Rollbar vs Hood

[benlindley]

Hi all, new member with order in from Westfield directly for a new Throttle Bodied Zebec FW, due in March on 17 plate. (excited - not had a purely fun machine since my 11 plate Elise Cup)

 

Want some advice on the best config in terms of roller and roof. I have ordered the full roof on normal bar but am in need of advice in terms of changing the order before build starts,

 

Now leaning towards an MSA bar as per here:

http://parts-shop.westfield-sportscars.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=706&search=MSA

 

and subsequently a half hood as i don't believe (logically) that the full hood will fit the MSA bar a la here:

http://parts-shop.westfield-sportscars.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=767&search=MSA

 

Questions are:

 

1. Have i got my facts right re full hood not fitting MSA bar.

2. is it a reasonably permanent fix or could i easily swap the rollbar between standard and MSA when I'm touring vs hillclimb?

3. Should i go straight for MSA bar and half hood rather than "upgrade" later?
4. Anyone got direct experience of this?

 

Helpful facts:

I am 6 foot 4 and the standard bar will protect my shoulders and nothing higher as far as i can tell

i don't like getting wet through, but would rather be damp (half hood) than decapitated (standard bar)

 

thanks in advance

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Hi Ben

 

to answer your questions

1. yes

2. it's pretty perament yes, to swap from one to the other would involve a lot of dissasembly and removal of other parts to change them. probably at least half a days work to change.

3. If you're planning to do some sprints or hillclimbs anytime soon then yes, I would go straight for the MSA bar.  The full hood is quite an expensive option so I'd save the money if you don't plan to be using it much in the long term.

[benlindley]

Hi Ben

 

to answer your questions

1. yes

2. it's pretty perament yes, to swap from one to the other would involve a lot of dissasembly and removal of other parts to change them. probably at least half a days work to change.

3. If you're planning to do some sprints or hillclimbs anytime soon then yes, I would go straight for the MSA bar.  The full hood is quite an expensive option so I'd save the money if you don't plan to be using it much in the long term.

thanks Mark - I'm assuming that if I'm going forward the half hood should be reasonably waterproof?

[Mark (smokey mow)]

thanks Mark - I'm assuming that if I'm going forward the half hood should be reasonably waterproof?

I've no experience of using a half hood myself but there's some good discussion on this recent thread

 

http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/121232-half-hoods-discussion-was-in-smeg-and-pandas-scotish-tour/

[jonjh1964]

I only have a 1/2 hood for the reason that you've identified - FW with an RAC/MSA roll bar - I've toured Europe/Ireland/Isle of Man (plus biblical rain on the way home from Stoneleigh the last couple of years) and the 1/2 hood and side screens provides reasonable protection from the worst of the weather.  I have a St Claire cover, that covers the cockpit/rear of the car, for when parking up.

[Onliest Smeg David]

If contemplating competition there really is only one option...

MSA bar and half hood!

A few mods as above link will improve waterproofness.

[benlindley]

If contemplating competition there really is only one option...

MSA bar and half hood!

A few mods as above link will improve waterproofness.

Thanks! Will look into st Clair

[Mooch]

I only have a 1/2 hood for the reason that you've identified - FW with an RAC/MSA roll bar - I've toured Europe/Ireland/Isle of Man (plus biblical rain on the way home from Stoneleigh the last couple of years) and the 1/2 hood and side screens provides reasonable protection from the worst of the weather.  I have a St Claire cover, that covers the cockpit/rear of the car, for when parking up.

That's the option I use and it works well.  I'd recommend you do the same.

[CraigHew]

I'd go for the MSA bar over the standard bar on safety grounds alone. as you've already identified, you head would be at risk otherwise. I've replaced my aeroscreen with a windshield but haven't yet found the need to consider a hood/half-hood. I also detest getting wet, which harks from my biking days, so carry a WSCC umbrella just in case.

[6carjon]

Try half doors too and a good waterproof bikers suit

This is the proper westie experience, no fancy creature comforts of an elise

No westie can compare to a proper prod car even an elise so go full adrenalin and smell the weather around you !

[Steve (sdh2903)]

At the risk of getting flamed, the standard roll over bars aren't worth the metal they're made of. I wouldnt drive a seven with one, even as a road cruiser. Just makes me shudder to think of what could happen should the worst happen and you end up the wrong way up. MSA bar all the way.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Everyone has to make the choices they're comfortable with. A very high percentage of all Westfields have standard, unbraced and largely cosmetic "roll bars", I myself have an RAC bar, now sat in the shed, it has been replaced by an unbraced standard bar.

I don't use the car for track days or competition, in the days I did, (pre MSA bar) I had the RAC bar. Now a working hood is more benefit.

If I didn't have a working hood and weather gear I might as well get rid of the car, it wouldn't suit how I wish to use it.

I do fully respect though that everyone has to draw their own line of what they feel comfortable with, for how they wish to use their car.

Too often in the past, people have flamed those making different decisions to their own when it come to such things, and too often in the past it's put one set of club members or another off using places like the Boardroom.

Different folks want different things from their car and to use it in different ways for heavy track use, I'd recommend a cage for a bit of both road and track, then an MSA bar, for a pure road car, go with what suits you and what you're comfortable with.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Sorry to sound heavy, but too often in the past I've seen innocent questions like this result in threads that get nasty fast, we're not there yet and hopefully won't go there...

[tisme]

Just to throw an idea in (flame-proof or not !!) - I also didn't want the expense or tbh the "odd" look of a tall MSA type roll bar on what would always be a road car (to me anyway - and I'm not especially tall and my seats aren't on runners so even with a standard roll bar the top of my head doesn't protrude) - but then I'm an engineer at heart and the chocolate teapot standard roll bar is really stretching the word "roll bar" if you look at the single bolt at either end that holds it to the chassis and the leverage that would be applied in the event of a roll over

 

So I got some thick wall steel tubing (to roll bar standard but not as thick as the main tube) and some proper mounting brackets from OMP and had a good welder friend weld them on for me. Add in some rose joints and drilled bottom mounting holes and job done - fully braced standard height roll bar that will hopefully provide a little more structural integrity than the bog standard one.

 

By the way, when you look at the bottom mounting points on the rear chassis for the roll bar struts (any roll bar) then quite honestly (imho), you could make the roll bar out of reinforced titanium - the chassis mounting brackets are going to sheer off long before any bar is going to crumble ..........

 

  

[Terryathome]

Ben, I recently took delivery of Westfield half hood to fit MSA roll bar and it fit like a 2 year old had made it.

The measurements from the top of the windscreen to the top of the roll bar on each side had a 1 inch difference so it fits like a right bag of spuds. I did send feedback to Westfields and hopefully they have looked into this along with the windscreen central hole not aligning.

Don't get me wrong the material (mohair) is fine but the fit is terrible.

It was a bit of a late delivery for my road trip to Italy so it got used and now I'm stuck with it.

Going to make my own, how hard can it be?