Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

finally someone who knows a little about what they are talking about.

i have only seen tethers once and i thought it had clamps on the bottom frme rail behind the up rights at the front motor plate, but it could have been clamped to the up rights. also the clamps on the front axle were spaced out wide on the front axle on both sides.

some of these people don't seem to have any idea or understanding of how the tether system is designed.

with that being said there still my be some concerns.

if you have a set of tethers on each side of the car with one end of a tether clamped to the front up right at the front motor mount position and the other end clamped at or about where the radius rod mounts are on the axle, and the axle breaks at one side in the area of the radius rod mounts, you now have an axle that is about 80% of its original length and is now attached to the side of the car at the front motor mount location with one tether and attached to the axle at the radius rod mount location.

my concern is that axle now is flopping around, and depending on the length of the tether and the remaining length of the axle, will the broken end of the axle be able to enter the cockpit like a spear? what happens if the tie rod breaks loose from the short side of the broken axle and is flopping around with the long side of the axle? does it get into the cockpit?

what if the axle breaks in the center and now you have both halves of the axle flopping around?

i would hope the people who designed the tethers have thought of these very things and implemented a design that reduces the risks of the tether doing more harm than good.
i would like to think they have because we have some very talented people that work in the safety componant industry.

i am pretty sure they have a better grasp on the situation than most of the people on this forum.

to indy and beyond!!

shorten the tethers to points of attachment to axle-chassis center (regardless make them shorter and leading not lagging direction,  understood the chassis can be disrupted on points of attachment due to damage, this is a crapshoot anyway, axles can/have sheered, hubs can fail, now the kingpin loc does nothing,tierods can and will sheer,anybody would like to disagree ill mail you the pieces to clarify the damage,.. OK?  the tethers themselves will not stop the forces of 1400lbs at 100mph, anything can happen, regardless , the design is poor,tires/wheel assemblies will be lagging a wreck almost certain to hit the headers,oil tank,radiator, or hood, or worse the driver, I havent been on this earth for 40 years but I feel like ive been here for 100 years after the punishment I put my body thro during a wreck.. does that make me a legitimate canidate for concern?

I believe there are 2 lengths of tethers available.

From an attachment point, IMO, if you truely want to "tether" the axle, the point must be at the motorplate or farther back (the issue has been and always will be that the front "clip" is torn from the racecar and the radius rods and everything go flying with the axle and front end of the chassis.

As a FAN IN THE STANDS, I have seen and axle fly into the infield (and hit a safety worker), another fly over the front stretch fence (thank god no one was killed, if it had been during the Nationals, multiple people would have been IMO), an axle fly into the infield on the opposite end of the track (thankfully it went into an un-inhabited area).  I've also seen the "front clip" from a car fly over the top of the lightpoles and into the Dingus Parking Lot (destroying a passenger vehicle when it landed adn the part/pieces probably weighed less than 25 lbs alltogether).

To me, SOMETHING must be done to avoid a tragedy (and possibly to someone not even attending the races) as it may be the end of racing at some venues (and may be the end of some drivers/owners finiancial life as they will be sued just the same as a racetrack will and most of them don't have insurance that will pay out the settlement, they'll lose everything they have in the process).

Is the current tether the:  "100% - this is the answer we've been looking for" ?  Maybe, maybe not, but I know for sure that "100% this isn't the answer" is doing nothing and pretending issues don't exist.  By using that logic we'd still be playing football with leather helmets, race cars wouldn't have seatbelts or race seats, and passenger vehicles wouldn't have seatbelts (I had a car this didn't have them) or airbags (love em' or hate em', they've saved more lives than they've taken (and they have taken some)).

+1

Ive looked for these "magical" tethers through the internet, and find nothing, Butlerbuilt seems to be a large provider of such items I went to the website and didnt find them there either.. Can somebody put up some solid information on these things? WoO has the part#'s listed   I attended -gosh- I cant even count them, quite a few shows last season, I do a fair share of time hovering over large and small teams cars. I never seen one.. who on the Outlaw trail or Knoxville has these tethers? who? i see safety shields,hans, Hooker belts,torque tube loops, drag link straps, scattershields, rockgaurds,firesuits,steel hiems, stop retainers,  ect ect ect , this tether is almost a invisible item that is manditory, theres alot of talk about something that was proubly "new" at PRI and Indy this offseason . Im with Dietrick on this one, maybe solving one problem and creating another, IM NOT against the tethers, they will contain the piece to the chassis, if that was the concern I think they did a wonderfull job , racers that dont want them will alter the strap to break away.. thats what racers do.. spend some time in tech youll understand the purchase of a product is just the begining of its function in the racers eyes.. Im the same guy that didnt like mufflers, little did everyone know they were overheating rear shocks, frequently welded in reverse flow, stampings were corrected on the things to correct problems, maybe they are ok now? I just hate the idea of this sport turning into Nascar where they make the rule changes almost every week to accomidate everyone, quite honestly thier racing sux, ours is still exciting.. JMO

 instead of sarcastically harping on a web forum, why don't you use that "magical" talking devise called a phone and call butlerbuilt.  i'm sure they will provide you with information.

to indy and beyond!!

"magical", hence, a illusion, seems im not the only one on here that hasnt seen much of this "item" some are making manditory, this is a disscussion forum,... my table for discussion started rather late in the evening,and on this post, do you happen to have thier personal phone numbers so i can interrupt thier sunday supper possibly? afterall, this is important!  If this item is the best thing since sliced bread, I bet its gonna take me months to get aquainted with its function and compatability I only have untill april, what will I do? ,  the preseason trade shows are wrapping up, wouldnt the Web site list a new product? isnt that a target for display? Expessially something that is manditory this 2014 season.. not Feb, not March,  April! ..

Im sorry afterall,  your right, Ill call them , and discussed privately with a representtive of Butler, Particularly to one Ive proubly talked to many other times as well, im a interested consumer and competitor  maybe I'll find some upgrades I have for my seat too, afterall, ive just hear rumors, maybe some came from a  messageboard  and my restrait system? you know, the one that they endorsed and is no longer aval, or my upgrades to the torque shields I use and padding  if there is anything new?? hmm, I wonder?   ill keep that info to myself, why would I come on here and discuss anything on a "discussion " board.. get a clue. if you cant tollerate a bit if humor give me a call ill tell you where to place your phone.

pic.twitter.com/KSmcSIgSEx

instead of being such a sarcastic nit wit why don't you call butler and talk to them. no one said you had to do it during non business hours. you seem to want to spend more time bitching than finding valid information.

if it takes you months for you to understand the tether function and compatability then you have more problems than can be helped in that same time.

while you are on the phone with butler maybe you can bitch at them for not having the info on their site that you wish.

ranting on this site does nothing to futher your quest, unless you are competing for nit wit of the week.

to indy and beyond!!

Does no one else on here find it odd that it's not on the ButlerBuilt website?  At least not that I can find.  Based on the twitter pic posted earlier on the tread, it was at PRI, and that was almost six weeks ago.  And, it's apparently been used at Knoxville since last season.

ButlerBuilt has time to update that Clauson won ChilliBowl, but no info on the latest (and mandated) safety equipment?

Exactly..

Buzz instead of trying to start a beef with me ,reread my posts and find the valid points I have,you seem to come to Hoseheads for some sort of news?, why would a person do that?..   You troll the msg board and try to throw a pile of dung at my so called sarcasum , I can post as I wish and so can you, I never stated I didnt understand the concept or function, I had to dig for a while to find anything resembeling the items in this topic,  dont flatter yourself. Ill wait untill its proven manditory to have these tethers on my car, I know how much ive spent on new concepts and ideas in racing, how much have you?

you were doing fine until you just got plain stupid.

i'm not trying to start anything with you, just trying to end your BS.

you plainly stated it might take you months to understand the concept or function.

you are so spun out you can't even remember your own words.

again i will say you are not heloing your quest for information on tethers by posting here.

i never said i come here for news. i come here to see what is going on with the hosers.

you seem to be the one who thinks this is the place to find technical info.

why can't you just go to valid sources to get your answers if that is what you want instead of ranting on here?

if you are not interested in anything but complaining, don't try to mischaracterize it into anything else.

if you truely are intersted in the subject, then stop bitching about it and go find out the facts.

to indy and beyond!!

your too funney, your sence of sarcsum alert must be off, alltho ,  you post to your discression of sarcasum,but, you cant seem to understand my sarcasum? , speeking of spinout? look in the mirror the past few minutes?     "latest news thats fit to sprint" ya,your right,  ping yourself another point  proubly not a huge technical hub, but, its the offseason, I figure what the heck ill just check in and see what the latest is, Quite honestly the news in the openwheel world is here, right now at our disposal,HERE,  I dont wish to wait another month for the product avalibility to release on one of the two magazines I subscribe too, or one of the several suppliers I purchase from. I havent seen them released...  I choose to debate a issue that seems missdirected, (IMO) , you, on the otherhand wish to try squash out the drivers concern on the tethers, for that you shall be ashamed. reread my posts, I said I wasnt completly against them alltho as a driver I am concerned, there is issues that will arised regardless of thier attachment and specifics, if you wish to turn the other cheek on the facts that these could become trouble to the drivers, your a neglectfull coward. maybe steel hiems would hold front axles in, 90% of the time the aluminum Hiem breaks .. In Knoxvilles Dingus event the pieces over the fence was the front torsion tubes and suspension assembly, so now what, tether the frame?..   im not speeking outa my ass here Buzz, im putting the concern out there to be  recognized, many many many racers are with me on this,.. keep beating your drum, whatever it takes to make you feel like a champ. 

you continue to claim you are in search of tether info and don't want to wait for product availability to show up in a magazine, but yet you still seem to want to ramble on here instead of going directly to the source and getting the info you say you yern for.

also i never tried to squash any concerns over tethers. in fact i posted some of my own concerns. i have never voiced a stong opinion either way on the tether system. so you are just making stuff up.

you seem too intersted in trying stir up shit and complain about the lack of information available than to go find out from the people who are designing and manufacturing the system. i agree there should be more info available, still you aren't going to find it by ranting in here.

so with that i have no further use for you regarding this topic.

to indy and beyond!!

pic.twitter.com/KSmcSIgSEx

Ok, you are totally ignorant.. Ill post again.. I am the only one to post this, on page 3 of this topic! 

It has been years sinnce i worked on a sprint car, but here is a simple question. would it be possible to criss cross the tethers from the bar the motor plate mounts to and go from the right side to the left fron and left side to right front. If possible this would keep the axle remotely half way back to the motor if the axle broke in half. this is just a simple question no smart ass comments needed, just would like to know if anyone has thought of this concept

Good thought.  How about keeping the two tethers like designed now and add the crossovers that you suggest.  Tie both sides of the axle two ways.  That might help lower the possibility of half an axle swinging around on the car.

Wasn't Kevin Gobrecht killed by a radius rod?

The wheels could also be tethered too. I remember being at I-80 in Nebraska about 15-20 years ago sitting on top of a comcession stand at the end of the front straight away. I think it was Dave Blaney who one of his rear tires and it bounced once and then flew over our heads!! Talk about a wake up call!!!!

yes, and now there is a tether on it.