THSCC Forums

I'll chime in with Jim's comment, I can easily put on a cam lock harness with my helmet on, but it's considerably more difficult with the latch style (too many moving parts to align).

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned "pull-up" vs "pull-down" tightening for the lap belt. This makes a whole lot of difference depending on the seat and accessibility to the tighteners.

If you want to go really cheap for a track car, buy the latch style for the driver who typically has lot's of time to get situated (unless sharing a car back-to-back) and buy a cam lock for the instructor who typically is jumping in at the last minute with his helmet on. You may loose the first lap while the instructor is trying to get situated with the latches.

And as an aside, if you are a student and want to maximize your track time make sure that the passenger belts are pre-loosened and set up so the instructor can quickly jump in and latch up.
$0.02
Charlie Guthrie

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1998 BMW Z3
1987 BMW 325is
2000 BMW
1996 F250 Turbo Diesel

Great point Charlie. We learned this the hard way when Ryan first had a harness in the Talon. We had the pull-down belts and they were a PITA once you were seated and almost impossible to adjust with the door closed. The pull-up lap belts are a must IMO.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

If they fit. We went with pull-downs in the Miata as rumor was that pull-ups end up positioning the adjuster in exactly the wrong spot where it passes through the seat. But yes, pull-downs can be a bit of a pain, and it's easier to adjust with the door open.

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Dustin Fredrickson
-- I'm a nobody --

Actually I did back in post #4.
Pull down lap belt adjuster are near impossible with a console next to the seat unless you like the adjuster right on top your leg.
I like pull down shoulders and pull up lap. Donna and I would pop the harness and run the adjusters out on the way back to grid. It's much much easier to latch up if the belts are not tight when you start, then pull them snug. Start with the crotch strap(s), then the lap straps and finally the shoulder straps. In deference to popular belief, the crotch strap is NOT there to keep you from sliding out from under the harness, a very unlikely scenario unless you have the seat fully reclined, but to counter the shoulder straps from pulling the buckle up under your sternum in a crash which can cause massive internal injuries and even death from the harness rather than the accident. There is very specific harness mounting geometry that should be adhered to to also reduce the risk of additional belt injuries. Do some research online, but I think Simpson's site shows diagrams.

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

Our track team has summarized much of the harness mounting requirements in the track tech guide, as well.

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Dustin Fredrickson
-- I'm a nobody --

I'd say it's some of both, actually. Word is that Ernie Irvan didn't have his sub belt attached when he crashed (probably one of those stacking latch systems where the sub belt was just another tab stacked into the latch) and his body DID slide under. Not all the way, but bad enough the shoulder belts cut his face up really badly. I think it also screwed up his legs more than it would have if he would have had a sub belt attached, too.


--Donnie

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My Blog

I finally had time to check out the original post and checked the G-Force website. The pictured harness is available with a variety of pull arangements:
ADJUSTMENT LENGTHS:
Shoulder
Individual: 26" – 50"
H-Type: 26" – 80"
V-Type: 26" – 34"
Junior: 19" – 35.5"

Lap Belt
Pull-Up: 38" – 67"
Pull-Down: 38" – 80"
Junior: 8.5" – 49"

I will attest to my preference for the 3" wide attachment brackets mentioned, and the "beef roll" end treatment on the straps also is appreciated when trying to cinch down the belts. (The beef roll ends also seem to prevent quite so much flapping in the breeze)

Here's what I have and am pleased with the ease of use:
http://www.discoveryparts.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1258164006.271&product=harness_gforce_caml&pid=751

Charlie Guthrie

_________________
1998 BMW Z3
1987 BMW 325is
2000 BMW
1996 F250 Turbo Diesel