Discussion
I've got the Motobuild bar in my Sport 160 with Luke harnesses.
The motobuild bar was very easy to fit, fitted very well and is more than substantial enough.
I ordered my harnesses direct from Luke who were extremely helpfull and let me spec which webbing and buckle I wanted and tailored the straps to Elise lengths.
They were also cheaper than Demon Tweeks or any of the other sources I found.
The motobuild bar was very easy to fit, fitted very well and is more than substantial enough.
I ordered my harnesses direct from Luke who were extremely helpfull and let me spec which webbing and buckle I wanted and tailored the straps to Elise lengths.
They were also cheaper than Demon Tweeks or any of the other sources I found.
Hi there,
I have just bought a Lotus and wanted to put harnesses in. Just wanted your opinion on what I should go for and who would install them for me. I dont want to be paying ridiculous prices! also, I have the normal cloth seats in the car. Can I fit harnesses if this is the case? Cheers
I have just bought a Lotus and wanted to put harnesses in. Just wanted your opinion on what I should go for and who would install them for me. I dont want to be paying ridiculous prices! also, I have the normal cloth seats in the car. Can I fit harnesses if this is the case? Cheers
For Christ sake, NEVER cut holes in the seats for belts!!! It will collapse and your insurance and any warranty will be invalid.
See the threads on the Elise BBS and Nick Adams replies on Lotus Life BBS for details of fitting racing harnesses. Never fit a harness in addition to the existing belt, the mounts are not up to it and can fail.
See the threads on the Elise BBS and Nick Adams replies on Lotus Life BBS for details of fitting racing harnesses. Never fit a harness in addition to the existing belt, the mounts are not up to it and can fail.
This is a tricky area. Most people who actually know (i.e. have tried & tested) what they advise are employed by people who won't let them talk about it for fear of liability claims. I haven't tried or tested any of these **opinions**, so read on at your own risk...
With regard to the Elise, the contentious point is that the lower mountings of the standard seatbelt are to the seat runners, which are then mounted on the body by aluminium riv-nuts. In standard form these fittings will _only_ be guaranteed by Lotus to the extent necessary to meet the law, which is (CMIW) 30mph head on impacts. Anything beyond that, or for use off the public road, and you're on your own.
Lotus do market a 6 point kit, but only with the motorsport seat and seat mountings, and with extra mounting holes drilled and reinforced for the belts. I doubt this is road approved or warrantied in any way.
The 340R comes with 5 point belts, the Exige can be specified with 4 points. I believe both of these use an uprated seat runner (belt mounting points in double shear), I don't know whether any of the other mountings have been strengthened. There is also an official harness bar kit for the S2. I'd be interested to know what their statement w.r.t. intended use is.
Privateer Elise racer Simon Scuffham has some pretty strong opinions about the (lack of) strength of the standard mountings, but I don't have any evidence to support or disprove his findings.
Personally I dislike 4 point harnesses, because with everyday clothing and everyday driving conditions it is tempting not to fasten them properly, and thus increase the risk of having an accident with slack or wrongly positioned belts which will either allow you to "submarine" or cause internal organ damage. Lap and diagonals are self fitting and self tensioning, so do actually give you a reasonable sporting chance under normal circumstances.
Harness manufacturers should be able to advise you as to where and how strong the mounting points should be - it's not sufficient to assume that because they fit they will be OK. For a rule of thumb, imagine picking the car up with the harness - a reputable belt will hold, but will the mount point?
(Serious mode off)
AdrianR
With regard to the Elise, the contentious point is that the lower mountings of the standard seatbelt are to the seat runners, which are then mounted on the body by aluminium riv-nuts. In standard form these fittings will _only_ be guaranteed by Lotus to the extent necessary to meet the law, which is (CMIW) 30mph head on impacts. Anything beyond that, or for use off the public road, and you're on your own.
Lotus do market a 6 point kit, but only with the motorsport seat and seat mountings, and with extra mounting holes drilled and reinforced for the belts. I doubt this is road approved or warrantied in any way.
The 340R comes with 5 point belts, the Exige can be specified with 4 points. I believe both of these use an uprated seat runner (belt mounting points in double shear), I don't know whether any of the other mountings have been strengthened. There is also an official harness bar kit for the S2. I'd be interested to know what their statement w.r.t. intended use is.
Privateer Elise racer Simon Scuffham has some pretty strong opinions about the (lack of) strength of the standard mountings, but I don't have any evidence to support or disprove his findings.
Personally I dislike 4 point harnesses, because with everyday clothing and everyday driving conditions it is tempting not to fasten them properly, and thus increase the risk of having an accident with slack or wrongly positioned belts which will either allow you to "submarine" or cause internal organ damage. Lap and diagonals are self fitting and self tensioning, so do actually give you a reasonable sporting chance under normal circumstances.
Harness manufacturers should be able to advise you as to where and how strong the mounting points should be - it's not sufficient to assume that because they fit they will be OK. For a rule of thumb, imagine picking the car up with the harness - a reputable belt will hold, but will the mount point?
(Serious mode off)
AdrianR
quote:
the lower mountings of the standard seatbelt are to the seat runners, which are then mounted on the body by aluminium riv-nuts
Ouch - I see what you mean! On standard TVRs the seat belts are mounted direct to the chassis which is fine, but sadly the seats are only attached to the fibreglass floor and can easily be ripped loose. I doubt the seat belt will do much good once the seat has come adrift! For motorsport we use an additional pair of mounts under the floor pan, securing the seat to the chassis.
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green v8S)
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