Blazecut Fire Suppression

[Wavey1]

I just installed this simple fire suppression system. There was some discussion here and on the FB group after several engine compartment fires last spring. I ordered one at that time but they were on backorder until recently.

It's a really simple idea: a pressurized, meltable tube filled with a high quality fire suppressant. There's a pressure gauge on one end, and the whole thing can be zip-tied in whatever configuration works for you.

The tubing is pretty rigid and doesn't take sharp bends, but it fits well in the NSX compartment. I have the gauge end tucked in so I can pop it out to check, but everything else is held in place well. There's some extra protection where the tube meets sharper metal pieces.

Seems like cheap insurance to me.

https://www.blazecutusa.com/pages/t-series

 

[Mac Attack]

Well, it certainly won't hurt.

However, the problem with their marketing is that the combustion source was limited (just a bit of gas squirted in the engine compartments), and the vehicles were not moving (the small fans in the Aussie video don't provide meaningful airflow through an engine compartment at speed). Gaseous suppression only prevents re-ignition in small, closed compartments - not in a moving vehicle with a high air-rate turnover, and a potential fire source with much greater fuel (running fuel pump, fuel tank, burning battery, burning thermoset/thermoplastic wire insulation, etc).

After starting this thread and doing a bit more research, I went with the professionals recommendations: Protect yourself first, and then the car if you can.

Therefore, I went with a small, manually-actuated, FE-36 suppression system for the cab and the front compartment. Ideally, if something in these two areas burst into flames, I should quickly notice it, get off the road/track safely and come to a stop (where a gaseous system is most effective), kill electrical power, and then actuate the system. Relatively easy cleanup.

The engine compartment fire is something different. In the event of a fire, I want to soak that area with an aqueous foam solution to extinguish the immediate fire, and also try to prevent re-ignition due to all the hot stuff back there and large amount of fuel (oil, gas, wire insulation, and plastic covers). I also have a nozzle to soak the top of the gas tank, as there are two areas where a flame can spread from the engine compartment through the fuel tank firewall.

Lastly, I have a small handheld dry chemical extinguisher. Unnecessary insurance? Perhaps. My car is heavily modified with custom fuel and oil lines, so I may have a slightly higher frequency than the average NSX for bursting into flames. Also, my $65k Grundy policy has a $500 deductible, so the total system cost of ~$800 is comparable.

If someone wants to take a step further for maybe the front engine compartment, you could use one of these passive, thermally-actuated aerosol generators:
https://www.statx.com/product/stat-x-fixed-system-thermal-units/

I've thought about it for my Li battery, but again, it wouldn't be very effective if the car was moving:
https://youtu.be/GMSst9dUQzg