Good Bye Stock/Street Class

My goal for 2018 is to spend more time on track with the Miata and the Coronet. To do that, I'd like to add more safety modifications to the Miata, which will bump me out of street class.  Well heck, if I'm out of street class might as well add some go-fast parts too, right?

I removed the factory wheel, careful not to detonate the airbag. Remember, that IS an explosive device on your steering wheel.

With safety gear, you need to consider all of the components as a system and not just individual pieces.  The factory seats and standard three point seat belts work together with the airbag to create a safety system that is both effective and comfortable and convenient enough for street driving.  Altering just one piece of that configuration is compromising the whole system so I need to address everything together. 

All installed, here's the new view from the driver's seat. 

The seat belts will be replaced with six-point harnesses to keep my body firmly glued to the seat at all times.  The HANS device works with the harness to prevent my neck from over-extending and significantly reduces whip-lash. With the full harness, my head won't risk impact with the wheel, making the air bag more dangerous than helpful, so the new wheel is added to remove the explosive charge and make entry and exit easier.  New seats will be installed to more securely hold me in place laterally, drop me lower in the car (safe clearance under the rollbar and hardtop), and also are designed to accommodate the ideal geometry for the harness.

Pull on the NRG collar tabs attached to the wheel to release it from the car. Firmly push it back on to snap and lock it into position.

In the next few weeks the seats and harnesses will arrive.  I'll take everything down to Panic Motorsports and let their years of experience install and fit everything properly. More to come this month with those performance mods too! November is going to be busy.