roll/style bar

johngalt · Post by **johngalt** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:50 am

I have the 93 na8 and it has a style bar attached to the support brace behind the seats. I wanted to change this to the twin hoop style bar that ross sells at mx5mart, has anyone got one of these and do they give support as in bracing? cheers

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:42 am

I have one, they look great but only offer a little braceing. It seemed to stop a little of the "shake" the car had but you would not want to have a roll over with one.

johngalt · Post by **johngalt** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:33 pm

I know what you mean, the style bar that is on mine at the moment is just for show too. Was it easy to install?

warrior · Post by **warrior** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:24 pm

Yeah fitted perfectly, dont have to drill any holes and made vey well. JUST VERY EXPENSIVE!!!!

brownie · Post by **brownie** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 10:01 pm

Hi, John.
Mark here from Mazline,We,ve got Style Bars in at work if you are keen,Black or Silver(Not Chrome),Made by a certified roll cage maker,so made well and strong,But no, NOT sold as roll over protection,But they do help stiffen up the car without hacking it around .Our bars fit real quick and easy.
On another note,How those rims look?

brownie · Post by **brownie** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 10:02 pm

Doooh,Just spotted the photo in the other thread !!,
Looks good,Maybe could do with a little lowering maybe?

johngalt · Post by **johngalt** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 10:18 pm

hey brownie,
very happy with them and get heaps of comments. your right about knocking an inch or two off the height, what will that set me back$$$$$?

m4vr1k · Post by **m4vr1k** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 10:15 pm

Sorry for the thread jack, but does anyone know a good place to get a set of MSNZ legal roll bars for an NA?

brownie · Post by **brownie** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:41 pm

Really depends on where you are located,I know a guy here in CH CH but if you are Auckland or something won't be any use to you.

Euen · Post by **Euen** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:39 pm

m4vr1k wrote:Sorry for the thread jack, but does anyone know a good place to get a set of MSNZ legal roll bars for an NA?

You will probably find you will need to get something custom made. You don't say where you are in your profile so suggesting sources close to you is not easy. Whoever designs and makes it for you has to be able to produce all the design loadings etc for MSNZ approval.

http://www.motorsport.org.nz/safety-structures/

Donovan · Post by **Donovan** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:56 pm

m4vr1k wrote:Sorry for the thread jack, but does anyone know a good place to get a set of MSNZ legal roll bars for an NA?

Depends on what you are going to use it for, if it is just clubsport events, I think the regs are pretty grey and it is really up to the scrutineer on the day to asses it. Don't think they holmogate rollover bars. Don at Autoways in Hamilton makes a nice strong one up that the guys at Hampton downs recommend using for the track days etc.

http://www.autowayservices.co.nz/AutowayProducts

Have attached photo of one, that I have been too lazy to get around setting up in my car. (can't load photo at the mo, will have to try again later, photo of it, in my gallery under modifications)

Of course if you are doing race event, then have to have a full cage, holmogated, and with a log book.

Keith Jones · Post by **Keith Jones** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:26 pm

If you are planning to do Clubsport Basic events - motorkhana, autocross, single car sprint - you don't have to have a MSNZ approved roll bar/cage.
If you want to do Advanced events - dual/multicar sprints, hill climb - you need a MSNZ homologated roll bar.
If you are planning to do racing you only need a MSNZ homologated roll bar, but a full cage is preferable.

Gravelben · Post by **Gravelben** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 7:55 pm

Got quoted $12-1300 for a MSNZ-homologated half cage down here in the deep south, but still deciding whether to go for that and do some hillclimbs etc or find a cheaper option and stick to trackdays.

I wouldn't put a full cage in any car I was still planning to use on the road, too much risk of an unhelmeted head hitting it and causing big damage even in a minor accident.

Saw one of those autoway bars on trademe but I don't like the lack of rearward bracing.

I did buy one which looked identical at a glance to the bar I had in my previous MX5 (photo below), but once mounted sits ~100mm further forward and also narrower, which limits my seat movement and puts it too close to my head. Would happily sell it to a shorter MX5 owner though.

Euen · Post by **Euen** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:16 am

Ben touches on a very important point in regard to clearances. MSNZ specs define the required clearances of the bars from a helmet clad head. For a tall driver in a 5 it is not easy to get that clearance and still be able to have the top closed. One way to do it is to drop the seat right down to the floor.

m4vr1k · Post by **m4vr1k** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:17 pm

Thanks for all the info. I am currently emailing Don at Autoway to find out how much a legal one would be to make.
Cheers
Zac

Donovan · Post by **Donovan** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:51 pm

Other alternative, is getting something from overseas.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?dept=92

I have a whole heap of parts that I will be bringing in from these guys early in the new year for the V8 conversion, so if you wanted to, can throw it in with my consignment and pay the difference of what it would have cost me for the freight on just for my stuff.

Gravelben · Post by **Gravelben** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:15 pm

Seeing as we're on the topic, how much difference is there between a hard and soft top in terms of clearance?

AFAIK most clubs won't let you compete (beyond basic clubsport) without a hard top even if you have an MSNZ approved bar/cage - but if you don't have one when you get a bar/cage built, what are the odds of it fitting under a hard top when you do get one?

(I guess if you buy a Hard Dog bar in from the USA you can just go for the hard top version, but can these be used for competition in NZ?)

Keith Jones · Post by **Keith Jones** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 7:22 pm

You must have tough bunch of clubs down in the South Island Gravelben. None of the NI clubs that I have raced with have had any issue with a soft top over a MSNZ approved roll bar.
However, I can confirm that fitting a hardtop over a rollbar that happily cleared the softop can be a problem. I had to modify my hardtop to fit.

I don't think FM Hard Dog bars will get MSNZ approval.
Has anyone tried?

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:10 pm

speed factor here in tauranga quoted about $750 for a manz approved roll bar..
the mx5 is a pain in the ass to get a manz approved bar into because of the design of the rear shelf/seat belt towers and the hood clearance.

i doubt you could build a nice manz approved bar with a harness bar AND keep your stock seatbelts in place for warrant time...

i am working on a bar at the moment and it's driving me crazy.

2low2c · Post by **2low2c** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:40 pm

just so that you are aware ,on01/01/2011 the rules for manz approved roll
cages and bars the main hoop must be 45mm insted of 38mm this is for all new holmoligation applications.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:04 pm

so i'ts going to be evn harder to get one in now!

Gravelben · Post by **Gravelben** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:41 pm

SLYDIT wrote: i doubt you could build a nice manz approved bar with a harness bar AND keep your stock seatbelts in place for warrant time...

Bummer... maybe I'll just go for trackday-spec then.

If I do get off my ass and compete properly I'd prefer to be doing it on gravel anyway, so in that event I could just sell the MX5 and buy something better suited to rallying.

Gravelben · Post by **Gravelben** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:21 pm

Donovan wrote:Other alternative, is getting something from overseas.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?dept=92

I have a whole heap of parts that I will be bringing in from these guys early in the new year for the V8 conversion, so if you wanted to, can throw it in with my consignment and pay the difference of what it would have cost me for the freight on just for my stuff.

That might not be a bad option with the exchange rate at the moment - though the cost to ship it from you to me at the other end of the country will probably be significant too.

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:13 pm

For the events for which you need a homologated bar/cage, part of the process involves paperwork signed by the certified welder etc....I think this pretty much rules out getting a Hard Dog or similar homologated in this country.
When I put my car through, initially for dual car sprints, the Cant Car Club scruitineer determined that an MX5 hardtop was classified in the same way as a softop ie the MX5 requires protection which cars with fixed roofs eg your typical saloon, do not...for dual sprints.
My roll bars were made to clear my soft top (just), and fortunately the hard top also clears (just). My Momo seat sits me a little lower than a standard seat but at 5' 9", being vertically challenged has some advantages!

Ian

roll/style bar

roll/style bar

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