Racing harness and road use ?

[maxbhp]

Who uses the standard factory racing harness for road use and what are the pros/cons of it ? Ta,

[flemke]

I always use the harness because you're more tied in to what the car is doing.

One real downside is that you cannot lean forward or rotate towards the side or rear to get a better look. It is therefore imperative to take this limitation into account when you're driving and be extra careful in those situations in which a different point of view would be helpful.

Also, there is a view that, for at least some kinds of accidents, it is safer to have an inertial reel that gradually absorbs the energy rather than one that is more rigid (although it is true that all belts will stretch somewhat on their own).

[roygarth]

flemke said:

I always use the harness because you're more tied in to what the car is doing.

Driving on public highway at the limit? Tut tut!

[clubsport]

No choice...the factory only fitted 6 points in mine without seatbelts!
Agree on vision, sometimes you realy have to strain your neck other than that no problems.

[GreenV8S]

flemke said:

there is a view that, for at least some kinds of accidents, it is safer to have an inertial reel that gradually absorbs the energy rather than one that is more rigid (although it is true that all belts will stretch somewhat on their own).

In any heavy impact, a proper 'rigid' harness is dramatically safer than a lap/diagonal inertia reel. The webbing is designed to be rigid up to the maximum load that the body can withstand, and then stretch to maintain the load and absorb the energy of the impact. Manufacturers go to great length to take out that slack introduced by the inertia reel with explosive pre-tensioners etc. The lap/diagonal layout also greatly increases the risk of neck/back damage and there's nothing much they can do about that. The only thing I can see in the favour of the lap/diagonal/inertia reel type is convenience.