NHRA Tether Rule Update

[Crew Chief]

I hear this mandate came down from NHRA's legal department after an incident where someone was hit by a collector that came off in the water box. If that's the case, they would want legitimate companies making the tethers because liability would then fall back on the manufacturer in a lawsuit.

[SSGT Mustang]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

I hear this mandate came down from NHRA's legal department after an incident where someone was hit by a collector that came off in the water box. If that's the case, they would want legitimate companies making the tethers because liability would then fall back on the manufacturer in a lawsuit.

I heard that too. But don't know how they can try to sell that explanation with a straight face when they promote fuel cars that explode and send shrapnel everywhere, including whole funny car bodies, at least a few times every year. You see cars losing their hood or hood scoop, nitrous backfires, lost blower belts, broken rear ends. The list goes on and on. I've seen each of those examples more than once, but never a lost collector.

I like going into the fuel pits to see and hear the cars fire up before their run, but always stand about 20 feet back because I'm just waiting for one of those things to blow up with everyone around it. I can't believe that it hasn't happened yet.

Nevertheless, the collector rule, no matter how they try to spin it, just seems like a poorly thought out "solution" to an almost non-existent problem. It's a sign of an incompetent bureaucracy at its best or worst, I can't decide.

Hell, if they expect tech to look under every car for approved tethers, then surely they can require them to look underneath cars for a properly fabricated tether made by the average racer. It's not brain surgery to make a pair of these things.

[astikhossw]

Aristophanes ????

[gsa612]

This is a real rip-off!,seeing that there now allowing a 1/2" stitch weld on ea. pri. tube. Why not allow a tab on every tube, this would allow the header to be R/R on cars where the tube goes over the frame, as of now the only option is the tether on those cars.In 40 years I have not seen or heard of an actual collector fall off, only the extension that some guys try to hammer/swedge on.I can see this as maybe being a concern on a NO2 or turbo car, where it might back fire and blow the header to sh#@.

[Tom Moock]

gsa612, I was at cordova points meet 2 or 3 years ago and a SS Monza lost a collector during burn out or leaving the starting line? went under tire and shot it out the back clear to fence behind the starting line next to the highway. It came so fast you couldn`t have moved out the way, it hit a tire on golf cart next to me. Tom

[CWhitney]

So is there going to be a muffler tether next? Muffler tether to the collector tether to the header tether to frame?

[FED 387]

I have been drag racing a looooong long time probably more years than many of you are old---I am trying hard to remember if I can remember one incident where a collector came loose from a race vehicle although I am sure it has happened at least once !!! Looking at the devices that NHRA has currently approved as well as the pictures that some have posted here on the site it seems to me that many could fabricate an acceptable device to meet the NHRA specifications at far less cost!!

$200 plus or minus is a totally riduculous amount to spend on a device that obviously costs a minimal amount to fabricate. Welding is not an acceptable solution either for many situations. What happens if you go to tear down and in some cases individual tubes wrap around steering and frame areas do you then cut the weld to remove that tube and reweld that tube together again so you can go back and race later??? Pretty soon you will run out of places to weld on !!!!

The collector location under any full body chassis is going to be an extremely difficult area for many tech inspectors to examine simply because sometimes the collector is almost up against the floor and behind the frame rail. Common sense needs to prevail here. What will be next an approved NHRA/SFI battery hold downs or a SFI approved overflow bottles or better yet SFI approved gas tanks straps to replace the OEM ones??? C'mon let the racer make up something that will do the job and get back to something else that needs immediate attention---FED387

[Jim Wahl]

Let me say first off I am for anything that makes racing safer. That said, I also must say the way NHRA is going about this smells! It smells of kickback from "approved" manufacturers. In order to achieve said kickback the current two approved manufacturers are inflating the price phenomenally. CollectorTether.com is charging $199-$249 for $30 worth of materials. I'm thinking NHRA must be pocketing about $50 or more each. It takes about 10 minutes to assemble the said parts. With 5000 race cars that will be required to install these teathers or they can't race, that works out to a quarter million bucks! Quite a handsome profit for a few clamps and some steel cable. The Lokar pieces are unbelievably over thought and complicated. The HeaderTether.com piece is much more slick and better thought out. Neither one is worth more than $50 racer price. Also as of this date, neither are SFI approved but NHRA is allowing them. I am very doubtful they will ever be SFI approved. Just another way of keeping the individual racer from making their own tether!

If NHRA was genuinely interested in correcting a problem (more people have been killed by loose Top Fueler tires) they would set a standard, much like the roll bar rules, and allow racers to fabricate their own header tethers. I will NOT be paying $200-$250 for this newest obvious NHRA money making enterprise paid for on the backs of the racer. Nor will I be hacking up my $2600 SS headers by welding them all together, this was a disingenuous alternative by NHRA. I will make my own tethers. I am fully capable, as are 90% of the racers I compete with. If they are not acceptable, I will not race with the NHRA until they rethink this deal. Scooter Peaco must be smiling somewhere right about now. Jim


.

[Mack Reeves]

Originally Posted by Jim Wahl

Let me say first off I am for anything that makes racing safer. That said, I also must say the way NHRA is going about this smells! It smells of kickback from "approved" manufacturers. In order to achieve said kickback the current two approved manufacturers are inflating the price phenomenally. CollectorTether.com is charging $199-$249 for $30 worth of materials. I'm thinking NHRA must be pocketing about $50 or more each. It takes about 10 minutes to assemble the said parts. With 5000 race cars that will be required to install these teathers or they can't race, that works out to a quarter million bucks! Quite a handsome profit for a few clamps and some steel cable. The Lokar pieces are unbelievably over thought and complicated. The HeaderTether.com piece is much more slick and better thought out. Neither one is worth more than $50 racer price. Also as of this date, neither are SFI approved but NHRA is allowing them. I am very doubtful they will ever be SFI approved. Just another way of keeping the individual racer from making their own tether!

If NHRA was genuinely interested in correcting a problem (more people have been killed by loose Top Fueler tires) they would set a standard, much like the roll bar rules, and allow racers to fabricate their own header tethers. I will NOT be paying $200-$250 for this newest obvious NHRA money making enterprise paid for on the backs of the racer. Nor will I be hacking up my $2600 SS headers by welding them all together, this was a disingenuous alternative by NHRA. I will make my own tethers. I am fully capable, as are 90% of the racers I compete with. If they are not acceptable, I will not race with the NHRA until they rethink this deal. Scooter Peaco must be smiling somewhere right about now. Jim


.

Very well said!!!

[63corvette]

[QUOTE=Jim Wahl;400025]
If NHRA was genuinely interested in correcting a problem (more people have been killed by loose Top Fueler tires) they would set a standard, much like the roll bar rules, and allow racers to fabricate their own header tethers. I will NOT be paying $200-$250 for this newest obvious NHRA money making enterprise paid for on the backs of the racer. Nor will I be hacking up my $2600 SS headers by welding them all together, this was a disingenuous alternative by NHRA. I will make my own tethers. I am fully capable, as are 90% of the racers I compete with. If they are not acceptable, I will not race with the NHRA until they rethink this deal.
Jim

I had lunch with some racing friends this last week and two of them stated almost exactly the same thing. No more NHRA racing events until this new rule is changed to allow us to fabricate our own. It seems more principal of the way it was handed down than the cost to them. Probably the cost was part of it also.
I hope NHRA takes a look at comments like these and realizes that they are running off their loyal customers by doing silly things like this.
It will only take someone making a long tow to an event somewhere early next year and being turned down at TECH over the tether issue to really get things stirred up.
My 2 Cents
Rick Cates