Polycarbonatewindows have become a popular alternative to traditional glass windows in the racing industry, gaining traction mainly for their performance advantages. Odds are that you have come across these windows in one form or another, but why do racers prefer polycarbonate windows? Enhancing your BMW with polycarbonate windows can give you an edge on the track, providing crucial advantages over traditional glass. These benefits include:
Our polycarbonate door windows are tailored for the unique travel demands of getting to and from the track on an open trailer and protecting your racing car's interior from the elements. They feature optional window sliders, catering to regulations by many American Rally organizations, which mandate upgraded, non-removable polycarbonate windows. Our front windows can be completely removed to meet standards put in place by road-racing series such as SCCA and NASA.
Our polycarbonate window kits are easy to install, ensuring you can quickly upgrade your BMW with minimal hassle. Here are the basic installation tips (keep in mind every window has different specific install instructions):
These upgrades look great and significantly improve both performance and safety. Whether you are tuning a show car, building a dedicated track car, or gearing up for an endurance race, our polycarbonate window kits are an essential investment that promises lasting benefits!
In any racing discipline having a lighter chassis has its obvious advantages. Weight reduction aids with power to weight ratio, acceleration as well as vehicle weight transfer. Large racing budgets mean weight reduction can come from uber expensive composite panels and exotic alloys. For the rest of us, it means removal of sound deadening, creature comforts and basically creatively stripping out the interior.
Some of the heaviest components in a car are OE glass surfaces. Front windshields, side windows, and a sun roof. They constitute weight that can be removed (depending on your racing sanctioning body) and Lexan/Poly carbonate replacements are available for most popular racing platforms.
For Project Rotary Race mule, plans for a full roll cage with door intrusion x-braces meant that I had to cut into the inner door skin to make room for the bars. Therefore, the support skeleton for the power window mechanism had to go as well as the windows themselves. However, I was still wanted some type of shielding from the elements in the event of inclement weather while on the track so I opted to make my DIY Lexan windows. Here are the steps that I took to make it happen.
Mounting the Lexan window can be as easy as using the OE window tracks as a guide and securing the bottom of the Lexan. However some window tracks are not deep enough to keep the windows from blowing out. I decided to make a metal frame so the Lexan could be securely bolted in.
The white protective film made it easy to mark the metal frame and where the mounting tabs would be. I also taped in a sliding window to check for clearance and to insure no interference with the mounting frame. The outline provided a guide to bend the 3/8 round metal stock to create the frame.
The RX7 has a metal window frame that I decided to mount the Lexan window frame to. Here the spaces in between the taped section are where tabs will be welded to hold the frame. These areas were grinded down to bare metal to prepare for welding.
The excess material that is under the new metal frame was trimmed and all sharp edges ground smooth. If your initial shaping did not follow the contour of the window frame, fear not. You can adjust the shape of the frame by welding it one tab at a time.
A drill press made quick work of the multiple tab holes while a step drill bit kept the bolt hole sizes consistent. Once all the holes were drilled then the tabs were cut out and voila! You have tabs.
I know they follow NHRA generally. NHRA requires Windows to be rolled up. What if my car has a roof but no side or rear window. Will probably run in the 14. What am I faced with? Window Nets? Temporary plexiglass side windows?
Windshields and/or windows on all cars, when called for under Class Requirements, must be of safety glass, Plexiglas, Lexan (Polycarbonate), or other shatter-proof material. Windshields and/or windows must be clear, without tinting or coloring, except factory-tinted safety glass. Competition number decals are permitted on any window, windshield or backlite, except as noted in Class Requirements. Tape of any kind prohibited on any windshield or window.
Mandatory, must be in good condition and free from cracks. May be replaced with shatterproof material, 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) minimum thickness. Windshield may not be cut for scoops, carb, etc. Windshield/window tint must meet the applicable government requirements. Windows must be closed during races, need not be operable. Decals permitted on rear quarter and rear window only.
I know the challenge is not an NHRA event. And at an NHRA track I have run my road race car that does not have side windows period has a windshield but no side windows. When I ran my road race car it was a test and tune night and was not a sanctioned NHRA event. But of course my road race car had a full cage. I was hoping do not have to make plexiglass side windows just to run the challenge drag race
It's not too hard to replace one yourself. I put a used one in my Miata last year. I got the tool (image bottom) and Urethane adhesive from Napa. I destroyed my trim getting the old one out so I just used black silicone caulk to fill in the gap. No one ever said anything about it even when I sold the car months later.
Bug Info: (gameplay mode, full car model or track name, etc. Describe what we should be looking at in any photos you provide)
Platform: (Steam, Series X, Series S, Windows PC, Cloud)
Edition: (Game Pass, Standard, Deluxe, Premium, Add-Ons)
Account: (Family sharing, solo account, different purchase vs playing account, etc)
PC GPU: (model and driver version or date last updated)
Peripheral: (full wheel model name, last update drivers)
Settings: (PC graphics or visual setting, Assisted Difficulty, Accessibility, localization, Xbox region, etc)
Xbox Settings: (any parental controls? Quick Resume?)
Attempted fixes: (Have a Support ticket? rebooted, reinstalled, set settings to default, rolled back drivers, etc)
Content Update: Was this happening prior to the most recent content update or did it start after the update? After
Content Update: Was this happening prior to the most recent content update or did it start after the update? Started with update 8. I never has a crash issue before patch 8. PC/ WIn11/RTX3090/Fanatec CSW. After a freeplay race the loading wheel appears and it continues for a few seconds and the game stops responding asking me to close and submit to MS. It has done it on every track/car combo I have tried.
And the game hangs with the little windows mouse circle until it crashes to a do you want to end process tab
PC
4 times in 3 hours plus the pause menu when racing and selecting setting lags out between tabs
Bug Info: (gameplay mode, full car model or track name, etc. Describe what we should be looking at in any photos you provide)
Platform: (Steam, Series X, Series S, Windows PC, Cloud)
Edition: (Game Pass, Standard, Deluxe, Premium, Add-Ons)
Account: (Family sharing, solo account, different purchase vs playing account, etc)
PC GPU: (model and driver version or date last updated)
Peripheral: (full wheel model name, last update drivers)
Settings: (PC graphics or visual setting, Assisted Difficulty, Accessibility, localization, Xbox region, etc)
Xbox Settings: (any parental controls? Quick Resume?)
Attempted fixes: (Have a Support ticket? rebooted, reinstalled, set settings to default, rolled back drivers, etc)
Content Update: Was this happening prior to the most recent content update or did it start after the update?
I made a post and it had many more replies than this one, where did it go? At any rate my game crashes randomly on PC after ending a career race. Spinning loading logo then stops responding and have to close and report to MS. Any fix incoming t10 ???
Hope the hotfix for this annoying bug that appeared in update 8 or 8.1 is fixed soon, waiting a month is not at all acceptable as Chris said this game is designed to be able to be updated very easily or words to that affect
Derby Talk is a forum for Pinewood Derby, Awana Grand Prix, Kub Kar Rally, Shape N Race Derby, Space Derby, Raingutter Regatta and other similar races where a child and an adult work together to create a race vehicle and a lot of fun and memories
We began working with SHIELDS in the fall of 2010, after several failed attempts with other potential vendors, at developing a windshield for our electric utility vehicle, the Firefly ESV. Other suppliers were not able to achieve satisfactory clarity of consistent shape with the radical curvature and size windshield that we needed. Not only has SHIELDS surpassed all our design specifications, they also developed a frit (border) application process (saving us labor cost), provided their SUPERCOAT coating which exceeds our scratch resistance requirements, and constantly delivers a quality product on time. Working with SHIELDS has been a distinct pleasure, and we wish all of our suppliers could perform as they do; they are a quality group of people!
After almost 10 years with Shields, service has been nothing but excellent. Not only are they a vendor to Intercontinental Trophy Cup but they have also become close personal friends. What sets them apart from other manufacturers is their eagerness to take on dynamic and different projects when others choose to stay inside the box. They have provided windshields, stock glass replacements, and trophies for us over the years and we look forward to continuing the relationship with our new racing series.
Having a business relationship for over a decade, Form/Tec Plastics (SHIELDS) remains Alamo Group (TX) leading polycarbonate supplier. Their product expertise and reliable service exemplifies their success in the OEM industry. The business synergism between Alamo Group and SHIELDS is conducive to a prosperous business relations ship.
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