Fire Suppression System

[yellowstang88]

Looking to install onboard fire suppression system in a fox body hatchback 25.5 chasis car, do I need 2 nozzles, 3 nozzles, 5lb or 10lb bottle, whats legal?? Any advice would be appreciated. thanks.

[Sean Knighton]

I'd use a 10lb system with at least 3 nozzles, 2 in the engine compartment and 1 on you. Use some fire calk on your feed thru's on your firewall.

[XJHEAD]

Any certain brand you guys would recommend.
You guys using AFFF or the Halon friendly stuff???
What works better? Is the Halon corrosive???

[KJ Jones]

Any certain brand you guys would recommend.
You guys using AFFF or the Halon friendly stuff???
What works better? Is the Halon corrosive???

Call or e-mail Phoenix Fire Suppression Systems http://www.phoenixfiresuppression.com. I've got one of their kits for my '90 LX race car. They're good guys and make really good stuff. I believe the owner's name is Richard. You can let him know that I recommended that you call. Good luck. Be safe!

[yellowstang88]

Would A 5lb Bottle With 2 Nozzles, One Under The Hood And One Around The Drivers Feet/leg Area Be Effective And Meet Sfi Regs? Or Is A 10lb Mandatory For A Mustang Size Car.
Thanks For Any Feeback...

[David Schwarz]

Part of the answer depends on your association/division. If you run a faster class (Pro, Outlaw 10.5) in FFW, a fire suppression system is strongly recommended and needs to meet SFI spec 17.1 if installed (according to 2007 rules that I've read). Other associations have no mandated requirements, and I've seen many race cars with no suppression systems.

The other part of the answer really depends on how you feel about getting crispy. I've never encountered an onboard fire, and I hope I don't have to. But I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as overkill when safety is involved. I have the Firefox system built for NHRA F/C; there are two 10# tanks mounted behind me which feed 5 nozzles in the engine bay, and one directed at the firewall in the cockpit. I have the pull cable mounted next to the seat ready to pull if needed.

Now I'll take you one step further. If I wasn't concerned about my clumsy nature, I'd buy the push activated system. The reason is that it's the only activation method available (from Firefox) that allows an activation lever to be mounted outside the car. I think this is the best system for one simple reason - if you have a bad crash and knock yourself unconscious, no fire system is going to help you. But with external activation, the safety safari can be you savior - particularly if you show them before hand how to activate the system. The only problem is that it's really easy to accidentally set off a push activated system (according to Firefox - makes sense); imagine cleaning 20# of foam out of your race car!

When I last spoke to the folks at Firefox, I asked if they had a system that could be set off when a thermal threshhold (i.e. fire) is reached. At the time, they said it was something they were trying to develop, but not close to marketing. That is the ultimate system, IMHO.

Before I leave my soapbox, I'll add that when I've read about, or talked to people who have had fires in their car - the answer I typically have seen/heard is simple...the bigger the better.

[roy]

Fire Fox is the only company to use.

[TA@TCI]

Contact Rob Riley rileyracing@earthlink.net He can hook you up on whatever you need. He did one kit for our SSO car and one for DR car. Great guy to deal with along with great prices.

[roy]

Rob hooked me up too. He also hooked me up with some foam hand nelds for my tow vehicle and in the pits.