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Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:44 pm
by Martinracing98
DavidNJ wrote:The price was from Lefthander Chassis.

Seat belts stretch. I had a wreck in 2001 where I bent the steering wheel inside out and my pre-HANS helmet hit the front roll cage hoop. Wrapped the radiator around the engine. Cracked a brake rotor.

I don't think the SRF chassis meets current SCCA GCR standards...but that is about to be another post.



I agree belts stretch a lot. But 15" would surprise me. Bending the steering wheel would not surprise me at all. Prior to hans I think it was very possible to get the helmet well ahead of the body. Hitting the front hoop sounds like quite a hit, much more imaginable than getting my chest to the steering wheel hub.

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:12 am
by DavidNJ
Necks stretch also.

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:36 pm
by Dave Skinner
Quote: "Seat belts stretch. I had a wreck in 2001 where I bent the steering wheel inside out and my pre-HANS helmet hit the front roll cage hoop. Wrapped the radiator around the engine. Cracked a brake rotor."

If you "wrapped the radiator around the engine", you're not driving an SRF or GEN III. Please make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you discuss crashing race cars. I've seen plenty of steering wheels bent on SRFs from drivers holding on tightly and slamming their hands/arms/upper torso forward in a front end crash, but I've never run across a driver who has gotten his chest or helmet into the steering wheel, let alone the front roll bar (ahead of the steering wheel on an SRF/GEN III), HANS or no.

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:55 am
by Greg-Cirillo
DavidNJ wrote:
I don't think the SRF chassis meets current SCCA GCR standards...but that is about to be another post.


In a perfect world, the safety of a race car frame would be tested by having hundreds of the type racing for decades, with real world crash experience. :roll:

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 2:55 pm
by Dave Skinner
I totally agree with you, Greg Cirillo.

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:15 pm
by steve kramer
Greg-Cirillo wrote:
DavidNJ wrote:
I don't think the SRF chassis meets current SCCA GCR standards...but that is about to be another post.


In a perfect world, the safety of a race car frame would be tested by having hundreds of the type racing for decades, with real world crash experience. :roll:


Awesome, Greg, just awesome!

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:06 pm
by Greg-Cirillo
Dave Skinner wrote:I totally agree with you, Greg Cirillo.


Lots of cars (800), lots of years (40), and LOTS of contact. The last point is not trivial. We test our cars' crashworthiness more than any other formula or sports racer class. :o

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:27 pm
by Jerry A.
Not sure what they are up to now, but saw chassis # 900 the other day at Thunderhill. Pretty Cool 8-)

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 6:01 pm
by Lee Spuhler
Totally agree also

AND

I would respectfully suggest that the car owner members of this forum JUST STOP responding to what I would characterize as uninformed inflammatory issues that have NO MERIT from a non car owner with no experience.

Mr njdavid has no clue. That's from a man who has owned a car since 1984!

Re: Is a collapsible steering column allowed?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:05 pm
by DavidNJ
Lee Spuhler wrote:Totally agree also

AND

I would respectfully suggest that the car owner members of this forum JUST STOP responding to what I would characterize as uninformed inflammatory issues that have NO MERIT from a non car owner with no experience.

Mr njdavid has no clue. That's from a man who has owned a car since 1984!


Umm...1984. Answering machines, music was on cassettes, and VCR/Betamax players were relatively new. People carried change to use the pay phones...in phone booths. IBM introduced the PC/AT with 16MB of memory, a 30GB hard drive, and a 12" 640x480 SVGA video card. And a 1200 baud modem.

Now phone messages are stored in the cloud, audio is streamed from the cloud, and everyone carries a computer/phone/video camera in their pocket...with 4Gb of memory, 64GB of solid state disk, connectively at 4Mb/s over 4G and maybe 100Mb/s over WiFi, and a 4k screen.

Other than making the tall man bar mandatory and the optional Butler seat, what safety feature has changed on your SRF?