Please Educate Me About Harness Belts

[Liquid]

Hi,

I am in the market for harness belts for the first time and wanted to gain from the collective wisdom of you all. Sorry if some of these are stupid questions.... bear with me.

Are there any significant differences among the various vendors? What should I be looking for? I have been told that the Sparco 8 point harness is much more comfortable when used with a HANS, any merit to that? I am assuming that I need to specifically check that the Sparco/Recaro seat I eventually select is compatible with the 5/6/8 point harness I select, or is that not a concern? Do you typically run the same exact setup on the passenger side in terms of seat and harnesses or is that not always the case?

Thanks as always for the help.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Hi,

I am in the market for harness belts for the first time and wanted to gain from the collective wisdom of you all. Sorry if some of these are stupid questions.... bear with me.

Are there any significant differences among the various vendors? What should I be looking for? I have been told that the Sparco 8 point harness is much more comfortable when used with a HANS, any merit to that? I am assuming that I need to specifically check that the Sparco/Recaro seat I eventually select is compatible with the 5/6/8 point harness I select, or is that not a concern? Do you typically run the same exact setup on the passenger side in terms of seat and harnesses or is that not always the case?

Thanks as always for the help.

Ive never seen a different harness driver and passenger but I suppose you could. Seems like it would make sense to keep it identical, last thing I would want is confusion about the release mechanism in an accident when they are different.

 

[92 white 0650]

Re: Different systems?

Ive never seen a different harness driver and passenger but I suppose you could. Seems like it would make sense to keep it identical, last thing I would want is confusion about the release mechanism in an accident when they are different.

The typcial scenario is the driver who gets a full harness/HANS/etc for the driver and leaves the passenger seat stock. Hooked on Driving is a top notch track day organization that insists that the passenger seat have an equal restraint system as the driver. They are a bit unique in that strict rule, but OTOH, they insist we instructors be very dedicated and therefore deserve equal if not the best possible protection. We still will ride with stock 3 point belts, but so must the driver. The concept of "equal risk" for both driver and passenger has some logic.

 

[akydakyx]

around here many of the track day organizers require same set up for driver and passenger.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

FWIW the Schroth 4 pt harness is DOT approved. In other words, they are legal, which can't be said for a number of other harnesses out there. Keep in mind, that doesn't mean that they are any "safer" but depending on where you live, could keep you from a pesky ticket.

 

[Liquid]

4 point harnesses are actually banned from certain track clubs I would run with. My own personal opinion is they are a very sub-par aftermarket solution and that if you're going aftermarket, you should go with a minimum 5 point harness.

 

[Honcho]

I have read in other threads that unless you have a roll cage or roll bars, it is not advisable to use a harness with a sub belt, since in a rollover the sub belt would prevent your body from being able to slide down thus crushing your skull. Is that true?

 

[92 white 0650]

Re: Do a search, please.

I have read in other threads that unless you have a roll cage or roll bars, it is not advisable to use a harness with a sub belt, since in a rollover the sub belt would prevent your body from being able to slide down thus crushing your skull. Is that true?

No easy answer, sorry.

Some of us analyzed/discussed/argued this ad nauseum back in '02, '03? The topic is full of speculation, anecdotal evidence and frequently, forgets the overriding fact that we all make subjective risk assessments based on what we heard, saw or read last week.

Bottom line; do a search and realize that there is no perfect and complete protection for all the various accidents you could be in. The best protective setup for what is 90% likely to happen is not the best protection for what is possible but only 1% likely to happen. And vice-versa.

Sorry to be so abrupt, but I have a real hot button for the misunderstanding of risk assessment by so many people every single day.

"You pays your money, you takes your chances."

 

[Liquid]

I have read in other threads that unless you have a roll cage or roll bars, it is not advisable to use a harness with a sub belt, since in a rollover the sub belt would prevent your body from being able to slide down thus crushing your skull. Is that true?

That is technically true but you have to consider the probability that you would survive the accident in a stock setup that caused the car to roll and crush the roof. Then you must consider the additional protection afforded by the harness belt setup (preferably with a HANS) over the stock setup in a whole lot more scenarios. Then you weigh them all against the each other and depending upon the probabilities you ascribe to each and the relative increases in protection afforded by both, you pay your monies (or not) and you take your chances.