hardtop vs fastback...best investment?
 

as i come to the end of my dedicated track car build, i find myself at a bit of an impasse. Every f*cktard with a hardtop within a 700 mile radius wants $12-1400 for a f*cking hardtop:vash:

What, given a choice, would be your choice for a hardtop for a dedicated n/a(for now) track car? (gtc-200 wing and 949 air dam for aero, approx 1900lbs):giggle:

Have there been any posts showing the real world benifits of the fastback? (aside from my personal preference that they are dead f*cking sexy)
:drool::drool:
are the Fastbacks worth the additional grand investment?

Or would you recommend just ponying up for a factory hardtop?

please o wise men of miataturbo fame:bowrofl:, share thyne knowledge with the less informed..........MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Thanks in advance
Glade

Look around for a better deal on the OEM top. Plenty of guys on here, myself included, have picked up MINT hard tops for under $500. You just need to be the first one to snag it.

I personally don't think the fastback is worth the extra cost. Plus I want to be able to go topless a lot easier than the fastback allows.

Put that extra money somewhere else into the car.

BTW, if you added your location under your username, you'd probably even find that some of these bro's will post CL ads in your area, for you.

Duly noted, and thank you sir

not particularly sure the fastback will offer you any benefits beyond aesthetics. That's not to say its not worth it, I think they look awesome.

I know this is likely to draw some flamming, but for a dedicated track car, I see no reason why you can't get a cheap chaser hardtop and do whatever work is required to fit it properly...unless you can actually get a OEM ht.

Fast back will create less drag, by closing the air behind the car much better than a hard top. Just look at any hard top miata that has a drift form from the back glass to the bumper during a snow storm and you will be able to visualize what I am referring to. Less drag, more top speed and better acceleration once you are going fast enough for aero to matter.

If one were to get a hardtop, and remove the Windows ala Matt Andrews style, how then does that compare to the smoother airflow of the fastback?

Drive down to columbus - I'll sell you a white OEM for $700

Not sure if they cleared this up, but if you run with NASA I think a fastback is illegal. In the TT rules, section G

13) Add a non-OEM hardtop to a convertible that is not the identical shape and size of either the BTM or OEM option hardtop for that car model +5 (note: The top must not extend rearward of the front edge of the rear deck lid.)(“Fastback” tops and toneau covers are not permitted.)

I've driven regular and fastback on exact same setup a week apart at same track.
Can't tell u if top speed is better with fastback (too much variation in weather condition). But I can tell you that car was neutral with regular hardtop, with fastback, car was undrivable with a ton of push. So I do know wing is a lot more effective with fastback.

Again, if you ever want to run TT in NASA this is not legal either. No worries in DE though.

Sonofamothafucker, I guess ill have to deal with shittay aero for a while then.

not illegal if you up the boost and run TTS/TTU - those classes are all pwr:wght ratio, +/- for tires, fwd/awd/rwd, 4door - but unlimited aero....

^True, forgot about that. You don't have to worry about the silly points stuff in SUR classes.

BONUS! Excuse enough for me

probably won't be competitive while I'm n/a, but it'll just be more of a challenge, haha

+1 was going to post that. Aerodynamic modifications are unlimited in TTS (what I compete in), TTU and TTR. The only restriction is the height of the wing above the roof line, and no movable aerodynamic devices (a-la F1 DRS). So a fastback is OK in TTS with a Miata.

Back to the hard top...

As a point of reference, I sold an OEM hard top in good condition here locally (South Texas) for $950, and it did not take long at all to find a buyer.

If you want a hard top, and it does not have to be OEM, then you could see if Chaser Aero has any of their carbon hard tops left at the old group buy price. In the NASA Texas region I know of at least one person running a non-OEM hard top in TTA. Spec Miata is no bueno of course, has to be OEM.
EDIT: Holy crap... They want a LOT more for these now. I paid something like $650 shipped for mine a couple of years ago during the group buy.
http://www.aerokits.net/cart/index.p...oducts_id=5965

Bob, do you think the wing being more effective with the fast back could have been due to a change (increase) in the AOA due to the change in flow over the fast back? In other words, if the flow stays attached to the fast back, then the effective AOA would increase since it would have more of a downward flow vector at the leading edge of the wing, all else being equal.