Track Day Parts Ordered!

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/01/2017 at 12:24 • Filed to: None

Just placed some orders so that I can finish my track build for the Miata. Its all just safety equipment since things like tires, brakes, and other goodies apply the same from autocross. Of course the priority is still to keep my Miata streetable (especially for the 4000 mile trip coming up) so retaining the stock seat belt is important.

Anyways, I just ordered:

Schroth Clubman III 6 Point Racing Harness

Four of the G-Force 1/2 inch Eye Bolts

Four of the G-Force Harness back plates

Zamp RZ-58 Full Faced SA2015 Helmet

Dual Durometer SFI Padding and some extra Single Layer SFI Padding

Thanks to Summit Racing’s decent pricing and the SCCA discount for Saferacer, this all came out pretty affordably and ships for free. I wanted to install everything this weekend but the holiday coming up will probably delay shipping to next week. No issue though since just drilling a couple holes should be easy.

The goal is to make it to the next SCCA Track Night in America at Palmer Motorsports Park in MA on Friday September 8th. If I dont get everything on time, oh well I will try for the next one! Theres one a bit closer at NJMP on Tuesday the 12th but I have work that day so it would be more difficult to make it there.

TRACK DAY BRO!

!!! UNSUPPORTED LINE BREAK IN HEADER !!!

DISCUSSION (12)

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 12:50

I’ve always liked scroth, as they make good stuff. I ran a scroth harness in a couple of different street cars over the years and ended up ditching the OEM seat belts eventually each time.

V8soundRIOT- Now Has a V8 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 12:58

If you went to the last TNIA at Palmer, were you driving around with one of your wheels in the passenger seat? I seem to remember a blue Miata driving around like that before the track went hot.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > V8soundRIOT- Now Has a V8
09/01/2017 at 13:01

Haha no that was not me. But I have certainly transported wheels that way to events. I have not done any track days yet, just lots and lots of autocross. I only just installed my roll bar so I am just piecing together everything I need to pass tech. Been looking at TNIA just because its much more affordable than most track events and I like not having to wake up early.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/01/2017 at 13:04

Yeah I figure its one of those “safety first” so I might as well skip the no names and get something quality. This was the cheaper one they make but its still built to the same standards, just with heavier buckles and such. They need to be replaced every 2 years (insane I think) so I dont want to spend a WHOLE lot on the harness. I want to keep both installed since the harness would be a real pain for most daily driving but would be nice to have for spirited stuff anyways.

SCCA discount brought it under $200 so it was in range of the real cheapo ones at that point.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 13:14

The issue with TNIA is that beginner instruction can be.... spotty. It’s a great way to get track time if you are experienced, but for a Novice it can be hard to get someone in the car with you, which is vital.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 13:23

For daily driving with harnesses, I never cinched them down super tight like when on the track. The biggest risk on the street was that most harness are not DOT approved, which means a so motivated police officer could cite you for an equipment violation (which never happened to me, but the chance is there). The two year expiration date is mostly for club racing (and it used to be seven years until recently), where in-date belts are an annual tech inspection item. For autocross or street use, they’ll be plenty strong for more than two years. From what I can tell, it doesn’t look like the track night, or even solo trials, rules require belts to be in-date. These days I just run Ultrashield belts in the racecar. They make a really good belt, and they sell it for it good price. https://www.ultrashieldrace.com/catalog/Harness-Systems-%26-Arm-Restraints/Latch-and-Link-Harnesses/Latch-%26-Link-3%22-Buckle%2C-Individual-Shoulders/126

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
09/01/2017 at 13:24

Well I dont have a second seat so I would never be able to get “equal safety equipment” for the passenger. I definitely understand the importance of instructors for improving my times but I am sure I can drive safely without it. But that made tremendous difference for me in reaching the next level in autocross so I imagine it would apply here as well.

The added cost of another seat and harness and instructor costs would just be too much right now. I still plan to primarily autocross but dabbling into casual track days seems like a natural progression.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/01/2017 at 13:36

Yeah I definitely didnt want to use a latch and link, the camlock should make it much less of a hassle on the street. But yeah they are certainly more affordable! And I hope to get into club racing so I am just building everything to meet that. I wont be able to do anything that requires an FIA seat but I dont think I am interested in anything that serious. The biggest problem was just figuring out a layout that would pass the broomstick test by at least an inch. Im basically sitting on the floor but I guess I will get used to it haha.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 13:48

Some taller club racers with miatas end up bolting their seat directly to the floor to gain enough head clearance. This works fine (and is even advantageous from a center of gravity perspective), but the lack of adjustment can be an issue if more than one person plans to race the car. You’ll never need an FIA seat in club racing. An SFI spec one piece seat with a brace will do fine. Especially on a small car like a miata, you’ll want to pick out your seat before you do the cage, because the cage builder will need it to do the seat back brace, make sure the cross member for the main hoop is at the right level for the shoulder harness, and to make sure the front hoop and door bars clear the seat.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/01/2017 at 13:50

Lead/follow instruction can work well to. Even just following fast people on track will teach you things.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/01/2017 at 13:53

Yeah I dont think I will ever end up with full caging the car. Unless I get a third car, the Miata most certainly needs to be still fun/legal on the street. Good to know though that I shouldnt have to worry about that for what I want to do. And yeah the only way to get lower is to cut the floor humps as a permanent change. The side mount for this seat though gets it rather low. I have about 3 inches without a helmet on and my SUPER tall autocross helmet gives me right about an inch. So with the new helmet, I should be clear. Plus I can still angle the seat a little more to bring my head down but thats slightly less comfortable.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
09/01/2017 at 14:07

Oh yeah thats helped me the most with go karting. Just follow the fast guy and then I am bound to run a fast time. Helps when everyone is in the same vehicle though lol. But there are enough Miatas out there that I definitely will always have some to follow.