Interior Exterior
Q:
Are there any concerns or issues with having a fire extinguisher inside the car when its parked on a really really hot sunny day?
Not that i'm aware of. Two of my previous cars had bottles in them for the life of the car, and nothing ever went wrong. Just check the gauge often.
A:
Do we have any first hand experiences here of people using their cockpit mounted fire extinguishers?
I carry a small halon in the trunk to be a good samaritan. By the time I notice my car has flames, I am getting out and standing back.
Only safe fire in the Elise to put out would be a one in the front fuse box. Opening boot would be the worst thing you could do.
A:
Only safe fire in the Elise to put out would be a one in the front fuse box. Opening boot would be the worst thing you could do.
I think this is an important point. Can you spray through the grills of the engine lid to extinguish a fire.
A:
I think this is an important point. Can you spray through the grills of the engine lid to extinguish a fire.
you could, but don't count on it working.
A:
I'm saying, if there's a fire, there is going to be quite a bit more to worry about than just the powder going everywhere. I don't expect it to save my car, nor do i much care. I want it to save myself.
Then forget reaching for the fire bottle and worry about reaching for the door handle. A handheld fire bottle is really just good for small engine bay fires. If the cockpit is burning get out.
A:
Then forget reaching for the fire bottle and worry about reaching for the door handle. A handheld fire bottle is really just good for small engine bay fires. If the cockpit is burning get out.
In a perfect situation, excellent idea.
A:
Wait, so if opening the boot is the worst thing you can do and spraying through the grills is ineffective then WTF are we supposed to do?:
It's starting to sound like having a fire extinguisher in the car (unplumbed) is more for "bling".
A:
I dont think opening the elise boot would be a bad thing if there was a fire. How would it be bad? The fire CANT be starved for oxygen with the boot closed because there is too much air in there. It's not like a big solid metal hood is covering the engine bay. If there is a small fire in the engine compartment, having the fire extinguisher will save your car. However, if your car has already caught fire, you'd better run.
A:
I don't think opening the Elise boot would be a bad thing if there was a fire. How would it be bad? The fire CANT be starved for oxygen with the boot closed because there is too much air in there. It's not like a big solid metal hood is covering the engine bay.
Yea... The engine cover/boot has vents in it that pretty much leave the air flow wide open - the air will have no trouble at all getting through the vents to feed the fire, so you might as well open the lid and squirt the fire extingisher...
A:
Will the 2.5lbs extinguisher sold by OG Racing fit in front of the passenger seat using the Sector111 mount? I am concerned about the overall length.
A:
Wait, so if opening the boot is the worst thing you can do and spraying through the grills is ineffective then WTF are we supposed to do?:
It's starting to sound like having a fire extinguisher in the car (unplumbed) is more for "bling".
I don't have personal any experience with it, but know of some car guys who have installed these in engine compartments:
http://www.sea-fire.com
Products -> Pre-Engineered -> Fire-Foe
A:
Seriously guys, who needs a fire extinguisher? If you crash the car, just flee from the scene!
-Dietrich
A:
My two cents, but I think carrying a fire extinguisher is not a bad thing when (i) you need it to run at certain tracks with certain organizers (i.e., it's a requirement in order to play), (ii) you want to be a good samaritan for someone else's car that's on fire. Me, if my Elise really starts burning, I'm walking away. Restoring a car that's suffered a fire's a major hassle, and the car's insured....
Twin
A:
So your car is insured, as are all of ours, but is it covered if it catches fire while at a track event (i.e. on course)? Like, IIRC, someone's did at Spring Mountain last year?
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Actually, it is, yes, but that's a function of my policy and not all insurers cover track events. But even if the car weren't insured, if you're talking about anything more than a very, very small fire (small oil leaking onto the manifold, for example, and generating more smoke than flame), I'm not sure it's worth trying to save anyway. Anything fuel related, and I suspect there isn't much point. But who knows. Maybe I'd be out there desperately trying to extinguish the flames, regardless of the logic.
A:
Halon-hand polished-Sector111 bracket
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I've got the plumbed in SPA system from Lotus and it uses foam. I've actually had to use the system and besides the fact that the release cable was corroded and the plumbing leaked, typical Lotus quality control, the foam did its job and was easy to clean up.
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/gro...pID=FIRESYSSPA
A:
Seriously guys, who needs a fire extinguisher? If you crash the car, just flee from the scene!
-Dietrich
Try to get through a window while you're wearing a helmet. They're good for breaking windshields so you can crawl out just in case you leave some blood on the wrong airbag.