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Hard top and roll bar question for tall guys
Hey guys. I'm and thinking about buying another miata but am unsure if it'll work like I'm hoping. The plan is to keep it a street/track car, and maybe do TT eventually. It's a 2002 with a hard top and I want the tallest bar possible that will still fit under the hard top. I've heard the non-hardtop versions seem to work if you use the SM side plates, which I'd plan to do. I'd probably remove the soft top entirely and fix the hard top in place permanently.
I'm wondering if I'm still going to have to cut off the rear seat mounts to get under the bar and pass the broomstick test. I'd really like to avoid this if possible as I'm not sure I want a full race seat yet since I want it to still be comfortable on the street. Is this a lost cause because of my height (6'1", 32-34" inseam or so)? I had a 94 with a hard top version roll bar and even with the rear mounts cut off I was just barely under the bar with my helmet. But the seat was uncomfortable which really turned me off from driving it and I sold it not long after. Any other suggestions? Find a car I actually fit in? :) |
I'm the exact same height and waist as you. I'm using this seat mount with a sparco sprint V seat mounted as low and far back as possible. There's no need to cut the mounting tabs but you loose the slider adjust-ability. This seemed to do the trick for me as far as height clearance. Although I've never done a broomstick test with my helmet on to see exactly how much clearance I have from my roll bar.
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Which seat brackets?
My old 94 had Sparco Sprint V's mounted to the floor and I wasn't a fan of them for street driving. Basically it's an ass hammock without any padding for your back or butt and when I was sitting on the floor pan it wasn't the most comfortable thing. :) I've looked into Ultrashield SM and Rally seats, those might fit the bill but I'll have to measure myself and see. It's just a pain in the ass because I love all the shit you can do to miatas but it costs an additional $2k (Roll bar, seats, harnesses) or so out of the gate just to get it on track. |
Originally Posted by Larimer
(Post 1201827)
Which seat brackets?
My old 94 had Sparco Sprint V's mounted to the floor and I wasn't a fan of them for street driving. Basically it's an ass hammock without any padding for your back or butt and when I was sitting on the floor pan it wasn't the most comfortable thing. :) I've looked into Ultrashield SM and Rally seats, those might fit the bill but I'll have to measure myself and see. It's just a pain in the ass because I love all the shit you can do to miatas but it costs an additional $2k (Roll bar, seats, harnesses) or so out of the gate just to get it on track. my bad forgot the link. If you go the aluminum seat route you need to do all the proper bracing to make it safe. You might be better off getting a higher quality molded seat rather than aluminum one. |
I have a non hardtop bar and it fits fine without side latches. I've heard they don't always fit though.
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I just need to figure out a seat that's a good dual duty seat. But it's so subjective and there's not much chance to sit in them before buying.
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Are there any mounts that will accommodate for sliders so as to permit more than one person to use the car without having to unbolt, readjust, and re-bolt race seats?
Thanks, Richard |
Originally Posted by Larimer
(Post 1201970)
I just need to figure out a seat that's a good dual duty seat. But it's so subjective and there's not much chance to sit in them before buying.
Originally Posted by ZOOMNBY
(Post 1202008)
Are there any mounts that will accommodate for sliders so as to permit more than one person to use the car without having to unbolt, readjust, and re-bolt race seats?
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Originally Posted by cyotani
(Post 1202009)
there are many options for that but if head clearance is an issue for you it's not the best route. It raises up your seat some to accommodate the sliders.
Cheers, Richard |
Ugh, maybe I should just buy a MkII MR2.
Edit: lol, searched and found this thread by me from 4-5 years ago. Nothing has changed except now I'd be looking at N/A versions of both. The freaking roll bar and seats thing is a big downer for me. https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...2-turbo-50245/ |
Originally Posted by Larimer
(Post 1201808)
Hey guys. I'm and thinking about buying another miata but am unsure if it'll work like I'm hoping. The plan is to keep it a street/track car, and maybe do TT eventually. It's a 2002 with a hard top and I want the tallest bar possible that will still fit under the hard top. I've heard the non-hardtop versions seem to work if you use the SM side plates, which I'd plan to do. I'd probably remove the soft top entirely and fix the hard top in place permanently.
I'm wondering if I'm still going to have to cut off the rear seat mounts to get under the bar and pass the broomstick test. I'd really like to avoid this if possible as I'm not sure I want a full race seat yet since I want it to still be comfortable on the street. Is this a lost cause because of my height (6'1", 32-34" inseam or so)? I had a 94 with a hard top version roll bar and even with the rear mounts cut off I was just barely under the bar with my helmet. But the seat was uncomfortable which really turned me off from driving it and I sold it not long after. Any other suggestions? Find a car I actually fit in? :) |
Originally Posted by Larimer
(Post 1201970)
I just need to figure out a seat that's a good dual duty seat. But it's so subjective and there's not much chance to sit in them before buying.
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1 Attachment(s)
double post sorry
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your 100% right. we have had quite a few people install the omp style. it's a squeeze into a miata but it can be done. this will aso give you the provisions for a 5/6 point harness.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1422910153[/QUOTE] i got this review of it from a member on this forum. still waiting on pictures though... Hey Johnny, ... Some impressions for you. I'm 5'9 ~ 200lbs 35" waist, I think longer torso and shorter leg body build. I had stock NB2 leather seats with foamectomy and the stock sliders bolted to the floor pan in the back. Ie I cut the rear mounts out, bent the rear sliders a little and bolted them to the floor. I also had to beat in the metal seat pan and I thought it felt ok on my butt. That setup worked ok. Fit well in the car, ok leg room and arm distance from the stock steering wheel. But pretty damn good head room. I could wear a helmet and I think just barely touch the soft top. But I couldn't wear my wallet or anything in my back pockets, it just felt uncomfortable. And the main reason I wanted a better seat; absolutely zero body support. I'm not sure if you're familiar, but NB2 seats have a nice and high back, but for some god forsaken reason, they're only like 8" wide and it's basically just a thin back support for forward/backward motion, nothing side to side. Combine that with leather and it just plain sucks. So that was the modified stock setup. OMP seat is nice, box was beat to hell, one back adjuster knob was broken, other got knocked off but has enough tabs to still work. Other than that and a tiny knick in the fabric at the very top and it is a very nice piece. So I yanked my stock seat and sliders out and just dropped the OMP seat in there to see what was what. And it was apparent right away that this seat in my case would need to be bolted to the floor. With the back bottom of the seat on the floor, and the front bottom of the seat resting on the front mounts (which I'm sure you know are raised), the seat felt almost exactly the same as far as head position up and down, if anything, maybe a .5" lower. Which is good/ok/push as it was pretty good before, but I definitely don't want to go back up. Secondly, the seat back is even higher that the NB2 seat which in my case, hits the roll bar in a way that doesn't allow me to recline the seat back as far as it used to. I'm thinking maybe 2 "clicks" or a half to a full inch further forward, but since the seat back seems thinner than the stock seat, it's about the same arm distance away from the steering wheel, just a little more upright. I'd say the seat is right about where I'd have it if I was at an HPDE or out cruizing the mountains or something. A little more upright and closer. But there is noticably more room behind the back of the seat and the back shelf where as before, there was pretty much none. That said, I needed a BFH and a smallish 2x4 to massage some of the sheet metal around the seat. When I just dropped it in, it was a little side ways point forward left. So I pushed in the tunnel a little up by the front right of the seat. The seat compartment was a little tight in the back too so I cut off the adjuster on the right side of the seat with a cut off wheel, that got me about an inch, I pulled off all the plastic covers for the seats on either side as you'll never see them when the seat was mounted and it helps you see whats going on better. I still had to massage the tunnel a little on back and a little on the outside of the seat in the back because like I said, the wheel adjusters take up a good amount of room. But other than that, it fits pretty good. My ass fits in the seat bottom really good. Like there's actually room to sit with my legs open or whatnot. And there's a million times more side support. I still need to figure out mounting it to the car and what to do about the seat belt. It's just in my case the roll bar doesn't allow it to recline very much. Sorry for the essay. I may try to condense it a little and make a thread. But so far I am pretty content. It's definitely going to be better than what I had. It's just going to take some work. Which I imagined it would. |
Originally Posted by OGRacing
(Post 1202278)
your 100% right. we have had quite a few people install the omp style. it's a squeeze into a miata but it can be done. this will aso give you the provisions for a 5/6 point harness.
i got this review of it from a member on this forum. still waiting on pictures though... |
Originally Posted by Ryan_G
(Post 1202305)
Biggest problem is that it is not a fixed back seat.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...c6862942a033cf i have hundreds are you just looking for something with low bolsters. that's easy to get in and out of? |
Originally Posted by OGRacing
(Post 1202313)
oh man you want fixed back seats?.... i have hundreds are you just looking for something with low bolsters. that's easy to get in and out of? EDIT: The infinit fab replicas were basically perfect but their upholstery quality was questionable and they are currently out of business. |
Originally Posted by Ryan_G
(Post 1202317)
Low bolster, fits in a miata and will sit low in the car, accepts 5 point harnesses. I have looked through hundreds of seats looking for something similar to an s2 exige seat and found nothing. By low bolster I really mean low and not just lower than a normal bucket seat.
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Originally Posted by OGRacing
(Post 1202321)
Your not finding low bolsters because it compromises seat rigidity. A seat can't obtain a FIA rating without enough support to take the required G forces. I street drive a SPARCO ADV. getting in and out sucks, but that's just part of life with a double duty car. |
Originally Posted by Ryan_G
(Post 1202323)
I completely understand the reasoning. I don't need it for competition so the FIA rating is not important. This is why I have come to the conclusion that I will just need to sets of seats. I refuse to pretty much daily a track seat. My passengers would not appreciate it either.
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