Does your Roll Cage comply?

Roll cages are arguably the most important part of your vehicle but with the recent regulation changes, what is required now? Roll cages must pass certain criteria to become FIA approved. Some cages are specifically homologated to that vehicle along with a homologation cert and other cages must conform to FIA appendix J Article 253. The majority of entry level cages from Custom Cage, OMP & Sparco are FIA appendix J homologated. According to these regulations the design of the cage is based on the homologation year of the car. For example only a car homologated after 2007 requires double doorbars however Motor Sports Association (MSA) & Motorsport Ireland (MI) now require double doorbars regardless of the year of your car. Does my cage require double door bars? If you are competing in UK or Ireland your cage must have double doorbars as per drawing 253-9, 253-10 or 253-11. Does my cage require Windscreen Pillar Reinforcement (WPR) bars? According to FIA this is only compulsory for cars homologated after 2006 if dimension “A” is greater than 200mm. According to MI it is compulsory for the following cars using Appendix J homologation cage: Toyota Corolla AE86, Honda Civic Model EK, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa B/Nova. According to MSA WPS is only compulsory when A pillar tube has more than two bends as illustrated in F2. This type of A pilar has never been permitted under FIA or MI. Can my doorbars & WPR be welded or bolted in? Either can be done. If you already have bolted door bars it is recommended to add a second bolted door bar. We supply FIA approved male and female connections. The female connection is supplied for 40 or 50mm tubes. Most main hoops are 50mm and A pillar front section is 40mm so most likely you will require 2 of each. Does my cage need reinforcement gussets? According to FIA appendix J every cross joint in mainhoop, doorbars or WPR must have two gussets on opposite joints. We supply OMP FIA approved reinforcement gussets. Do I need it on both driver & passenger sides? According to FIA it is only needed on drivers side but MSA & MI require them on both sides – they prefer to see the cage built symmetrically. Can I weld it myself? Yes but only if you are a competent welder and have the correct equipment. All welding must be of the highest quality possible, with full penetration. All joints must be fully welded around the tube. What material should I use? It is imperative that the correct material is used. It should be cold drawn seamless (CDS) material with high yield strength. We stock the correct spec material in 1.5 meter lengths of CDS in 40 or 45mm tubes. It is more important than ever to purchase a cage from a recognised cage manufacture but also keep in mind the new regulations mean that when you buy an FIA appendix J cage it may require additional tubes to comply in UK & Ireland. While I get frustrated when MSA & MI move away from FIA regulations in this case they are improving cage strength and thus improving safety, so I guess the hassle and expensive is worthwhile! If you require any further details please do not hesitate to contact me. Till next time! Eoin