New NHRA Rule...BS

[damian559]

Street

[Mikes fast ss]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

The reason for this rule and you being forbidden from racing the car until you cage it is because your car was certified from the factory with it's stock safety equipment at the stock power levels. The NHRA is protecting itself, and the track, from lawsuits. They already have given a very large amount of leeway in allowing modified cars to run without additional safety equipment down to 11.5.

By signing the safety form and submitting to a technical inspection you are attesting to the fact that you have read the NHRA rules (which clearly you have not), understand them (which clearly you don't care to) and are consenting to all provisions therein. If you wreck and cause injury to yourself, another racer, spectator, track official, etc because your car had a catastrophic failure due to power levels/ times faster than NHRA regulations stipulate and you concealed it? Lawsuit city, population YOU.

The rules exist for your safety and the other racers, they are not there to ruin your fun.

Do yourself a favor and either cage it (you can get NHRA cert'd cages with removable side bars) or take some of the power out of it so it's slower than 11.49, those are your only two options if you want to race the car.

The nhra does not cert 5 or 6 point cages.

I'm not sure where some of you come up with this info bit you are misinformed the general public.

[AZ-ZL1]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

The reason for this rule and you being forbidden from racing the car until you cage it is because your car was certified from the factory with it's stock safety equipment at the stock power levels. The NHRA is protecting itself, and the track, from lawsuits. They already have given a very large amount of leeway in allowing modified cars to run without additional safety equipment down to 11.5.

By signing the safety form and submitting to a technical inspection you are attesting to the fact that you have read the NHRA rules (which clearly you have not), understand them (which clearly you don't care to) and are consenting to all provisions therein. If you wreck and cause injury to yourself, another racer, spectator, track official, etc because your car had a catastrophic failure due to power levels/ times faster than NHRA regulations stipulate and you concealed it? Lawsuit city, population YOU.

The rules exist for your safety and the other racers, they are not there to ruin your fun.

Do yourself a favor and either cage it (you can get NHRA cert'd cages with removable sidebars) or take some of the power out of it so it's slower than 11.49, those are your only two options if you want to race the car.

MORE BS.....none of our cars are certified @ 120+ mph

[AZ-ZL1]

It is what it is....still sucks though

[Mikes fast ss]

Originally Posted by AZ-ZL1

It is what it is....still sucks though

Even if you plan to let off at the 1/8th, there are also roll cage requirements for that as well.

If your track is going to enforce this rule either find another track, put a bar in, or don't race.

You are right, is what it is.

We had to put a bar in a brand new C7. Had no choice.

[Skylane765]

Originally Posted by AZ-ZL1

And they can be impractical and unreasonable as technology changes...something as minor as a pulley swap can make these cars run faster than 11.5. Does not make the car any less safe.

I see your point in one way, in that our cars are way safer than many 10 sec cars because of it meeting road safety rules. But YES changing a pulley does make a car more unsafe in that it made it FASTER, so that in its self is what the rule is for. But a car off the showroom running 10s and a car altered running 10s within the same year, then YES that would be the issue if they let one run and not the other, that is not fair. as long as the safety part of the car is not altered.

[ChrisBlair]

Originally Posted by 402

Technically it does. With et comes mph, your car was designed to withstand crashes below 50mph give or take. Double that and see how "safe" your car is.

But that's a moot point, isn't it?

If ~50 mph is the speed at which the car was designed to have a 'safe' crash ("safe" for the occupants), then, technically, 60 mph is "too fast" for a crash. And since most highways have a 65 mph limit, then, by this logic, the cars are not "safe" for highway use at the posted speed limit.

By citing a 'safe crash' speed as the reasoning, you are also defining the broad range of speeds in which the car cannot 'safely' crash, regardless of venue.

While you are 100% correct that as et goes down, we can reasonably expect mph to go up, look at the speed they use as the cut off- 135 mph. Appreciably slower than that is already more than double the cited 'safe' speed you mention of ~50 mph. So this means the strip is perfectly OK with an 'unsafe' crash at 135? Or 110, etc? I doubt it. I think they don't want that crash either. Aside from the injuries, crashes sorta limit their revenue.

I think they have come up with their cut-off- arbitrary or not- through the negative experiences of patrons making the cars faster without considering safety.

It's the old 'one rotten apple spoils the bunch' scenario. One meathead smears himself, and that's that, new rules. All responsible drivers therefore suffer to some degree through the actions of a select group of fools.

[DrkPhx]

Originally Posted by Mikes fast ss

Even if you plan to let off at the 1/8th, there are also roll cage requirements for that as well.

If your track is going to enforce this rule either find another track, put a bar in, or don't race.

You are right, is what it is.

We had to put a bar in a brand new C7. Had no choice.

That's really what it comes down to. I would hesitate on installing a roll bar in a street driven car that sees limited track use. I went through that on my 98 TA and decided against it for my Z.

[Mongo RS]

There has to be a cutoff point somewhere.

[SpeedIsLife]

So sorry..I used the word "cert" instead of "NHRA legal"..my bad

[Mikes fast ss]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

So sorry..I used the word "cert" instead of "NHRA legal"..my bad

That's actually a major difference.
I'll be glad to elaborate.

Certified means an NHRA Regional director has physically indirect the cage, 10 point and greater, then you get a tag saying that it has been certified.

Nhra legal means that it's been built to the nhra specs. No cert or nhra inspection required. Each tracks tech dept is supposed to be able to look the bar over.

[hairtrigger]

There are far more safety rules than a 5 point roll bar in the 10.0 to 11.49 bracket, like aftermarket axles, long wheel studs, drive shaft loops, 5 point harnesses, jacket, trunk mounted battery external shutoff etc.

[Todd in Vancouver]

While I understand the rules (use to race certified car in the '99s) these new cars today are just crazy fast. To illistrate my point lets look at mt ZL, which has recieved a very high crash rating and we've all seen crash pics on here and agree its a very safe car. I add a CAI and a Ported TB, 10% pulley and a tune and go the track and get kicked out because im to fast at 11.4'ish. Buddy shows up runs his stock HellCat/Z06/GT500 with slicks and go 10's but he is OK because you know its stock.

How the he11 does that make any sense? I get they need to draw the line so whay not take all the new era muscle cars say anything 2008'ish and up and breaks below 10.0 you'll need a carge, shut-off, batter relocate, etc. It would leave us weekend warriors to have fun and do what we can within a safe zone with our cars. They have got to move out of their old paradigms and get current. Safety first but common sense needs to come with it.

[hairtrigger]

I forgot to mention a scattershield bellhousing for the manuals as well.
So ya, I totally agree that the NHRA rules are built around 60's stock technology which addresses their inherent weaknesses. These new cars are much better than that in stock form.