Basic specs on a NASCAR cup car roll cage (2024)

FAQs

What size tubing is in the NASCAR roll cage? ›

In the most superficial way, the roll cage in a NASCAR race car hasn't changed in decades. It's still mild steel seamless DOM tubing, 1.75-inch diameter, . 090-in. wall, MIG welded into a very familiar looking assembly.

Cage Materials

The materials used for cage construction fall into two basic types: mild steel and chromoly. Within the mild steel family are EWS (electric welded seam), HREW (hot rolled electric welded), and DOM (drawn over mandrel) tubing.

They must make an angle of at least 30° relative to a vertical plane, must run rearwards, must be straight, and be placed as close as practical to the interior side panels of the body shell. 3.5. 1 Diagonals in the plane of the main rollbar or the plane of the rear legs of lateral roll bars.

The most common tubing diameters are 1-5/8” and 1-3/4”, depending on the requirements. For NHRA, all tubing has to measure 1-3/4-inch outer diameter, with mild steel . 118-inch thickness and Chromoly . 083-inch.

The tubes and brace(s) must have a diameter of at least 1.375″(35mm) and at least 0.090″ (2mm) wall thickness. The material should be molybdenum chromium SAE 4130 or SAE 4125 (or equivalent in DIN, NF, etc.) or cold drawn low-carbon seamless steel tube.

But what is typically needed? Generally speaking, expect to pay $2,500 to $4,000 for a basic custom rally roll cage and seat mounts. The same guy who is doing the cage work might do other work. Removing sound deadening material is one example, you can do that yourself with some dry ice from the super market.

Cost of a Custom-Built Rollcage

The cost really boils down to how much time the cage will take to build correctly. Bonney reports that you can expect to leave your 4x4 with him for about a week's worth of work at $65 an hour plus materials. That's about $2,000-$2,500 for a frame-mounted basic cage with seat mounts.

It needs to be super strong, yet flexible enough to bend and weld where necessary. For this reason most custom cage makers and fabricators will use one of two types of steel, both of which conform to health and safety specifications. These are T45 and CDS, but which one is best? Let's take a closer look.

Re: Material cost and weight of a roll cage

~170 pounds!

NHRA Regulations You Should Know

Stepping up the performance ladder, a roll cage is mandatory for any vehicle running 10.99 (6.99) or quicker or exceeding 135 mph.

How strong is a car roll cage? ›

In a “roll” situation, they are very good, because it will flex and bend a tiny bit. In a direct collision, better than no roll cage, but not invincible. How does a roll cage protect a driver?

according to NHRA rule, 9.99 to 7.50 and 135 and over mph need certified every 3 years. window nets are required in any full bodied car that is REQUIRED by the rules to have a roll cage. so if you are running 11 sec or slower and you have a cage, you don't have to have a net. but then again, you can never be too safe.

Materials such as BS4 T45, 4130, 25CRMO4 and 15CDV6 are all classed as high strength steels, and would often be found at the top end of Motorsport where weight saving is a priority over cost.

Despite the complexity of the process, Chromoly is sought after due to it being extremely lightweight. For example, a 6-pt Chromoly rollbar is 15-20lbs lighter than the same mild steel rollbar. Drawn Over Mandrel (DOM) steel tubing may be the most recognized option on this list.

Roll cages are supplied in a variety of heights ranging from 1550 mm up to 1830 mm (most operators cannot see over 1400 mm). Fully loaded roll cages may weigh 500 kg or more. Two common wheel sizes are 100 mm and 125 mm diameter.

The ROPT510 carries both strength and formability. Not only does this allow for ease of manufacture into a custom roll cage, but also helps absorb impact forces when involved in a rollover or contact. The tube does not need any pre or post welding treatment and will weld perfectly to other mild steel materials.

Choosing what size tube to use in each application makes a difference, but generally we like to use 2 x . 120-wall DOM on full size 4x4s, 1.75 x 1.20-wall DOM on Jeeps and midsize 4x4s, and 1.5 x 1.20-wall on smaller rigs like Suzuki Samurais. Other sizes like . 75 x .

4130 Cold Drawn Seamless Tubing

It is most commonly used in the construction of chassis, frames, and roll cages and can be found in many different types of racing vehicles. Before gaining popularity in the performance racing industry, 4130 cold drawn seamless tubing was used in the aircraft industry.