Reply With QuoteI want the one Flyin96M has in his car, with the cool tan padding!Originally Posted by sammm
Roll Bars - What do you have? What do you want?
All this chatter regarding roll bars the past few days got me thinking seriously again about getting one. I'm just wondering what those of you who do have one have? And those of you who want one want?
Found this on theboard -
http://www.96k.com/miata/rollbars/
PS
Anyone in the market for a black Frenzy TT style bar (complete with optional Zoom Zoom sticker)?
Re: Roll Bars - What do you have? What do you want?
I want the one Flyin96M has in his car, with the cool tan padding!
Have: black HD sport and Autopower.
Want: stainless HDHC and stainless duece with center rear brace.
When I put one in (yeah, I'm undoubtedly going to have to be a lemming and put one on, if only to appease the PCA Safety Nazi's
), it will be a Hard Dog M2 Sport Bar -- no diagonals, but with a harness tab. And I'll undoubtedly do what rx7gslse is doing… get it unfinished, so I can powercoat it to match my Twilight Blue Mica car.
Why the HDM2SB? I like the way the M2 Sport does not impede rearward vision, and with the top up it’s virtually “invisible”. Manwhore… I mean Majik… has one too, and if I’ve gotta have those big, fugly pipes poking up all over the clean lines of my car, that one’s the least offensive.
The only other one I’d consider is the Boss Frog double hoop bar, which by the way is [apparently] legal for SCCA. There's a lot of metal there, but the seat-backs hide most of the bar. A bonus with that one would be that it would not affect my ability to put the top down or up from my drivers seat...
"That which does not kill us, just makes us madder"
Cletus Nietzsche (Friedrich's half-brother on his sister's side)
I have the M2 Sport w/ harness tabs. It will accept the robbins window top if you ever decide to upgrade your top.
Chris
91 Miata (#3), Rattle Can Grey(previous owner), Greddy Turbo @7 PSI and Manifold (Only items remaining from the kit), TDR I/C, Godspeed Radiator, RM DP, 2.5 Enthuza Bipes, BEGI AFPR, ACT, Lightened Stock Flywheel, Yellow Konis, FCM on Stock Springs, HDM2S, MOMO Wheel, Ratsback Front CF Lip, Black Rota's on EcstaXS, Corrado Rotors & XP8's on Front w/ 1.8 rears.
http://austinmiata.com/
Wishlist: Megasquirt to run 12-13 PSI, White non-spray paint job, 8" 6UL's, RX7 LSD, Evans Waterless Coolant
I've got a Racing Beat Style bar in the garage, and a custom M2 HDHCDD with extra third diagnol and harness bar (aka Burly Bar) Of which I'll have neither after I sell the '97. If I do it over again, M2 HDHCDD with harness tabs and without all the extras.
2013 Mazda2 slushbox daily
1993 Miata (future exocet donor)
M2 Sport, double diagonal with harness tabs shipped out today on the way to my house...
Still debating, but probably end up painting it rather than powdercoating to get the finish to better match teh exterior of the car...
Maybe 2 week away?
1984 GSL-SE - Its ALIVE!
1989 Suburban 4x4 - 4" Pro-Comp Lift 33" BFGs etc... DRUNK TANK!
2002 Protege5 - Lucky the drunk wagon SOLD
'04 MazdaSpeed Mx-5 Wheeee! Turbos are fun
How can I be so thirsty this morning, When I drank so much last night??
I have the HDHCHTDD bar and love it. It's got the harness bar already welded in so I don't have to worry about that when I buy a 5/6 point belt.
Installation was easier than I thought it would be... if you need to borrow a 12" 3/8 drill bit, let me know.
yeah, I know powdercoat is a lot stronger... but barring a roll... I don't really expect to be bashing into this thing a whoel lot....
I've got a powdercoat guy to go talk with still, so we'll see what we can do on color.. I know I can get the paint to match....
1984 GSL-SE - Its ALIVE!
1989 Suburban 4x4 - 4" Pro-Comp Lift 33" BFGs etc... DRUNK TANK!
2002 Protege5 - Lucky the drunk wagon SOLD
'04 MazdaSpeed Mx-5 Wheeee! Turbos are fun
How can I be so thirsty this morning, When I drank so much last night??
Harddog Sport
Next time there are 2 things I will do differently:
1. Tabs (the installer's invoice says w/Tabs - he must have ground them off. )
2. Install it myself
In the installer's defense, I said I'd never need tabsand with my new $50 CG-Lock, maybe I won't
Depends on who does the painting and/or powdercoating. Hard Dog's powdercoating is pretty crappy, but the powdercoating Billy Howell had done on his bar (the Burly Bar that BigD is talking about) was much nicer, and a lot more chip resistant than mine, which was powdercoated by Hard Dog.
As for painting, Riggs Rylander on the Outlaws list had his bar painted over the original powdercoat without removing it from the car, and it looks very nice. It's been pretty durable so far too, at least that's what he said the last time I talked to him about it.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
The double diagonal bars don't impede rearward vision much at all. Can't say the same for the single diagonal bars, though.
I've got the Hard Core Double Diagonal. It does work with both the hard top and the soft top, but I had to fabricate custom side latches for the hard top to get it to work in conjunction with the Hard Core bar.
Jon W. has the Sport Double Diagonal, and I like it in his car. His works with both the soft & hard tops, and - more importantly - works with the factory hard top side latches without modification.
About passing tech... that all depends on where you're running and who is doing the tech. The "real life" answer is that if you can get head clearance under the "broomstick line" with a helmet on with the Sport bar, you'd probably be passed for tech at most events, even though the Sport is technically not built in a manner that would pass SCCA GCR (General Competition Rules) or PCA Club Racing specs, since the tubing diameter is too small.
Honestly, if I had it all to do over again (and I could get head clearance under the bar), I'd probably go with the Sport bar. It sits a little further back, so there is less risk of head injury in a rear-end collision on the street, it interferes a little less with seatbelt retraction, and it works better with the hardtop. It also looks beefy enough that you'd likely pass tech at any event that required a "real" roll bar (in almost three years of racing the Miata, I've yet to have anyone at any safety/tech inspection pull out a pair of calipers and actually measure the diameter of my tubing to see if I'm legal). Unfortunately, the top of the main hoop is also about 1.5 inches lower than the Hard Core, so I probably wouldn't be able to get completely under it with a helmet on, even with a race seat. The only other downside to the Sport bar is that it requires a little bit more interior panel trimming, but that just means taking a little more time getting it right.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I don't know much about the powedercoating that comes from hard dog... but generally powdercoat is pretty indescructable...Depends on who does the painting and/or powdercoating. Hard Dog's powdercoating is pretty crappy, but the powdercoating Billy Howell had done on his bar (the Burly Bar that BigD is talking about) was much nicer, and a lot more chip resistant than mine, which was powdercoated by Hard Dog.
As for painting, Riggs Rylander on the Outlaws list had his bar painted over the original powdercoat without removing it from the car, and it looks very nice. It's been pretty durable so far too, at least that's what he said the last time I talked to him about it.
But that being said... sure you *can* scratch up paint a little easier, but I think I'm still going to go that way... Since I'm getting it unfinished the guy is going to do the full acid etching, prep and all of that, not just spraying some color onto it.. I'm sure it can be scratched still, but chipping shouldn't be an issue or things along those lines.. Besides, if I don't like that, it's not hard to go back and get it powdercoated anyway.... Powdercoat over paint is no issue..... getting smooth paint over powdercoat is a bit tougher.
Just a thought...are you going to put any padding on the bar? If so, you might rethink what to paint and/or powdercoat.
Boy, I don't want to open of this can of worms, but you are confusing me again alt (and we all know how easy that is to do
This whole "broomstick test" and "tube diameter" thing has been thoroughly discussed on the pointy board, and this thread seemed to summarize things a bit. From what I read, the "broomstick test" is rarely used, but that the only real requirement is that your helmeted head be under that line (they suggest that your helmeted head be 3" below... but that's only a suggestion). The HDSport bar is shorter than the Hard Core (so that may be an individual concern), but as long as you fit under it, you'll probably not have any problems [passing tech]/
More importantly -- and to the point of this post -- I believe the Hard Dog Sport bar does comply with GCR requirements, both with regard to tube diameter and number of bolts in the plate. The tube diameter for the HDSport (and Boss Frog Double Hoop, and the BSP bars, and the Autopower bars...) is 1.5", which meets the minimum requirements, and all [claim to] have at least 3 bolts. Am I missing something?
I'm so confused. The last thing I want to do is chop up my Miata installing a rollbar, only to find out I could be denied entrance into an event because my "safer" Miata does not meet the requirements...
"That which does not kill us, just makes us madder"
Cletus Nietzsche (Friedrich's half-brother on his sister's side)
From the 2004 PCA Club Racing Rules, Appendix A:
These are the rules used for open-topped car rollover safety requirements at all Porsche Club of America DEs. So, to answer your question, the Sport bar would not technically be legal for a PCA-sanctioned DE. If I'm not mistaken, the SCCA GCRs (General Competition Rules) use the same tubing requirements. So unless you put your Miata on a serious diet, the Sport bar wouldn't technically pass safety inspection at any event that used PCA or SCCA GCR safety guidelines for open-topped cars.Minimum roll bar tubing sizes (over 1500 lbs): 1.75" x.120" wall (mild steel)
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Atlain is correct... I talked with the guys at HArdDog the other day and his comments were:
a) the hardcore bar is same basic design as teh sport bar, but does use the thicker tubing regired for roll "bars" on open cockpit vehicles by teh SCCA (and I guess PCA?)
b) the sport bar uses a slightly smaller tubing. This is the same tubing thickness that the SCCA requires for roll "cages" installed on road racing vehicles. No clue why they say one or the other, both I suspect to be more than adequate, but rules are rules.
And even though I probably *should* I'm not really intending to pad it as of now... the taller seats on the '04 actually go up several inches above where my head contacts the headrest, so I'd have to fly up and back to smack the rollbar...
I may change my mind once I see how it's installed, but that's my plan for now.. If I do need to pad it, I'll just pad teh main hoop and cover it with a black w/ red stitched panel. that part is still TBD.
1984 GSL-SE - Its ALIVE!
1989 Suburban 4x4 - 4" Pro-Comp Lift 33" BFGs etc... DRUNK TANK!
2002 Protege5 - Lucky the drunk wagon SOLD
'04 MazdaSpeed Mx-5 Wheeee! Turbos are fun
How can I be so thirsty this morning, When I drank so much last night??
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