If your heads above the roll bar is that bad?

If your heads above the roll bar is that bad?

Author
Discussion

Tiggsy

Original Poster:

10,261 posts

253 months

Tuesday 1st April 2003
quotequote all
having discovered that i dont fit in a TVR! i am now looking at getting a daily use car (passat/mondeo) and a westie for fun!

no worries about head room if theres no roof! and it seems leg room is ok in a widebody...BUT! if my head is over the rollbar (or level with it) does that mean instant death if it rolls over!!!! cause thats not a good thing! in fact what happens if any soft top rolls? is there not a huge danger of getting squished?

any thoughts from those who like their heads as they are!

T

ps- am i right in thinking that theres more leg room in bike engined cars due to the smaller engine? or are al westie (wide) footwells the same?

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Tuesday 1st April 2003
quotequote all
Basically, if you roll it then you wont know much about anything ever again.

If you do want a westi, spend an extra £250 and get an FIA roll bar which is taller than the standard one which, in a rollover is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

This has been covered before on here, quite recently IIRC.

I'm not 100% on the footwells on BEC's but I expect they don't change, there's just more room in the engine bay.

Hope this helps

Graham

>> Edited by Graham.J on Tuesday 1st April 21:51

Tiggsy

Original Poster:

10,261 posts

253 months

Tuesday 1st April 2003
quotequote all
gulp!

good advice then on the fia bar!

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
No worries, for £240 it's nothing, it's also easy to fit, just bolts on.

My head used to poke over the top of my standard one but quite some way, I now have an FIA one fitted and i'm within the limit of 2" under it with a helmet on.

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
A Westie is definatly on my shopping list in the near future. I am about 6ft 2in to 6ft 3in with size 12 feet. Please tell me I will fit in a Westie?

I sat in a Caterham 21 and my feet would not hit the accelerator without the brake.

I hope I am not destined for a life of driving fiesta's

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
I'm 6ft 3 and that (above) is a narrow bodied westi, get a wide body one, the footwell is slightly longer

Edited to add, I have size 11 plates, buy some kart/race boots or something they are narrower and are easier to drive in.

>> Edited by Graham.J on Wednesday 2nd April 01:07

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all

Graham.J said: I'm 6ft 3 and that (above) is a narrow bodied westi, get a wide body one, the footwell is slightly longer

Edited to add, I have size 11 plates, buy some kart/race boots or something they are narrower and are easier to drive in.

>> Edited by Graham.J on Wednesday 2nd April 01:07


Its the big feet I am woried about! I will have to get myself a pair of proper racing shoes or something.

How much wider is the wide body car then?

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Shoes arent a problem, can be picked up for about £50, I wear Puma/Sparco Speed Cats which are basically the same as a racing shoe, just not fireproof, VERY comfy, recommended to anyone.

The wide bodies aren't much wider, a couple of inches IIRC, as I said, the footwell is also a bit longer too, not sure how much longer, I just know it is.

>> Edited by Graham.J on Wednesday 2nd April 01:17

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
I can rest easy now.

I use to have nightmares of getting my hands on a westie, only to find I cant fit in it, or heel-and-toe succesfully

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Heel and toe NO WORRIES

If you are looking to buy new from westfield, if you can fit into the chassis they will build the car around you.

They did this for a chap on the Westfield Forums ( www.wscc.co.uk ) who is a 6'6" Rugby Player.

Don't worry.

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Just had a look on bookatrack.

Puma/Sparco Speed Cats only go up to size 11.
Arse.

Will have to look harder..........

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Yeah, I ordered the last pair of the white ones in size 11, try grandprix racewear. A pair of race boots are fine, get them in black and they'll look like normal shoes.

Also, don't worry about roll bar heights, if you don't fit under an FIA bar the Plays-Kool Motorsports could custom make you a bar of your chosen height for about £300.

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all

Graham.J said: Heel and toe NO WORRIES /

Good to hear


If you are looking to buy new from westfield, if you can fit into the chassis they will build the car around you.


I dont think my funds will stretch that far. At the moment I cant even afford to buy the bloody shoes.....!!!!

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all

robp said:I dont think my funds will stretch that far. At the moment I cant even afford to buy the bloody shoes.....!!!!


lol, don't worry, second hand ones are just as good, you'll have no worries about getting in and out.

If it is a bit of a struggle then a Quick Release Steering Wheel helps ALOT!!!!!!

>> Edited by Graham.J on Wednesday 2nd April 01:28

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
I had looked around a few months ago and it seems you can pick up a good one for about £5k. I am toying between this and a mini.

Mini - Small, very cheap insurance, handles like its on rails, lift off oversteer cheap to tune, can be made to sound brutal, fun at relitively licence friendly speeds, but a bit tempremental and if you buy a shite one will cost a fortune

Westfield - OK insurance, good handling, amazing driving experience, rear wheel drive, V8 can be squeezed in when I have more money in 5 years time, dont rust, plenty of good examples around.....

What a dilema!

>> Edited by robp on Wednesday 2nd April 01:33

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
PAH, Westfield wins hands down.

Personally I wouldn't go down the V8 route when you have more money, something like an S2000 motor is much better, the V8 is too heavy.

Insurance for Westi's is pretty good actually, there are alot of good examples about, I bought mine for £4500, you're always better off spending a bit more and buying a good example, just don't be put off by the age of some of them.

The mini's i've seen for sale have been about £6000 (been looking in the wrong places I expect), you'll pick up a lovely westfield for that!!

robp

5,770 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Yeah, I got a quote for £295 for a £5k westie 1.8. Thats a third on what I pay for the fiesta

Almost makes it practical.....!

Graham.J

5,420 posts

260 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all

robp said:Almost makes it practical.....!


IT'S SOOOOOO RIGHT

kylie

4,391 posts

258 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
Graham....Very nice Westie, am looking for something like that for race meets, they look the business. They are just hard to come across over here. I bet you cant wait to get full use of it soon eh?
My Esprit has the same problem for space between the pedals and just went out and bought some cheap street shoes similar to the ones suggested, they have bugger all souls on them and kinda shaped like a soccor boot at the front, so really perfect.

moomin

311 posts

265 months

Wednesday 2nd April 2003
quotequote all
>am i right in thinking that theres more leg room in
>bike engined cars due to the smaller engine? or are
>al westie (wide) footwells the same?

there is slightly more room at the pointy end in a BEC, but it doesn't really make much difference. the pedal spacing is still the same, as far as I know.
this is because the tunnel can be a little narrower at the front end, since it does not have to accomodate a gearbox/bellhousing.

Moomin
www.megabird.co.uk