6-point Harness vs. 3-point OEM on the Street
03-05-2018, 09:54 AM
#41
Ok, I may be coming off of my original statement a bit now that I am in the process of installing everything on my car. The OEM belt routing around the rollbar alone makes me a bit nervous in that it interferes with the cable reel functionality. The OEM belt on the aftermarket seats will also be another area that could lower the effectiveness. Additionally due to how everything is routed the shoulder straps from my harness will interfere with the cable reels, meaning the OEM belts will need removed/installed arriving and then leaving each event. Not a huge deal provided I can get to the lower mounting bolt with my seats bolted in, but none the less just one extra thing.
All of this has me debating running the OEM belts at all, which sucks because I bought the bulkhead replacement just for this purpose. In addition to the extra cost it is extra weight and can’t be removed now that my roll bar is bolted down. I am thinking maybe just OEM belts for long weekend trips that are not to the track.
All of this has me debating running the OEM belts at all, which sucks because I bought the bulkhead replacement just for this purpose. In addition to the extra cost it is extra weight and can’t be removed now that my roll bar is bolted down. I am thinking maybe just OEM belts for long weekend trips that are not to the track.
03-05-2018, 10:00 AM
#42
So so do you leave the OEM belts in at events?
03-05-2018, 10:25 AM
#43
Yup, I run both all the time. I can take some pictures of how mine are routed if it helps.
03-05-2018, 11:39 AM
#45
03-05-2018, 11:44 AM
#46
Might be a little difficult to see but basically the OEM belt sits just above where the shoulder harness straps go, they barely touch, but doesn’t impeded their functionality. I have the OEM belt routed through the same hip harness location and bolted to the OEM location. For the seat belt buckle I purchased an extension and also routed this through the right hip harness opening, this way the OEM belt fits snugly across your hips and not higher (over the seat instead of using the seat openings at the hips). Hope this makes sense.
03-05-2018, 12:00 PM
#47
Ok yeah, wow that is super close though! I might just be paranoid, but do you think the charge in the cable reel will discharge if you hit something on the track? Also you don’t think there is a chance the belt could get into the reel in an accident, with the extra crazy forces? Also if you are taller it would possibly move the shoulder belt more into the belts right?
IDK maybe I am just overly paranoid
IDK maybe I am just overly paranoid
03-05-2018, 01:30 PM
#48
Ok yeah, wow that is super close though! I might just be paranoid, but do you think the charge in the cable reel will discharge if you hit something on the track? Also you don’t think there is a chance the belt could get into the reel in an accident, with the extra crazy forces? Also if you are taller it would possibly move the shoulder belt more into the belts right?
IDK maybe I am just overly paranoid
IDK maybe I am just overly paranoid
the ones that caused the belts to “fire” and tighten during a wreck. Those sensors are not on the belt itself, so any pressure the harness is putting on them isn’t going to cause a premature locking of the belts.
03-05-2018, 01:48 PM
#49
I have the Ballade bar and, imo, the harness bar is about an inch too high. The stock seatbelt will very lightly touch the harness when you're wearing it, but not enough to worry me. When you're using the stock belt you can slide the harness over towards the center of the car to prevent them from touching. The reel is NOWHERE near as close to the harness belts as in the pictures by Kenny above.
The big issue I have is that the angle of the mounting point that the belt passes through after the reel is incorrect so there is a lot of drag on the belt. It's difficult to get it to retract correctly.
I wore my harness to/from the track this weekend and I think I'll be pulling my stock belt during the off season. I put those wide angle stick-on mirrors on everything I own, so not being able to lift my shoulders off the seat isn't a big deal since I'm really just highway cruising the thing to the track or testing something when I do drive it on the street.
The big issue I have is that the angle of the mounting point that the belt passes through after the reel is incorrect so there is a lot of drag on the belt. It's difficult to get it to retract correctly.
I wore my harness to/from the track this weekend and I think I'll be pulling my stock belt during the off season. I put those wide angle stick-on mirrors on everything I own, so not being able to lift my shoulders off the seat isn't a big deal since I'm really just highway cruising the thing to the track or testing something when I do drive it on the street.
03-05-2018, 03:59 PM
#50
In the event of a large accident, the 6-point harness is almost certainly going to keep you safer if all things are properly considered. Whether you have a HANS device or not. Will a HANS device protect you even better? Yes. (probably considerably better than an airbag ever could) Will not wearing one kill you? Absolutely not.
Of course, wearing a 6 point harness on the street is going to be extremely annoying, limit your movement in the car a lot, and possibly put you in a situation where you can't easily see behind yourself or something similar. This would be even worse if wearing a helmet and HANS device. So while you will be much safer in the event of a major accident, you are probably a little more likely to get into an accident in the first place due to something stupid. Driving with the safest possible safety equipment on the street isn't legal, because it is very situational.
All this said, I think you mfers that trust these mickey-mouse ass roll bar makers who don't test anything they make because they are just bootlegging someone else's design or just trying to sell things as cheap as possible are ****ing crazy. Especially some of the absolute garbage OEM 3 point belt mounting points I have seen welded on to some of them. And even worse is the way some people mount their OEM belt receptacle in the worst possible position around the outside of their bucket seat to some welded on bracket on their seat rail. So many people like to preach safety and are never willing to pay for the actual development and testing required to provide it.
Of course, wearing a 6 point harness on the street is going to be extremely annoying, limit your movement in the car a lot, and possibly put you in a situation where you can't easily see behind yourself or something similar. This would be even worse if wearing a helmet and HANS device. So while you will be much safer in the event of a major accident, you are probably a little more likely to get into an accident in the first place due to something stupid. Driving with the safest possible safety equipment on the street isn't legal, because it is very situational.
All this said, I think you mfers that trust these mickey-mouse ass roll bar makers who don't test anything they make because they are just bootlegging someone else's design or just trying to sell things as cheap as possible are ****ing crazy. Especially some of the absolute garbage OEM 3 point belt mounting points I have seen welded on to some of them. And even worse is the way some people mount their OEM belt receptacle in the worst possible position around the outside of their bucket seat to some welded on bracket on their seat rail. So many people like to preach safety and are never willing to pay for the actual development and testing required to provide it.