Rollover hoop

Pat '96M

Anyone

you find

you'd

in

Hard Dog makes many different types of rollbars at reasonable prices. Installation requires no welding, the bar bolts onto the frame.

I got a Sport model for my 1990, with padding and cover, for around $380 plus shipping. We ended up not paying any shipping 'cause our local club ordered 24 bars. Installation took 2-1/2 hours on my car.

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

Most of the rollbars I have seen require drilling and cutting. No welding is necessary.

-------------- Alex

if you want simply a chrome loop bar ebay is the place...get brand new ones for about $135. search for "miata style bar"

I was hoping to find a bar that is actually functional incase I roll it. I like the looks of the bar too but functionality is what I'm after. Do you think a bolt-in bar would survive a rollover??

John

Here are some actual crash pictures & testimonials.

The SCCA thinks so: bolt-in bars are preferred over welded bars in race cars, probably due to the difficulty of verifying the quality of the welds. Any SCCA-approved bar will provide useful protection. Some non-approved bars may, too.

Things to consider beside looks and cost:

1. height - must fit under the top, but be tall enough to offer protection.
2. head clearance - too far forward and it may hurt you in a rear-ender; too far back and it must be shorter to clear the top. Foam padding is not designed to work without a helmet.
3. seat travel - some bars limit bottom and/or back travel.
4. rearward vision - most folks get used to seeing diagonal bracing in the mirror, but some don't.

If you're tall, you face some tough choices. Best bet: join your local Miata club and ask to sit in cars with various rollbars.

The Hard Dog is not really a 'bolt-in' bar, though. It's a cut, saw, slice, drill, and then bolt-in bar.

Me, I hate the looks of a roll bar and don't care to mutilate my Miata, so I stick to driving fast on the public streets where they aren't required.

The rollbar also adds weight, adds wind noise, makes the window harder to put down (and up, if it is plastic), and takes up shelf space. I still lke mine, it provides *some* additional safety for myself and my passengers, and it has had the most noticeable bracing effect, by far, of anything that I have added to the car.

None of the miatas in the above rollover pictures have race numbers, the

Pat '96M

cut, saw,

Particularly on the older models. But you forgot "partially dismantle your Miata" before the cut, saw, etc.

my

they aren't

I'm not wild about the look on my Miata either. However, a member of our local club was killed in a rollover on a public street - top down, no rollbar. I've decided that I can learn to live with the looks of the bar.

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) with a HardDog Sport #3 winkin' Miata

I simply wonder why they do not make roll seats. Attaching the impact protection to the seat would allow a hoop to be used instead of a big framework on the car. It would allow the most precise fitting to the position of the head regardless of seatback position and driver length. (Passenger seats would need some variation.) And it would allow the seat back to be pushed forward to deal with rear window zipping, etc. And no waste of rear deck space either.

The visual impact of such a roll bar could be further reduced by giving the rather massive piping a low-key color. Such as chrome on a white Miata!

Leon