So, I was doing a NASA HPDE at Barber this past Fri, Sat, and Sun.

Or so I thought. I ran Friday. Showed up Saturday morning and was told (10 minutes before my first session of the day) that Barber had informed NASA that convertibles would now need either

• a hardtop
• a 5 (or more) point harness and arm restraints

So my weekend was over... I track my daily driver which is completely stock. NASA will refund me for Sat&Sun, but that's really not the point...

Tracking a convertible keeps me out of VIR and now Barber (unless I make mods) - which sucks because Barber is really nice and less than a two hour drive away. Tracking a convertible also keeps me out of all BMW and Porsche events in this area. The fact that liability waivers are apparently useless is making this hobby more and more difficult and expensive...

So here's what I'm thinking my options are:

• a) $1,500+: get a rollbar (who makes these? I priced a custom one and it was $1700), seat, and harness (but is this long-term? will the rules tighten even more soon?)
• b) $2,800: get a hardtop (again, will this be enough long-term?)
• c) $4,300+: do both a and b (now I'm starting to approach $5k investment, but it's probably a viable dual-purpose car for a while)
• d) $6,000+ (+ another car): gut the car, do a cage, hardtop, seat, and harness (of course, now I need to buy another car to drive everyday)
• e) $???: sell the S2000, buy a non-convertible dual-purpose car (suggestions?)
• f) $???: sell the S2000, buy a racecar and a daily driver (what class?)

I think I've ordered the options properly in terms of cheapest to most expensive...

I'm sure I'm not the first to be faced with this dilemma. You been through this? What did you do? What would you have done differently? What do you wish you had done?

Thanks...

 

None of my local tracks have any rule against convertibles. That seems to be an East Coast thing. But some of the organizations that put on the HPDEs do have such rules.

One local club put in a rule requiring 5/6-pt harnesses and roll bars for all convertibles. A few years later they decided this actually added to their risk rather than reducing it, because now it placed them in the position of judging whether or not a convertible was safe. They changed their rules to just ban all convertibles. Spec Miata race car or OEM S2000, doesn't matter.

But before I went ahead and installed my roll bar and harnesses, I didn't have much trouble finding other opportunities to drive. It is an issue, but not a major one out West. I hear it's a bit more restrictive back East.

 

I would go with most practicle for now which is a hardtop has other benfits when it's freaking 100+ like now. However for next year I would plan on doing a HardDog bar and Schroths and a seat too unless you want to ruin a perfectly good S2000 by cutting.

 

That is what I am worried about myself. Right now my car is pretty much stripped down and had all the paint grinded off for welding. Trying to figure out what type of roll cage to install has been a major concern of mine. The truth of the fact is that It would be easier to Track my E46 M3 CS . But its too new to tear up. So that leaves me using the S20000 as a Track Only car which I do not mind doing. We need to make a thread about Roll Cages and match them up in class for SCCA NASA and other Time Attack events.

 

tough situation...and one im worried about as well.


I daily drive my car so a cage was out, but i recently got a 5 point hard dog which will go in place of the factory roll hoops and while bolted in at 1st, will be welded in this fall. I will be running a 4 point harness wrapped to the 5 point.

I am also planning on getting a mugen FRP top for safety and aero purposes...that and my soft top is tearing and i wont be replacing it.

however, expensive and tough call.....mind you participating in these kind of events isnt cheap to begin with. I say hardtop for now then see where you want to go with it.

best of luck

ian

 

I saw the pic of your bar with the harness bar in the right place, you can't put any trim back, right? Roll hoops come out right? How about the center console?

 

^center console and roll hoops come out, but you can get another version which keeps all of that.

 

Beware of the version of the harddog bar with the higher harness bar for console clearance. NASA let me pass this past event but they said it will not be allowed again. Make sure whatever bar you buy or have made meets the rules and regulations of your local event organizers.

 

vjarnot, I was sent home from Barber too. I'm still pissed! My letter was mailed today to Barber.

There is a thread on the NASA forums with a link to a map with cage builder locations. I'll go look for it and post it here later. There is a lot of good information in all the above post, it's still a tough decision and commitment.

ERL S2000, have you decided who is building your cage? I did find a local guy in Franklin that can do it. Not sure if I will pay him, Kirk in AL or rollcageguy in OH.

 

Barber had allowed S2k's for the past 3 years without anything. I was at a PBOC event years ago with a HT without a problem.

I'd try Harddog for the ELDA copy, just make sure it's either the revised version with the stock seat belt mounts added, or one that moves the down bars up on the main hoop to let you use stock rollhoops/seatbelt mounts for street use.

I've got a ELDA if you want to see one up close.