My last Miata question......I think....

'90. Installing a Hard Dog roll bar and 5 point harnesses for track work.

Will it be OK to use the stock seats?

I plan on eventually upgrading to some proper fixed back seats, but my budget has already been blown, and I'd like to get on track sooner rather than later.

Are you going to slice through the seat for the anti-submarine belt?

mthomson22 wrote: Are you going to slice through the seat for the anti-submarine belt?

I can.

Shoulder belts, how easy to shrug them off?

Anti-sub belt wont do much without a hole.

There are ways to cut holes in the stock seats to make them work, but you would be ahead to find used kirkeys or something.

Me, I have 3 (2 in mustang, 1 slated for miata) V-racing rush seats that are rebadged cobra monaco (hardware says cobra as well as literature). 2 for the mustang were $65 each plus shipping (made it like $100 each). The 3rd one was a yardsale find for $35.

My point is that deals are out there. Either that or more work on the seats to really be safe.

edit apparently Keith made his work without doing anything for his shoulder harnesses. Look on his locost build site at entry 209(ish) to see how he did the harness hole. http://www.cheapsportscar.net/diary.php?UID=209

I would have to sit in it to see, but be sure you cant just shrug off the shoulder belts. Similar seat backs were in a friends Camaro and I could just shrug the belts off, so they were doing no good.

I put the stock seat back in the passenger side of my Miata to accommodate casual riders, but it still has the 5-point. It's OK for an autocross run or the occasional short road trip, but I wouldn't recommend it at all for frequent use or high-speed work.

Don't use the harness until you get the proper seats. If you feel that you must, but the seats for the sub belts (and make sure that the metal on the bottom of the seat is grommeted so that it doesn't cut the sub belt. Cross the shoulders behind the seat to help them from coming off. And get a seat back brace. One with some surface area when it connects to the seat (or modify one).

I have lumberjack shoulders and a tall upper body. That puts me up fairly high where the seat is narrowest. The shoulder straps stay in place well for me, and I do cross them behind the seat. But for someone with a more compact build, the seats might not be ideal for the shoulder straps. That said, there are a whole lot of track Miatas out there with stock seats and harnesses.

Here's where I mounted the sub belt on the Targa car: http://targamiata.com/diary.php?UID=201

If you aren't totally married to the idea of a 5 point as opposed to a 4 point harness, I have a DOT cert'd Schroth 4 point in my Miata with a foamechtomied stock seat. The Schroth's have a special stretch fitting that is supposed to eliminate the need for the anti-sub belt. (Haven't crashed it yet, so I can't verify how well it works.) Its comfortable enough that I use it for daily driving, even though I still have fully functional stock seat belts in place. I also haven't had a chance to try it in competition yet, but I feel very secure in the seat, so I don't anticipate any problems. First autocross isn't until 5/12

Like Keith, I'm pretty tall with broad shoulders and have the belts crossed behind the seat. I don't feel any indication I would be able to slip between the belts in a crash. Someone with a smaller frame might be at risk.

Just a thought.

Hmm, that's an interesting bit of info.

What did you pay for those 4 points? Unfortunately, I've already got a set of Simpson 5 points with a cam lock that I got off one of hte Miata forums for a reasonable price.

But I'm willing to resell them.

Was just hoping to get out on track soon, without the added expense.

I'm only 5'8" so definitely not tall.

This is the model I have (with loops instead of fittings for the harness bar): http://www.schrothracing.com/store/Tuning/rallye/rallye-4

Be aware, may not necessarily be approved for road racing, but I'm using the harness on the street and for autocross. I would suspect it would be OK for most "track days", but maybe not for NASA/SCCA competition. As always, check with your local club first.

EDIT: Got the harness when I bought the roll bar/harness bar (used), so I don't have a specific price that I paid, but they are pretty affordable. Has pricing on the Schroth website, IIRC. I may pick up a second one for passengers shortly.

Oh, and double checked, its actually this one: http://www.schrothracing.com/store/Tuning/rallye/rallye-cross (If you have a harness bar, not tabs, you need the wrap, not the fitting for the shoulder harness attachment.