Half or Full cage

[Terry Everall]

Its not difficult to get in and out of  a full cage.

[Boombang]

Having seen photos of a VX220 going under a barrier in an accident, and the driver somehow walking away (bearing in mind the screen is only bonded on), I'm hugely concerned with buying and driving a Westy with no cage.

Had he been in a Westfield he'd be dead no doubt.

You do however bring other danger into play with a cage and have to seriously consider if you could strike your head on the cage in an accident, and if therefore you may need a helmet at all times when driving.

[Terry Everall]

You can buy special padding for cages if you want 

[AdamR]

Not too expensive ether - got mine for £6 a metre (plus VAT) from Rally Design. The bore is off-centre to give maximum protection.

[Welly Jen]

Insurance companies want to know if a Westfield has a cage, or not. I think cars with cages get higher premiums. If so, is that because they are in more accidents? I would have thought that the damage to other people, vehicles and objects would be the same. The car itself would be no harder to repair. Different survival rates, or types of injuries to the occupants? Just presumption with insufficient data to back it up by the companies? Based on data from road going rally cars with internal cages?

Jen

[AdamR]

I think cars with cages get higher premiums. If so, is that because they are in more accidents?

 

 

It's probably because insurance companies 'just can'. Fleecing scammers!

[Boombang]

You can buy special padding for cages if you want 

 

Two typical types - the thick foam stuff or the thinner hard rubber type (e.g. Safety Devices).

 

The thick foam is ideal for very light impacts.  From experience however in a hard impact it compresses and offers very little protection from the metal underneath.  It does stop helmet damage if you catch the cage getting in or out though.

 

The thinner hard rubber type spreads the impact through the material perpendical to the impact strike, so is better for harder impacts (i.e. helmet hitting cage).  It doesn't have that slight give like the foam, this makes it less friendly for non-protected body parts in low impacts and means you could damage a helmet getting out of a car or at low impact strikes.

 

Not too expensive ether - got mine for £6 a metre (plus VAT) from Rally Design. The bore is off-centre to give maximum protection.

[cast iron]

full cage, dont even think about it

[alexander72]

I had a sporting trials car for years - rolled it twice a season front to back and three times side to side - it had no roll bar - just a  spare tyre on the back and gave me no problems - put a bar on it and it landed on my arm and snapped it… the tyre just bruised it.

 

I'd love a full cage on my westy :-) 

[TAFKARM]

May as well tack this on the end of this thread - I'm going for a cage next year, what are the best options? (I want it fitted too)

[Terry Everall]

Playskool

[SteveD]

having seen a westfield  fitted with a standard roll hoop that had gone under the metal cable they have on central reservations ,i can say it was not nice at all it had cut through the bonnet ,noscone,rad,rocker cover,scuttle and upto the screen pillar then the car had then spun and it had cut the rear upto the roll hoop ,the screen pillar did not stop the cable from going further it was just the car spinning ,he was a very lucky guy and it could of been much much worse ,

a freak accident i know but makes you think even a full cage on the road is the right decission as has already been said you have no protection infont of you above hip height as its just fiberglass and bolt on bits that offer no protection at all and for side inpact there is no protection at all apart from a piece of box section

[alexander72]

I'm going full cage - Mind made up, Will call Luke at Playskool in Jan unless anyone has a narrow cage laying about? 

[Boombang]

Found the photos of the VX220 accident I was referring too - another freak accident.  Straight line, driver fed in power and bang.  Until saw the below a few weeks back I would have been happy running a Westfield with no cage, changed my mind very quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pickmaster Andy Lowe]

I've been looking around and while I think playskool cage looks the best and very well thought out, but my budget is tight

So I'm looking at adding a forward loop, 3 roof bars and 2 side bars onto my existing RAC loop

I know it's not the best

I know its definitely not the lightest

But it's better than what I've got till money allows for the playskool cage

Anyone done anything similar ?