Miata lapping safety?

[MartynD]

I currently have a stock 99 Miata. The plan is to get a hard core bar for it, and if needed a new seat to pass the broomstick test. Do I need to consider anything else to be able to take it for lapping days, hpde, time attack etc? (harness?)

[wparsons]

Since you'll have a partial cage, you could upgrade to 5 point belts but they aren't required.

[MartynD]

I'm not exactly tall, curious how close I will come to passing the broomstick with the stock seats. I just don't want to pay out a few hundred $$ for a lapping event and get turned away for safety items. Down the road.. i'd also like to consider the OTA series as well.

[SajBT36]

Depends on your torso height, but you should be able to clear with a "foamectomy" of the stock seats. You can Google for an exact procedure, but it's basically stripping out the lower seat foam. Gets you down by more than inch.

On my '03, I also had to put in a foamectomied seat from a 97, as the 03 seats sat me too high. I hear the 99 seats can get low enough though.

[MartynD]

I bet a foamectomy will be all I need, found a good tutorial looks like a pretty simple task.

[SajBT36]

Good stuff. Let us know if you'd like any advice on setup etc.

[MartynD]

Good stuff. Let us know if you'd like any advice on setup etc.

Thanks, for now the car is basically stock (had it 3 weeks or so), just a set of RS3's on stock wheels. Goes for an alignment next week, the bar in early august, then make sure I can pass the broomstick and sign up for some track time. Hoping I can do the BMW school early Sept with it.

[SajBT36]

Orrrr you could come out and autocross it right away

No bar required for autoslalom and a great way to shake it down and learn the car before hitting the track.

[MartynD]

oo but I am autox'ing it slapped RS3's on it and took it to Barrie, and Centralia so far. May go to PITL this weekend as well, shame they can't follow same rules as CASC.

[SajBT36]

Nice, good man.

Aye PITL march to their own beat, but it suits them really well and they hold good events.

Definitely tighter than Barrie & Centralia

[MartynD]

Got my bar in this week, took a trip to Hard Dog and then wandered the mountains for a few days. Now to check the clearance with helmet on.. hope to be ready for sept 7 ddt.

[MartynD]

Ok did the foamectomy on the driver's seat. I think its close.. is there anyone in the durham region or anyone who will be in Barrie next weekend for the regionals who can check it out and let me know?

[nissannx]

Sounds like you're having a lot of fun. Thanks for the updates!
Frank

[MartynD]

Great weekend in Barrie, the driving started to click.. slower was definitely faster as I started to make sense of things as the day went on. Paying a visit to Scott aka Can-Alignment on Tuesday, I hear he is the guy to talk to for whether my bar will pass tech. He did my alignment a few weeks ago and of course since then I had to have a ball joint and tie-rod replaced so I still haven`t run with an ideal align.