Why did we rip out our roll cage and build a new one?

A year ago, as we were writing about building better door bars in our LFX-swapped Miata, we included this sentence:  “(And before you email us, yes: Our Miata’s front down bar is in a less than ideal position. We’ll address that in a future update.)”

[Can upgrading safety also improve comfort? | Project Endurance Race Miata]

We didn’t have the space …

Read the rest of the story

Am I the only person with a cage-building fetish?  

I know you said removing the down tube from the A-pillar ankle saves a broken ankle but it sure looks weird not going up to and tying in around the A-pillar footing....I don't think that would pass here in New Zealand being a few inches back.

Instead of putting the A-pillar downtube onto a "plinth box", I cut the tube into a plate formed along the inner sill. All of the Spec Miata cages that I've done are like this and I find it a cleaner installation with more leg room and no chance of ankle/heel/foot injury in the event of a collision. Just my way of doing it.

Thats a lot like mine  too. New Zealand.

Question, really... Do you know or can you recommend someone in the Pacific Northwest area that can, and is willing to do a Corvette Convertible roll cage that will not "destroy" the lines of the car and will still allow being able to put the top up for those rainy days the Northwest is infamous for? Right now I am limited to solo with the roll bar setup I have...

Why not just install a MiataCage?

Why? Cause you guys like to party.

ARrotard said:

Why not just install a MiataCage?

I put one of those in our last Miata chassis, and loved the kit. And it let one of our drivers walk away from a hit bad enough to red flag the race; they make great cages.
 

But our new cage cost about 1/3 as much to build and is bigger, which is a win/win in my book. 

I like a lot of the changes, however, the cage in the article still appears to lack any anti-intrusion bars to protect the drivers lower legs and feet from the foot well collapsing in an impact. Wouldn't you want the driver safety cell to protect the whole driver, not stop mid-shin?

In reply to Driven5 :

As discussed in this thread.

Grassrootsmotorsports.com: Cage Design PSA

Yeah, I'm adding those in the near future--just ran out of time at Johnny's.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Thanks for clarifying.