BMW Fanatic From VA Buys A Built Turbo NA
01-26-2010, 04:17 PM
#104
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Is this car going to ever be tracked, or not? IOW, do you have to worry about clearing your head PLUS a helmet, or not? That extra couple inches will factor into what seat you can use.
For example I'm 6'3" and have Kirkey seats bolted right to the floor with the rear humps cut off, the hardtop version of a Hard Dog bar and my helmet clears with room to spare. If I never tracked it and didn't worry about helmet clearance, I might or might not, depending on the seat, be able to run some non-aluminum model with a little more padding that would make it more opulent for DD. The Kirkey covers do have some padding (lots behind the head) and are fine for DD but they start getting uncomfy after about 90 minutes on longer trips unless I use some supplemental cushy for my tushy.
If my car never saw the track I'm pretty sure I would be content to have saved the [close to $2K] I've got into all the safety stuff. Rollovers are fairly uncommon, and the Miata is less likely to roll over than most other cars which have higher COG. It's not like a Miata is some exceptionally ruthless deathtrap. BTW there is a reason why anybody who tracks an E36 M3 and values their own life has a full cage. It's because they fold like ******* tin cans when put on their roofs, but obviously you and your parents had no qualms about you driving that around uncaged on the street. Just sayin.
For example I'm 6'3" and have Kirkey seats bolted right to the floor with the rear humps cut off, the hardtop version of a Hard Dog bar and my helmet clears with room to spare. If I never tracked it and didn't worry about helmet clearance, I might or might not, depending on the seat, be able to run some non-aluminum model with a little more padding that would make it more opulent for DD. The Kirkey covers do have some padding (lots behind the head) and are fine for DD but they start getting uncomfy after about 90 minutes on longer trips unless I use some supplemental cushy for my tushy.
If my car never saw the track I'm pretty sure I would be content to have saved the [close to $2K] I've got into all the safety stuff. Rollovers are fairly uncommon, and the Miata is less likely to roll over than most other cars which have higher COG. It's not like a Miata is some exceptionally ruthless deathtrap. BTW there is a reason why anybody who tracks an E36 M3 and values their own life has a full cage. It's because they fold like ******* tin cans when put on their roofs, but obviously you and your parents had no qualms about you driving that around uncaged on the street. Just sayin.
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01-26-2010, 04:38 PM
#106
Cpt. Slow
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Seriously, why hasn't anyone brought up to the parents that harnesses and race seats aren't even street legal, much less safe. Were all risking our heads with a roll bar and no helmet. If you're willing to do that in trade for some roll over protection (which many of us do), you need to be willing to risk hitting your head.
What does "my head is level with the bar" mean? Is this the broomstick test?
And as the other guy said, I believe the difference between ht/st bars is the fore/aft position, not height. And you keep saying you're going to have to find a new rollbar. Does anyone know if a non custom bar exists that's much taller than the hard dog bars?
What does "my head is level with the bar" mean? Is this the broomstick test?
And as the other guy said, I believe the difference between ht/st bars is the fore/aft position, not height. And you keep saying you're going to have to find a new rollbar. Does anyone know if a non custom bar exists that's much taller than the hard dog bars?
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01-26-2010, 05:03 PM
#109
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UPDATE: The car is running better than ever!
Well I put the spark plugs in the right order, and what do you know, it starts first try and runs awesome. Advanced the timing a little more than what it was before and it runs better than it did when I picked it up. I'm sooo happy
. Took it for a little spin while the parent's were out and tuned it a little more.
And now what I think I am going to do is get a harness bar from the guy who is selling his and put in a fixed back bolted to the floor. And keep the hard top. Unless the guy above has a really nice Pro 2000 and wants to trade. YAYY! Thanks for all the help and support in getting me through this issue. You all have been a huge help. Super knowledgeable community here.
Well I put the spark plugs in the right order, and what do you know, it starts first try and runs awesome. Advanced the timing a little more than what it was before and it runs better than it did when I picked it up. I'm sooo happy
. Took it for a little spin while the parent's were out and tuned it a little more. And now what I think I am going to do is get a harness bar from the guy who is selling his and put in a fixed back bolted to the floor. And keep the hard top. Unless the guy above has a really nice Pro 2000 and wants to trade. YAYY! Thanks for all the help and support in getting me through this issue. You all have been a huge help. Super knowledgeable community here.
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01-26-2010, 05:36 PM
#116
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If you're going to bother, at least use proper stuff from a race supply shop. It's designed to be used in conjunction with a helmet and will not magically save your bare noggin, but it will be better than bare steel. That $1.49 aidsfail horseshit Homo Depot pipe insulation that one of you geniuses posted earlier will suffice (just barely) to keep a jack handle from denting sheet metal, but it has no business whatsoever going onto a roll bar. Enjoy your coma. 
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01-26-2010, 05:48 PM
#118
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If you're going to bother, at least use proper stuff from a race supply shop. It's designed to be used in conjunction with a helmet and will not magically save your bare noggin, but it will be better than bare steel. That $1.49 aidsfail horseshit Homo Depot pipe insulation that one of you geniuses posted earlier will suffice (just barely) to keep a jack handle from denting sheet metal, but it has no business whatsoever going onto a roll bar. Enjoy your coma.
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