Track safety equipment

[kronus]

You want the kill switch to be reachable from the driver's seat, and also ideally from outside the car.

A common place I've seen is on the driver's A pillar of a cage. Since you have a half-cage, that doesn't work super well.

We have ours down by the e-brake, on a bracket welded to the trans tunnel. I've also seen them at the exact middle of the car, mounted on a plate welded between the main hoop diagonal and the main hoop cross bar.

It's a bit of a reach for any potential track crew, but if it's well-marked it should be fine.

[2mAn]

https://www.amazon.com/Fastronix-Cur...%2Bswitch&th=1

awesome, thank you.

So I ordered the SFI roll bar padding and the above kill switch.

Not intimidated by the roll bar padding, but the kill switch scares the crap out of me :(

Im thinking that I should mount it on the plastic trim thats on the passenger side, right behind where the battery junction is. Seems like the most logical place to kill the power that goes to the battery.

Thoughts, tips, suggestions before I screw this one up?

[kronus]

https://www.amazon.com/Fastronix-Cur...%2Bswitch&th=1

[2mAn]

Ok cool this is going somewhere!

The fire extinguisher setup is on hold for now but I'd like to finish ordering the padding and battery kill switch. I'm not seeing the two big two little switches on SummitRacing

[JimmyP]

I guess I will agree to each his own on the fire extinguisher options.
I don't see any situation where I would ever use one and to me I only see downside.

If I saw a car off track on fire even under yellow, I'm not pulling over on a hot track when I'm supposed to be circulating, getting unbuckled, jumping out of my car onto a hot track, unclipping my helmet, then unclipping my fire extinguisher and running to put out another car. Thats just me. Nowhere in comp school is that ever taught as the correct procedure.
Again, just me.

If I crash and my car catches fire I'm bailing out, not trying to unbuckle my fire extinguisher and put the car out.

If I can hit my fire system and buy myself the extra few seconds to get out that is what I am looking for. If I do manage to get out and my car is engaged in fire, I'm probably not diving back inside it to unclip my hand held to try and put it out.

I do keep one in my truck and one inside the door to my trailer for those reasons but not in the car, because the car will most likely be whats burning.

Thats just my take, obviously everyone has their own procedures and priorities.

[djjerme]

Yes,

I have seen use for both types first hand. Not to mention if another car is on fire, and they for what ever reason don't have a fire system, you can be a buddy by using yours.

I have both a fire system and a small bottle mounted on a quick release to the cage main hoop so that either I or a corner worker/bystander can pull the pin and remove it.

I also keep a small fire bottle in my street cars, just in case.

...and I agree with Kronus - never in my years of wheel to wheel racing, drag racing, street racing etc.. have I seen a loose fire extinguisher. Loose NOS bottles taking off like a rocket, yes.

[kronus]

We've had a 2-big-pole 2-small-pole kill switch in our car for about 6 years and it's been perfectly functional.

Big poles get spliced into battery feed. Small poles get spliced into the coil charge wire. Not hard..


We also have had a fire extinguisher in there for a similar amount of time. A suppression system is on our list of stuff to install due to race rule updates, but in all the car fires I've seen on track, it would not have made any difference because the vast majority have been caused by going off track into tallish grass and igniting it with exhaust heat. (a problem probably more relevant in CA rather than PA)

In those situations, a detachable extinguisher would help more, ironically.

Also, in 6 years * 4 races a year * ~15 hours of hot track per race * ~120 cars on track, I have not ever seen a loose extinguisher.

[JimmyP]

Them listing a Fire Extinguisher is f'n stupid for all the reasons I wrote above, but it is written in their rules so if you want to drive with them I guess you have to comply. Its a stupid rule though, totally a looks good on paper good, accomplish nothing TSA style rule.

The SFI padding is a truth, the pool noodle stuff is worthless.

The battery cut off switch is harder than it sounds to accomplish what it should.
A good tech inspector will have you rev your engine to 3000 RPM then hit your cut off and it should kill the engine. Most end up failing that test as alternator back feed keeps the engine running.

I tried a few different switches, and all the ones with two large a two small poles failed on me. The small 20 amp poles burned out.
I ultimately settled on a high amp single throw, 4 pole switch by Cole Hersee "Cole Hersee 75912-BX" which has 4 high amperage terminals.

If you search the internet you will read 1 million ways that guys wire cut off switches and all swear theirs is the only way. All I will tell you is how I have mine wired and it kills my car every-single-time. This switch has two input and two output poles (A In - A Out / B In - B Out)

A INPUT POLE - Main battery power
A OUTPUT POLE - Main power bus for everything but ECU power
B INPUT POLE - Jumper from A output pole
B OUTPUT POLE - ECU power

Thats how mine is wired, will kill the car from any RPM, anytime.
As I wrote you will read 1 meeeelion ways guys say to wire them with alternator capacitors, etc, etc. Take what you will from all of it and pick one that works for you.

[2mAn]

Do their rules specifically say you need a fire "extinguisher"?

That's what it looks like.

http://www.porscheclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Technical-Inspection-Form-2016.pdf

I'm going to focus on stuff I know needs to be replaced and go from there. I'm going to change this thread title to be more geared towards proper safety equipment rather than a singular focus.

That being said, I'm about to order the correct roll bar padding that is SFI certified and would like to also get a battery cut off switch done but would like recommendations from you guys first

[JimmyP]

Do their rules specifically say you need a fire "extinguisher"?

I'll write something you probably already know,,, fire "extinguishers" are a feel good sort of hand job in a TSA like way of thinking.
They make people and organizers feel protected but really don't do jack except give you another possible projectile in the cockpit.

Unless their rules specifically call out (in print) that you need a fire extinguisher to get on track with their club, i'd tell the tech guy politely to pound sand and save up and get a fire system (entry level systems are around $400) so that it may actually save you in a time of need.

Fire extinguishers will do little to help "you" and in an accident can possibly do you harm if the cheesy, flimsy metal strap made to hold it to your pantry wall gives way in a crash.

Fire system, even a simple push or pull manual system can buy you critical time you need to get out of the car if something goes badly.

I'm sure you probably know all this, I see your posts in the track section when I visit this site, but maybe it helps to read it.
Unless they "make" you install one and I'd protest it before doing it,,, I wouldn't ever bother with a hand held "extinguisher".

[2mAn]

Was at the track yesterday and the tech was giving me a hard time about no fire extinguisher. It's something I was planning on doing, I guess it's time to move it up the list.

I'm not quite ready for a $500+ fire suppression setup so what's a good starter setup?