I'm hoping to make my S both a track car and an autocrosser in the STR class. As many of you know, here in the MidAtlantic area an aftermarket rollbar and harness is required to get on the track. With STR I can now install seats that allow a 5 or 6 point harness. Installing the Hard Dog bar with the stock rollbar leaves too little room to move my seat back. The harness bar is also placed too high with the center console. In the SCCA rulebook under 3.3.2 it states that the rollbar height can be modified. Does that mean I can remove my stock rollbar and replace it with the Hard dog bar? Also what about the center console? In order to get the harness bar at the correct height it would have to be removed, or cut into. I've read the rules but to me it appears to be a gray area. (maybe not to many of you). In the very beginning it states that a rollbar is encouraged. I think for a proper installation of a rollbar there has to be some cutting and modification to the interior. Am I way off base? Does anyone have any suggestions here?

 

You can modify the interior the minimum amount needed to properly install the rollbar.

 

In the Mid-Atlantic you don't have to have harnesses just a rollbar. I'm pretty sure nowhere actually requires harnesses. You'd most likely need to gut the rear interior though to get the harddog with a harness bar in the proper place. I know how you feel b/c I'm in the same place trying to decide what I want to do about it. I'm most likely just going to suck it up and run with a semi gutted interior.

 

I don't mind a gutted area behind the seats...im just trying to figure out if it will be legal in STR. Im def putting a harness in. I don't want the thread turning into a Harness/Rollbar argument. Im trying to figure out if STR allows the stock roll bar to be replaced and some of the interior trim components removed to allow a proper installation of that bar.

 

^ahh I gotcha. That I don't know for sure. Someone on here took some weight measurements of all the stock interior trim behind the seats and it was exactly the same weight as the rollbar. Add harnesses and it'll probably be a pound heavier. As far as weight goes it's even I think people will argue that the rollbar will make the car more rigid and therefore give you an advantage. Let me know what you find out.

 

I'm pretty sure a roll bar is legal (even in the stock class). You should be fine. I know in STR you can actually change the seats and take advantage of the bar with harnesses. I've thought about doing this myself.

 

The key thing is how installation is done. You may NOT remove anything from the car. You can only cut holes in trim that allow the installation of the bar. That is all. Stock roll hoops must remain.

Modification /= removal

 

Is this the sentence that you think allows you to "modify the roll bar height"? That's not what it means. It just means that the minimum height specified in the SCCA roll bar specs can be waived for certain classes.

The previous answer is correct. You may add a roll bar, and you may cut holes in interior trim pieces for the roll bar tubes to pass through. You can't remove the factory hoops.

 

Thank you! These were the answers I was looking for. Yes that was the line I was refering to. I appreciate you clearing that up for me. Well, I was hoping I'd be allowed to take the stock roll bars out but it looks like it is not to be. It's not so much the extra weight...it's how the bar doesn't allow the seat to come as far back as without the interior and a less than ideal height for the harness bar.

 

Locally, I will be running with custom, welded rollbar with OEM hoops removed. I don't expect any protests even if I win. But I would not drag my car to Nationals like this.