Weeding out the class and safety concerns.

[Spector5]

As most I've always been a die hard drag strip kinda guy. However, as I have gotten older the Road & especially autocross scene has really been gauging my interest. Finally have a few friends getting into it which is causing me to be less interested in drag racing 24/7.

From what I can gather just from about an hour of research on the qualifications. Just from my drilled brembo rotors and dsmlink. I would jump to the street modified class. I have much more research in that area to learn where the car would go with it being AWD, Bolt ons, ETC..

My biggest concern and grey area is my safety harness's and how they are mounted. there is a lot of info or threads online but it all seems to be more hear say and conflicting opinion versus real rules and facts. How I currently have them installed is in the photo attatched below.

What devices do I need to add with the harness's to make them legal or pass a pre race event inspection? also, Just over all safety is really a concern versus the younger me that was going for the "Cool" affect of running seats and harness's.

 

[338vr4]

I think you should be fine. The only thing i can think of would be a bar behind the seats to hold the seat belts at the proper angle ( forgot what angle that should be) Also those belts might not be good after looking at them more they are what a 3 point and they dont have what they call and anti dive device on it so you dont slip under the belt under hard braking or a front end collision.

 

[GST with PSI]

NHRA standards are 4" below the shoulder. Other organizations' rules may differ.

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I have my belts mounted similar to yours. I followed the guidelines below for safety reasons. However, I don't think the belts being mounted low (like mine and yours) would pass tech at most tracks. At my size and height, my driving position puts my seat in a position that meet the requirements below. I would assume the 4" rule is there to ensure regardless of the size of the occupant, your shoulder belts will fall within the allowable/safe angles. The NHRA also outlines the 90 degree rule, but in addition, they specify the 4" rule. Again, I believe that's to ensure the shoulder belts are always operated at the correct angles, since I doubt tech is going to measure the actual angle of the belts in reference to the drivers body position.

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[akdov823]

Good subject, we recently had a really awesome road track open up near me, I was wondering about oil starvation? Is it an issue with our car in high speed corners?

 

[Spector5]

I think you should be fine. The only thing i can think of would be a bar behind the seats to hold the seat belts at the proper angle ( forgot what angle that should be) Also those belts might not be good after looking at them more they are what a 3 point and they dont have what they call and anti dive device on it so you dont slip under the belt under hard braking or a front end collision.

Yes, they are a 3 point harness. I am some what regretting not going for a proper 4 point. I may try to find someone at our local track that does the inspections first. That way I'm not driving all the way out there to be turned away.

 

[Spector5]

NHRA standards are 4" below the shoulder. Other organizations' rules may differ.

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Just taking in the diagrams you posted. I may need to go back to the drawing board on even how my seat angle is mounted.






I have my belts mounted similar to yours. I followed the guidelines below for safety reasons. However, I don't think the belts being mounted low (like mine and yours) would pass tech at most tracks. At my size and height, my driving position puts my seat in a position that meet the requirements below. I would assume the 4" rule is there to ensure regardless of the size of the occupant, your shoulder belts will fall within the allowable/safe angles. The NHRA also outlines the 90 degree rule, but in addition, they specify the 4" rule. Again, I believe that's to ensure the shoulder belts are always operated at the correct angles, since I doubt tech is going to measure the actual angle of the belts in reference to the drivers body position.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

NHRA standards are 4" below the shoulder. Other organizations' rules may differ.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I have my belts mounted similar to yours. I followed the guidelines below for safety reasons. However, I don't think the belts being mounted low (like mine and yours) would pass tech at most tracks. At my size and height, my driving position puts my seat in a position that meet the requirements below. I would assume the 4" rule is there to ensure regardless of the size of the occupant, your shoulder belts will fall within the allowable/safe angles. The NHRA also outlines the 90 degree rule, but in addition, they specify the 4" rule. Again, I believe that's to ensure the shoulder belts are always operated at the correct angles, since I doubt tech is going to measure the actual angle of the belts in reference to the drivers body position.

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Safety wise, my seats themselves don't seem to be mounted in a safe angle. I would never get into the 45deg angle. They are almost mounted parallel with the floor board.

Ill have to figure another mounting bracket for the seats and harness's. Last thing I want to do is snap my neck or spine from pure stupidity. I'll grab my angle finder and see what I have currently. Thank you for the info.

 

[Black95TSIawd]

4 points dont do much more than a 3 point. Go 5 or 6.

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

You are correct in questioning your harness setup. I would advice against any 4-point harness unless it has an anti-dive provision as mentioned above. Autocross (regional level) tend to be slightly more lax in regard to harnesses than say an HPDE event at a road course. Unless you can make provisions for a correct mounting, you are better off with the OEM 3-point harness. To optimize the OEM harness, I have been satisfied with mounting a CG-Lock.

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This device will pass for Autocross as well as track day events. It is a rather effective economical solution.

 

[Drop Top Road Trip]

I totally mis-judged what this thread was gonna be about based on the title! "Weeding out the Class and Safety"? I thought it was gonna be about hacking and rigging go fast parts without regard for...well, class...or safety.

 

[akdov823]

I hope it continues, this is good new topic