Lexan Window thickness... REPORT!

Has anyone else out there run into legal issues with lexan? Seems my county doesn't allow lexan anywhere, and I haven't really seen much on it.

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Matt Brady
Has anyone else out there run into legal issues with lexan? Seems my county doesn't allow lexan anywhere, and I haven't really seen much on it.

Well unless you're thinking of chopping out the hideous "b and a half" pillar and doing a big side window like Gawd intended, should be only a "theoretical' problem.
It really it should be the state which writes the laws for this kinda thing.
In Washington, its found in the WAC--Washington Administrative Code.

But ya know? If you pop rivet the rear "big" window in,, and then using some Low Tack masking tape and mask off a border and paint it black giving it a border like OEMs do so you don't see the sealant-splooge, I bet nobody would give it a second glance.

I did Lex side big window, and I've done a couple of hatch glass but then only cause we had a couple of hatches that had broken glass, and other guys needing glass for street cars, so everybody was happy.
That's the goal here, making as many people happy as possible.

Rule books in other venues, like Grand Am or ALMS dont mention anything to the material or thickness and only to the way its attached. Thickness and positioning of the beams for the windshield and things like that. Mostly because all race parts vendors and racecar builders only use 1/8th GE Lexan.

I passed Tech at NEFR with this on everything but the windshield:

Plastic windows

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She's screamn' fer eet!
Rallyho
Mike White
http://www.facebook.com/rallyhomotorsports

I'd be up for the 0.120" since that's the sheet that I bought for my rear windows. 3/16" is thicker than my OEM glass.

But really, I know in the WRC Ford got DQ'd from a race for too thin rear windows. But I mean c'mon... this isn't something we should really be worrying about on our level. I'd even think that the .096" is good enough for rear windows. I think the rule was put there so people don't put some plastic wrap as a rear window.

Here's an interesting link I found a while back to motorcycle windshields. http://www.nationalcycle.com/newsvideo/index.html#news5

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heymagic
In reality it is near impossible to measure the 'glass' thickness anyway, especially if it is in a rubber seal. How do we tell Lexan from plexi at a glance? Would you boot a guy for having to install plexi overnight to continue? (I wouldn't). As Josh mentioned we let people run with the back windows down or missing with no squabble, so just make the rule require 1/8 for all the windows. State Lexan for the front side windows. If we have to break a Lexan door window 1/8 inch might be better than 3/16.

Hey Gene,

I recommend saying Lexan; no, I can't always tell the diff either, other than to poke it hard and see if it breaks or not, but at least with Lexan in the rule, most folks will use it. It's much, much better stuff; I used the cheap stuff once and took it out when I saw how nastily it broke.

I don't see any need to do 3/16 all around, just the side windows. If you have 1/8 in a hatch, you will indeed need to support it, but I can't see that as a safety issue per se.

You aren't going to break Lexan in a side window either, whether it is 1/8 or 3/16, so I would like to see an addition to the rules for the side glass about having fasteners easy to break or pop out. Not sure how to define, word, or describe that item, though. It seems like it needs to be a positve latching system so that helmets and arms in side impacts don't just pop it out. Tha tis why side nets make more sense to me for restraints.....

Mark B.