR20DET swap. I picked the 240SX. I would have picked a Honda if they built an affordable FR.

[jembr325]

Beaters, What kind of rollcages have you been putting in? Did you reinstall all of the stock interrior after or leave it out?

[8695Beaters]

My 240 has a 4-point rollbar. It is welded into the backseat area. I think I have a pic of it in my car's profile (the only 1990 Honda S2000 here, haha). I lost the backseat, but the rest of the interior is there, even the trunk carpeting. And I intend to leave it all there (I will eventually strip the sound deadening underneath it all though). The bar came installed with the car, so I didn't have a choice in the matter, but I'm glad it is there. It even has a harness bar in it so it will be easy to mount racing harnesses later on. There aren't any harness loops on the bar but once I get a welder at home I will add those.

As an S2K owner, unless you have a hard top, you will need a rollbar for racing. Not a full 'cage. Unless there is a LOT of headroom (old muscle cars have a good deal of this) a rollcage becomes extremely unsafe. Let's put it this way, which will crack first: a steel bar or your head? Full cages require helmets to drive in them safely. Even with padding, roll cages can become quite deadly on the street. Some people (like Eyes I see) were saved by rollcages (but he didn't say where the accident was and whether or not he was wearing a helmet). But that's just like the guys who refuse to wear helmets on their bikes because they say that a helmet will break your neck. It could happen, but is it worth the risk? A roll bar will support the roof, strengthen the chassis a bit, and makes a safe place to mount a racing harness. Since it is nowhere near your head (at least it shouldn't be if it was designed right), there is no risk of splitting your head open on the bars. Just make sure whoever does it has good welding skill and use support plates on the chassis mounts.

As for the interior, every car is different, so reinstall as much as you can/want to. I personally like a car with a full interior. A street car should be well-rounded and believe me, a car without interior is a huge hassle and very uncomfortable.

[jembr325]

Yeah I agree with you. Thanks buddy.

You make a good point about putting a full rollcage in a street car. You could definitely make an accident worse if you hit your head on one of the steel bars.

I've been eyeing a nice 4-point rollbar that will look fantastic with the s2k. and can be installed around the interrior components.

[8695Beaters]

Bolt-in or weld-in? Bolt-ins don't do anything but look racey.

[PrimeTimeV6]

The bolt ins are just as good as the weld ins as long as it is done correctly and not just show bars.

[8695Beaters]

They don't have as much structural integirty as a weld. In a bolt-in, there are only two small points in each bar that are holding the cage together. Welds have complete 360 degree coverage (if done right). Bolts also break. And a Grade 8 bolt will just tear through the floor. Welds distribute the load better than bolts do and if you have torn through the floor in a welded cage, your car is either too old or too fast.

[PrimeTimeV6]

To do a proper bolt in cage each pad will have 4 bolts and the metal will be sandwiched. You will have the base plate for the cage, then floor pan and another piece of metal under the car and anchored to a point of solid structure.