I bough this RAS Engineering style bar off ebay. I reminded of the older discontinued Racing Beat models I have seen. Instead of being as solid piece of steel bent into two hoops and then having smaller pieces of metal connecting the inner and outer hoop like the normal ebay style bars... This one is a solid tube with the two hoops welded onto it. This is how the older racing beat style bars I have seen were made, some only having one hoop over the drivers side. I did a little research on the company and apparently they built a crazy(at the time) custom Miata in the 90's. I am still goint to buy one of the hard dog roll bars while they have free shipping, but I really liked how unique this one was and this is going on my NA miata. What are your opinions
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=270206092003

here is the one I got


here is the normal ebay style bar

 

looks like the brainstorm style bar that i have.

 

Yea...it does look like the brainstorm style bar. I'm pretty sure that is what it is. The seller probably just didn't know

 

I think I would have put that $110 towards a real rollbar, but to each their own.

 

Opinion? Definitely go for the Hard Dog rollbar.

Cheers!

Jeff

 

I wouldn't run that.... it's a waste of time, money, and weight! Get a roll bar that will actually protect you in a roll, not some style bar.

 

Waste of money? $110 shipped, I look at it this way. I've wasted a lot more money than that on things that were a lot less practical. Weight? isn't really all that much and it will stiffen the chasis, which should be better for handling. Time, well..i suppose the time I spend installing this could be spent here on this forum...so you might be right there. This is for my non-turbo Miata, which isn't a performance machine by any means. The only mods to this one are Goodwin Racing Roadster exhaust, polished stainless header, R package front lip, a mazdaspeed replica steering wheel, and now this style bar. Maybe my friends over at miata.net will like it....lmfao

 

It will not stiffen the chassis much, just dead weight.

 

I disagree. Of the six Miata's that I have owned and driven in autoX type driving, I noticed a significant difference between the cars I had with a style bar and the cars I had without one. As far as weight goes, my Miata with the turbo has no power steering, no power windows, as the lightest weight wheels out there. The Miata I am putting this style bar on has all the options and leather interior and I really am not too concerned about weight I guess.

 

mouse trap...

 

I think it's great how posters will come out of the woodwork to flame someone for running a style bar but they never seem to bash the dude who's running NO bar and running a 200hp DIY turbo. A style bar is better than having nothing behind at all. Man, if someone wants to spend $110 to make their car look a little better, more power to them - Not everybody needs a HDHCDD to be cool. And as for weight savings, he never said he was racing the car competitively, so he's never going to notice the ~35lb. difference.

 

So you're saying you have a habit of making bad purchasing decisions and are justifying the purchase of this item because you still haven't learned your lesson?

Style-bars are an incredibly bad decision unless you're specifically going for the "look". And by "look", I mean looking like somebody who bought some chrome **** at PepBoys in an attempt to impress their S-series Jag owning neighbors. They're the worst kind of wine-and-cheese. They have absolutely no engineering of their design and the risk of collapse in a rollover is almost assured. Some people swear up and down they help with stifness... and by stiffness, I mean rigormortis.

If it's for the look, then to each his own. If it's for anything else, then you've made a bad decision, wasted your money, and increased the danger to you and your passenger. Get rid of it and purchase something legit. All of the Boss From and HardDog pieces can be ordered chrome.

 

Nick, you're completely missing the point. It's not about being cool... it's about whether the thing will kill you. And most experts will tell you it's worse than having nothing at all.

People running no rollbar assume the risk. I will of course encourage everyone to purchase and install a legit rollbar, but in not running one, the risk is obvious, and that is a personal decision about safety while knowing all the facts. Everybody has to make their choice about rollbars.

Style bars on the other hand are a menace. But someone who purchases one for the look and assumes it will increase their safety and then makes claims about "I just bought it because it was cheap" and "it handles better now", need to be INFORMED. There is information they've missed out on in order to make a good decision. If they decide to keep it, at least now they KNOW. If they decide to run w/o anything, now they KNOW.

 

no matter how many Miatas you have owned and thought you noticed a difference on with a style bar, it's a bad decision. it's worse than running no bar. people have gotten trapped in miatas when the style car collapsed over them in a rollover, hence the mouse trap comment(i believe). send me money for the shipping and i'll send you one of the factory braces from a 94-97 if you are concerned about chasis rigidity.


I think it's great how people like Nick comment on how posters come out of the woodwork to bash people when he himself has 48 ******* posts. 48!!! I love this site, always worth a good laugh.

 

Correct.

 

i know i'm not dealing with people who are too bright so i go with the long version but yours contains so much more wit for the rest of us.

 

this guy has a style bar





i rest my case

i love how the jumbo tach shows 1500 rpm when the car is off.

link for any of your ricers that might be interested http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-...em130193306035

 

so...you're gonna run a style bar AND a hard dog?

+1 for style bars are dumb and dangerous.

 

Yep, I've got more than one Miata homeboy. I appreciate everyone's opinions which is why I posted this up. This is not my "race car". It is a fun to drive on the weekends type car.

As far as posting up a picture of a riced out miata w/ a body kit and stating that that car has a style bar...ur a homo...that is quite possibly the dumbest point I have ever heard made on the internet, and maybe even in general. I suppose I could post a picture of you and your boyfriend going at it in a miata and state that "everyone who owns a Miata is gay". Yeah!!!

If you need a further explanation PM me.

thanks to all for your opinions. Hopefully I don't get caught in the "mouse trap".

 

at least in that pic one of us would be bent over and/or handcuffed to a real rollbar. and as far as dumbest, i think i could post something more dumberer about explosives, planes, and tall buildings.


good luck with your shiny toy bar.

at least this thread served to get some free cockpit braces in members' cars who appreciate them.


ps. nice STRAIGHT username, mazdarati