full roll cage v's strut and sway bars

**Cartoon** · 09-01-2006 11:17 PM

Ok whats the better option to increase handeling, lets put the legal issues aside for now.

i can get a full cage for 2400 with the ceft. required, or i can buy some crazy strut bars (front n rear) for about 1k + shipping then need sway bars n tie rods.

just wondering what you views are on which way to go

**bennjamin** · 09-01-2006 11:26 PM

IMO a "roll cage" will make the car handle worse...it needs natural flex thru the sussy and chassis to aid in cornerign and balance etc.
just a rear swaybar and rear strut bar + nice sussy / tyres / wheels is enough.

Unless you are doign it "to show off" then you can justify sticking a roll cage in there.

**Cartoon** · 09-01-2006 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by bennjamin

IMO a "roll cage" will make the car handle worse...it needs natural flex thru the sussy and chassis to aid in cornerign and balance etc.
just a rear swaybar and rear strut bar + nice sussy / tyres / wheels is enough.

Unless you are doign it "to show off" then you can justify sticking a roll cage in there.

na dun wanna show off, jst make it handel well, y do u say jst rear strut and sway bar????
BTW its for a vti teg

**EG5[KRT]** · 10-01-2006 12:03 AM

why do race cars have roll cages then ?? just for show ??

they stiffen up the whole chassis so the car doesnt have much flex and can b stable at high speeds...

for a street car yes its just for show but if its for track then yes i think go the full cage...

**Slow96GSR** · 10-01-2006 04:01 AM

Because most race cars are a tube frame and the roll cage is a part of the frame. What Cartoon is asking about would be an aftermarket roll cage. All it is made to do is go in and bolt wherever it can to help protect the driver. If he were in a really bad accident it wouldn't help as much as a roll cage built in to the frame of the car like in nascar. It might help keep him alive but not help the car one bit. Now if he is just wanting to make the car handle better then just upper and lower, front and rear sway bars will do it along with springs and shocks and a camber/caster kit to align the car. If he wants to build a racecar then the frame is built with 1.75"/+dia5/53"+thick chromoly and bent/welded to form the car. Cost for a 94+ teg about $30K for a rolling chassis.

**Terry** · 10-01-2006 08:02 AM

roll cage is not for handling.......is for drivers safty.....dont mix it up.

roll cage will make your car a bit more understeer

**fly_vti** · 10-01-2006 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Terry

roll cage is not for handling.......is for drivers safty.....dont mix it up.

roll cage will make your car a bit more understeer

i think hes right, wtf does a roll cage do? its only there to protect the roof from collapsing on a roll.. thats why they call it a ROLL CAGE. not a handling cage. its to protect driver. if you track your car and drive high speeds, i recommend it.

**Slow96GSR** · 10-01-2006 08:42 AM

All cars here in the U.S. that will be on the race track for street style racing and drag cars that go faster than 11 seconds have to have a 7 point roll cage. Any faster require more points. Now the rules may change at any time and my be different at each venue but that's avg. As for street cars they have nothing and it's illegal to drive a car with a roll cage on the streets.

If you are building a race car from scratch meaning all you have is a shell you would build in a roll cage. That would then and only then stiffen the car. It would all get welded in and become a part of the frame. But I believe what you all are talking about is taking a stock car and putting one in. This will do nothing except keep you safer in a roll, side impact, as well as a front and rear impact.

**egads** · 10-01-2006 08:57 AM

i agree that the roll cage isnt really necessary for road use, so yeah go the crazy 1k strut bars. what brand/kind of bars are they? miracle cross bar?

**bennjamin** · 10-01-2006 11:35 AM

roll cages are just for that....ROLLING protection etc at speed. Nothing to do with handling

Anyway , to make your car handle better start with what i mentioned earlier -

IMO a "roll cage" will make the car handle worse...it needs natural flex thru the sussy and chassis to aid in cornerign and balance etc.
just a rear swaybar and rear strut bar + nice sussy / tyres / wheels is enough.

**BlitZ** · 10-01-2006 01:05 PM

Roll cage is for protection ....

But i dont see why it would help in handling

Making your chasis stiffer would definitly help handling.. if not, why not?.

I have read many posts about how a roll cage would impove handling about 100% in a 71 ke20 corolla (i use to have one - there chasis's are weak)...

I dont see why it shouldnt... Its almost like your saying seam welding your car does not increase handling...

Just my 2 cents... correct me if you think im wrong

**Hondavirgin** · 10-01-2006 01:07 PM

The roll cage does stiffen the chassis, as a side effect to its main purpose of safety. I would think this would then put more stress on the tyres (more turning force or whatever put through them), so if you had tyres up to the job it would help handling too....

of course, this is just me thinking out loud.