Fire extinguisher

I don't have a recommendation for type but for size I would not go smaller than 2.5 lbs. (and please don't put a Ferrari sticker on it!)

 

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I've bought the 2.5# Halon 1211 from this outfit.
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http://www.chiefaircraft.com/airsec/Aircraft/Accessories/FireExtinguisher.html
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Mine is extremely easy to reach between the driver's door and seat with fabricated bracket using the seat bolts. Most place it ahead of the passenger's seat which IMHO is the most difficult place to get to. Search 'bracket extinguisher' for pictures.
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Right. I have a 2.5 lb Halon extinguisher mounted on a Charness Harness in my 308...

http://www.tradetutor.com/raceprep/
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#1: Having any fire extinguisher today is better than debating the best one over another while having none.

#2: Having an automatic fire extinguisher in the engine bay is better than any type of manual extinguisher in the cockpit.

#3: Having an automatic fire extinguisher in the engine bay is better than a cable pull or electricly activated extinguisher in the engine bay (automatic extinguishers will put out a fire even if you are unconscious from a wreck, unable to pull a cable or press a button).

My advice: buy whatever small extinguisher fits into your "does not bother me to spend this amount out of my pocket today" budget, then upgrade later. I've got one handheld ABCD unit in one of my cars that only cost $8 at Lowes. It fits inside the armrest!


Ignore people who kvetch about not being able or worth it to save a car...that should have no bearing on the debate.

What an extinguisher does is provide you and any passengers extra time to escape a car fire. Along this line of thought, an automatic fire extinguisher in your engine bay and a handheld unit in the cockpit approaches ideal.

 

"Ignore people who kvetch about not being able or worth it to save a car...that should have no bearing on the debate."

Scary stuff...I've personally seen two engine compartment fires at a dragstrip where I raced for years where two guys were permanently facially disfigured for choosing to try to save cars instead of themselves. They lost their faces and the cars...

If your car ends up with an engine compartment fire, the safest thing to do is LEAVE, not fool around with a manual hand-held fire extinguisher. However, if you choose to fight the fire, remember that the WORST and most dangerous thing you can do for an engine compartment fire is open the hood. This, in both cases is what they did. The only way to safely deal with this is to just crack the hood open as little as possible and shoot the extinguisher through the opening.

Opening the hood can cause a dramatic flare up which can blow up in your face and though looking really cool on some nearby A$$wholes cell phone video, will ruin your day way worse than a destroyed car.

But as we often say - it's your car and what you choose to do with it or for it is your business.

 

Where are you coming from?

You don't try to save the car. You don't lift the hood open by hand. A manual fire extinguisher is for the *cockpit* if you are trapped inside, not for popping the hood and spraying the engine fire manually. It's a last resort.

In contrast, your automatic fire extinguisher is for your engine compartment. Whether it saves your car or not is beside the point. Fire extinguishers are for giving you more time to escape a car fire, a point which you seemed to miss entirely above, even while trying to make it yourself.

 

"Where are you coming from?"

Exactly where you are, I guess...

Your statement, "Ignore people who kvetch about not being able or worth it to save a car..." sounded to me like you were specifically advocating that saving the car was the whole issue. I apologize for misunderstanding.

 

The case against the $8 Lowe's special...I had to use my Halon FE. Electrical, not a fuel fire. No cleanup. The $8 special leaves a mess enough to want to abandon the car.

FYI I was carrying a huge monitor wedged in the passenger well and it evidently pinched some some wires in the conter console harness. When you at speed and have smoke coming out from under the dash, it's nice to have something to handle the situation and I don't mind having to replace the FE with another.

Lesson - although they may be more spectacular, all fires are NOT fuel. Having no cleanup is well worth the extra expense of Halon.

 

With a 308 opening the engine compartment cover would only allow direct access to a specific spot , , even while having the cover closed those vents in the top would have their plus's and minus's when fighting a fire .......... they may be a good place to spray haylon into , , then again if a fireball is going to erupt then it obviously come from there also ....

I prefer the auto haylon system for the engine bay , , , that moves to the top of the wish list once work starts next month. (I have a handheld already to make me feel better)

 

HEY, I think that chrome wheels look good on my Mondial (he said sacrilegiously).

 

I purchased mine from them...speak with Don. Polished stainless steel canister with a period correct appearance.