David, I think that your odds of being in an accident are considerably
better in your 'street'
car on the highways and byways than on a race track / course in a well built
and thought-out race car . I do not know if you are speaking of a dual
purpose street & race car here, but why not run whatever safety equipment the
racing association requires as long as it doesn't hinder the car's use on the
street ? We all know we aren't supposed to race on the street, or try to 'top
end' our car out .... but I think the vast majority of us here have done a lot
of pretty fast street driving in the past .... 'Nuff Said on That. If you
do intend on " trying it out "or just plain driving it very hard on the road,
don't you think some of the same malfunctions and breakages can occur right
there on that road ? A connecting rod or U-joint or hi-revving clutch /
flywheel or a pinon gear doesn't know or care where it is when it lets go
......
the metal exceeds its' limitations and then just lets go. Ask the pros who
do dyno-testing about the pure havoc that an engine can wreak when pieces
start flying ..... they protect against just such unscheduled disasters. A
fuel
leak can occur anywhere: street or track, and the results are about the same
in either case, so build safely and use the "good stuff ".You shouldn't need
or run a parachute on your street car, of course, but the other less obvious
safety equipment just makes common sense to build into your car, and that
includes scattershields, top notch brakes, full or part roll cages, protection
of brake and fuel lines and also any wiring or cables near the flywheel's
plane area ...... we discussed this here recently.
Using undersized or improper grade bolts for their intended purpose can also
be an invitation to trouble. Roll bars and extra body bracing can be found
in many street rods and street muscle cars ..... a little added insurance. (
Part 2 follows )
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