GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => Shows, events, track days, motorsport => Topic started by: gonzo123 on 20 May 2009, 19:39
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Hi All
after all the fantastic replies from my last post , the next question is what do i strip out of the car for track days , the front two seats will be changed to bucket seats with harnesses
cheers for your helps
neil
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wel that depends on how far u wanna go, i had mine bare, no centre console, removed the bottom parts of the dash, removed the door cards and rear pannel cards, i removed every peice of trim that coverd up things like wing mirror mounts and rear wiper mech, back seats went along with rear speaker and parcel shelf mounts rear top strut covers, spare wheel, front and rear carpets and sond deadening mats, gear stick gaiter and handbrake cover..... seat rail covers, the black peices of trim on the c pillars, practically everything bar the bulk of the dash and the roof lining which i thought about removing but then figured it wud be a pain in the arse to put back wen i sell the car.
IMO, the car looked hideous and was really loud and cold, but my god u could notice the weight difference, transforms the performance and hadling.
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There is no sense in fitting buckets and harnesses until you have something to bolt the harnesses to - a rollcage with proper harness bars.
Bolt them to the lower seabelt mounts and you'll compress your spine in an accident.
Don't do it, it's not safe.
I've left the roof lining in my Golf to stop condensation. I've also left the heater and the dash in it. I might get round to stripping the bitumen sheet off the floor at some point, but I think the weight loss will be negligible and it'll mean a lot more noise.
Anything plastic and superfluous can go, along with all the carpets and sound-deadening, although you might uncover some nasties when you strip it all out.
What's the purpose of the car? If it's a toy and solely for track then get it caged.
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This is a sort of "What he said" post but just want to reiterate DH's comment about harnesses. Yes they hold you in the seat better but unless properly fitted they are much worse for you than standard belts.
You can get CG lock or something for normal belts which is what I'm going to get until I can afford a full cage with harness bar.
nick
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Hi All
many thanks dh did not know that about the harness , can't really afford the roll cage as yet so i will get one of the cg clips for my belt ,
going to do what you say dh , do you still recomend bucket seats over the standard seat ,
many thanks
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I would say so as they offer better lateral support which is great in cornering. If you do get one make shure it doesn't have high side pods if you're using the car on the road much. A mate had a pair like that in his mini and he couldn't see out the side of the car at T junctions and it was a right mare.
I've got corrado seats in mine which are much deeper and supportive than the original MKII Items. If you're on a budget these are probably the best factory seats you can fit straight in.
Nick
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Instructions and guidelines on the safe fitment of harnesses can be found at:
http://www.securon.co.uk/fitting/extras/fiaharnessfitting.htm
Paul
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It's easier for me to say what's been left in.
From the front to back:
1) Alu sheet holds clocks, 3 gauges, interior light and cigarette socket (essentials for taking it to weekend events)
2) Steering wheel and light switches on alu sheet in front of the wheel
3) 2 cheap rubber mats so our feet don't slip
4) 2 seats and harnesses
5) 0.8mm alu door cards with handles
6) Gear knob
Everything else, and I mean everything, has gone. Stripped the bitumen off the front footwells so we could paint it without any flaking. Ear plugs essential for long journeys!
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Instructions and guidelines on the safe fitment of harnesses can be found at:
http://www.securon.co.uk/fitting/extras/fiaharnessfitting.htm
Paul
Interesting link - thanks. Curious that the FIA are saying that the angle can be up to 45 degrees for the rear mounting point as I've heard 20 degrees from the horizontal before.
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MSA govern a lot of UK motorsport and the Blue Book says 'shoulder straps should be as near to horizontal as possible' I've certainly seen documents recommending no more than 20 degrees away from horizontal.
The link posted also says:
Strap lengths should be as short as possible for best performance.
Using lower rear seat belt mounts for shoulder straps is a long way from that.
Lots of things are 'ok', but why would you install something that's 'ok' when you would be better off fitting the ideal, especially if you're starting from scratch?
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if your returning the car to standard in the future you'd be better off leaving it as is and removing the spare wheel, rear bench and parcel shelf just for trackdays. theres no turning back when you get into harnesses etc!
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Mine is as per the other replies. The only things left are the shell of the dash, dials & clocks. Everything else (and i mean everything) has gone.
I have got 2 after market bucket seats which I am using with the standard seat belts. As others have already said, no point in harnessing up unless you have proper mounting points. Theoretically, using the rear seat belt mounting points keep it within the 45 degrees recommended by the FIA, but in reality the angle they sit at just looks all wrong, I certainly wasn't comfortable with the way the would be mounted. Plus I use mine on the road as well so I don't want a cage. If it is purely for track use, then a cage is definitely the way to go...
Have to agree with Baylez8v. The full strip out transforms the car in terms of handling and performance. Plus mine has OMP strut braces front and rear; they REALLY make a difference!!!
It is a completely different car to drive over standard and an absolute riot on road or track. I have no performance mods to the engine at all, yet it feels a good deal swifter in all gears and at all speeds. Just be prepared for a somewhat noisy and 'involved' drive. :evil:
My car will never again be a standard road going job though. I have ripped out to much stuff....
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stripping the bitumin off is a complete pain of a job - would only rtecomend if you want to paint the floor as suggested!
i am putting door cards (or alu plates) back in my doors - in the event of an accident there are a lot of odd shaped bits of metal that could turn nasty when poking in your legs
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agreed with the sharp pokey bits of metal, i put my cards back in after a month, it also made it a bit better for putting ya phone somewhere....
its very easy to rip stuff out of the golf, but putting it back together is so much work, u never remeber what bolts go where and in which order. and the bitumen needs to go, mine was damp and weighed an absolute tonne, i could barely lift the bin bags. u cars gonna look naff inside if its stripped anyway so a tatty floor aint too bad but cover up the rust, the condensations spreads it quickly.