Fire System

[bhoss]

I am looking to put a fire system in my Miata over the winter - minimum 2 nozzles - maybe three. I am looking for suggestions on the best/cost effective system - I would appreciate your feedback.

[dinoracer]

I'm thinking the same thing since I saw that video a couple weeks ago of the Miata with the fuel leak...The hand held isn't going to be enough. Subscibed

[jvangelder]

I have the mechanical unit linked here. It came with two t-handle pull's and two nozzles and more than enough tubing to mount the nozzles anywhere.

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/prod ... herSystems

[jeffw]

The ESS systems are great as you can fill (and refill) them yourselves. Especially handy if a student triggers it by accident

https://www.saferacer.com/products/e-s- ... ire-system

The only downside with the ESS systems is they need to be protected from freezing, so you likely need to pull it for the off season.

Julie's got an ESS in her car (as does Baker). My car has a halon system that came with it.

[jeffw]

One note: if you put the bottle in the trunk you'll likely need to get the extra length pull cable. If you put it in the passenger footwell, the default one works ok.

[djsteviec]

This is the system I have.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sts- ... Ajs98P8HAQ

[n1gzd]

On my list for this winter too.
Rebecca

[zchris]

Well I will chime in here on my experience with a Pull cable system. A pull cable system relies on a spring to drive the plunger thru a diaphram. I had a "Fire Bottle " system a number of years back that did not work when needed. It was brand new, just installed. Oil line let go and the car caught fire. Pulled the cable and nothing happened. Luckily I parked it right at a corner station so they put it out. As the were towing me back to the paddock, it went off. Great. Only use a Push type system or electric. And or know how to get out of your car really fast. Hope this helps.
Chris

[962porsche]

i can not count the number of fire systems i have installed for racers over the years . 6 this season alone .
in no way would i recommend the cheap ones from places like jegs . look at fire systems like your helmet you got a 10 dollar head you buy a 10 dollar helmet .all the cheap systems do is get you thru race tech when you need a fire system .

with pull handles you will find different types some systems have charged systems all the time other systems are dead until you pull the handle and it punches the CO2 charging the system and spraying .

both types work very well and both have good and bad about them .

doing race tech i have seen some real bad installs of fire systems . things like people running the tubing between the legs of a roll cage and the inner rocker so in a side impact the tubing could be crushed just when you need it . this season a customer brought me his car to remount the pull handle ( he installed the system ) the car had a small under dash fire one of the driver went to pull the handle and tore the handle right out of the dash and it didn't set the system off .
all the T-handles will take a little force to set the systems off . some systems have electrical push buttons ( push the button max ) that sets them off i personally do not like them even though i have installed allot of them for people and they do work but it's electrical and like any thing electrical it can fail .

a 3 nozzle or more system is best a two nozzle system doesn't cover enough area . i look at 2 nozzles as i do the cheap jegs and summet systems it's just to get you by the rules but no were near good enough when and if you ever really need the thing to put out a fire .
IMO ESS is one of the better systems out there but there are many other very good ones .

when it comes to mounting the bottles i have seen some mounted totally wrong . most systems you will want the head of the bottle pointed to the front of the car .
when you read the instructions for the cheap junk ones from summet you will see they say mount it sideways but there systems are designed for drag racing not road course and force loads on the car and bottles contents .
mounting the bottle the wrong way could lead to a weak spraying system .

[PaddyMcP]

I run the new SPA Novec gas system. http://www.spatechnique.com/store/itemList.cfm?catID=1

2 nozzle, 2 pulls, decabon tubing, steel bottle. CNC'd spray nozzles look super nice, decabon tubing is easy to work with. Quality stuff, and cost a few bucks more than the cheap systems. I'd say I went middle of the road budget wise. There were systems a few hundred cheaper and ones that were another $1000 more expensive.

My advice, talk to a technical rep at the company you are buying it from. I researched online quite a bit, but learned ALOT in 3 minutes with the factory SPA rep over the phone. Ended up paying retail, but got exactly what my car needed. Gas and foam are very different systems. Know what you are buying and why.

Huge downside on mine is when I pull the fire handle, I know my weekend is done. Can't refill it trackside and that means carrying a spare bottle is ANOTHER $500. If tech requires the system (which COM does not), I can't go back out until the bottle is recharged. And they need a recert every 2 years for SFI, so refilling 2 tanks is even more $$$.

-Paddy

[SEISAN]

Hi Paddy,

I was not aware of the certification. Since the system came with the car I thought if it was full and never used it was good forever. Guess I was wrong.

Thanks for the great information.

BB

[n1gzd]

good thread but since a lot of different people recommended different solutions I don't yet know what I should choose.
Rebecca

[6PAK72]

Fwiw:

I have a 5-litre ESS system, pull handle.

1. easy to install and easy to replace a line if you need
2. definitely if in the trunk you need the long pull cable
3. +++ on making sure you have ansolid mounting point for the handle
4. Love that I can recharge/archive it over the winter
5. a student pulled ny handle last year and I learned that the system was correctly installed, except....
5a. be sure that your "t" fittings are TIGHT, otherwise you dont get pressured spray you get leaking weepage.

[962porsche]

personally the ESS AFFF 2.3 and 5.0 systems are the best bang for the buck .
i have ( both 2.3 and 5.0's) in two of my cars the reason i picked and tend to recommend them to my customers is they are rechargeable at a low cost .
the recharge kits are about 50 dollars you can keep them in your hauler and no recertification is needed for you to set off the system at a event .

the 2.3 liter bottle will support 3 nozzles and the 5.0 bottle will support up to 6 .

not once have i ever had enough aluminum tubing to do a install that the kits come with so measure out what you need 1st and order enough tubing for the install .

[modifiede30]

when it comes to mounting the bottles i have seen some mounted totally wrong . most systems you will want the head of the bottle pointed to the front of the car . when you read the instructions for the cheap junk ones from summet you will see they say mount it sideways but there systems are designed for drag racing not road course and force loads on the car and bottles contents. mounting the bottle the wrong way could lead to a weak spraying system .

I am trying to figure out where to place the bottle for my install of an AFFF system and since its a small car, i'm struggling to find an adequate spot where 1) a passenger won't accidentally set it off with their feet, or 2) putting it in the trunk (not preferred) - its a Z3 so my next thought was to place it on the rear shelf or along the back behind the seats. If I were to do this though, it would be mounted sideways as you reference above, rather than facing the front of the car. Your comment above indicates doing so would potentially lead to a weak spraying system. Is this dependent on the type of system used or is this true for all types systems? I recall seeing somewhere a diagram of the various directions to install, but now I can't find it. This is a system similar to ESS but made by Firecharger (believe they are essentially the same). I'll have 3 nozzles - I'm not eager to run lines from the trunk to the engine bay. If I run it from the shelf, I can easily mount a sturdy pull cable to the roll bar and one off the tranny tunnel for myself.