bgoetz

I am 5'11" and with OEM seats and a helmet my head sits higher than the roll hoops. That said, the S2000 is really designed to use the window frame/trunk as protection and I am guessing roll hoops as last resort. My question is, if I went with aftermarket seats/sliders would this put me low enough to make the OEM roll hoops functional at 5'11" with a helmet?

The reason I ask is that my wife said I could spend a bit of $ upgrading the safety of my car for HPDE events, if I wanted. As evident in a couple threads I have commented on I feel safe at the level I am at by using my right foot responsibly, not to say that something could not happen it always could even driving to work. But I am not the only one to consider, I have a wife and child. The thing is I don't have enough $ to do everything and am trying to get the most out of what I spend. The options I am considering are:

1.) Roll bar and keep everything else OEM (I do have the modifry belt lock).

2.) seats, harness, and maybe a HANS device/fire suite and rely on the OEM roll protection with the hope I get low enough.

To me while a bit more costly option 2 seems to add more in terms of safety if I get below the hoops, as rollovers are not the only concern out there. Also I get the added bonus of weight reduction, stability, and sitting lower.

The one thing I don't like about a harness is that it seems like if roll over protection is insufficient it could actually be more dangerous as it would not allow you to be pushed down as much. Also can you safely mount a harness without a bulkhead replacement bar?

ludeguy13

You are absolutely correct here. I would never put a harness/HANs in a car unless your harness is mounted to the same roll bar that gives you roll over protection. I'm not even sure i'd do it with a bar that's not welded to the car.

In all honesty, this is a mod that should be done together. The bucket seat alone should be okay, but be aware it won't bend around like a stock seat in case of an accident, and your head won't have any real protection from a rear end accident if you don't have a helmet on.

bgoetz

What about just the roll-bar with everything else OEM? I am all about being safe on the street as well, quite honestly I feel my greatest risk of anything happening is simply driving to and from work on a nice day that I decide to drive my car. The same sorta goes for the roll bar on the track, that is great for roll-over accidents, but doesn't do much for any other type of accident. This is why I ended up where I am currently at, just staying OEM and being responsible when I am out there, maybe that is the safest/cheapest option.

King Tut

Rollbar, hardtop, all else OEM. Add seats and harnesses together as funds become available.

bgoetz

Now if I could just find a hard top for less than $3k!! Any reason why I shouldn't just go roll bar/soft top?

Apex1.0

I am 6.0 and just ordered the BYS rails for the drivers seat. The way I have the seat positioned that will put my helmet level with the hoop. I feel dropping myself in the car further will only add protection. That being said the OEM safety system is tested over and over before it is released. You have to ask yourself if you can engineer a better system. I believe you can but only if you do the entire system.

The farthest I would go is race buckets with lower seat rails, but everything else stock. If you need more than you will need to add the Roll bar, harness bar and harness. Do not run a harness without a good aftermarket roll bar. Your head should be 2-3" below the roll bar at least since the harness will lock you into the seat. Also HANS would be a good idea.

ludeguy13

Just the roll bar will give you a higher "impact" point in the case of a flip, but you have to ask yourself, what will hold your body from hitting the ground when upside down? When I look at it like that, I don't think adding an aftermarket rollbar will provide that much "more" protection than the stock system.

If tracking is something you are going to consistently participate in, I would hold off on everything until you can do it all, and really be conscious about your driving in the mean time. When you have a nice chunk of change, do it all. Also, I wouldn't do any of this if the car is your daily driver (for all safety/theft/law enforcement related reasons).

Davo307

I'm 6'3 so I know what it's like to have your head above the roll hoops. I had t run top down for my first few events. Then picked up a Recaro Pole Poston, took out the padding and I sit way below the factory hoops. Then I got a bar and harnesses after. But I think the beat mod my car has is the PP. Totally changes the driving feel

ludeguy13

6'3 with a PP and your shoulder harness holes aren't too low? The harness should run directly over your should straight to the harness bar. If it does not have a straight path it isn't really safe. I am 6'0 and barely pass this test with the SPG, which has even higher shoulder holes than the PP.

ludeguy13

To the OP. If you want some great advice about this kind of stuff you should check out trackhq.com. There are a lot of seasoned racers on that forum, and some safety experts/fabricators.