Half cage in street car - legal?

[iOnic]

Few knowledgeable people here when it comes to road and motorsport rules so I hope you can help.

From memory you used to be able to fit a half cage/"rollbar" to a vehicle without having to involve the LVVTA. You were also able to do so without losing the ability to get a WOF if it met a series of guidelines that basically asked for it to be positioned so that your head could not be smashed like a melon on it.

Is this still the case? Does it make a difference whether it's a bolt-in (not to be confused with a "bolt-together") or weld-in item?

What about on the MSNZ side of things? Are they bothered about this/even involved for a casual trackday car?

Thanks in advance

[STR]

Depends on the car. From memory it doesn't need to be certed if the whole cage is behind the rear-most seats, so if it's a 2 seater to begin with, then it doesn't, provided no part of the cage comes within 100mm of the rear most seats.

If it's a 4 seater, and you're removing rear seats / seatbelts / seatbelt anchorages then yes, it needs an LVVTA cert.

You could get a bolt-in cage and unbolt it for WOFs I guess, but personally I don't think bolt in cages are worth their weight in goat shit.

I could stand corrected though, as that's just off the top of my head from a year or two ago.

[Rob_GTZ]

Half cage is legal & does not require cert if it meets criteria as detailed in VIRM

Roll-bar or roll-cage structures (roll protection or cosmetic)

each seating position is fitted with an effective head restraint, and
the bars are positioned:
– behind, following a plane extending upward, parallel to the back of the backrest on the rear-most seat, and

– in such a way that the head restraint would provide protection from head contact with any bar section during a crash.

Removing rear seats/seatbelts does not require cert. You must remove the whole lot together.

As far as Motorsport goes, having a bolt in/non approved rollbar is about the same as having no rollbar. Waste of time.

[wde_bdy]

From memory, a half (or full) cage without paperwork will get you no entry to ANY Motorsport NZ sanctioned event (whether a cage is a requirement or not). Track days are different and will depend on what basis they are run on. There may have been some changes to that since I last ran anything.

Callum

[CAMB01]

Half cages do not require an authority card from MSNZ. I am unsure about wofs, but I believe they don't require a cert either.

[wde_bdy]

As I said I'm a little out of date (hopefully someone can confirm this is current), a half cage won't require an authority card but still needs homologation in order to use the car in Motorsport NZ sanctioned events.

Callum

[fangsport]

As I said I'm a little out of date (hopefully someone can confirm this is current), a half cage won't require an authority card but still needs homologation in order to use the car in Motorsport NZ sanctioned events.

Callum

and unless your a tosspot. why would one have a half cage unless they were to do motorsport events ??

[diss7]

why would one have a half cage unless they were to do motorsport events ??

Some people have street cars that do see some track action, but at least want a half cage incase of roll over.

[wde_bdy]

and unless your a tosspot. why would one have a half cage unless they were to do motorsport events ??

Plenty of people do non Motorsport NZ events, private hire track days etc that don't require a homologated cage. I had a half caged car show up to a grass event that I had to turn away, couldn't let a T bucket hot rod into a 400m sprint I ran as they had a roll bar on the back of it.

Callum

[iOnic]

Sounds like the rules havent changed with regard to WOF which is good.
With regard to MSNZ events, I don't think private trackdays/playdays have anything to do with them? That's all I plan to do.

I don't think I'm a tosspot but you never know. Why is a half cage a waste of time? Would it be safer to roll without one? Might save me some expense if so.

[wde_bdy]

For private hire days you will be fine, but if you can get it homologated then it doesn't limit you later (homologation would be needed even for a motorkhana). Personally I don't like half cages as you effectively remove half the crush structure of the roof and without matching it with harnesses, helmets etc you can be at more risk in an ordinary road crash.

Callum

[92mr2paddy]

if your doing it for safety for trackdays then i wouldnt bother with a half cage as its not that safe compared to full cage, my cage doesnt have any homologation papers and i can do track days no problems (just havent got the papers done lol) just not msnz events but meh.

getting it certed wont be too expensive ontop of an already expensive mod like a cage.

[fangsport]

Sounds like the rules havent changed with regard to WOF which is good.
With regard to MSNZ events, I don't think private trackdays/playdays have anything to do with them? That's all I plan to do.

I don't think I'm a tosspot but you never know. Why is a half cage a waste of time? Would it be safer to roll without one? Might save me some expense if so.

unsure about you guys, but trackdays and playdays would be considered motorsport, would they not.

more a reference to tosspots in a street only car that claim they are a hard out racer or need the additional bracing for when the vtax/trubo boost etc kicks in.

[Distrb]

With regard to MSNZ events, I don't think private trackdays/playdays have anything to do with them?

Not unless any of them run under a msnz permit for the day

Tbh I reckon the time and money spent on a half cage is better off spent elsewhere on the vehicle, but whatever floats your boat

[iOnic]

I dont mind certing/homologation etc if I have to.
Not worried about cost or time/effort. Pretty much only interested in the legal side of things and I think I just found the answers I need.

http://nzhondas.com/general-discussion/ ... hread.html

Thanks bros

[Mr Revhead]

You actually read all that to find answers?

[iOnic]

Nah answers were given here already. Skimmed through that and picked out the bits worth reading in amongst the constant flamewar that is NZH

[Stealer Of Souls]

I have done this to my car (apparently I could be a tosspot).

AE86.
Half cages are WOF-able without MSNZ card. As posted if wholly behind rear most seats then no cert should be required.
T-e-c-h-n-i-c-a-l-l-y you don't need cert if you remove rear seats and seat belts. BUT, I had issues with some WOF places, plenty of them didn't know the specifics of the rules (I had a WOF manual, but I don't know if the rules have changed since I sorted out mine), others are just plain cautious.
If you're removing the rear seats and fitting half cage, it's worth looking in to the need for a cert with your specific WOF people first. Best to get their opinion so you don't have the running battles I had ("Show me in the WOF manual where it says that!" "No I don't have to!").

As far as homologation. Personally I don't see much reason to not build a cage that is homologatable (is that even a word?).
Which reminds me that to this day I haven't filed my papers......