Caged e30

[ahriley91]

So I am pretty set on caging my e30 because I plan on tracking it at some point. Now my question is, what is the difference you felt in the stiffness in corners from stock? And I am looking to buy some new sways but can't decide between the 22mm front/19mm rear or 25mm front/22mm rear. With the cage, would the latter of the two sways be a little over kill? And If someone does have a cage, could I possibly get a ride to get a feel of it? Thanks in advance!

Adam

[LuckyHenriksen]

So I am pretty set on caging my e30 because I plan on tracking it at some point. Now my question is, what is the difference you felt in the stiffness in corners from stock? And I am looking to buy some new sways but can't decide between the 22mm front/19mm rear or 25mm front/22mm rear. With the cage, would the latter of the two sways be a little over kill? And If someone does have a cage, could I possibly get a ride to get a feel of it? Thanks in advance!

Adam

This going to be a track only car?

[BraveUlysses]

You might be better off getting the car on the track as-is and buying swaybars later. They are generally used to fine tune a suspension.

A cage will stiffen up a car significantly, especially older cars like an e30.

[ahriley91]

It may eventually become a track only car. This is the car I learn how to do everything on. And I want to weld in my own cage. I have a friend who's a certified welder who will be helping out. I'm going to be caging it regardless. I was just wondering what people who have cages would recommend for sways.

[Keith M]

Caged non race cars are a bad idea IMHO.
Your sway bar size depends a lot on your spring rates. Many of the pro3 cars run without a rear sway.

[James Crivellone]

If you are doing weekend lapping days in a non race environment a simple rollbar/harness bar will suffice (assuming you want better belts).

If you want a full cage I hope you plan on A) running the car in an actual race environment, and B) trailering it everywhere.

[10Toes]

Use PVC for the cage

[BraveUlysses]

Start with a rollbar and if you manage to drive 20 trackdays without crashing it, then you might be ready for a real cage and a truck to trailer it with.

Building a cage when you have no track experience is parking hard.

[priapism]

A cage like, doubles torsional stiffness. Best to get adjustable sways rather than worry about the size. I think I have a 19mm rear sway and most people have them full soft. I run mine only about 3/4" from full soft.

Do you intend on driving it on the street? If so, caging is a bad idea. Aside from the obvious problems of climbing in and out every time, you will hit your head on exposed metal points (which are now much closer) in the event of an accident. Better to stick with a roll hoop and lateral supports like strut towers or a half-cage that only covers the rear seat area.

[bmnut2002]

You might be better off getting the car on the track as-is and buying swaybars later. They are generally used to fine tune a suspension.

A cage will stiffen up a car significantly, especially older cars like an e30.

I would agree, get the car on track, then adjust parts needs. If you spend too much trying to build the car, you might not end up having the budget to get it on track.

If that isn't the direction you want to go, understand that bar choice is highly dependent on spring and shock choice, as well as tire size, vehicle weight, driver preference, etc. Also, I wouldn't bother with a rear bar. You might want to wait on buying them until you get further down the path of getting the car to the track.

[TobyB]

And I want to weld in my own cage.

I want to do my own dental work, too...

Sure, you can do it. But then it's not a street car, and unless you pick a rules set
and REALLY pay attention, you have a track car that's not a race car.
And THOSE are pretty much impossible to sell.

I've done enough cage work that I paid someone to cage my last project...

My '02. It's Atlantik...

t

[CHIF8008]

i cage hard bro.

[ahriley91]

Yeah. I'm going to actually take the advice. I think I'll just buy a bolt in cage. A lot of it is because I feel like it. The car is becoming more of a summer car more than anything because I got an e28 to daily.

[BraveUlysses]

No, you're not taking our advice if you're buying a bolt in cage. They are terrible.

Have you ever taken your car to the track? What's your level of experience right now?

[4ce30]

Man I drifted 2 full years without a cage on a track dedicated 30. I would recommend building your suspension the way you like it then buy a cage. The best upgrade for tracking is subframe re-enforcement and sways.