TGPR spring PDX

[DelanieC]

The guy who I think did all of that car's current mods is about 5' 4" or so. Maybe he mounted them that high on purpose, hah.

[farrout]

Lots of discussion above but let me see if I can distill it down a bit.

The Boss Frog rollbar you have would not be legal for TT Level 3 because of the bend in the rear supports. I would allow it for a PDX. That particular bar (like the Hard Dog Hard Top bar) is lower than a Hard Dog or Kirk soft top bar. The difference between the soft top and hard top bars is that the bar is set rearward a bit more such that the bar does not interfere with the hard top side latches. Being further to the rear means that it has to be lower (as much as an inch) to get under the hard top. The soft top bars usually fit under the hard top anyway but you need to use a hard mount for the side latches (which is easy to get on and off).

If you are running without a top, having your helmeted head under a broomstick sitting on the rollbar and windshield is desired for both driver and instructor. If you run with a hardtop, then the broomstick test is not applicable.

Getting under a rollbar in a Miata is difficult for most people (forget about the 2" rule, just getting under it is difficult). You mention that you are 5'9" so depending on torso length, you may have a problem. Some people take an inch out of the stock seat padding to get a bit lower. Most race seats (SParco, etc) will not get you low enough particularly if they are mounted on the stock sliders or other mounts. An Aluminum seat mounted on 2 steel straps between the stock seat mounts seems to work best for the track..

The hard top is aerodynamically faster than running with the top down. But this is a PDX and there is no timing so who cares if you are 2-3 mph faster on the back straight at TGPR. Top speed on the back straight is more dependent on how well you take the skidpad and how fast you exit the skidpad than the hardtop will give you by itself.

My suggestion is to bring the Hardtop with you. You can always take it off.

We would be happy to take a look at your car and suggest some changes if needed.

[DelanieC]

Thanks for the info! I'll have the hardtop with me for sure. The mods on this car seem kind of thrown together so I'm glad to have any and all suggestions. It sounds like I need to add a serious roll bar to the list of future upgrades.

[farrout]

What sort of mods? There are a number of discussions by Waight, Lacey, and myself on here about modding a NA Miata for TT.