Bucket Seats / Cage

[Motorsport_is_Expensive]

I've got some bucket seats and harness to put in my 106 GTi, but no cage.

Has anyone had any experience with the following cage;

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/roll-cage...

(it's the four hundred quid base OMP weld in, if the link doesn't work)

Is it worth a go? It's a big outlay for me, but there's very few pictures of it on-line and I'm concerned it'll arrive and not be the cage I was expecting (I guess I'm too used to seeing full FIA spec monsters, which I can't afford)

From there, what's the general view on adding bucket seats + harness without a cage? Is it worth looking into a crossbar for the harness to link to? If so, where do I start looking?

Cheers,
Chris

Edited by Motorsport_is_Expensive on Tuesday 1st March 18:35

[radical78]

who is going to weld it in.this will only be as good as the welder who fits it suggest you speek to a couple of cage fabricators before you lay out 400 quid

[Motorsport_is_Expensive]

Had a quote from a classic car restoration place, so will be a professional job.

[Steve H]

My first question is why is it half the price of the other OMP cages for the 106? I know everything costs but by the time you've done all the work to get it in, bought seats and harnesses etc, a bit extra to make sure it's the proper thing might not be a bad investment.

For the shoulder harness mounts, I'd expect a decent cage to have the cross bars included given that most competition now requires use of HANS or similar devices and that in turn requires a fairly specific mounting angle.

I wouldn't recommend seats and straps without the cage, if you were unfortunate enough to roll and the roof came in you would be trapped in a fixed position, inertia belts allow sideways movement which reduces the risk in that situation.

This is the one I've got in my 106 - http://www.safetydevices.com/motorsport/products/r..., if I was doing it again I'd probably go the whole hog and fit the full weld-in job.

[R8Steve]

Steve H said:

My first question is why is it half the price of the other OMP cages for the 106?

It's to do with certification.

The only thing the cage in the link is certified for is Oberste Nationale Sportbehörde which is the former name for Germany's motor racing governing body. It's therefore not going to be any use for racing in this country but for track days/safety will probably do the job.

To future proof the car for whatever you end up using it for you might be better going for the FIA approved one for an extra £100. It is an additional 11kg's in weight however.

[Motorsport_is_Expensive]

Thanks for the replies.

So, it's looking like just shy of a grand for the full FIA spec cage (fitted)

The car cost £1400, three year ago. I'm trying to turn it into a cheap track toy. I know 'safety first' but does that sound like the... um... most cost effective option? That said, it would be nice to have the option to enter the odd hillclimb event.

[R8Steve]

Motorsport_is_Expensive said:

Thanks for the replies.

So, it's looking like just shy of a grand for the full FIA spec cage (fitted)

The car cost £1400, three year ago. I'm trying to turn it into a cheap track toy. I know 'safety first' but does that sound like the... um... most cost effective option? That said, it would be nice to have the option to enter the odd hillclimb event.

It shouldn't cost that much for fitting so if you were to get the FIA one for £540 inc vat (Demon Tweeks are always up for a bit of negotiation if you phone them) and say £150 for fitting you could probably get it done for about £650-£700.

Alternatively you could scan the classifieds/forums and see if you can pick up a second hand one. I'm not 100% sure on this but they may be the same as a Saxo which would broaden your search.

In regards to hillclimbs afaik you don't need to have an FIA approved cage, in fact, i don't believe there is a requirement for a cage at all. The last one i was at Pistonheads turned up in a brand new borrowed Fiesta ST for example http://www.pistonheads.com/news/motorsport/leaders...

If you are not doing circuit racing you'll not need an FIA/MSA approved cage so you can go for the cheaper OMP one if you want.

[Steve H]

R8Steve said:

It's to do with certification.

One assumes the certification is different for a reason........

If the difference is only £1-200 for the fia spec it does future-proof the job a bit and if that cage comes with the harness bars then you'll save a bit of money back and a chunk of time as well as getting a notably nicer final result.

OP, I understand what you are saying about a budget trackday car, unfortunately the mods always outstrip the original purchase by a fair amount.

[R8Steve]

Steve H said:

R8Steve said:

It's to do with certification.

One assumes the certification is different for a reason........

Of course, they are built to different specifications to meet criteria for the certification.

I assume the OP would know that you weren't just spending hundreds of pounds extra on a sticker.

[upsidedownmark]

Plus it cost the manufacturer a wedge of cash to get the cage certified, which they are trying to reclaim.. and if it's motorsport you must be rich, therefore ripe for a fleecing?

[Motorsport_is_Expensive]

Aye. I appreciate all the advice, fellas. Thanks.

I'll just sit tight until I can stretch to the OMP FIA one. I guess I'm just frustrated that money is tight right now and I can't press on with my new toy... first world problems and all that ; )