I just swung by ISC a couple of days ago and Mike had mentioned that this year NASCAR style doorbars in the passenger side will be allowed to enter into the door itself as with the driver side. Has anyone else heard this, and do you guys know the implications on what we can do to the doors..I.e. can we now gut the passenger side doors as well even if our bars dont enter the structure?

franklly im sick of running around with a passenger side window inside the door.

 

Mike is right. Technically, NASCAR bars have been allowed on the Passenger side since October '05. Gutting is allowed, just like the drivers side, as long as NASCAR style bars are used.

Also, 2 door bars on both sides will be manditory this time next year. Jury is still out on weather traditional X bars (using 3 bars) meets the rule or not.

IIRC, by GCR definition, if your bars do not enter the structure of the door, they're not NASCAR bars

 

I guess they just won't stop until it's not possible to have a street legal IT car. (like mine)

ed

 

so do you guys think that the gutting will only be allowed if the door bars enter into the door structure?

 

The way that I read it that is trhe case. So what's so bad about having the window anyway? the straight bars are stronger in terms of chasis stiffness and the waight savings is not that great. That being said I've already done two cages with passenger NASCAR door bars...

 

DF,
Yes, just like on the driver's door, gutting is ONLY permitted if the bars protrude into the door cavity.
Ed,
IIRC the passenger side nascar bars aren't required, only permitted.
Jim

 

Well, if I read the GCR and FastTrack correctly, nothing is *requiring* you to put NASCAR style door bars in either side - so you can keep your windows.

Now keeping it street legal wrt. emissions is a whole 'nother story :-)

-bill

 

That is the wording in the GCR/FastTrack. Now, they do not indicate how *much* those bars need to intrude into the door - it could be as little as 1/8" and still allow you to gut the door.

This has been discussed extensively at http://www.improvedtouring.com/

-b

 

7. Side Protection:
Effective 1/1/07 and permissible 10/1/05 two (2) side tubes
connecting the front and rear hoops across both door openings
are mandatory. Door side tubes may extend into the door.
NASCAR-style side protection is permitted. The door window
glass, window operating mechanism, inner door trim panel,
armrest, map pockets, and inside door latch/lock operating
mechanism may be removed and the inner door structural panel
may be modified, but not removed to facilitate this type of
side protection. The stock side impact beam and the outside
door latch/lock operating mechanism shall not be removed or
modified.

 

For current info relavent to anything IT I'd suggest frequenting www.improvedtouring.com. This topic was beat to death over there a long while ago. Also, keep an eye on Fastrack. This was posted in there months ago.

 

Yeah, I understand that the weight savings is not that much,...its just been something that has kinda irked me for a while, and that I would really like to get removed. The problem know is that I'm not going to cut out my existing doorbars just for this. Too bad..my cage was only put in like 7 months ago...if only I had known!!

 

You need more right side weight on an RX-7 anyways. Removing the glass in the right door, and bolting in a piece of lead in the right floor to make up the weight will not make a huge difference in CG, it will only lower it a tiny amount.