Fire Extinguishers

Mounting the fire extinguisher front of the passenger seat to me is lazy because it the easiest but fails the overall function test considering all possibilities. Put an excited passenger in the seat searching for the door handle and it's tough for the driver to remove an extinguisher amid flailing legs. Also if you are outside the car with windows up and it's a difficult place to remove it from and if you run to the passenger side do you then run back to the driver's side to open the engine hatch?

Yes, it takes more effort to make a bracket which mounts the extinguisher between the driver's seat and the driver's door. But as the driver, I want to get that extinguisher quick whether I'm in the seat or outside the car. I can even reach into an open driver's window and extract it fast.

I can't imagine any reason not to open the engine hatch especially if you want to direct halon to smother the engine area. If you don't want to open the hatch, don't buy an extinguisher. Positioning...to open the hatch either you need an open driver's door with extinguisher right there...or pull the hatch secondary cable through the open window with extinguisher right there.

Putting the extinguisher in the passenger seat front looks cool for those who like looking cool. I have an extinguisher present for use and could care less that a passerby doesn't see my mount. I'm about function.

 

I'm not convinced you could fit a decent sized extinguisher in that position on a 328 & even if you could I suspect it might make getting in & out the car quite difficult. Over here people generally go with 2 Litre AFFF foam extinguishers. Avoid powder.

 

Are they floor mounted also Iain?

 

In front of the passenger seat. Mine is attached to the seat adjuster bar with some Velcro straps.

In fact in Europe Halon extinguishers are illegal & have been since 2001/2 I think. All Halon extinguishers were supposed to be decomissioned by 2003.

So it went much the same way as R12 Aircon gas - everybody got rid of them except for the US.

 

You forgot to mention cadmium plating....

 

The question to be asked is what are you trying to achieve with an extinquisher? That may sound stupid, but the answer will direct you to the right solution. Are you trying to buy time to get the passangers out of a car that is on fire, or are you also trying to "save" the car. Let's assume you have a gas fire in the engine compartment. Personally, the last thing I would want to do is open the engine lid and get my face burned off. Opening the lid will also introduce more air to the fire - a flair up is not good. A more viable solution is to mount a fire suppressions bottle/ system in the engine compartment with manual activation. You can also extend a nozzle into the passenger compartment. Check out your local speed and racing shops. I see that Summit Racing have multiple solutions - give them a call.

The picture is from my track car with the bottle mounted forward and nozzles in passenger and engine compartments.
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"I can't imagine any reason not to open the engine hatch especially if you want to direct halon to smother the engine area."

Severe burns due to the flareup when you lift the hood is the reason NOT to do that. If you insist on trying to do this, crack the hood and direct the extinguishing agent in via that crack. DO NOT just lift the hood. I have seen several examples on the track of really serious injuries caused by folks leaping out of the car, grabbing an extinguisher and popping the hood.

Admittedly, on most of these cars the hood vents probably ensure there is a decent amount of air to feed a fire but it's still contained within the confines of the engine compartment and can't flash in your face.

I've seen a motorcycle catch fire that 4 guys with extinguishers couldn't put out so don't succumb to the idea that some little hand held extinguisher is going to save your car. Just save yourself and enjoy the show.

 

I think this is dead right. If my car ever did catch fire in the engine bay I'd be very hesitant to lift the engine lid, especially if it was obviousl that it was fuel or oil related. Instead I'd be aiming the extinghisher down at the vents in the rear deck in the hope of being able to block the airflow with foam & suffocate the thing. If the fire is that big that you can't do this then then car is most likely gone anyway.

I think if you really want a car saving extinguisher then you need to a fixed system as described.

Otherwise, for the cost of the thing its worth carrying a handheld anyway. It could deal with something like a brake fire or cabin electrical fire or maybe something getting stuck in the exhaust - or indeed to help somebody else.

 

Think we can still get that done - its used in the aircraft industry a lot I think

 

I have short legs and because my driver's seat is not all the way back, there is plenty of space behind my seat for my fire extinguisher. Mine is simply lying on the floor. Not enough space for it to roll around, and no fancy clamps to undo if I need it. Low tech, but seems fine to me.

I have one comment about flare ups while opening the engine cover. On the 308/328 there are massive vents in the lid for gasses to escape, and air goes into a fire quite readily from underneath the car. I doubt the thing will flare up all that much when you open the lid as you are not really vastly increasing the ability of the fire to breathe when you open it. I could be wrong...just a thought. On a car with a normal hood, I can see it, but not really on a 308/328. The hood is half vent to start with!

A friend of mine (and fchatter) had a carb 308 catch on fire a few years ago because of a bad fuel line. He grabbed his son out of the passenger seat, jumped out of the car, and lifted the engine lid to put the fire out. No big flare up. Unfortunately, the car was not able to be saved--he had no fire extinguisher and was waiting for the fire dept.

Birdman

 

So is Halon.... maybe I should ask my employer for a nice extinguisher.....