Safety Mods

"Play it safe."

Roll cages

When one starts modifying a car, little thought is usually given to the safety of the car.

Manufacturers spend millions to ensure our cars are safe for the occupants and those outside the car.

Each country has its own list of regulations that even the DIY car tuner has to comply with. They usually relate to the construction of the car.

In the UK we have an annual MOT test to assess the road worthiness of a car but a keen tuner will want to go further than this.

We shall look at some of the areas covered already in law and then we make some common sense suggestions based on feedback from TorqueCars members

Seat Belts, must have a secure anchoring point and the locking mechanism should work with no signs of frayed edges. Often the law allows the use of harnesses but again they must be securely installed in the car.

A harness and even a tight seat belt will offer better protection than a seat belt with an inch or two of play in in. Drivers can lock their seat belts and wind the seat forwards a little or (more safely) add a seat belt tensioning device.

Many cars are fitted with side impact beams and structural rigidity. A car is required to withstand a head on or side impact. Often the side impact protection beams and some of the rigidity is lost when a car is put through a rigorous weight reduction program. Thankfully though the addition of a roll cage increases the strength of the car and enables it to withstand greater impacts than an OEM car. A well made roll cage need not be particularly heavy.

Airbags are now fitted pretty much as standard to every car sold across Europe. The fitment of aftermarket steering wheels will usually mean that the air bag is removed. Tracks usually insist that all drivers and car occupants wear crash helmets to give additional protection to the head. (This is not very practical for driving around town though!)

On the track there are usually many safety regulations that apply but even fast road car owners should look at the safety options for their car.

Again in the track environment there are many additional measures to protect the occupants against fire. Cars usually need to have a fire suppression system installed or must carry a hand held extinguisher. This is a good precaution for non track drivers, especially having a hand held extinguisher available.

Drivers clothing needs to be fire resistant and fabrics that are known to melt as they burn are banned. Depending on the track and type of competition you may also need a face mask and gloves that comply with fire regulations. We are also seeing the introduction of head and neck protection systems which have many obvious benefits but not all helmets are compatible.

As far as a fast street car is concerned many drivers look to increase the power of the car. The aim is to improve the handling (a good thing for safety) and improve the acceleration time. Sadly many such projects totally ignore the brakes.

One of the first modifications we recommend is to improve the braking of the car. This can be cheaply done with the use of high friction pads, OEM fitting vented and drilled disks and synthetic brake fluid. It is better to upgrade the brakes to a larger size and go with a 6 pot caliper where possible.

Drum brakes on the rear should be removed and replaced with disc brakes and it is also advisable to upgrade to braided brake hoses. For tips on braking mods read our uprating your brakes article.

Tyres (US Tires) are also a major safety consideration. The compound used and tread pattern both have a major impact on the cars grip and handling. Most countries specify a minimum legal tread depth. For track and competition use you should get some proper track tyres. Slicks are best in the dry and we find V groove patterns work best in the wet. Always ensure that your tyres are set to the correct pressure.

Glass is also a problem and many tracks insist that lenses are taped off to prevent shards from causing damage or injury in the event of a breakage, especially in forms of motor sport where contact tends to happen. Often windows are replaced with perspex which has additional weight saving properties.

Each time the car is used and certainly before a track day or spirited drive drivers should ensure the car is in perfect condition. An oil change, brake fluid and tyre pressure check along with a visual inspection of all sub frame load bearing areas and suspension mounts needs to be made. Brake pads should have sufficient depth left in them and the discs should be free of distortion cracking and other wear related imperfections. 

Please Check out my YouTube channel, we're regularly adding new content...

PLEASE HELP: I NEED YOUR DONATIONS TO COVER THE COSTS OF RUNNING THIS SITE AND KEEP IT RUNNING. I do not charge you to access this website and it saves most TorqueCars readers $100's each year - but we are NON PROFIT and not even covering our costs. To keep us running PLEASE Donate here

If you liked this page please share it with your friends, drop a link to it in your favourite forum or use the bookmarking options to save it to your social media profile.

Feedback - What do You Think?

Please use our forums if you wish to ask a tuning question, and please note we do not sell parts or services, we are just an online magazine.

Help us improve, leave a suggestion or tip

Your Constructive comments on this article, I really want to improve this article with your help and suggestions.


Please watch this video and subscribe to my YouTube channel.



2 Responses to “Improve safety and braking of your car”

  1. TCJBOLDIE says:

    Only a fool would remove an airbag /srs steering wheel on a road car as it is illegal in Australia and suspect that it would be so in most countries as well.

  2. TCJBOLDIE says:

    It is an offense to remove an air bag steering wheel in road registered vehicle in Australia

Member Benefits

Join our forum today and benefit from over 300,000 posts on tuning styling and friendly car banter.

You will also have full access to the modifed car gallery, project car updates and exclusive member only areas.

(All car owners of all ages and from all countries are welcome).


BMW 335i - 2021 COTY

We gave the BMW 335i our coveted car of the year award, read more about this awesome car and see why 335i Tuning Guide

Tips for N54 Tuning

Tips for N55 Tuning
Tips for B58 Tuning

Popular articles

Diesel tuning
ECU Remaps
Double Clutch
Induction Kits
Customize a car
Chipping cars
Insuring Modified Cars
Track day insurance
Diesel remaps
MPG calc
Cleaning a DPF
Tuning Stages


Flywheel Lightening

Lightening the flywheel
Read more...

Camshafts

Camshaft Guide
Read more...

Engine Dress Up

Engine styling dress up kits
Read more...

Scratch Removal

Scratch removal
Read more...

Scratch Removal

Scratch removal
Read more...

Astra Sport Diesel

Tuning the 150bhp Diesel Astra Sport Hatch
Read more...

MPG Calculator

MPG calculator UK miles per Gallon – calculate MPG
Read more...