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So I am torn, I’m planing on ordering the hard dog m2 bar that fits under the hardtop and glass window soft top, but can’t seem to make up my mind on how many, if any, diagonals I should get.
My though process...
No diagonals pros- better visibility, proven to be safe in a roll over, less expensive.
1 diagonal pros- some extra support to make me feel good
2 diagonal pros- maximum street cred, obviously the strongest, adds up to three inches in erectile length..
logically for my daily driver, rarely tracked 2001 miata, no diagonals makes sense to me.. but I fear I’ll always be a little jealous, or regret not having double diagonals since it’s “the best”
Are you completely set on getting a roll bar? After putting mine in and doing approximately zero things requiring one so far, I wish I hadn't.
Everyone loves the double diagonal, but at least on an NA the rear view mirror needs to be lowered to really be useful - not sure if this is different on an NB (and 96-97 I suppose) where it's mounted to the glass. If you have a zipper window soft top I can see it being more difficult to zip.
How far back do you have your seat? Mine sits against the diagonal with how I prefer to have it. I do have an older Hard dog bar so maybe its been revised for more space there. In this case a single diagonal would be out of the way of the driver's seat.
If you do put one in, wind the seat belt retractor springs a bunch tighter so you have half a chance of it retracting. Caution: don't let it pop out of its housing or it may not go back together.
Thanks for the reply Kevin,
so yes, I am fairly set on getting the roll bar. I only live about 20 minutes from willow springs, and have a membership to do cheap test and tunes there for my other racecar. I need a roll bar, harness, and fire bottle to be able to drive my Miata there on these test and tune days as well. I also feel the need for some extra safety just on my daily 110 mile drive should something terrible happen. I would like to maintain the great visibility of the hard top, but want to make sure if I NEED the roll bar to be a roll bar, its gonna be up to the task. I too worry that dailying the car (which is what I do 99% of the time) with the double diagonal would get annoying for visibility
You wont get any "street cred" with no diagonals, people will assume it's a style bar.
Get the single diagonal bar, safe, street cred + lighter than twin diagonal bar.
so I actually called trackdog/hard dog today and talked to William. I am going to get the m2 hardcore hardtop bar. With double diagonals and the thicker tubing. Just in case I end up doing any SCCA events or build it up later. The bar will be good to go. Harness tabs ready. I don’t want to have to replace it if I decide to do something else with the car later
I'm picking my bar up from trackdog in the next week or so. I went the same route. I believe the extra cost for the double is easily worth the looks and knowing your bar will be acceptable for whatever you need in the future. Will also increase the car's "sellability" if you go that route since it'll be track-ready.
Rear view visibility is more important to me than the extra diagonal bar that may in fact be extraneous.
Please give feedback on whether or not the extra bar makes a big difference in visibility.
1. If you aren't actually going to take it to the track, I wouldn't bother with adding the roll bar. No offense, but when most say "rarely tracked" it usually just means I want to put "fuh raze" parts on my car. And there is nothing wrong with that. But you can save the money and install if you aren't really ever going to do it.
2. I never had any issues using the rearview mirror on the street or on the track with a Hard Dog DD roll bar and being able to see what was behind me.
3. That car looks awfully clean to be taking to the track. I'd want to get something less pristine.
1. If you aren't actually going to take it to the track, I wouldn't bother with adding the roll bar. No offense, but when most say "rarely tracked" it usually just means I want to put "fuh raze" parts on my car. And there is nothing wrong with that. But you can save the money and install if you aren't really ever going to do it.
2. I never had any issues using the rearview mirror on the street or on the track with a Hard Dog DD roll bar and being able to see what was behind me.
3. That car looks awfully clean to be taking to the track. I'd want to get something less pristine.
The Miata does actually go to the track occasionally. I live between willow springs and buttonwillow,the Miata has been to both. I have a membership at willow, so I can drive there for test and tunes on fridays so long as the car has a bar, a fire extinguisher, and a harness. I also have a dedicated racecar and my competition road racing license. The car is clean, because I keep it clean My spitfire at Big Willow The Miata at streets of willow
After driving my car again the past couple days the visibility with the DD isn't bad, just a departure from having no bar at all that it feels like it obscured the rear view. I don't have the original mirror in the car though so maybe that's why it's different to me (it's an s10 mirror with lights I think, with an adapter to the Miata base).
I had the Hard Dog double diagonal on my old NB. I have a very long torso and it made my rear-view mirror worthless unless I ducked my head every time. That got old, so I swore that any roll bar I bought from then on would allow better rear visibility. I found the solution with Blackbird's bars. Their diagonals go the opposite way and do not block your rear vision at all. I have had several now.
View from my HDDD roll bar, just some notes, mirror is from a dodge neon, I had brought the original with me and the mirror is maybe about 1/4" thicker, but window to mirror arm length was the same ( was trying to find a mirror with lights built into the bottom ) I am also 6'1" and my seat has the rear back cushion removed so I sit a bit further back. I tried to place the camera at eye level. I adjust so the view is between the trunk lid and the bar, you can see the slightest sliver of both along top and bottom.
10-14-2020 | 09:23 AM
Roll bar opinions? All the diagonals??
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