Bunch of Lexan questions.

[SupraOfDoom]

Is Lexan legal in any states at all?
Legal for drag racing I assume, what about road courses ( IE Road America ect ), or auto cross?
With a cage, is it safe?

I know Maseo and his friend were running it, but anyone else? Maybe Slow66?

 

[figgie]

Lexan/Polycarbonate is not legal for street use.

NHRA allows it but requires very specific mounting (screws are x big, spaced apart by y.) SCCA does not allow it until you get to the all out cars.

 

[SupraOfDoom]

Isn't it stronger then glass? I know they probably make it illegal so we don't get people doing Lexan hack jobs but if its stronger they should just make it legal and have it properly installed.

 

[zigspeed10]

I think it is illegal because if you wreck and your door is jamed it will be nearly impossible to bust it to get out. Just a thought. If it does break in an accident I visualize sharp blade like peices.

 

[GrimJack]

Sure, however, glass breaks 'nicely', Lexan breaks into long, pointy, jagged strips that do a good job of puncturing soft squishy meat like things... like YOU.

 

[eman2289]

I talked to PhillySingle about it. He told me that he went with glass again after breaking his windows because glass breaks into tons of small pieces, but lexan breaks into sharp pointy "spears".

 

[SupraOfDoom]

ahhh

 

[figgie]

ahhh

yes and those scewers are as sharp as glass, except no chance of the scewers breaking since it is lexan

 

[mkIIIman089]

I think if you crashed in a way that broke a polycarbonate windshield into jagged pieces when properly mounted... you're probably already dead.

 

[starscream5000]

:werd:

 

[Poodles]

There was a MKIII with the back hatch glass replaced with lexan at TX2K7 on the road course...

Best pic I have of it from the back...

 

[SupraOfDoom]

I think I've been convinced to stick to glass .

 

[BorHor]

hahah sounds like a good plan.

 

[gofastgeorge]

Funny, I have only seen Lexan break with extreme impacts,
and it did not produce shards (long pointed pieces).
I have actually fabricated Lexan body parts by bending it in a normal sheet metal break (bender), and rolled it with a standard sheet metal roller.

I have seen people use other clear plastics (Acrylic),
and that crap breaks like glass, producing shards.

In fact, you can buy special Lexan, made for race cars,
that has a super hard, scratch resistant surface.

 

[figgie]

the best polycarbonate comes from the aviation world. They call it impact resistant polycarbonate. Basically can take a hit at 100+ mph from a duck and only spider up but not completely destroy it.

Only reason I remember was because myth busters was shooting frozen chickens against an airplane fusealage and the frozen chicken was going through the normal polycarbonate like nothing. Later they found out that most airplanes use impact resistant polycarbonate that was a funny episode.

 

[Facime]

Sure, however, glass breaks 'nicely', Lexan breaks into long, pointy, jagged strips that do a good job of puncturing soft squishy meat like things... like YOU.

They are made...out of meat!