I've been extremely interested in FC's for a while now, and i'm positive i will be getting one this summer. My mom has asked that i get one with air bags regardless of how difficult they are to find. So, my question is...if i were to fit the car with a roll bar, bucket seats, and Schroth 4 point harnesses(the dot legal ones), which would be safer...airbags, or the setup i mentioned? If you have had personal experience with both, please share your experience.

 

Race cars don't have air bags. That would probably be reason enough for me. Search for 'wreck' or 'accident' on this forum and I'm sure you'll find numerous accounts of people who were in high speed wrecks in FC's and walked away. Some maybe scratched and bruised, but they walked away (and yes, I've read several of them myself). These cars are pretty safe as they are.

 

that's pretty much exactly what i tried to tell her...i told her that there was a reason why they don't use airbags in track cars. I also told her that of all the totalled and wrecked threads i had seen on here, none were injured badly, and the ones that were injured most were not injured in any way where an airbag would help them. I'll just have to show her this thread i guess.

 

The FC is a very safe car as-is, and you can confirm this if you can find an old copy of Consumer Reports from the 1986-1991 era. A crummy 1,600 lb econo-box car with an airbag is not going to be as safe as a well-built 2,800 lb RX-7 without an airbag. Additionally, the RX-7 has excellent brakes, steering, and visibility, which will help keep you from getting into an accident in the first place. These are some of the main reasons why I bought mine new back in 1988. Another big factor for me was a recommendation from a friend whose sister totaled an 87 RX-7 in a head-on collision yet sustained zero injuries.

If you were to install good race-level safety equipment, it would cost you over $6,000. This is what I did on my personal car once it was highly modified for both street and track driving, but I'm not sure it is practical for most people. I feel quite safe driving in traffic with a stock RX-7.

FYI the 89-91 RX-7 convertible came standard with a driver-side air bag.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...m250250633208&

 

thanks this should be helpful. Also, i knew about the verts coming with airbags, however i will be getting a coupe, and as i understand it was an option on coupes, and only S5's. Also, the only thing i was really worried about is, i'm looking for a GTU, and i've heard of some people having problems with the automatic belts.

 

The recall on the automatic belts has been extended to cover the life of the vehicle.

 

Airbags were never an option on any FC coupes. They were standard on S5 'verts only.

All US S5 coupes had the motorized belts, including the GTU. This system did have it share of failures, but Mazda issued a recall covering all the motorized belt-equipped cars that continues for the life of all surviving cars. Any Mazda dealer is required to repair the motorized belts for free though there are stories of some dealers refusing to do so until a customer has contacted Mazda North America to complain.

From the standpoint of injury avoidance, there were studies in the late '80s that showed that the motorized belts were actually less safe than the older non-motorized belts. This is because the lap belt anchor points were often moved forward (as in the S5 RX-7s) to allow placement of the extra retractor. In an accident, it is possible for an occupant to move farther forward and/or out of the seat with this kind of belt than you would with a traditional 3-point belt.

 

Yea i dont feel unsafe at all in my vert. I hope i never see my airbag though. Im pretty sure the automatic seatbelts had a recall so if its never been done you just take it to the dealer and get it done. It is probly safer than the majority of the newer econo boxs just for the fact the mass of metal used to make them, not all plastic and fiberglass. If this is the only argument against them then start pointing out the positives to her. I assume youd be working on it yourself so explain to her that they are easy to work on, fairly cheap to repair unless major, and a good well built car. Just dont let her talk you out of your dream car, cuz thats what happened with me and my first car. Also dont drive it like a maniac either and take care of it.

 

HA post blocked oh well.

 

And also explain to her it will be cheap to plate and insure.

 

Talking about racecars and wrecks probably won’t convince your mother of the vehicles safety. Unless your mother is financially contributing to the purchase I do not see how her opinion carries any weight.

I would not recommend fitting a cage or harness if this will be your daily driver. A helmet should be warn with a cage, unless your idea of safety is having your head slammed into a solid bar.
The FC is an extremely safe car (especially in a head on), but sports cars and safety is an oxymoron i.e. the faster you drive the more safety you sacrifice.

You could try pointing out some features of the car like.
· Excellent braking and handling (avoid accidents).
· Long bonnet (large crumple zone).
· Low polar movement (less likely to have a rollover)

 

I don't know the statistics, and I don't know the anecdotes, but FC's feel like deathtraps to me. Maybe it's because I removed my bumper support to fit the FMIC...

 

LOL, that will do it. I only know of one person who got into a wreck with a removed bumper, and he is dead.

 

IIRC the FC got a 4 star front crash test rating.