The next things on my list of things to play with are new suspension bushings and strut bars. I have a GXL and am planning on just buying a pair of those cheap-o eBay strut bars to start out with. As long as I get ones that don't have anything over the top they should fit with the auto-adjust suspension.

The only thing I don't know for sure is if a standard strut bar will fit the rear struts as long as I cut a slot in the towers and carpet to put it through. How does the installation usually work and are there any good tricks out there I should know about?

Another consideration I have is getting a four-point harness for my driver's position if I decide I like track and autocrossing. I've seen a few setups where the upper portion of the harness is mounted to the strut bar (which from what I understand is the lowest you'd want to mount the upper portion or you could snap your back) with welded tabs. With an eBay strut bar would this be ok, or would I be better off getting a thicker bar welded in there and have the tabs attached to that?

 

You're going to get conflicted opinions on the idea of using a harness attached to a strut bar. Done properly, I really think a harness should be attached to a roll bar that has a bar meant for the harness at the appropriate height. I also would use wrap-around harnesses.

 

PLZ dont install your harness to the strut bar.. not unless it bolts to other strong areas like seatbelt locations or something solid.. the strut bars mounting brackets are not typically designed to hold a person in during a crash...

 

Ok, that's what I thought. If I do choose to go with a harness I'll come up with a more secure mounting setup then.

 

what are some good harness's to buy if you dont have a roll bar?

 

ideally the stock ones will be safer than any 4 point belt that isnt installed correctly. I used to drive around w/ the 4 point harness attached like this:



Track official and various tuners said it would most likly kill you or do more damage than good. you can test the theory, install em and move forward.. you'll slide forward alot and the belts will apply more pressure on your spine than hold you in your seat. If you do plan to install em because you dont have a harness bar, or a roll cage, at the very least bolt em to the stock seatbelt mounting locations (i dont know if the rx7 has em in the rear). those are one of the few stong areas that are designed to hold a belt that will keep you in your seat during a crash.

 

off-topic reply -

that's an ef wagon! quick question: did that dynamatting actually make a difference for you?

 

befor I put my cage in i just uses a piece of 1.75 .120 wall tube wealded to some plates that use the stock seatbely bolts and an upright that suported the middle of the bar from the trans tunnle. i guess you could say it was a "harness bar."

 

BTW, do I need a specific type of bar for the rear struts, or will the same universal ones for the front work?

 

This phrase "rear strut" cause me internal pain...
(see my responses in the "floor bar" thread)

 

Cusco FTW!

 

The rear strut bars are different from the front. I'd reccomend name brand stuff like tanabe, cusco, jun, (not sure about megan racing), and stuff of that nature. The real quality difference will be in the mounts. less welds the better (no welds would be more ideal, as theres less of a chance to break a weld, but fitment is usually sacrificed).

-as far as the dynamat, when the car was stock, I wanted it to be quiet, and that worked ok, but as time passed I wanted to go faster w/ the car that I had.. Once I started to race downhill, everything went out and some go fast goodies went in... the dynamat stuff is nearly impossible to remove... (I'll never use that stuff again) but it did quiet down the sound of any rocks/sand hitting the inner fender well. not alot, but enough to make it semi-tolerable.