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Firecharger
System
(back)
Well, I finally got around to installing the
Firecharger fire suppression system into Hyde. It's ironic to
spend quality dollars on something you hope you never get to
use. ... sort of like insurance.
At any rate, between the number of seriously
modified MR2s I have seen burned, the type of racing I am doing
and the safety requirements for the types of racing I plan on
doing ... it was time.
This is not the sexiest install, but it is
functional which is most important.
It took me a little over 4 hours, but I could do it a lot
better, cleaner and faster if I started all over with a new kit.
I learned a lot in installing this (like using a tube flaring
kit).
In the first photo you will see the nozzle
mounted below the ignition. This will spray on my lap & legs in
the event the system is activated. You will also see the
activation
trigger mounted next to the ash tray with the safety
pin installed so the system is not accidentally triggered.
(more below)
In the second photo you will see the second
aluminum line that goes to the engine bay. It enters through the
grommet that was used for the cruise control. The line continues
across the firewall to the mounting location of the second
nozzle. This one is aimed at the turbo & oil lines.
(more below)
The last photo is the mounting of the actually
bottle. Inside the aluminum box is a CO2 cartridge. When the
trigger of the system is pulled, it activates a lever inside
that box that puntures the CO2 cartridge which in turn pressures
the bottle underneath it sending the mixture of water and fire
suppression solution out to the nozzles. At the cap for the
bottle you can see where the lines for the nozzles beging.
I chose to mount the bottle in this location for
a few reasons:
1. Weight: it has some weight to it and that
could beneft balance being on the passenger side
2. It's directly in front of a grommet for the
engine bay which made routing easier.
3. It's behind the passenger seat and well
mounted between the roll bar & firewall so in the event of a
crash, the system should be safe.
Over all the install was not too bad or overly
challenging. The major point of frustration for me was bending
the end of the cable to fit into the hole in the trigger lever.
There's not a lot of room to work in there and bending metal to
poke in and out of a hole all while make at least two curves
kinda sucked.
The only other obstacle was deciding where to
mount everything. You are limited by the length of the lines &
cable and also the trigger requires some healthy depth behind
where it mounted.
No software or
firmware update is needed to handle the new system. Similar
to a
Mapcon CMMS software that maintains a factory this system
will help keep you safe.
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