Convertible question

[Strider]

Hey, i'm selling my 240 and buying a convertible. now my question is can i still take my convertible to these drift clinics or am i screwed now?

[KoukiMonster]

no, you just need a roll bar. 4 point. not sure if you need a harness. they will probably make you have your roof up during the event.

verts look hot! especially the wise sports onevia vert.

[reccakun08]

convertibles are also automatic stock

[KoukiMonster]

yea but that is just a small hurdle.

[DRO916]

i've never seen a 5spd convetable, i know all stock ones are auto, but even when i went to d1, i was expecting that blue conv. to be 5spd, but it was STILL auto...sup wid that?

[KoukiMonster]

its not like it can't be done. so i don't know why it was still an auto.

[JH]

i've never seen a 5spd convetable, i know all stock ones are auto, but even when i went to d1, i was expecting that blue conv. to be 5spd, but it was STILL auto...sup wid that?

wanna buy one? 8500 and its yours.

[97DubTruck]

I have seen probably 20 something manual convertibles in the last couple of years. They are semi rare but more and more are getting sr's. Silvia front end on a convertible is really sexy and even better with a little roll bar.

droptop drifta :faint: :)

[KoukiMonster]

dude even a vert onevia is teh sex.

think wise sports onevia.

thats hot


the only problem is that thing that sticks up out where the seat belt is on the usdm models. i wish i could make it so its not there and its perfectly clean line.


do you know what im talking about?

[97DubTruck]

Yeah I know what you're talking about but it's there for support. And Japan never got the convertible with an sr20 either I think. I think they all came ca and i know they were all automagic.

[S14DB]

You can sawzall those supports off and get a rollbar.

[KoukiMonster]

You can sawzall those supports off and get a rollbar.


awesome, so its not where the seat belts go right? because i was thinking the seat belt mechnaism was in that pillar so you wouldn't be able to chop it.

[S14DB]

awesome, so its not where the seat belts go right? because i was thinking the seat belt mechnaism was in that pillar so you wouldn't be able to chop it.
yeah the seat belt is there. It's not structural. you have to put a roll cage and harness in.

[JH]

The seatbelt pillar actually blends in with the seat back rather well, and it doesn't stick out as bad as one might think. When a rollbar is put in, the line of the car is destroyed FOR SURE. So if you are concern about the aesthetic of the car, then rollcage is not for you. But if you are concerned about safety, then its a great idea.

If you chop the seatbelt anchor pillar, you would have to find an alternate place to mount the seat beat, or run a harness thru a harness bar, possibly on the cage. In any case, seat belt saves your life, so think about where you are going to mount it, or if you are confident in relocating it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/oister/impul/CIMG0009.jpg

notice where the headrest of the seat is in relation to the pillar. You cut the pillar, and you still see the seat back. To me, that doesn't make too much difference.

[the head]

those impul wheels look hot on that vert

[KoukiMonster]

nice vert dude

in my area we have to wear the seatbelt even if you have the harness. and you aren't allowed to take the seatbelt out so i wouldn't be able to chop out that support bar.

[JH]

In case of a rollover, unless you have a 6pt cage, OEM seat belt is actually safer, allowing you body to collapse toward the center of the car. That would be pretty good reason why the law in your area requires you to keep stock seat belt even when you have harness. With a 4pt cage, your A-pillar is still going to be flaten when you rolled over. With harness on, your body is held against seat, not allowing the impact to push your body to center of the car, your head essentially gets crushed, and the chance of survival is actually lower than using stock seat belts.

I had an article from CAR magazine 10yrs ago. They launched 3 convertibles down a road onto a roll-over ramp, just to see which car dummy fares better. BMW 3series, VW cabrio, and a Miata. The A-pillar on the 3 flatens, and the dummy' head was grated off the body by the ground. Miata's pillat held up a bit better, but half the dummy's head was missing. The VW did the best, because of that ugly roll hoop on the car (sort of like a 4pt roll bar). The A-pillar still got bend quite a bit, but the dummy's head is intact with severe scraping. In slo-mo picture, the dummy actually gets deflected to the center of the car when it was upside down, that combo and the roll-hoop spared the dummy. The moral of the story: A-pillar ain't gonna protect shit, roll hoop saves life, stock seat belt also saves life. Well, if you get a 6-pt, harness would be better in that case, since you are not worried about the a-pillar collapsing anymore.