Removable roll bar for F355 Spider track day - where to buy?

I don't see how a track day (i.e. welded in) roll bar can end up removable for the rest of the time. The Spyder is not a track worthy car (stiffness and safety). If you want a track worthy car, get a berlinetta.

 

Best to have one made

Remember you will need to have plates welded in so the bar or cage can bolt to it.

I was going to do my spider but the cat is super clean so I just went and bought 3 more with roofs to track LOL

Try to find a track that just requires the top up, more and more track days are permitting this now.

 

That's ridiculous. Track worthy? Where do you get your parameters for what is track worthy snd what isn't.

I have been in the track in s 430 spider with the built in hoops and that car is " track worthy".

Ridiculous comment.

If the op can figure out a way to add the roll
Bar safety feature a f355 Spider is as "track worthy" as any other variant.

He isn't talking about entering a challenge series. I would think he's thinking of taking his performance car on an unrestricted speed limit track fit high speed enjoyment. The early Ferrari race cars were all spiders. How many weekend track 355s have you seen roll ?

Granted a roll bar is a given additional safety feature but to say the car is not track worthy because it doesn't have a top is just absurd.

 

So, you want the illusion of safety so you can drive fast on track without actually have a life saving feature in/on the car !?!

As someone who has left the road on a HPDE track day at over 100 MPH pointed at the armco and survived, I advise you to don't let the illusion of safety dull the actual installation of safety. I saved mine from a big wreck, but just barely. I also have a witness from the passenger seat.

I also don't drive that fast at/on track days anymore--not unless I am in a car with real roll cage, fire extinguisher, and only on tracks where the ambulance is 30 seconds away.

 

Bob, I think "track worthy" these days means more along the lines of managing one's (or the track's) liability risk...When I was running/teaching driving schools at The Glenn, convertibles were frowned upon as roll over protection was virtually non-existent. If a cage was in place, the story was a bit different. The "red mist" tends to take over on the track and most (of us mere mortals) need all of the safety we can surround ourselves with.

Of course, YMMV...

 

I hear you clearly. I am not disputing the added safety of a roll bar.

I cannot speak for the OP and I have not tracked my car but if I was looking for a "track" experience it would be for an experience of unrestricted speed limits and not necessarily a race scenario.

if the OP can add a roll bar to his car that is adequate then his spider is as Track worthy for an experience as I described as Berlinetta is.

 

The real truth is a trace day for the most part, is a day driving a few percent over what people illegally do on the road, legally. Not allowing spiders as-is, is all about legal liability. Right, wrong or indifferent.

 

I'm chiming in on the track worthiness comment. A spider is every bit as track worthy as a coupe with or without roll bar in a normal club-type circumstance. Your personal capacity for risk and that of the sponsoring group is another. Very few clubs or sponsors will allow a spider on circuit without rollover protection. Some insist on a roll bar with specific specifications. The BMW club in CA, for example, bans them no matter what, but you can autocross them. FCA and FOC make allowances depending. SCCA has the 2" rule for the distance between your helmet and ground, assuming you were inverted. That's a weird one. Wonder how they measured that...

As for the driving characteristics, any late model Ferrari spider is going to be road worthy and fun on the track. You might not have the same level of stiffness as a coupe, but you should be fine in a DE event. Just don't race it without a whole lot of chassis work.

Again, it falls back on 2 issues: risk of injury in the case of a mishap and the car's on-track performance. Neither of these are deal killers for me, but I did sell my 348 Spider based on this issue, not that a Targa top is any better if the guano hits the blades.

 

You can make most cars safe. The 355 spyder is one of them but you will ruin its concourse quality. I see cars as units for me to enjoy. I never worry about resale only my fun with the car. That said as an SCCA national club racer and builder of several racecars, if is was going to casually track a spyder this is what I would do. Weld in pintle box for bolt in 4 pt rollover hoop with custom height harness bar. I would weld front cage footing around where the challenge cars had them but on the sill plate. This would give the rollover hoop support so it does not fold while offering the driver some side impact protection. A custom height harness bar fitted for the driver wearing a hans device. Today harness belts stretch much less than the old days of nylon and the neck snapping torques of crashes is mitigated with hans. As a more advanced feature I would have slide in elements attaching to the rollover hoop to simulate a full containment seat while still using your stock seat or fia plastic race seat. This 4 pt 1/2 cage would be bolt in and not live in the car 24/7 but put in day before even. The only think welded to the car is the pintle box for hoop footing and front pads for the down tubes. This will not be cheap to fabricate but not much more than ferraris lame cages and you will be safer. I commend the op for thinking about being safe on track.

 

What do you think about tubing couplers, as an easy way to remove a rollbar/cage?

You know, the ones you weld to each end, they couple together, than screw together... Base plate welded/bolted to car...

I know you can't use them for racing, as the roll bar has to be one piece. But might be a reasonable compromise for a HPDE car?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tgi-180111-kit?seid=srese1&gclid=CPGR1Iblic0CFVGAaQodBUAMNQ

 

When I was building dragsters back in the late 80s, early 90's, NHRA / IHRA, etc had an extensive rule book. I recall a similar one for SCCA when I was looking to build my own Formula 2000. Most tracks will require homologation based on the series / class the car runs in.

 

And sometimes it doesn't matter if you have a coupe -and- a roll bar....
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Track day car not race car OMG

I assume no one ever ran a bike on a track

Hospital stays are nice you get that well deserved rest
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Of course there is a difference! Just saying that a bolt in bar isn't always going to help things if not done correctly.

Probably best to just not roll over

 

Wow... roll bar punched right through the bottom...

Ouch. Anyone survive?

 

They are terrific in general but I don't know about those specifically. These couplers are best used for removable door bars or tight bolt together bolt in cages. They are seen more offroad and HPDE or home builds where rules are non-existent. In this case of a spyder the cheapest most bang for the buck is as I laid out. If you have a traditional 4 pt. Rear 1/2 cage and want to add door bars the coupler is a way to do it but there are others. The original 348C cages were like that where couplers where the bolt points for the halo and A piller bars and the door bars making a bolt in 6 pt cage. It stiffened the 348 but not as significantly as welding a cage. Then welding to the shock towers make it amazing. If doind a spyder I would follow loosly an SCCA spec. Cars over 3000lbs use 1.75" x 0.120 wall dom tubing with min heght 2" over driver's helmeted head strapped in car. Don't forget to reinforce the seat mounts and add fixtures to make double shear lap and submarine anchors. Race seat use formula style 6pt or scroth hybrid 6pt. Stock seat run the harness parachute style.

There is nothing more difficult than building a dual use car. A streetcar or a racecar is much easier.

 

That was a poseur car with bad cage install despite being professionally done. Nobody died shows it is better to be lucky than smart. This is why I suggested using pintle box for the rollover hoop feet and sill plate for anterior downtube anchor and reinforce the seat mounts for the ops 355spyder. People need to think like chess when fabricating. Checkers can get you killed.

 

I think mot of this thread is discussing track day as in race. It looks to me that the OP was referring to DE or open events for enthusiasts. In that case, the degree of risk would be dialed down.

 

I have a half roll cage if interested. Came from a gts

 

Yes but simple failures can put you in a cement wall. These are 150mph cars. Minimal safety gear is a good idea. You either keep stock safety systems are tread into the dangerous area of dual use. It is not easy. Driver and attitude most importantly will keep you safe.

 

I agree with fbb but also with vince. My feeling is if you driving you spider fast enough to need a roll bar you should slow down.

When we all went to chuck i dont think i saw anyone in danger of a serious crash. My opinions on a roll bar would be to help you if someone else did something causing you to roll, which can happen

 

We all accept certain personal levels of risk. Sponsors of event dictate the level of risk they are willing to support. Make your choice. For me in a DE with a Spider, I'd just drive and keep my eyes open. The odds of you being in a wreck are extremely remote. Don't let FBB scare you into something you don't need. He might need it, but he's a known demolisher of cars and lightening rod for mishaps.

 

This is true I have seen it first hand.

 

Which is why I am so safety aware and hate porsches at the same time. I learned that minding my own business was not enough and my self welded rollcage was a good call. I was racing however and vince is right. The driver mitigates most issues but there is nothing wrong with a bit more safety. It is pretty easy and low cost when you consider a set of tires is only good for 1 race. You can track cheaply but there are always compromises.