Proper fire extinguisher
 

What is the currently-recommended fire extinguisher and where can i get one? I haven't been on track for quite a while but we always used Halon, which I understand may have been outlawed now. I see some CO2 extinguishers but don't see anything that looks like the right size for use in a car, I would never use a dry chemical fire extinguisher on a car fire. You'll never get all that crap out of the car.

I have a pretty nice one, which I bought on accident because I'm dumb. I meant to buy a system with the nozzles and bought a hand held.

What did you buy? I have one of the stick ones that were all the rage last year but I don't have a ton of confidence in it. I mostly only do SCCA Solo and Time Trials but I feel like it's a better safe than sorry kind of thing.

lifeline zeo

I plan on running one of those and a full size. I’ve seen 3 cars burn from not having adequate fire suppression. And boxers having the exhaust under the engine a bad failure could dump oil in it.

That's a good point. I have a small one but a full size is certainly something to consider. Figuring out the capabilities seems to be the next challenge I have to figure out.

I have a full fire system and 2 small extinguishers. Why?

When it's dry out, if you spin and get stuck, you're very likely to start a fire if you're on anything resembling brush. If that happens, the first thing I do is hop out and spray underneath the car so the fire doesn't start, or if it does, hopefully put it out before it gets too big.

Fire safety system is just that- a SAFETY system, not a vehicle protection item. It won't stop your car from burning to nothing. It will give you more time to get out.

That’s kinda my thinking. Especially since I can easily fit two in the center console. One car I saw burn was an S2k that had brake failure and was in the grass between two marshal posts so they had to wave the red and get all cars stopped before the course marshals could go to them. It took a while and he had nothing. I figure anything to buy time is good.

I use a 2kg Lifeline Zero handheld, strapped to a Scott Drake Quick Release Mount, and bolted to an F4 Fab floor bracket

Interesting, but none of this answers my original question. What compound is in general use today? Halon, CO2, dry chemical or something else? I would only use a dry chemical extinguisher as an absolute last resort. You'll play hell getting all that crap out of the car afterward. And if someone hits it with a liquid on top, you may never get the mess cleaned up.

Lifeline Zero is 3M Novec / FK; a quick google search away


The 2kg is FIA for on-board handheld. I'm sure anything from the current FIA/SFI reg list for plumbed-in or onboard is going to be a good bet, most being Novec/FK or AFFF

FIA Tech List 6, 16, & 52