Racing harness in a daily driver

[MaineShark]

Just a thought here:

Many people like the added security of a four- or five-point harness. Plus the ever-present "cool factor."

On the other hand, fixed belts can be a hassle in a daily driver. They take time to adjust, and don't allow you to lean forward to see past cars which are next to you (particularly important with the long nose of the Corvette, when making turns in parking lots and such).

So, what about using a pair of stock inertia reels, with one mounted normally, and the other mounted to the right of the driver's seat (using something like the "Shark Bar" or a similar device, to locate the belt in relationship to the driver's shoulder)? You'd need to replace the belt hardware to match the hardware used by the latch (get one of the latches that mounts to the center strap, and appropriate hardware to mount to the two belts, so they would be compatible with that latch).

I know that the inertial reels in my Shark are very sensitive, so I don't think there would be any issue with them not latching in the event of a collision, and using inertia reels would make the harness much more daily-driver-friendly.

Thoughts?

Joe

 

[FourAndAHalf]

this is a good question since i plan on doing it for my c4, i dont have an answer but im interested to see some replies

 

[Ken]

Joe, check this out: OMP.

It might help you. :cool

 

[corvettecrazy]

SWEET!!!

 

[MaineShark]

Thanks, Ken. That's pretty cool. Now, if only it was available in black (or dark red, like my current belt). Looks like red and blue are the only available colors (although some of the pictures of it show black, so maybe I just haven't looked enough, to find a store that sells it in black).

I guess the reel would have to mount a bit farther back than the "Shark Bar" (or similar contraption) would place it, or you wouldn't get very much forward motion, before the "Y" of the belt would catch the back of the seat, I think.

Joe

 

[Robin7TFour]

i have a 4-point system on my seats. i don't find it too bad . i tend to leave the shoulder straps a bit loose. so i can move forward . short arms so r tend to reach abit for the switches.
i do,however, keep the lap belt tight(personal prefernce). i feel quite secure with my set up.


robin

 

[singledad_9]

I heard somewhere that putting in and wearing a 5 point harness that hasn't been approved by the NTSA, constitutes driving without wearing a seat belt. Has anyone else looked into that ?

Bottom line, I'd like a 5 point, but held back because someone got a ticket for wearing one.

 

[Ken]

A 5-point will be all that I have when mine hits the road again (shortly).

_ken

 

[MaineShark]

I heard somewhere that putting in and wearing a 5 point harness that hasn't been approved by the NTSA, constitutes driving without wearing a seat belt. Has anyone else looked into that ?

Bottom line, I'd like a 5 point, but held back because someone got a ticket for wearing one.

Technically true, but I'd be willing to take that nonsense to court...

In technical terms, it's called a "de minimus" infraction. That means that, while technically illegal, the infraction was so slight that no punishment is justified. Examples would be driving 37 in a 35, or crossing the double-yellow on an empty road to give a bicyclist more room (assuming your state has a line law - you can cross the double-yellow any time you like, in Maine, as long as you do it safely). A real-life example that came up when I took an intro law course, a while back*, was of a woman attempting to park a car in a tight space in a parking lot. After a few failed attempts, her boyfriend, who's license was under suspension, traded seats with her and parked the car. Well, as luck would have it, there was a cop right there, and he nabbed the guy for driving without a license. But, the case was thrown out because, while technically a violation of the law, driving for 10 feet to get a car parked properly is not the sort of thing that the law was actually designed to prevent.

Similarly, I would personally be willing to take a chance on that one, and argue that the safety belt I had is safer than the OEM belt and, therefore, is not a significant enough violation to justify a ticket. I'm not giving legal advice, particularly since every state is different... I'm just telling you that I am sure enough of my reading of the law that I would be willing to take the risk, myself.

Joe

*off-topic: find a local college with a law program, and take an intro course. You'd be amazed how little even well-educated people know about the law. I'm fairly well-informed on legal matters, and I still learned a lot. Like the term "de minimus," for example.

 

[JHL]

I never wear a seatbelt at all but I did have a hot rod a few years ago which had fixed 5 point belts and they were a pita to use, I only used them at the track but to slack and they were next best to useless and properly fitted they were just to resrtictive.

The inertia reel harness looks ok but I suspect you will soon tire of restling in and out of them.

J.