UPDATES - PLEASE READ: #1 It passed its MOT! #2 Safety of hitting your head on the bar. Evzen and Kuba make a very valid point that there are incidents where people have hit their heads on the rollbar in freak accidents and it's why I would never recommend a rollcage for a road car. I recommend assessing this to you and where you sit in your seat but also to research and install rollbar padding (non-helmet as apparently FIA helmet style is very hard!) In my instance personally, my head (even when I fling myself around) doesn't reach the rollbar behind me, there's enough headrest most of the way up my head that I can't bend my head around a corner so to speak. BUT someone in a forum said that they were of this belief and found they hit their head against all odds with a rear-end collision. I'm not qualified in crash safety but it would appear to be advisable to put as much foam as possible around a rollbar in case this happens. Don't buy the foam designed for race helmets as it's actually too firm for the human head and has a similar effect. #2 Seatbelt retention - Grant from FC Fabrications has watched the video and is already working on a new seatbelt guide that should (in theory) be able to replace the already flawed, grippy ones on the sides of the seats. We found on the phone that if I took the belt out of the plastic guides it retracted with full vim. The belts like one or the other, not both currently. So fix should be there soon but this has gone a little quiet... #3 Final thing to note, the plastic wind deflector only goes 80% of the way up, so doesn't click in place anymore. Not an issue until you're at 70mph where it (over time) slowly makes its way down to about 45 degrees. Otherwise, as someone with no qualifications in car safety and despite the rollbar headbutting dangers (really more applicable to prior MX-5 model retrofits) I'm still glad I have many inches of rollover protection above my head now rather than below. Thanks for watching and thank you for bringing up the perfectly solid counterargument guys. #4 Thank you for the fantastic reception, I'll be sure to do more MX-5 content soon!

Was looking forward to this, own the same car and I needed a tutorial for that. Keep it up with this great Mk3 content!

Great content, really helpful 👍🏼 This was always going to be my first mod for the car as it’ll go on the odd track day here and there.

Great video. I have exact same little buzz box, 2011 and it's THE best car I've had...Period! Not the most powerful, but oodles of fun. A car that you really can have dancing with average skills. I've been considering the very same roll bar and it was great to see the requirements and niggles. Thanks

Really interesting and very thought provoking. Definately something to plan for in the future when funds allow. Looks great too. Thanks for the upload.

Good honest straight-talking video. I liked it A LOT. I have a 2009 NCFL 2.0 Sport (soft top). All the best, Rob

Great video mate, all the info needed and nicely put together!

Great video Jimmy, very informative and I'm sure for those contemplating similar mods useful to get an understanding of how much it will all cost and how easy it is to do. Keep it up! 👏

Great video! Love the editing

I found this really useful, I’ve got the exact same car on an 09 plate in stormy blue. Many thanks for the video.

Good and informative review Jimmy! The feedback on the lowering adapters is appreciated too. Thanks!

Great video Jimmy. I think doing the odd one of these, updating us on your own car owning experience, keeps you relatable. Or you could just start a garage and have lots of amazing project cars🤭

This is sick man!

I recognize those brackets, Jass! Excellent bits. Great video as usual.

Good vid. Thank you. Safety thinking.

You’ve just helped me make my mind up on my next NC purchase. Thanks!

The more modifying videos you do the better Imo.

Great videos Jimmy, good job

Really good video Jimmy! Completely agree about the roll bars - I love mx5s but have often wondered why no one flags that you'd need to be shorter than even the seats to drive these safely. Good to know you can relatively affordably correct this design flaw.

Dude, thanks for the tip off on this....I am vertically challenged and therefore may not be such an issue for me personally. The key here is that the factory units should work in the event of a rollover!

Great video. I’d like to get a roll bar at some point, going to look at lowering the seat for sure 🙌🏼

This was a great video for anyone that has second thoughts of buying this great car but has safety concerns. Had a friend who rolled over with an Alfa spider and barely made it and had to spend 6 months in hospital... Smart w roll bar in combo w lowering the seats. I see that the bar is slightly curved in plan which makes it stronger. The more curved and pushed out it will start to act also as a side impact protection system. Perhaps there is some further development to be done?

I love your car and the roll bar looks really good

thanks great content

What a stunning gentleman x

Good value.

I just discovered your channel and I really like your presentations. You should have more subscribers, you do a really good job with production as well. Love the MX5 content. I am looking at shedding my BMW and jumping in the NC3 pool. It would be helpful if you told us what year yours is, as the NC3 had many changes over the years.

It's a great video.

Nice vid.

When you see an accident like that first hand, it really reminds you how important something like this is! It's great to see more content on your MX-5 as well, have you got any more mods planned?

Good video and yes, fabulous car!! Re the seatbelts "Coloured in light" has a video showing the Mazda update recommending newer (lower friction) runners at the top of the seats. Re negs, another Brit (he says "righty tightly, lefty loosey) pointed out that behind the front and rear bumpers, rust grows. You need to unbolt the actual bumper from the chassis to eliminate it. Thanks for the roll bar reminder, it's a winner, what were Mazda thinking??

Like your videos in generally, but especially the small details like the seat lowering kit that I didn't know existed. Also what is the fast road set up you refer to, and what are the benefits?

What i did when I lowered the driver's seat with the Jass brackets, I removed the seat belt guide so the belt slid better and fitted over my shoulder better.

Great video, would have liked to have seen the final result from all angles to be fair though.

Excellent video - thinking of this as the next move for my MX5 summer / AutoSolo / Sprint car but like yourself, I'm keen to keep as much of the factory functionality as possible (Bose Amp, rear speakers, retaining clip for the roof and the roof control box)... I'm happy doing the bolting and cutting myself though - any idea where one could source the box section you've used to cover the GC Fabs bar? Also wondering if the box section would foul on a race-style harness if it was wrapped around the GC Harness bar?

enjoyable content which is hard to come by nowadays

Thanks for video and info 👍. I'm 6,2 and been thinking about the seat lowering since getting my NC a month or so ago. Its good to know approx costs of that and the roll bar.

The later 2013 model nc mx5s have improved seatbelt guides that supposedly retract the seatbelts properly. You could get that fitted if it bothers you, direct fit.

I have the same sluggish return seat belts. 2006 hardtop.

Hi Did your guy make the rectangular bracket to reinstall all the parts like amp and speakers? I’ve just ordered one of these bars and after speaking to Grant he’s on a new version of the bar now that includes brackets for attaching your old piece of section one cut away from the ‘style’ bar . How does the roof lock in the open position on yours? Cheers

Hi do this role bar have any effect on the opening and closing of the PRHT roof. Thanks great video

I'm 5ft 7 wife 5ft 3 and we're late 50s so not sure we need this but stana lift for getting out would be helpful lol

Yeah my standard MX5 mk3 has a lazy driver's side seat belt, so uncool having to feed it back.

I think the mod provides an issue that is possibly as dangerous a risk as the roll bar height. As you said, if the seatbelts don't retract, then that is a big problem, and I believe an MOT failure. Great vid....

Great video! Very little info out there for this PRHT roll bar. When the roof is down, does it still lock in place?

Pretensions for belts?

Just come across the channel and subscribed. Interested to see what backbox you go for. Standard definitely doesn't provide a sense of theatre. I don't need more power, but I'd like the excitement of a decent sound when hooning on back roads! Problem is, I like tone over volume, and I haven't got silly money to spend which limits the options. JapSpeed is £200, but no reviews or sound clips, and the vids I've seen fitted to other makes/models sounds over loud, tinny, harsh. Essentially, just nasty. Cobalt which is favoured by many MX5 owners is discontinued...through Moss Europe...no longer available. IL Motorsports backbox has a lovely tone, but is over £600! So I'm staying sock for now, and enjoying the drive but not the soundtrack.

Had a NB without a roll bar. Rolled it 2 broken arms, rollbar and nets are a must

Anyone know where to get this done in New Zealand?

Does the PRHT latch interfere with bar at all when raising or retracting top?

Do you happen to know if this roll bar works for the soft top too? I have a 2006 one

Does GC do the roll bar install? If not who does? Great video by the way.

Strong. Not for me but great info.

Would Mazda still service the modded version like the OEM version like usual?

I assume in a roll over you will likely drop out of your seat and the belt even under tension wont hold you completely in the seat, meaning your head might hit the ground in an overrall accident still, regardless of the rollbar being higher when the car isnt upside down.

Have a set of height adjustable brackets sat collecting dust I'm dying to get them fitted but terrified of taking it on 😄😄😄😄

The seat belt thing is definitely a safety issue. Have you tested them to see if they lock up as they should in a hard stop?

Just noticed that you have noted a fix for that issue......Is that the same guy at the same garage north on Londinium?

When dropping It down dose the locking latch clip the bar like the Cybul role bar

I also have an MX5 NC 2013 PRHT. I am very interested in the "Roll Bar for the PRHT" I think it may work l. My concern is! I am 6 ft tall and currently have the drivers seat all the way back with some angle on the seat. Is there any loss of reward travel on the drivers seat or reduced angle for the seat back, after the instillation of the "PRHT Roll Bar"? Hope to hear Stay Safe

Very helpful video bud. 👍 Though one thing to note, the NC is notorious for the seatbelts refusing to retract. Got an NC1 that's the same, and always has been. Seems to just be one of those things.

I'm older (72), shorter (5'8") and drive less exuberantly. Obviously your new rollbar is seriously heavy-duty but would you suggest replacing the standard one in every case?

Does the roof still go up

What was total cost? Thanks!

Do you pass the broomstick test with a helmet on?

Pre facelift s2000 have snappy suspension.. rip s2000. Since your seat belt doesn't retract anymore I recommend recaro SPG and a 4 point harness .. perfect excuse

Where about sin East Sussex was the Z4 video filmed.

Colum

Life tip, get that car on coilovers. It will lower it to your liking and SUBSTANTIALLY increase the handling!

What road did the accident happen on?

I just bought an NC Miata. I got it instead of continuing to ride inherently more dangerous motorcycles.

You need a bigger car, but Miata is fun car! And if you want to race, than close the lid!

The real bar is a better look than the style bars, in any case. I never liked those silvery false-security hoops. The style bars, when removed and stripped of their silvery covers, look relatively weak. I knew somebody who was killed in a rollover, in an MGB. If you drive near the limit, real bars are a good idea.

Really cool but that seat belt thing is an absolute deal breaker

Seems like you are now at risk in a much more likely accident scenario, like a rear end collision, to bang your head against a steel tube. I think this is the answer ro your question about why the factory one is lower. Good video though and it looks like a solid piece of kit, just meant for a track car where you'd wear a helmet.

Still prefer the style bar look, I'm NOT a fast driver tho'.

I'm thinking about one of them, where I live is winding roads and fell land and the wife says I drive like a complete tit when nobody is around bless her, she also thinks we have won a competition for a new Aldi store 10-minute trolly dash all you can carry for free, only problem is we need to go round a race track to get near the back entrance of the shop that isn't there

Somebody will watch this video and get a proper roll cage fitted to their MX5 or similar and one day have an accident and owe their life to Petrol Poodle and the manufacturer of the roll cage.

In all honesty from a drivers point of view, if seatbelts do mot retract properly, as they are meant to, keeping the driver secure in his / her seat, then technically they should be outlawed by British Government and DVLA.

Seat belt not working properly is a deal breaker for me

You don't need a roll bar. I have been driving Miata's since 2003 as a daily driver only and I've never had a rollover, never had a roll bar. Had commutes on canyon highways with twisty roads to city freeways. I've slipped around on ice, and hydroplaned in heavy rain (aside from a truck backing into my car parked in a parking lot) I've never had an accident. The only thing in my opinion that is being overlooked is speed and staying on the road. Its very simple - you keep your speed down unlike that rollover in the video and you be mindful of your tires staying on the road so they don't clip an edge or cause you to loose traction on the shoulder. Unlike that roll over in the video obviously not managing speed on a wet road.

Seats belts is annoying 😏

tl;dr rollbar without helmet is not safe for street use. "As an EMS volunteer who gets to see all too many MVAs, I can tell you that the forces on a body in a crash are unimaginable by somebody simply sitting in a seat and trying to guess where their head will impact a roll bar. Roll bars are not "perfectly safe" on the street. And the padding--even assuming you're using the real stuff and not "foam"--are intended to pad a helmet, not a skull. An even greater danger, in some situations, can be the cross bar that typically is at about shoulderblade height, behind the seat. If you get rear-ended hard and your seat breaks loose from its rails, you can easily break your back/neck against that bar. A PCA Club Racer was killed at Lime Rock that way several years ago, when he spun and hit a tire wall going backward fast. that's why many PCA regions mandate a seatback support plate fastened to the rollbar, which is what I have with a fully padded DAS rollbar."

Unless you plan on driving like an idiot on slippery wet roads, if you're only going to do one mod, the most essential ones for MX5s are: Mk1: Front strut brace to reduce the shakes. Mk2/2.5: Strap on the soft top so you can put the roof up and down without hurting your back. Mk3: 1.5" extension on clutch pedal. Mk4: Coilovers. The second most important one for all marks is forced induction.

I love my Mx-5 NC but it has so many potential water leak points. I don't understand why the engineering was this stupid.

Dont drive at stupid speeds in the wet and you wont roll. Duh!

Sir, you are too tall for a Miata

Regarding the MX5 roll over the driver was at fault 100% in conditions with a standing water slow down people do this all the time and there's a price to pay nothing wrong with the safety of the MX5 it's poor driving. you could have got hurt in any vehicle

The Mazda designers did the loops because now you can’t see out your rear view mirror - which wouldn’t pass the equivalent version of a manufacturers IVA test. Sorry not for me, too ostentatious, and rear visibility; non existent.

Nothing interesting here!