“I much prefer the look of the LGM design, but my mechanics were far less impressed, sighting the lack of support and chassis attachments.”
I think what they were referring to was that the SPS design is attached to numerous more structural points (which they classed as ‘chassis’) and where they were attached are more comprehensively than the LGM hoops, such as far more extensive fixtures to the B pillar and bracing to the rear suspension mounts etc.
However, the fact that Steve believes the LGM hoops to be SCCA approved for track West coast and they are now NASA approved on the East coast means they are accredited. You do not have test to destruction to get approval....many roll cages used in historical car racing are officially approved in the UK, yet you will not see a £100 000 E-Type Jag tested to destruction to prove the point!
I certainly understand why James doesn’t want to chop up the Elan to fit the SPS hoops and wants to keep the car as original as possible, a reason why everything I do can be returned to stock, if necessary and why any modifications I have done (and there’s been quite a few!) do not drastically alter the appearance (another reason why I keep to the original wheels).
However, another point to consider is the overall height of the hoops. In the event of rolling over, you have to consider which parts of the car are going to support the weight of the car. I think we all agree that the windscreen and any GRP bodywork is going to collapse, so it will probably be the top of the dash/engine/front suspension mounts in unison that will hold up. So you now have to draw a line from the top of your hoops to these points. If your head is above this line, you are in trouble. (It’s the reason why my mechanics are in favour of overhead and windscreen support).
(F1 team owner Frank Williams was in a saloon car which rolled over, where the roof deforming tapped his head only by a fraction of an inch, causing a compression of one of the vertebrae in his neck and yet this unfortunately has caused him to spend the rest of his life as a quadriplegic
)All of this is made worse by the standard OEM three point inertia safety belts allowing you to slide, before being held in place, although you can buy safety belts that can be pulled tight without moving, which may be more of a pain to use, but a lot easier than the full race systems: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspor ... 4m-harness )
As I understand it, the SPS design are mounted further forward than the LGM design, which gives them the advantage of being able to be higher, due to being further clear of the hood mechanism.
Rusty said “Besides, Elans are cheap to buy, and there are plenty of good original ones left - in the UK, at least.”
Really
When I started looking four years ago, there were more available and were a fare bit cheaper, for their given mileage and condition.
An equivalent MGF or MX5 are 1/3 of the price of an Elan!
