That's the same vendor that has been shared a few times, I'm assuming they're legit. The $499 doesn't include the mounts and sliders. They charge $750 with mounts and sliders -- still a huge savings over good-win though.

Thats actually not a vendor. Its marrad themselves.

http://www.arizenracingsports.com/contact.asp

The price is so so much less because Marrad did a group buy to get a bulk order of seats made in China rather than the US of A, and he has a couple of those left (this is based on some knowledge and some inference). Seems he is letting the group buy price stick until they are all gone.

So I am in a similar boat with getting below the roll bar. 5'11 and all torso, but I have a 38" waist. Would I fit in that seat? I am close to getting an aluminum one and bolting it to the floor for track days only.

Website shows a wide version. EDIT: Site says wide will not fit NA or NB Miatas.

General Question: I understand that for HPDE, one cannot have better protection than the instructor. How are you guys getting away with replacing only the driver's seat?

I've read tons of people's feedback on the seat, and based on all their feedback sounds like you would fit. As for an aluminum seat - I explored that option and it isn't really reversible. To get low enough you need to cut off the humps that your stock seat rails mount to, and then for the aluminum seat you need a back brace. Pretty much when it's in it's in.

The only problem with stock seats for HPDE is if you are too tall to fit under the roll bar. So... keep your stock passenger seat and get a short instructor.

The last HPDE I attended consisted of a self-inspected tech inspection. You go over your car, check all the boxes, and bring it up to the tech inspection table. Anything that happens after that is at the sole discretion of the instructor as to whether he wants to get in your car with you or not.

OK. I was more referring to stock belts vs harness, rather than seat vs seat. Thanks for the answers.

It's dependent on the organizer.

I wouldn't ever do a track day with uneven safety equipment. I crashed and my instructor only had a 3 point while I had a 5 point.

I wouldn't instruct in a car with unequal safety equipment.

This sentence doesn't make sense to me.

5 point harness. I hate my phone.

He wouldn't ever do a track day *again* with uneven safety equipment.

I still don't get it. Do you mean if you crashed and you instructor only had a 3 point while you had a 5 point you would never be able to live with yourself or you crashed and you instructor only had a 3 point while you had a 5 point, and you cry yourself to sleep at night now and wish you had provided equal safety equipment?

Aha, got it. Makes total sense.

To clarify, he did a track day last year with Martin as his instructor. Standard 3 point belt on the passenger side, and his 5 pt on the driver side. He then proceeded to hit a tire wall.

Learned him quick.

I will have to look into it more if I will fit.

Rear seat humps aren't a problem. Already drilled the spotwelds and removed them to try to fit my tube frame seat low enough. I have a welder and can stick them back on, but I just drilled some holes further back and made new steel brackets to hold the back of the stock sear rails (and as a bonus, about 1/4 to 1/2" lowe than the humps).

Adjustable bolt on back brace to the harness bar is planned if I do an aluminum seat. Couple U bolts, two front bolts, two floor bolts = seat out.

Update. Sadness contained herein.

I got a seat from Marrad.

First of all, here is my driving position in my stock, medium foamectomied seat:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446311320

Clearly I've got work to do to fit in this car. I installed the Marrad seat and sat in it with the cushions on. I didn't really feel like I was sitting in the seat, more like on the seat. I didn't take a photo, but anecdotally it seemed like I was sitting higher than my stock seat. I don't actually think that is the case, but I was expecting to sit so much lower.

Here I am with the cushions removed in my most comfortable seating position for driving on the street:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446311320

Notice two things: obviously I don't pass the broomstick test, but also my head is touching the roll bar. Not so good for street driving. My stock seat (NB2) touches the roll bar, so I'm comfortable that in a rear end collision I won't get concussed or killed by my head hitting the roll bar.

Here I am, helmet on, cushions out, in my track driving position (wrists touching the top of the steering wheel when my arms are extended):

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446311320

not. even. close.

I'm running the Hard Dog Deuce because I wanted as much clearance to the back of my head for driving to work - on my route there are inattentive drivers in SUVs everywhere just begging to rear end me.

The Hard Dog M2 Hard Core that most people seem to run would give me some extra height. According to their schematics of the two bars, I could gain 2.25 inches by going with the Hard Core. It doesn't look like that would give me enough height. It would also rob me of a whopping 5.5 inches of front-to-back space. Not cool. Schematics below for reference.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446311320


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446311320

Damn.

Looks like it's aluminum seat or Sprint V (which you happily already own) mounted to the floor with the rear humps removed for you sir. At your height, you must lose the humps.

My lovely lady lumps, in the back and in the front!

The sprint sucks for daily though, if need a way to easily switch back and forth.

Can you not just switch seats the night before going to the track?

I can, but if I cut off the humps and mount my track seat to the floor, how do I install the stock seat again?

I was under the impression that you passed the broomstick test with the Sprint seats you already had. At least that is sort of what I gathered from you being allowed out on track already with them.

NASA doesn't technically require you to pass the broomstick test for HPDE. I did a few sessions with my head sticking up too far, figuring I was just trying it out and not really pushing that hard. When I got a bit faster and graduated to group 3, I decided that I shouldn't be driving on the track without figuring out how to do it safely.

TRURBO SELFIE!!!


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446847240

lol @ your sig pic. You can see your helmet sticking up above the winshield frame, even from that low angle.

Have you made a seat decision yet?

Yeah, sucks.

The decision I've come to is that I won't do anything for 6ish months. I want this to be a street car first, and if I can take it to the track that would be awesome. With the Marrad not working for me, I think I'm out of options beyond going with an aluminum seat to the floor. Maybe I'll just have to knock over some cones until I get a second car. Then maybe I'll bit the bullet and make it less commuter friendly and more track friendly.

Drill out rivets in the humps and put bolts in instead.

Then you can unbolt your humps and put an aluminum seat in, then bolt your stock seats back in.

Win win.

I accept donations

Progress was made this day.

I added a boost gauge and some switches (fuel map, data log, launch).

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447035882

Slapped on a MSM spoiler because it adds 10hp.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447035882

Also, I installed a pair of Garage Star delrin door jams. There are some rave reviews out there but I was a non-believer. For $65 though, I just thought WTF, I'll give it a try.

When I first "repaired" my car it was pretty floppy. The roll bar did something, and seam welding made a big difference. These door jams though, no joke, made a bigger difference than seam welding. It's a bit of a pain to close the door, but it feels really solid over the shitty roads in my neighborhood in a way that it really didn't before. I'm so impressed.

I love your gauge cluster, something about it is just so right. Good work :)

So I suggest you sell the deuce and get an M2 or M2 hard core. That bar is simply not high enough to you to get under safely, regardless of seat.

The for and aft measurement difference I don't think will make a difference for you.

For street driving I move the seat up a couple of clicks. This gets my head reasonably away from the bar.

Thanks! I wanted to go super simple with the stereo - just a bluetooth input and the smallest amp I could find, and that would free up the space for gauges, switches, and a phone mount.

So you sit farther forward for street than for the track? I'm the opposite. For street I want a comfortable driving position with my legs stretched out a bit, whereas for the track I want my wrists to touch the top of the steering wheel when stretched out straight. I'll try driving home today with my seat forward a bit, but my knees are already bunched up in a way that isn't super ideal.

I'm with you -- ideally on the street I run a bit further back than I would on the track. Course I'm quite short so neither one is a problem.

Would you share where you got that little amp thing? Link if possible... I be buying one.

Careful, it'll break the bank: http://amzn.to/1RIFZHr

:likecat: thanks!

Understandable, but in the case with the roll bar, he is sliding his seat forward more to get his head away from the roll bar in the event of a rear-end accident. Give some comfort up, to save your noggin.

The idea of replacing seat floor mounts with bolts is a great one, noted.

I literally came up with that idea on the shitter. in like 2 seconds.

No way it hasn't been done.

Working out my intercooler install this weekend. Over the last couple weeks I've been struggling to keep my idle at the same AFR. I would start out super rich even with the coolant at full temp, and then over the course of an hour of driving it would get leaner and leaner. It seems I found the culprit.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1449958911

Yes, if you are wondering, I did just wrap electrical tape around my GM IAT sensor and jam it in the place where the stock sensor lived. And yes, it did just fall right out...
In my defense I thought it was going to be temporary, but I never got around to doing it properly.
:facepalm:

This cracked me up ;) glad you got it sorted

Things are happening! Last weekend I had a FM clutch installed, this weekend the intercooler. Some pics of my routing/mounting:


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


Turbo goes on that end. Coming soon! For now I removed the last piece, threw a shorter one on and slapped a cone filter on the end of it.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


Through the hole behind the headlight, which I enlarged and trimmed with plastic.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


Intercooler goes there.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


I went around the side of the radiator and under the sway bar.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


up and in.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


Used some angle stock aluminum for a bracket, with cutaways so it could sit as low as possible.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450065189


Plus some flat stock. Mounts to where the power steering lines were. I moved those up and out of the way. I also triangulated the bottom to some random bolt underneath to stabilize it.

Nice progress Nigel!

Thanks! The photos you sent over were super helpful. Did you do any brackets to hold the tubing in place, or is it just supported at the intercooler, TB and turbo?

Glad I could help. No brackets besides the intercooler mounts, probably best to have a little give for any movement between the motor and chassis.

My MK Turbo kit should be arriving any day. In the mean time I had to throw my car back together so I can drive to work tomorrow. Check out my baller oil catch can! (someone tell me now if it is a stupid idea to drive like that for a couple days)


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450333886

Just stick a mini filter on it. Doesn't matter.

For now, shop rag + zip tie = mini filter :party:

Threw together a license plate frame. The old one was bent to shit because the bolts were rusty, so the PO bent it up and cut the old plate off. Much scratching has occurred, so I'll need to repaint my front bumper.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450564023


If I did this again, I'd use thicker angle stock for the lower part to reduce twisting, and I'd use angle stock instead of flat stock for the main piece. I attached it to a bolt hole where the bumper cover bolts up to the bumper.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1450564023

Installed a koyo 37mm radiator. I think I'm all good to go for the turbo now. I should be boosted by the first week of January!

First box should be to you on Wednesday, the second box should be early next week.

:party:

Some things showed up at my house...
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1451545256

Has trurbo! :party:

Twibs415 helped me out today and we got everything installed and running is a few short hours, which then ended up being midnight, but whose counting. Ran it around the block a couple times and confirmed that it is working. Tomorrow I'll auto tune on my way to work. Yay!

Yippee on getting it installed.

Need photos of install or it didn't happen! :bigtu:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1451928759

:skid:

Yay! I can't wait to go for a ride and see how the vvt spools.

Everything looks pretty spot on :party:

Maybe a few touch ups here and here, with wiring & hoses but that's it. Dem shiny new parts! :drool:

The only question I have is which pcv valve do you have and I forget if the vvt ones are good for boost pressure. If stock & yes, I'd grab the FM upgraded one if you haven't already. Question after that is what kinda oil catch can setup are you going to run? :D