Cobra roll bar safety

[trularin]

Dang Pat, what happened to your car?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by trularin

Dang Pat, what happened to your car?

Don't worry, it'll buff right out....

Originally Posted by Cobra Lite

Padding ... while not looking as good, will save your thinking ability in most mild accidents, not to mention paralysis from a broken neck.

The only person who has ever made fun of my roll bar padding is ERAChas. And I think he's just jealous.

[patrickt]

BTW, if you've ever banged your head on a really sturdy roll bar it hurts like shi* and swells up. I've padded all my roll bars for over 30 years -- my head swells less as a result.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by patrickt

BTW, if you've ever banged your head on a really sturdy roll bar it hurts like shi* and swells up. I've padded all my roll bars for over 30 years -- my head swells less as a result.

Are "roll bar" and "ego" euphemisms here?

Swells less? How self-deprecating of you.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Are "roll bar" and "ego" euphemisms here?

Swells less? How self-deprecating of you.

Dang, are you astute or what?

[Buzz]

One point that hasn't come up in this thread is that the type of roll bar we generally have on our Cobras is intended to work in conjunction with a crash helmet on a racetrack. If your head can come close to touching any part of your roll bar while you are belted in and you aren't wearing a helmet; your bar on the street is far more likely to deliver blunt force trauma to your cranium than to protect it in a rollover.

On the street, front, side and rear impacts not involving a rollover are by a huge margin the most common (and therefore likely) types of accidents. In any type of impact, the occupants' heads are thrown around violently first towards the direction of impact and then back the other way as the seatback and belts slingshot the torso back and forth.

Rear impacts are common in small, high horsepower, rear drive cars as the rear will often break loose and come around at speed, crashing arse-first into barriers, obstacles or other vehicles. Here, or when another car impacts you from behind, the Cobra occupant is almost certain to slam his/her head into the bar as an immediate reaction to the impact.

In a front end hit, your head initially shoots forward on impact, but if the seatbelts and seatback hold, you will snap backward in reaction to that initial motion. Either way, unless your skull is protected by a helmet, the roll bar you installed to give you peace of mind is very likely to destroy a piece of your mind instead.

Of course, if the roll bar is not there to stop your head from snapping all the way back, you may suffer a nasty case of whiplash, or worse - damage to your spinal cord. So take your pick - an injured neck or a blow to the back of your head with a heavy piece of pipe. Cobras are just not "safe" cars in terms of occupant proection.

Thick padding on the roll bars would help some I suppose (bystanders would be treated to hearing a more palatable "thud" as opposed to a sickening "crack"), and seats with good, properly mounted head restraints would be even better. Hell, throw in a padded dash and steering wheel too - but then the more the car is festooned with modern add on safety stuff, it starts to look and feel less like a Cobra and more like a mismatched, nerfed-out, watered down pose mobile. Which then begs the question - why not just buy a modern day convertible and hop it up with a set of vinyl racing stripes?

Me? Ive often toyed with the idea of removing my forward braced roll bar - which is even more dangerous on the street - but so far I haven't, and just make do with the padding. I also don't drive crazy fast on public roads much anymore - never with a passenger on board - and I do wear a helmet when doing any kind of racing.

What was the point of this post? Hell, I don't know - just rambling, I suppose. Do whatever makes you happy with your Cobra - it's yours after all - and just get home safe at the end of the day!

[tcrist]

I have a roll bar and head rests. Hope that I do not ever need to use them for anything other than looks. The question is, How would you install the rear down tube if the mounting bracket was welded onto the frame? The only way that I can install my down tube is from inside the fenderwell after the front hoop is installed and tightened down.

I guess everyones are different, so that is an individuals/manufactures own issue. I am sure there is a fairly easy way. I just need to figure it out.

The one thing that needs to be I guess is if you need to mount anything like that to the frame, make sure that you weld in a sleave through the frame so you do not start crushing the walls of the tubing when tightening the bolts.

Terry

[Cobra Lite]

You said it Buzz!

And you put it in a very clear way.
The roll bar is more dangerous to have, than not have...
In typical street driving without a helmet.

Padding and a proper seat with headrest, while not looking as good, will save your thinking ability in most mild accidents, not to mention paralysis from a broken neck.

I also ride bikes so we do our best, drive or ride as if we are invisible, and recognize the danger we are in at all times. And still enjoy it!

Hmmmm, there might be a market for a well designed (strong!) padded headrest that mounts to the rollbar securely but is easy to remove in seconds when the car is not actually being driven.

[computerworks]

c'mon guys... I am sure that the people who have subscribed to this thread are losing patience.

Stay on the topic

thanks

ron
ClubCobra Moderator

[Maricopa]

The trick is to make sure your head gets taken cleanly off. Who wants to survive with daine brammage?

[sdfletch]

Too little too late, Ron.

[COBRA427]

From day "1", I've NEVER EVER liked or felt safe in a stock Cobra seat. They have bare minimal lateral support, not good for the road course, and ZERO head support, very dangerous on rear impacts accidents. I guess it's just human nature, but I feel that most Cobra owners care more about their cars looking period correct, rather than how safe they are.

My 2 cents: if you are tracking your car, you should have more than a single hoop roll bar, fuel cell, high back seats, and a HANS device.

[N2VENOM]

Cobra427, I could not agree more......

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by COBRA427

My 2 cents: if you are tracking your car, you should have more than a single hoop roll bar, fuel cell, high back seats, and a HANS device.

I think if you're sporting dual roll bars you're entitled to say "Look Ma, No HANS."

[Excaliber]

The Classic Roadster seats are pretty darn good all around, they may be the best stock seats in the replica industry.

[Silverback51]

I don't care what you do to a Cobra, it's not a safe car.

[Wbulk]

Agreed, maybe one step safer than a motorcycle. This thread is timely as I have been working on my roll bar installation. It mounts to 4"x4" X1/4" plates on the main frame members but I decided to improve the install. I have those stub tubes but am going to add another .120 wall tube slid over those, welded to the frame again going up to the bottom ends of the bar to support it, so more than the bolts is supporting the bar under compression.
Wayne

[mickmate]

You guys are doing the right things and know what to look for. Lock em right into the main frame rails. I see plates and bolts up to the job but not the tubing if that's what is used to mount them.

[lloyds1]

I look at the safety factor as slightly better than riding my motorcycle. I think the key is always keeping that in mind and not allowing the seat belts and roll bar to give a false sense of security.

[Tom Wells]

Uh....

And guys, while you are enumerating safety equipment for track use, don't omit the

WRIST RESTRAINTS

I feel better now

Tom