stedge

First, been trying to sell my car unsuccessfully (what a market! one would have thought a low mile '01 white/red in great shape could sell at a reasonable price), so will turn it into daily driver and occasional track car if it's not sold by the end of the summer. If I am going to do this, I would like to get it onto VIR.... There I need a roll bar 1-2" (can't recall exact height) above the top of the helmet, etc, basically SCCA approved, I think. I am still unclear from all the posts - is this something I can do and still retain the function of the softtop, which is necessary if this car becomes my commuter, as well..... or can't I have my cake and eat it, too? If I cannot do that, I will have to look for another option...

I know, strange mix, track and commuter, but life is funny sometimes....

Input appreciated.

The_Mendii

Elda Engineering is developing one that should work with the soft-top...

Edit - click here for the thread

todcp

See the post for Elda Engineering photos of Solo 1 Roll Bar. Pictures of my install are posted. This will do the trick if you are not to tall. If you are to tall, like me, you may need to install a race seat to get lower like I am about to do. I want to run Lime Rock and Watkins Glen and now I can.

kfoote

If you are taller than about 5'8" or so, you will basically have to get a different seat in order to get the clearance (usually 2") to the roll bar and retain the functionality of the soft top.

I was at VIR last weekend and got to drive about 20 laps. It is one of the most fun tracks I have ever driven, and is a lot more forgiving than my other two favorites (Mosport and Mt. Tremblant) if you go off track.

stedge

yeah, the runoff areas are key, though depending on which course you run, it is different. I've had abotu 4 track days there with a friends' SPF Cobra (485 HP/485 tq, car wieghs 2400 lbs), and the runoff is obviously key!! Especially for a novice like me.

In any case, that track is abotu 55-60 minutes from home, a pretty drive up there, and it is really fun. Hate not to take advantage of it.

I'll check out that thread and look at the photos. I am a portly 5'11", so I may need to think about another seat, I guess...

Bassem

VIR is a great track, probably my favorite. Be careful at turn 5, loose it there and it will be tough keeping it off the tire wall...seen to many cars eat it there

its funny you mentioned that track as my and Wael's desire to run the s2000 there was one of the primary motivators for starting work on the ELDA bar.

good luck
bassem

kfoote

Turn 5 is the common place to hit something on the full course (that's the only one I'm familiar with), and I imagine that with a bit of effort you could hit the wall on the inside of oak tree as well. As motivation for getting a roll bar, when I was there last year (I work for an SCCA SPEED World Challenge team), Pierre Kleinubing went off at the exit of oak tree, hit a rut in the mud, and rolled a couple of times without hitting anything solid aside from the ground.

BTW, I'm 6'1" and had to change the seat on my (track only) Miata in order to get the necessary roll cage clearance. I would not feel comfortable driving a Miata on the street without changing the stock seat, and the s2k has about the same amount of head clearance as the Miata.

stedge

I know I am opening a whole 'nother can or worms, but is there a best seat to get, that will be low enough fo rthe track, and yet comfy enough, etc, for daily driving? Anything work particularly well with this roll bar?

Again, thanks for all the input!

Oh... finally, I spun out at oak tree last month (in the rain), went to the infield mud in the cobra. No harm, other than a mudbath for my buddy's car, but the turn prior to oak tree is the one where - on the south course, at least, folks bite it, overcompensate, and then head for the outside tire wall.

So, how about a cage?!!

todcp

Your seat will depend on how tall and wide your build is. I purchased an Ultashieldrace.com aluminum seat (similar to Kirkey designs) that is purpose built for the Mazda Spec Race series cars. The seat does not have shoulder wings as they don't fit well in our narrow cockpit. It instead wraps around the chest. This is a bit of an extreme seat for road use but I will be doing track events and the car is just used for fun....not my primary car.
I needed seventeen and a half inches width at the hips and this is the only seat I could find that fits the car and me. Ultrashield also built the seat with a custom height for me so the harness holes would be correctly located ($199 and $299 custom sized).
If you are built smaller/narrower there are lots of race seat choices that can get you more headroom, especially if you are able to floor mount vs. using the rails. Do a search for seats.

stedge

I have not been small and narrow since I was born! I'll look for widebody seats!