...or, High Density vs. Not High Density.
Which stuff do I want (track days only)?
...or, High Density vs. Not High Density.
Which stuff do I want (track days only)?
High density. Softer than a steel pipe, but stiff enough that it won't simply collapse and let you whack the pipe.
they sell it on summit and in the description it will say sfi certified or not
I have heard some people double wrap it. 
They put high density on the bar with the other stuff on top.
With safety equip, don't scrimp. Trust me.
Not a scratch that day, but I had a "horse collar" instead of a HANS. Neck makes a little noise 20yrs later..
93EXCivic wrote: I have heard some people double wrap it.
You can get dual density padding. It's bulky, but nice in a dual-purpose car. I use it on the rally car, and I'll often pull off the soft outer layer when I'm running a stage with my helmet on.
Keith wrote: High density. Softer than a steel pipe, but stiff enough that it won't simply collapse and let you whack the pipe.
That's the thing; it's not a whole lot softer than the pipe!
Woody wrote:Keith wrote: High density. Softer than a steel pipe, but stiff enough that it won't simply collapse and let you whack the pipe.That's the thing; it's not a whole lot softer than the pipe!
Not to your hand maybe..but to your helmet it will be. It's tough to express just how strange & violent impacts can be (especially in a rollover, where there's more than one impact). Stuff stretches (the belts, your body) like crazy. You can hit stuff that you can't even reach when you're belted in.
I like what Keith said about the dual-density stuff, that sounds like a great thing for a dual-purpose car.
Dual-density is absolutely the way to go. Hard-density SFI inner with a noggin-friendly softer on the outside. NHRA is really liking it, and they are pretty on top of safety/cage stuff. More so than the SCCA for sure...
Never heard of the dual density stuff, but that sounds like the way I'll go.
EDIT: Yikes! A buck an inch?!
What stops one from getting longacre non-sfi high density ($17/3ft) and wrapping it in local speed shop soft foam ($5/3ft)
Javelin wrote: Dual-density is absolutely the way to go. Hard-density SFI inner with a noggin-friendly softer on the outside. NHRA is really liking it, and they are pretty on top of safety/cage stuff. More so than the SCCA for sure...
I'm an SCCA member, and I support this message.
Woody wrote: Never heard of the dual density stuff, but that sounds like the way I'll go. EDIT: Yikes! A buck an inch?!
How much do you like your head?
Safety on the track is the one think I won't scrimp on. I'll gladly put a $1500 cage in a $500 POS when I'm going to be hurtling around a racetrack at a 100MPH surrounded by 3000# battering rams and concrete walls.
Javelin wrote:Woody wrote: Never heard of the dual density stuff, but that sounds like the way I'll go. EDIT: Yikes! A buck an inch?!How much do you like your head?
x50,393,685,704,397.
Old school joke, remember? Something about $10 helmets and $10 heads? Same applies to the cockpit. Prepare for the worst.
friedgreencorrado wrote: With safety equip, don't scrimp. Trust me.
You know, there probably was an easier way of testing your safety gear. 
Racer Wholesale has the regular and mini HD stuff for $12 a stick.
Make sure you put it everywhere your soft bits might touch. Think about your arms and legs in a violent roll over. You can shatter a knee on a pipe.
Javelin wrote:Woody wrote: Never heard of the dual density stuff, but that sounds like the way I'll go. EDIT: Yikes! A buck an inch?!How much do you like your head? Safety on the track is the one think I won't scrimp on. I'll gladly put a $1500 cage in a $500 POS when I'm going to be hurtling around a racetrack at a 100MPH surrounded by 3000# battering rams and concrete walls.
This.
I was upset when I trashed my $750 Shoei at a track day, but glad it kept it to a concussion vs death.
I've got the dual density stuff on my Miata's roll bar. Just be aware it's really REALLY bulky. Makes the car feel a little claustrophobic with the top up, but anything to keep my brain from liquefying if I hit it.
Even the "soft" part of the dual density padding is much stiffer than the foam I've seen on a lot of roll bars. That stuff is more for when you accidentally clonk your head on the bar while getting groceries out of the back seat rather than however many G's you'd experience getting rear ended by an SUV at 45 mph.
ppddppdd wrote: I've got the dual density stuff on my Miata's roll bar. Just be aware it's really REALLY bulky. Makes the car feel a little claustrophobic with the top up, but anything to keep my brain from liquefying if I hit it. Even the "soft" part of the dual density padding is much stiffer than the foam I've seen on a lot of roll bars. That stuff is more for when you accidentally clonk your head on the bar while getting groceries out of the back seat rather than however many G's you'd experience getting rear ended by an SUV at 45 mph.
Getting groceries out of the back seat of the Miata?
Joey
Rob_Mopar wrote: You know, there probably was an easier way of testing your safety gear.
Yeah, the bitch sheared the LF balljoint while loaded going through T3B on the infield at Charlotte. Didn't realize the car had been a rally car before being converted to ITC, and all the links hadn't been replaced. Wife (ex-wife, for damn near 20yrs now) wanted me to spend less on racing..big mistake that I fell for it. Tried to partner up with somebody that scrimped on that homebuilt POS. Hit the drivers' left rail after the joint sheared under the load, half-endoed, and had about 4 rolls. I'm still glad that the thing didn't let go on the oval..
Anyhoo..just wanted to show Woody that you don't want to take chances with your gear, or your car's gear when you hit the track. If he's thinking about "pushing the envelope" hard enough at a track day to require a rollover structure in the first place, he needs to make sure it doesn't hurt him if something goes wrong.
Woody wrote: Never heard of the dual density stuff, but that sounds like the way I'll go. EDIT: Yikes! A buck an inch?!
PAY IT. Do I have to repost pix of my crash again?
IIRC the SFI is flame retardent. If you have fire you don't want molten plastic dripping on you.
I bit the bullet and ordered dual density stuff from Stable Energies. $30 for 3 feet, with free shipping for orders over $100. No affiliation, just a happy customer.
Woody wrote: I bit the bullet and ordered dual density stuff from Stable Energies. $30 for 3 feet, with free shipping for orders over $100. No affiliation, just a happy customer.
Not to ding the folks at Stable... they have great customer service but... $30 + shipping is way high.
Here it is... $18.50 at RPW... Longacre embossed SFI padding
I use that stuff in required locations and the Longacre high density non-sfi stuff ($12) everywhere else my tender extremities might wallop in case of barrel roll. There is no difference in fire retardation or density - it's just that the 18.50 ones have the SFI stamp embossed in the foam so the stewards can see it and so no questions at tech time.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:Woody wrote: I bit the bullet and ordered dual density stuff from Stable Energies. $30 for 3 feet, with free shipping for orders over $100. No affiliation, just a happy customer.Not to ding the folks at Stable... they have great customer service but... $30 + shipping is way high. Here it is... $18.50 at RPW... Longacre embossed SFI padding I use that stuff in required locations and the Longacre high density non-sfi stuff ($12) everywhere else my tender extremities might wallop in case of barrel roll. There is no difference in fire retardation or density - it's just that the 18.50 ones have the SFI stamp embossed in the foam so the stewards can see it and so no questions at tech time.
That's not the same stuff.
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