I absolutely agree with your point about the foam padding--what I wonder is
whether it's even possible to properly pad a standard Spit rollbar without
intruding on the space that's supposed to be occupied by your head. The Spit
rollbar is SO low, and SO close to the back of the seat...
> I spent some time racing a car in the NASCAR Sportsman class on a
> NASCAR-sanctioned track, and, consequently, did a lot of research into
> available materials and equipment. Padding for roll bars is much
> misunderstood. Typically, uninformed racers put the nearest foam sheet
> on roll bars and taped it in place, and, in an accident, found the
> padding to be substandard. That was not the fault of padding, per se,
> but rather, of the choice of padding of the racer.
>
> The best foam for roll bar impact protection is both thick and dense. As
> with any material which must absorb impact, the foam must actually
> absorb forces, rather than simply compress in the process of impact.
> Ordinary foam is high in empty or air-filled cells, which compress
> easily--that means, on heavy impact, that the foam reduces its volume to
> almost nothing and allows impact with the metal of the roll bar,
> resulting in an increased chance of injury.
>
> Denser foam, with some resistance to compression, is far more useful in
> absorbing brain-changing impact. (!) It's softer than the metal
> underneath it, but has, like the properties of a unibody car,
> progressive crush properties to _absorb_ the impact energy as it
> deforms, thus preventing serious injury, even in sport (rather than
> racing) driving in the event of an accident.
>
> All foam padding is not alike.
>
> Cheers.
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