street legal harness

[sambb]

what do you reckon - street legal here in Oz? in NSW?? I've been looking into a harness that I could fit just for events. I was going to speak to an engineer about using a weld in rear shock tower brace as the connection point for a removable harness but then found this.

thoughts?

https://www.schrothracing.com/products/quickfit#3317

[rgvlee]

I've asked about these on here before and there was some general discontent about using harnesses with stock seats, no hans etc etc
I took that on board but still made enquiries
I contacted a local supplier and apparently schroth wouldn't supply the quick fit to Australia. I'd have to get it from the states direct.
They were also complaining about the fact it's for a 9n and didn't want me to use it on a 9n3 (even though I guarantee there will be no change that will affect the use of this harness).
If you are interested in getting one, and have to get one from the US let me know as I'm still keen on one.

I would doubt they would be street legal, it'd be the same as not wearing a seat belt.

[seangti]

My info is the same as Lee provided. Can't run in 9n3 seats. I see a few guys are timeattack running this set up though.

If/when I go next step with my car, I'll be exploring the welded bar across the back to mount a harness, but will go bucket seat and hans. Beyond caging the rear, I see this as the only safe "compromise" in order to run a harness. I'd certainly never run a harness without a hans. Safer to keep the lap sash belt.

I currently run a CG Lock on the standard belt, they work very well too if you want to be held. They're cheap and money really well spent.

[rgvlee]

I have a cq and while it is better than nothing it falls a long way short of the stability of a harness

[seangti]

I have a cq and while it is better than nothing it falls a long way short of the stability of a harness

$80 vs $5000+ for cage, seat, harness, HANs. For its simplicity it does a good job. Doesn't replace the effectiveness of harness.

[sambb]

yeah I'm running something similar to a cq as well at the moment. It gives my hips a bit more anchoring but I still wince when I think what a good impact would feel like. I guess I should clarify - I wouldn't be running it on the street, only at hillclimbs, but if I'm to compete in the road registered class then the belt would need to be street legal/registerable. The only thing I can think that would make the belt ok for a 9N vs a 9N3 gti would be the 2 door issue. The 2 door cars have the lower anchor point looped over and sliding on the anchored bar. Maybe because its attaches differently they won't accredit it, but I can't see why you couldn't just still attach to the rails' front anchor point. In saying that I haven't had a good look at that though.
I was going to see about getting my car engineered as a two seater. There's a toss bag in my class at the hillclimbs who keeps threatening me with protests because I run with the rear seats out so that will cover him off, but then I was hoping that would open me up to being able to run a 3 or 4 point harness legally and anchored to a strut bar or even a single anchor point at the back of the boot floor, whichever has the straps the most level with the top of the seat back.
My shoulders are lower than the top of the seat back so I should be ok there. You're kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't like you said. Harness + no HANS and you might be ok in a roll over without a cage, but you can split your spinal chorde in a forward impact. That actually happened to a guy who did hillclimbs on a track I race on which makes it pretty worrisome. But then harness + HANS and you'll crush if the roof comes in on you. Don't know what to do really - the former with one of those karting neck cushions maybe? I definitely want a harness - I'm starting to feel very vulnerable in the standard belt.
I've emailed the schroth distributor about quick fits and ralleyes so I'll see what he comes back with. I'll speak to an engineer soon too and maybe get some ideas there.

[sambb]

Yeah I'm with you on that Sean. With the $$$$ a cage is just never going to happen.

[rgvlee]

$80 vs $5000+ for cage, seat, harness, HANs. For its simplicity it does a good job. Doesn't replace the effectiveness of harness.

You're talking about perfect world stuff.
You don't need all of that to run one of these quick fits.
You don't need a full or half cage to run a harness. You only need a support, I've seen setups where the bar is bolted to the top seat belt anchor
Plenty of people don't run HANS.
You don't need a fixed back seat.

The more you have the better off you are but it doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach to minimising risk.

[sambb]

Looking at this link that is the installation guide for quick fits and ralleyes, if you go to page 6 of 12 it actually shows you how to attach to the front anchor of the slidey belt rail thing and makes special mention of vw/audi. Based on that I don't think the 9N vs 9N3 issue would be about that. They musn't rate the coupe style seat hinge in the gti as making for a strong enough seat for quick fit installation.
All we really need is the ralleye 3 (the single tailstrap one) going to a boot mounted anchor, but with can't it bloody well come with the normal seat belt tongue that the quick fit has so that its easily removable.




https://www.schrothracing.com/docs/R...structions.pdf

[sambb]

I spoke to my mechanic about engineering. I'd hoped that if I got the car engineered as a two seater so that I could run a strut bar tethered harness, that I could then still run it on the street as a four seater with kids seats etc. Turns out you can't have it both ways - its only legal how its engineered, so it can only be run one way or the other. That's rules out a strut bar tethered harness for me if I want to run in the road registered class then.
The only other option short of running a scroth quick fit would be if a harness could be tethered to the pick up points on the back of the rear seat back. This is where kids seats strap down to so they are obviously rated points. My mech thought that might be doable and that it would probably explain why the seat backs are so insanely heavy ie they are fully structural in the up position. So i'll look into that then...