Boxster - Fire Extinguisher Mounting

[TKE878]

I was thinking about putting a fire extinguisher in my Boxster. But then I started thinking if there was a fire, where would you spray it? It's not like you just open the hood a let loose. That made me think it becomes more of an onament than functional. What are your thoughts?

[ericinboca]

I was thinking about putting a fire extinguisher in my Boxster. But then I started thinking if there was a fire, where would you spray it? It's not like you just open the hood a let loose. That made me think it becomes more of an onament than functional. What are your thoughts?

I do not think it would be strictly ornamental.

I've just started researching fire suppression systems to install in my track dedicated 986. I've had a fire on track, but it was easily extinguished - power steering high pressure line in contact with header and fire was at the bottom of the motor.

But that little deal, and having seen a turbo, lotus and miata go up in flames, made me start looking into this. I'm hoping some other people have some real knowledge and experience in this.

My thoughts -

Extinguishing an engine fire on a Boxster could be problematic because of the difficulty in getting to the top of the motor - the bottom is easy to reach. Having said that, most of my research makes me believe a clean agent (Halon 1211, DuPont FE36 and equivalents) hand-held extinguisher, if it has adequate capacity for the circumstances of your fire, could indeed extinguish a top of the motor fire from underneath. It also seems a dry chemical extinguisher, because of how thin the chemical is, and how it disperses easily (sort of in a directed cloud), might also be effective from underneath.

Clean agent is called clean agent because they leave no residue and don't short out electronics. They are quite a bit more expensive though. You get a real mess with dry chemical, but it is cheap, readily available and I think could be effective.

You might also consider AT extinguishers. These things set themselves off at pre-set temperatures - you simply mount the extinguisher where you want it - often used inside of race trailers. I've considered AT extinguishers in the engine compartment and in the front trunk - but will likely end up with an electrically activated clean agent system with nozzles in the engine compartment, front trunk and cockpit.

Checkout FireBottle, Safecraft, Spa Design - some of these make handhelds, some systems.

Edited June 16, 2009 by ericinboca

[number9ine]

I was thinking about putting a fire extinguisher in my Boxster. But then I started thinking if there was a fire, where would you spray it? It's not like you just open the hood a let loose. That made me think it becomes more of an onament than functional. What are your thoughts?

I'm sure that if a fire breaks out in your engine compartment, the result will leave you wishing you had one. It could be the difference between mild damage and car-b-que.

If you track the car at all it's a must. People say Halon ($$$) is the way to go if you don't like cleaning up mess, but I assume that a fire means you'll already be cleaning something, so your call. PCA DEs generally require them to be installed, and in that case it's not just for your own car's sake.

I mounted one in my wife's '99 Boxster and my old '03 Boxster. Real simple, cut a six-inch or so length of L-channel steel from the local hardware store, affixed it to a $40 firebottle with metal mounting bracket from a propane supplier, then mounted it on the steel lip under the passenger front seat cushion using the two screw holes already there. It allows full range of movement back and forth, although the seat shouldn't be moved when set at its lowest height otherwise the extinguisher drags. for about $45 in parts and 45 minutes of labor it's secure, detaches easily, and is hidden enough by the seat that it isn't an eyesore. Your alternatives are some pricey ($100+) mounts that you'll need to install anyway, so why pay more?

[70Sixter]

First, I never thought about trying Number9ine's angle steel before I bought mount. Maybe for the 914.

And second, the dry powder is a destructive mess, not just a clean-up problem. Halon is worth the cost.

[Beelzy]

+1 with the Halon exstinguisher.

I would suppose that if a Boxster caught fire, one would be best advised to shoot the underside of the vehicle.

[atomichead]

What about the passenger side vent, behind the door? Is it a straight shot to the motor? Would the fan be too big an obstruction?

[number9ine]

What about the passenger side vent, behind the door? Is it a straight shot to the motor? Would the fan be too big an obstruction?

I think the best place to aim would be just ahead of the transmission plate, straight shot up.

[Bristol]

I've looked at the Boxster passenger seat mount and the expensive BK mount on my 996. I agree that something can be homemade pretty easily and cheaply - which is what I plan on doing in my Boxster. The bolt holes are already there on the seat rail. I'll be using thick aluminum bar material though to make it look fancy (still inexpensive though). I've got a small halon extinguisher wedged between the passenger seat and side sill right now, fits tight and fine. That'll be mounted under the seat like the BK mount soon.

If there was a fire the LAST thing they tell you to do in a conventional car is to open the hood! That lets oxygen in and feeds the fire. They always tell you to leave the hood closed and try to extinguish the fire from underneath - at least this is what I have ALWAYS heard. So what's the big deal with the Boxster then? You don't want to open the engine compartment from the top any way! If I had a fire I would use the halon extinguisher to spray up from underneath the car. The halon will displace the little oxygen that would be up there and smother the fire as a result. With halon you'd want an enclosed area where the gas can work best.

Kirk

[Topless]

I have a 2.5lb FE firmly mounted to the pass. seat using a bracket I fashioned from a $10 lumber bracing bracket. It is very strong and the price was right. My car will now pass tech at every race track.

I have mixed feelings about it though. Modern cars are really very fire safe and I believe that in a serious collision the risk of injury from a "loose cannon" fire extinguisher outweighs the risk of injury from a fire that a 2.5 lb Ext. will put out. I have used small fire extinguishers before and found them to be pretty ineffective at dousing any serious car/boat fire. The one benefit is that it will buy time to get out of the car. If using it allows me to get out safely, it is worth the annoyance of having it .