Side bars, How do these look Options

[Randal]

Saw these in Grassroots Motorsports last night. I like the idea of angling them out a bit into the door, for which i have room. Also the fabrication looks clean and I think the bars are stronger the way shown, but if not please pipe up.

[SirAndy]

Those look good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

We have a similar setup on the spec 911.
With gutted doors there's plenty of room to move out a bit.

The two vertical tubes in the center could probably be replaced with triangular gussets.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) Andy

[6freak]

is there a rule on how big the opening can be (Maybe square inches)...seems like a good size hole for a car to invade the space in a wreck....but ya it "looks" ok if it makes the grade cool ,you just help lower you CG...jmo

[ChrisFoley]

If you're gonna use "X" braced door bars thats the way to go for sure, and angled out toward the door is also a very good thing.

[old914dog]

sorry for the poor focus on the pic, but the bars point out into the driver door. on the pass side, they are flat. Speedwerks put this together.

[ChrisFoley]

Old dog,
at least they put top (and hopefully bottom) gussets on the drivers side.
That is the worst way to build x bracing, with the weld joint actually being weaker than a single tube due to HAZ (heat affected zone) stresses.
I watched video (from both cars' perspective) of an improved touring car with the exact same passenger door bars that spun and was driven into by a Miata at no more than 40 mph. The Miata's bumper penetrated to the center console of the car that was sideways.

[Randal]

Saw these in Grassroots Motorsports last night. I like the idea of angling them out a bit into the door, for which i have room. Also the fabrication looks clean and I think the bars are stronger the way shown, but if not please pipe up.

Actually with the doors stripped there has to be about 2.5 or 3 inches of outward room for the bars to reside.

[6freak]

The Miata's bumper penetrated to the center console of the car that was sideways.

Thats my point ..seems like a big hole! whats the reason to put the bars that low?easy access and egress..if you can get in easier so can a car

[ChrisFoley]

The Miata's bumper penetrated to the center console of the car that was sideways.

Thats my point ..seems like a big hole! whats the reason to put the bars that low?easy access and egress..if you can get in easier so can a car

The Miata didn't go over the bars it went through them! The single center weld broke instead of the bars keeping the car out.
I don't find it any easier to get into a car with X bracing. Its hard to get your feet past them. NASCAR style bars offer a good place to sit and rest on the way in or out.

[Randal]

The Miata's bumper penetrated to the center console of the car that was sideways.

Thats my point ..seems like a big hole! whats the reason to put the bars that low?easy access and egress..if you can get in easier so can a car

The Miata didn't go over the bars it went through them! The single center weld broke instead of the bars keeping the car out.
I don't find it any easier to get into a car with X bracing. Its hard to get your feet past them. NASCAR style bars offer a good place to sit and rest on the way in or out.

My doors are more or less permanently attached. Pretty easy to get in and out; no windshield or top. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/whistle[1].gif)

[ChrisFoley]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Even though you aren't building for wheel-to-wheel racing, with a hillclimb car you still need to be concerned with potential intrusion from trees and big rocks. They don't present the same profile as the front end of a car does though, and I think a bar up high might be more important.
Elbow room and chassis stiffness are the next biggest factors in door bar design.
I would go with NASCAR style bars on the drivers side and x bars like you pictured on the passenger side.

[Randal]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Even though you aren't building for wheel-to-wheel racing, with a hillclimb car you still need to be concerned with potential intrusion from trees and big rocks. They don't present the same profile as the front end of a car does though, and I think a bar up high might be more important.
Elbow room and chassis stiffness are the next biggest factors in door bar design.
I would go with NASCAR style bars on the drivers side and x bars like you pictured on the passenger side.

We do have another bar coming from the rear hoop (6" down) that intersects with the dash hoop where the (now) elongated hole sits. The purpose of elongating the hole was to make the run forward (to the shock tower) straighter.

But I sure agree with your point about hill climbs and for that reason alone I think the NASCAR style bars would be smart.

[Solo914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Even though you aren't building for wheel-to-wheel racing, with a hillclimb car you still need to be concerned with potential intrusion from trees and big rocks. They don't present the same profile as the front end of a car does though, and I think a bar up high might be more important.
Elbow room and chassis stiffness are the next biggest factors in door bar design.
I would go with NASCAR style bars on the drivers side and x bars like you pictured on the passenger side.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)



I actually went with nascar bars on both sides on my Spec Miata because of the SCCA roll bar rules where if your bars interfere with the door inner contents then you can gut the doors. So, basically I did Nascar bars on the passenger side for weight savings.

Kyle

EDIT: Because I was W2W racing, I also walked around the paddock one day casually mearuring front bumper heights and that is how determined how high I wanted my Nascar door bars to be. Egress is important but not as important as my life (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)