first off this may not be the correct place for this post but since this is the race thread i though many of you are probably knowledgeably on racing harnesses and harness bars and which ones are the best

my bf just got an new s2000, this ones boosted and has no airbag, he's getting racing seats so i though for a christmas gift i could get him some racing harnesses and well i guess what ever i need to install them properly
… because thing is these just aren't a gift they are more like a keeping him alive modification

BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START????
- i want safety first
- need to know: he has an 2005 with a oem hard top so anything would have to fit in there
- black bride zeta II seats (i think thats what they are called)

any suggestions or shared knowledge would be very helpful, THANKS!
(hope he doesn't see this but i don't won't to spend a bunch of money on the wrong thing…)

 

Does this car see track time/ road course?

 

He needs a full roll bar if he's getting race seats and harnesses or else he could get decapitated in a roll over with a non-flexible one piece race seat. So no easy solution.

 

I'm not sure there's a good way to mount a harness to the stock bulkhead/roll hoops, so you'll need to get a roll bar at minimum to even be able to install the harnesses. As for what harness, it's personal preference as long as it meets these two things: 5 point (no 4 point) and FIA/SFI certification.

 

i ride in this car and i would really like to keep my head as well, roll bar, roll cage what ever you think is best let me hear the vast knowledge of your car brains!!

 

o and no racing or tracking

 

Safety systems work in conjunction with each other.

The stock system uses a 3pt seat belt and airbag for a reason. The stock seat back is designed to flex to help absorb kinetic energy in the event of an accident. The stock 3pt seatbelt is supposed to stretch and slow down the body before the face hits the airbag. Getting just a fixed back racing seat is already putting the person at more risk for injury.

If you are considering getting racing harnesses, that is part of another type of safety system. Harnesses work best in conjunction with:

-Head and Neck Device (HANS)
-Fixed back racing seats (bucket seat)
-At least a roll bar

Firstly, I wouldn't consider anything less than a 5 pt harness. I would personally get a 6 point harness because a 5 pt has just a single belt over the family jewels. Impact may cause a squishy situation.

Four point harnesses are dangerous because they have little to no submarine protection. Submarining is when the person slips underneath the seatbelts in an accident, and ends up in the footwell. It usually is fatal or results critical injury. Unfortunately, someone just passed away from this very incident earlier this year at Chuckwalla. Why people still get 4 pt harnesses is beyond me.

SO, with a 5 or 6 pt harness, you'll want to have a Head and Neck Device, or HANS. It prevents your head from violently whipping forward that causes Basilar Skull Fracture, which is instantly fatal. Here's more info on that matter:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...-lives-feature

A roll bar is highly recommend because harnesses hold your body in place, as opposed to the stock 3pt belts allowing your body to bounce around. Stock components tend to crumble a little, and in a roll over with harnesses and NO roll bar, your head may get crushed. A nice steel roll bar significantly helps mitigate this.

I wasn't trying to scare you out of buying your beloved one a very nice gift; my primary purpose was to educate and hopefully prevent misconceptions of certain safety components. There are also important ways to mount them as well, such as the mounting angle, distance to mounting location, and not using eyebolts.

 

Oh I just saw your last response after i typed mine above. If he/you are just doing street driving, just keep the stock 3pt seatbelt. Airbag highly recommended.

 

Roll bars prevent pancaking in a roll over but they can also be detrimental to someone not wearing a helmet and slamming their head into a steel bar

Also a well engineering roll bar and harness bar really need to be customized to the car, driver, seat and harness with out these factors all being considered they are more dangerous than the oem 3 point, air bag and seat.

If I were you and you absolutely needed to get your boyfriend seats from personal experience get the following combination:
Recaro Profi SPG
Bride Side mount sliders
Seat belt extended

This combination for sure will not rub for someone 5'3 to 5'10, if you are out of these bounds it could potentially rub, ask me how I know. It will literally drop in and install in 15 minutes with an impact gun.

Here's the key for installation:
route the oem seat belt through the right side waist belt hole and mount the oem seat belt receptacle to the bride mount, then use the seat belt extender so the extended receptacle routes through the left side waist belt hole. Now the oem 3 point system will function properly to restrain you safely in the event of an accident

Oh and put the AIRBAGS back in!

 

As a counterpoint, I do not recommend using a race seat in a non-track car. It does NOT make things safer and the holes on the side are not designed for an OEM seat belt. They are meant for side belts where you have an anti-sub strap. Having a 3 pt in a race seat can cause injuries like a 4-point harness (internal injuries).