blueosprey90

I haven't had time to read this thread or to research the information, but see SmokeyGatto's posts in this thread maybe post 7.

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/111...#entry23506106

He seems very, very low running a with a Bride Zeta 3L bucket seat with Bride superlow rails. Can't tell from his picture if he's running a roll bar or not.

nissanfanatic

The biggest reason I have went to so much safety gear is because I have a lot more responsibilities than I did when I would go run with just a helmet. I run larger tracks now than I used to as well. I have a wife, a mortgage, and I manage a business, so I have a lot of people that I am obligated to; it is a priority for me to keep myself in good health. It is worth the money to me, but it may not be for you...

white98ls

The top of my shoulder is still above the door sill. I wouldn't worry about that and the airbag. Yes, the visibility takes a hit particularly out the back window (basically have to use the mirror now instead of looking back) but overall it's fine.

My fiancee is 5'3" and when she sits in the stock passenger seat, we're eye to eye. So to me, my head is in the same position as it would be in the stock seat if I was 5'3", which should fall into the driver size range the car was designed to protect, if that makes sense.

deludedbuzz

This is my rudimentary knowledge of HANS devices. The device is meant to be held down by the two shoulder straps of a 5 or 6 pt belt system (although I remember seeing versions that are anchored to a part of a roll cage itself.)

The reason you want a HANS device with a 5/6 pt belt is because those belts hold the body in much tighter and doesn't allow movement, which in turn means the neck absorbs more of the inertia of a crash. The HANS device in conjunction with the two shoulder straps of the 5/6 pt harness prevents the neck from moving too much.

A 3 pt belt (along with an airbag) allows more movement in the body, meaning that the neck will not absorb as much of the inertia as its distributed along the body as well as the neck/head. Trying to use a regular HANS device with a 3 pt probably means that it won't do the right thing as its being held down in the wrong places (diagonal strap that starts loose, versus two vertical straps.)

There was however a device the Simpson R3 which was designed to work without the need of straps but I'm not sure they make the device anymore.

nissanfanatic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E8BKuLqM9c

This also highlights a previous point about airbags. You should be able to see why harnesses are required for a HANS device to work. Without the shoulder harness, the HANS device will just pull away from your shoulders.

DavidNJ

HANS often needs a seat and a harness because the back of seat frequently doesn't allow room for the HANS.

All areas of a roll bar that might come in contact with a body part (e.g. flailing arms) needs to be padded. Arm restraints help in this regard on the track.

The street seat belts are narrow little things. The racing harnesses are often 3" lap and shoulder (some shoulder straps are 2"). They are much more likely to keep you in the seat in a crash and help keep you in the seat in general. The submarine strap prevents the belts from riding up which it is easy to imagine happening in a crash, and especially a roll. The HANS device requires belts that stay in place. While it might be possible to mount a harness to the car without a rollbar, I would imagine most are mounted to the roll bar.

The seat also brings up the halo question. The HANS device stops you neck from stretching forward...but what stops it from snapping side to side? However the halos can limit visibility and make ingress/egress more difficult.

bgoetz

So does anyone have a list of all of the decent fix back seat that fits our cars and will be safe with a OEM belt and will get me lower? There were a couple options linked earlier, but is this it? Is there one that is safer than the rest? I found these but they are hard to find and seem really costly. http://www.cobraseats.com/nogaro.asp

And to sorta circle back, I know some where opposed to the harness and seat without the extra roll protection, but i can't help but think of all of the situations where this setup would be safer, especially if I was able to use a HANS. Sure it might not be ideal in a rollover, but that is just 1 situation out of how many possible, plus is it really all that unsafe? The seat would get me well below the OEM roll protection, I have airbags on the street, plus as someone stated earlier in a rollover it may not be what it protecting you from above, but what is holding you in, so this may even be safer in a rollover. any thoughts?

bdo

I think this is a good attitude. You don't need to go all out just to get started with HPDE's. But as you do it more and start getting more serious, faster, and more aggressive, then at some point it's wise to invest in a safety setup. That's where I'm at currently.

DavidNJ

On a couple of threads people have commented on using a Bride seat to sit lower and liking the seat. It is available with S2000 tracks.

The Cobra seat looks interesting. They list 2 US distributors, neither of which lists the model you linked to unless it is listed under another name.

My own preference for venturing on a race track would be a roll bar and 5/6 point harness with arm restraints, with a seat if necessary to fit the harness. Everyone is allowed to make their own decisions and many (most?) don't feel less is adequate. Everyone is constrained by the rules of the organization running the event, the jurisdiction the event is run in, and the insurance company covering the event. The last two should be in the organizations rules or supplementary regs. There is another thread here about hardtops with some events requiring softtops up, some requiring softtops down, some requiring a hardtop or a roll bar.

Minimally, the driver should fit enough safety equipment so that they feel safe. Coulda, shoulda, woulda doesn't work very well after a crash.

nissanfanatic

Sparco makes a seat with removable headwings. A few companies also make seats with oval headwings that are open in the middle so they are safer for street driving.