Secondary Bonnet Restraints

[hrd-hr30]

I was always under that impression too, that late model road registered cars didn't need a secondary fastening system. But the CAMS general requirements (Schedule B number 1) says otherwise http://www.camsmanual.com.au/pdf/general/0...le_A_B_Q308.pdf Looks like it might be a change as its bold and underlined.

I made a trip to Bunnings last night, bought some plastic sheathed 3mm wire rope, a couple of clamps and a turnbuckle link and made something similar. I'm not drilling anything - looped the wire around the rad support and clamped it, and the turnbuckle goes through a loop in the other end of the wire rope and will latch onto one of the strikers for the bonnet latches - the Supra has 2 factory strikers and catches on the bonnet so it may not have required this anyway. Took all of about 15 mintues to throw together and cost about $18, and $12 of that was the 10M coil of wire rope. If they had that on a reel sold by the meter it would have been almost $10 cheaper.

[Beer Baron]

good work mate. now make 10 more and flog them to everyone at superlap who forget one. pay for your entry and all the beers you are going to shout...

[SS8_Gohan]

thread dig

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Secondary-bonnet-restraint-Drift-JDM-ke70-s13-skyline-/300644790174?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item45ffd36f9e

Anything particularly wrong with this? don't want to take any chances with my bonnet.

comes with a battery triangle as well

[tk80]

same one i bought. works fine.

[hrd-hr30]

road registered car with the standard bonnet catch do not need them for CAMS speed events (sprints/hillclimbs etc) anymore.

[SS8_Gohan]

WRX days down here have been requiring them, plus i just want the extra security for peace of mind. I'm not 100% sure if my catch setup classifies as standard, i believe it is but I rather like my bonnet and i'm happy to add a little extra safety in case of a freak accident

[260DET]

The usual bonnet pins are illegal on a road registered car because they can be a pedestrian hazard so I would question any sup regs that in effect require a road registered car to be illegal. I know of a bloke who was defected because his car had a tow hook sticking out the front a bit.

[SS8_Gohan]

wouldn't even contemplate bonnet pins. I'm pretty sure they were requiring a secondary restraint even for standard bonnets at the last day i went to. They let me go as i said i'm pretty sure my setup was the same as factory, but they said for next time to have one.

but looks like the ebay one is a go-er, so i'll just grab one of them. Cheers!

[warps]

Remember, part of the reasoning behind demanding secondary bonnet catches is when people used to fit bonnet pins to their race / rally cars they'd remove the standard catch completely. This is fine, but given the number of times bonnets get opened between stages / track sessions, a lot of people forget to do the pins up properly (I've seen it happen a lot of times). This is why leaving the standard catch is a good measure - it offers some protection. In the case of a standard road registered car, I don't see any benefit in adding pins in addition to the standard (working) catch. If the rules don't require a secondary catch on a modern, registered car then this makes perfect sense to me, when you think wbout where the ruling came from in the first place.

The bonnet pins on my Civic were alloy, and had been through hell and back. They were about to snap, yet were still considered OK (standard cable release has been removed, but the secondary latch is still there). I've replaced the pins with Aerocatch pins which satisfies road and CAMS regulations (not that the car is ever likely to be registered during my ownership)

That ebay strap you showed looks as good as anything I've seen used on registered road cars with properly working standard catches. If you're being forced to use one, then that should do the job IMO

Edited January 3, 2012 by warps

[hrd-hr30]

I'll try again... the CAMS rule requiring this has been changed for 2012.

NEW CAMS Schedule A&B

Schedule B

EACH AUTOMOBILE (EXCEPT A SUPERKART) SHALL, OF NECESSITY, IN ANY SPEED EVENT OR RACE BE:

1. fitted with two separate fasteners on any bonnet or other panel where the leading edge can be raised. The fastening systems shall meet the following requirements:

(a) to be deemed separate, a fastening system shall continue to function if the second system is removed in its entirety;

(b) they shall be of adequate strength and limited extensibility;

© they shall simultaneously hold the bonnet or panel closed or as an alternative for speed events only, one fastening system shall hold the bonnet or panel closed and its release shall allow the bonnet or panel to be raised to provide access to a second fastening system fitted within the vehicle. The second fastening system shall prevent the bonnet or panel from being raised more than 150mm from the fully closed position.

In a speed event, a road registered series production car fitted with an unmodified original equipment two-stage fastening system shall be exempt from these requirements

[warps]

I wasn't disagreeing with you, Harry. Just adding some history to where the rule came from, and how it has been misinterpreted in the past. These latest changes make sense, as secondary restraints were redundant on unmodified, working OEM catches.

Still, if an event demands it in their supp regs, I don't think you can get around it, regardless of what the CAMS manual says. You might convince toe organisers to change it in the future, but you have to comply with the Supp Regs at the time.

[hrd-hr30]

yes if its in the supp regs you'll still need it, but 99% of the time things like bonnet fasteners, fire extinguishers etc are not in the supp regs because they're required under CAMS General Requirements anyway.

If they are in the supp regs, I'd email the organisers to update them inline with the current Schedule B - where they got it from in the first place. CAMS changed this requirement to encourage participation and make it a bit easier for road cars to enter.

[R31Nismoid]

Yeah the regs will change this year no doubt, so WRX days here will be fine.

That said. I didn't even use my "3rd" restraint last year. Nothing was said @ WRX events.

[260DET]

That Schedule B Harry posted applies only to front opening bonnets, wonder if there are any requirements for rear openers. In my experience with a rear opener air pressure in the engine bay at speed lifts the back up quite a bit if it is unlatched.

[hrd-hr30]

that rule has always only been for front opening bonnets. A rear opening bonnet has never needed the extra restraint. while air pressure may want to lift it, it will never be able to fly up and cover your windscreen.