Ready for the track day, bro?

by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 08/28/2017 at 08:40

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Long day yesterday of autocross followed by an unexpected roll bar install. Now my car is ready for the track day bro! It was not how I expected my Sunday night to go but its fully installed and all the panels are back in nice and pretty. This is a Boss Frog Clearview Max roll bar and with my autocross helmet on in the seat with no padding I clear a broomstick by about an inch. Now I can also adjust the seat slightly at an angle to get it lower and I need another helmet anyways (mine is open face) so I will look for a shorter one.

Now I just need to source some SFI padding and do my brakes and then the car will be ready for more events. But in the mean time, this thing just looks cool, it adds some minor structural support to the car, and its actually quite practical. The glass window soft top clears it beautifully as well. It goes up/down exactly the same as without the roll bar. Obviously its just harder to do from the drivers seat.

It only took 6 hours from start to finish and minimal swearing and blood was shed to get everything in. The hardest part was just lining up the seat belt tower bolts since my car’s tolerances were apparently slightly different than the other guys same year Miata. But after cross threading bolts and having to retap the holes, we eventually go it in and drilled out the other holes and reassembled everything neatly and safely. The seat belt sucks now and doesnt retract well on its own but thats normal with this sort of thing.

Also, some bonus shots of autocross and hiking this weekend:

Replies (9)

"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
08/28/2017 at 08:50, STARS: 2

Nice! Every Miata needs a rollbar.

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/28/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 1

Part of me really wants to ditch my rear seats and throw in a rear half cage for the added safety and chassis stiffness and to allow me to throw in a harness but then I remember I need to use this car to move in/out for 2 more years of school and need the cargo space. I may still ditch the seats and add a removable strut/ harness bar.

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
08/28/2017 at 09:36, STARS: 1

Functionally, I think no. But aesthetically and structurally? Definitely.

I just really think the likelihood of a rollover is just so low that its unecessary to plan for. But yeah its one of those things where id rather have it than not for the extremely unlikely scenario since they are proven to work.

But really I only put it in because its required and because it looks cool.

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
08/28/2017 at 09:38, STARS: 0

I like that this roll bar actually increases the practicality of my car lol. And it can be used safely with harnesses without a dedicated bar. Although I bet some racing organizations would frown upon it even though its technically correct in terms of angles/distance for the upper mounts.

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
08/28/2017 at 09:45, STARS: 2

The end game for my car is to build it for either stage rally or club racing when it is no longer my daily driver. Welding in a half cage with the proper geometry would allow me to have some additional roll over protection and somewhere to correctly install some harnesses for autocross and track days now. I can then go back later and weld in the front half of the cage when I am ready without having to deal with the annoyance of door bars every day until that point.

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
08/28/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 1

I miss my Miata, although street driving it wasn’t super comfortable once I got the seat and harnesses in it. It looked cool, though. With pads off the seat, seat bolted to floor with the stock mount “humps” cut out, I was JUST clear of broomstick. With the pads in, and on the street, I could feel the back of my head on the SFI padding enough to make me uncomfortable about getting rear ended.

Of course now, I drive little more than a tin can, with no crumple zones or safety measures to think of, other than a lap belt, 16 gallons of gas hanging precariously in front of the rear bumper, and the steering shaft of doom. Hmm.

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
08/28/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 1

I like how the Boss Frog is significantly far back from my head, feels pretty safe for street driving. And thanks to the garage star rail I was able to keep the humps and get the seat low enough to pass the broomstick for sure. I dont pass it by a lot but it definitely passed without the seat padding. And I think it could look passable enough on track with the padding to not get flagged for it if I put it back in after tech.

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
08/28/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 0

I had the same bar. I’m 6'4". My buddy with an S2K, he’s about 5'9" or so, and sat comically low in the car. My seat basically had to sit against the rear bulkhead, and the left shoulder “wing” was actually against the bar.

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
08/28/2017 at 11:39, STARS: 0

Ahh yeah Im only like 6'0, no idea how you would possibly fit in there lol.