why is there less headroom in a car with the sunroof? because it has to hide the motor up there?
has anyone ever tried removing the motor and maybe getting a new headliner for a non-sunroof car and maybe just leaving it fixed in place?
its just so frustrating when youre interested in a car and find out it has the sunroof and you'd forever be hunching down in it

 

well moslty its something that people consider pre-purchase and im sure it could be done but it would be a pain in the *** or very expensive.

 

I'm in a similar situation, I can't wear a helmet without bending over, so I'll probably end up with an aftermarket seat mounted way low, although a modified headliner would have its benefits.

 

how tall are you?? maybe get some racing seats that could lower your seating position.

seriously though, these cars were NOT made for tall people. this is not a joke. im 5'5 and it fits me like a GLOVE... but im short... id hate to imagine what its like for tall people to drive a mazda! ive seen some pretty tall people in miatas and it makes me laugh. tall people should consider german cars, or (sadly) american cars as they are built bigger. sorry you dont fit so well though... the reality is that the 7 is a very small car... i imagine thats why it didnt sell so well over here, but did relatively well in japan.

 

I think there are people who are ordering lexan to replace the sunroof glass....which means you can remove the sunroof assembly....which probably means you'll gain some headroom. I'm thinking of doing this because I believe I will have to **** my head too once I put on a helmet.

I think there was a group buy for this....search

 

I'm 6ft, and my back is screwed after a day of wearing a helmet. I wil have to get diffirent seats eventually. I'm not messing with my sunroof.

 

im 5-11 and agreed its a bit annoying but i do have SOME clearence with my helmet on. I can easily see somone whos even just a bit taller having a lot of trouble fitting in there...

and on the subject of miata's my friend is 6'2 and track races a SC Mitia thats one of the funnest cars ive ever drivin... however he races with the top down

 

I'm 6'3 and i find if i go 2 notches tilted back and have the sit all that way back things are fine. When i'm at the drag strip it is tight and being huntched over does get annoying. I plan on getting a racing seat in the future that will mount straight to the floor if i can. I figure the extra 1.5" should be enough.

 

I'm 6'6" (yes, really) and fit well in the car. I'm about at the limit of space, and it helps that I'm thin and flexible . There's no way I would be comfortable in a car with a sunroof - I immediately ruled out any sunroof cars when I went to buy.

Read my Tricks and Tips for buying an FD -

http://www.clubrx.org/default.asp?id...ntent=25&mnu=5

If you don't fit well in a car with a sunroof, it's simple - don't buy one with a sunroof. It isn't THAT hard to find a good FD, especially if you're willing to drive. I found the perfect FD within a DAY of searching.

If you try and remove the sunroof mechanism and whatnot, you'll just end up with a ghetto-looking interior. Just get the right car to begin with. Trust me, there's actually quite a few FD's out there for sale!

Dale

 

I'm in the same situation and I'm only 6'3", but must have a long torso. Before I went to the track two weeks ago, took my seat out, carefully pulled apart the seat bottom and removed about 4" of foam from the front and bottom of the seat. Left the side supports alone. Took me about two hours and worked great. I didn't notice any harder ride, and my *** is squeezed in tight. My helmet still bumped the room, but nothing that was uncomfortable. If you take your time and use a sharp bread knife, it's a pretty easy mod to do, and the seat doesn't look much different when it's done.

 

Wow... 6'6" and you fit in a FD? I have two friends who are 6'6" and can barely even drive my FD without a helmet. It looks really silly. My one 6'6" friend has driven my Miata at the track with the top down but he had to shuffle steer since his knees blocked the bottom half of the steering wheel.

 

I have a roll bar, and that gets in the way as well. If I got a diffirent type, I could probably push the seat back, and fit a little better. The thing is, is I like my seat in one position that optimizes my shifting as well as my range of motion on the clutch. If I moved my seat back to help my head room, I think I would lose that position.
i like that seat cutting idea, but honestly, I will probably end up buying a new set of seats before I get around to doing that. I just don't go to the track much these days.

 

Aftermarket seats can lower the driving position.

RX7 chillin guy has a FD I used to own, I had maybe another 1-2" of headroom in that car with a Sparco seat. It still has the factory seat rails to allow front/rear adjustment.

Another idea with the stock seat is to take out the foam at the base of the seat and shave some material off it. Probably an easy .5-1" available this way. I'd probably let a upholstery shop do the work.

 

heh, i know you should buy the right one but these cars are hard to find. i seem to like the rarest ones too: not silver, not mondego, not tan interior, no sunroof, and within 70-100 miles of me.
anyway, im 5-11 and like others have said, i fit ok but a helmet would definately screw me up. i dont like tilting the seat back cause i dont like lying down while driving. the racing seats are an option but thats almost back to "lying down"
oh well, i was just wondering if this was an easy/common fix or whatnot. thanks for all your input!

oh and chillin, i tryed a broad seach but maybe ill try just the group buys section.

 

I'm 5'11" with a long torso and I can fit ok my in sunroof equipped FD with a fat Beiffe helmet on my large head. I have to adjust the seat back and reclined a little more than I like but once you start racing you don't notice or mind.

 

ive got a novel idea, open the sunroof and dont flip your car. very rarely am i thankful for being short... this is one of those occasions.

 

Just found this thread, sorry for bringing it back.

Anybody have any more info on removing the foam from the seat to cut it down a little? Is this easy to do or is it easy to ruin the seats while trying?