First off, thanks for your patience.

I purchased a used Autopower 4 point roll bar Race model with the welded harness bar and diagonal bar. The reason I have questions is since I bought it used and it wasn't in the car when I bought it I can't be 100% sure it was from an Evo X but from looking at photos online I'm pretty sure. Seems like on the Evo 8 and 9's the harness bar is pushed back a little, maybe to give more room for the front seats and my harness bar just goes straight across.

Anyways, I got it in and drilled the holes for the back legs. I used a awl to hammer through the carpet to mark for the front legs which I will X cut the carpet and drill while the bar is at the Powder Coaters.

My main question is, is there an exact spot it needs to be mounted or can I mount it a little more forward or back depending on taste?

If I mount it with the loop bars feet against the rise in the floor then the rear bars mount nicely above what I think is welded on brackets for the wiring loom. Buy it just seems as though the loop is too far back from the B Pillar. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be? Here is a photo of it mounted like that.



While I was removing it to give to the powder coaters I realized I could move it more towards the front seats like the photo below BUT then the rear legs sit on the welded part. Not a problem. I can fix that and I plan to reroute the wires anyways so I can carpet where the rear seat bottom goes. I'm just not sure if it's ok to do it this way? I do prefer how it looks being closer to the B-pillar and not coming down over a quarter way back to the rear passenger door windows.

Here is a photo of it moved forward towards the B pillar/front seats. And a photo of where the rear bar lands when I do it this way.





Hopefully you get what I'm asking. I googled and found some photos but any others would be great. Maybe some showing from the same angle as the ones I posted.

Thanks again. Just want to make sure it's done right when I get it back from the powder coater Tuesday. Oh and as a side note, with the loop moved further forward towards the front seats I can actually use the door handle inside to open the door. Not a huge deal since nobody will sit back there, but still nice.

Thanks again.

 

There's no simple answer. Most of all, you need to read the rules that will apply if you go to a track or compete. Many sets of rules specify a maximum distance back from the top of the your head to the top of the main hoop. Those pictures make the bar look too far back for some rules that I've seen.

The other issue, of course, is what will be safe. When all you have is a 4-point, you really don't want the bar too far back. Without a front hoop, the top of the windshield will definitely crush if you flip the car hard. With the bar so far back, the roof with hit your head. If you're strapped in, there goes your neck. (This is part of why there are rules on the placement of the main hoop; it's also related to why the main hoop is allowed to be so far back in a rally car: those always have double front hoops, so the windshield is rarely if ever crushed down.)

I know it's a bit late, but I'm not a fan (at all) of autopower bolt-ins. If you're getting a cage, get a real cage. But that's not an option at this point. I'm just saying it for anyone lurking.

ps. if you'd like me to move this thread to a place where the folks who know about this stuff are more likely to see it, just ask

 

Cool. Yea you can move it. I wasn't sure where to post it.

It seems like most mount it like the first photo so unless it's not really an Evo X bar, it should look the same. Could be camera angle or aftermarket seats making it look further back? I don't think a Evo 8 or 9 bar would fit right? Cars the exact same width?

I did research and seems like the autopower bolt in is approved for pretty much anything I would do. To be quite honest at the expense of the Evo police flaming me, which is fine through PM but really wanted some opinions to my questions here. I got the bar to mount the Schroth Profi II 6 point harnesses I just ordered. Seemed like it would be better than a harness bar, and for looks, and safety is a nice benefit. But if I was willing to go without the roll bar then logically I can't claim safety as my main concern. I would be dishonest in doing so.

I guess the question is bound to come up so let me get ahead of it, why harnesses on a DD? Again, I can't claim safety as my main concern since I was willing to go without. I got harnesses for the holding power. I was shocked how well the Bride seats held me in the right and lefts I figure the harnesses will help in the heavy braking. Less time spent fighting G Forces more concentration to steering and pedal inputs. No I don't plan on using them for DD although I may try them in a canyon run to see how they work.

So with that out of the way, any other opinions or photos based on my original questions.

Thanks Iowa. I'll look into the regulations. My tracking will be most likely to track days and MAY try an autocross or two but mostly into track days such as Speed-ventures puts on.


Thanks again for the quick reply.

 

I'll move it in a sec. For now, I'm definitely not going to rag on you for having a harness in a DD. I have one, too, albeit just a Schroth, but for the same reason.

 

Cant help you w/fitment as I have a 9

The roll bar part no. is stamped into one of the main hoop feet. Its a 5 digit no. i.e. 61952

 

There is a sticky at the top of the Motor Sports forum where this was moved. Lots of good info and I posted the part number after calling Autopower: Race Roll Bar part number for the Evo X is 60953 and you specify the options when ordering. Although I did not install it yet, I got the sunroof version with bolt-in crossbrace and harness bar. Resulting part number on the wrapping is 60953-S-BSB. I'll post in the ongoing sticky after I do the install in the Spring.

 

Mine says 60592. Odd, wonder if the number is car model specific or something else?

I saw posts that the 8 and 9's use the 60952 but like I said, as far as I can tell their harness bar bends back a little. This is confusing but I'm not going to worry about it too much, the bar fits. I'm not sure AP knows either. When I called and asked about the harness bar being back a little, he said they all do that, but that's not true. I see them in the X with the straight bar. At least the welded ones. Maybe he misunderstood me.

I looked at the sticky but that seems to be all 8 and 9's.

I dropped it off yesterday for powder coating. At 320$ for the powder, this bar is going in. Lol

I think I will just mount the hoop as close to the front seat as possable without interfering with seat movement. Better for the harnesses as well since the shorter the shoulder webbing the better.

Either way, can't wait. The Anodized Red Powder Coat looked amazing on the sample. Hopefully it will look nice on the bar in the car.

Schroth harnesses come in Monday in red as well. Have Zeitronix ZT2 and ZR2 gauge set up coming in as well. So an extended Xmas for me.


Removed all the rear seatbelts yesterday and found a guy that will do a removable carpet for the rear seat area. Just need to find a bulkhead panel I like and I'm good to go.

 

Based on Vivid Racing's website (a forum vendor) and the Autopower site, model number 60592 is for a Mazda RX7.

I'm still only DE, so the AP bar is temporary along with trying to keep the interior while she's under warranty. After that, if things get more serious and I'm towing, I'll go full welded cage. A Schroth Profi II-6 (HANS) coupled with a Cobra Suzuka GT seat and HANS device is my safety package plan for this year.

 

If that's the case then the model number isn't car specific. Might be the type of bar.

Yea I got those Schroth but with the 3" shoulder. Ordered the smaller clips as well for wrapping on the harness bar.

I recently installed Bride Vios III but I had the chance to sit in the Cobra Susuka and I'm really thinking about switching. They seem to be built for taller people. The shoulder harness holes are more correctly aligned for me. The Bride's are a little low and when performance driving I remove the butt part of the cushion and sit directly on the seat.

Plus I believe the Cobra's are Kevlar. Might be slightly lighter but with the Planted Base weighing a ton, the net savings from stock probably isn't that large.

 

The main hoop needs to be upright. If you move it forward, the rear bars going towards the back will cause the front hoop to lean back and all the plates that you bolt down won't be flat.

There is basically once position, the one that allows all the plates to fit flat and the main hoop being vertical.

60592 is for Evo 8/9 non sunroof.

 

How does the 60592 fit in my car? Why is my harness bar straight yet other 8'9's had the bar that went back a little.

The legs seemed fairly level when I had it pushed forward. That was one of my concerned. I'll check again when I get it back.

No photos of an X taken from the same angle as those I posted?

Any photos of a 60592?

 

This is part of my confusion. This photo is from the thread on how to instal the 60592 into an Evo 8 or 9 and the second bar is mine. It has the same numbers stamped on the foot.

Notice the difference in the harness bar?

 

Not to be a pain, but are you sure you got the numbers correct? 60952 is Evo 7/8(9?), 60592 is RX7. That coincides with the Autopower site and all the vendor sites I found. When I called Autopower, they said the number is not different for sunroof vs non-sunroof, that is just specified as an option when ordering. I think you have the RX7 roll bar and suspect it fits because it is a smaller car.

The install thread is titled "How-To: installing Autopower 60952 bolt-in roll bar (WITH PICTURES)"
60952. Not 60592. Unless you're talking about a different thread...

 

Well I can't be sure now. It's at the powder coaters but I'm pretty sure. I didn't see model specific numbers on the autopower site.

Not sure how an rx7 would fit. Their roofline has to be lower.

Looking at the few photos I can find from close to the same angle it looks as though theirs sit back a little far from the Pillar but because they have stock seats and I don't know how far back they have the seats pushed it could just be that mine looks a little further back. Bride seats are a lot thinner than stock. Looks like their bar comes down in front of the door handle about where mine does. It's just the photos are different angles so it's hard for me to tell.

Well it's going in. It fits perfect side to side, up and down and to the back. I have become more interested in how they do their model numbers if in fact mine does have the same numbers as the 8's. It's kind of driving me nuts. Lol

I get it back tomorrow I HOPE and I will look again.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I added a link to my reply this morning, the make/model listing is on the Applications page of the Autopower website. Granted, it's a little outdated, which is why I called them directly before I ordered through Vivid.

As far as why the bump out of the harness bar on some rather than others, I suspect there was a design change over the years. Clearly the option with the bolt-in harness bar and crossbrace requires it, so maybe when they started offering that option, all of the harness bars did the bump out so they could mass-produce the same bar and just change the ends for the mounting.

I'll go away now. Best of luck.