Wow this thing is perfect! Are these things still being made? I gotta wait a few weeks after xmas before i can buy one. Ive been wanting to put harness belts in my acr for a long time. I plan on giving thunderbolt raceway(new road racing track in NJ) a try this coming year. Im sure this will be a much needed item.
Also to my knowledge the Schroth DOT approved racing harnesses are made to mount to all stock seat belt locations. Only problem with that is the attachment point at the back goes from the two straps to one and has a bracket along with the length to attach to the rear seatbelt locations. So what im getting at is i dont think the schroth harness will work with this style mounting location. anyway to weld threaded bungs onto this bar for the schroth harness?
EDIT: After looking at schroths website it was what i thought. the DOT approved harnesses are bolted mounting points at the rear only. You wont be able to use them with this bar. Not unless you drill your own holes in the bar or have threaded bungs for bolts made into the bar.
The Schroth "rallye cross" harness will work without mods to the bar and mounts to the stock seatbelt locations, but it doesnt say anything about being DOT approved. Only the "Rallye 3 and 4" harnesses are DOT approved.
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(5/27/05)-05 srt-4 acr in white home!
Last edited by ACRneonNJ : 12-21-2008 at 03:23 PM.
I was looking at this and was just going to ask that benefit of having a harness bar. If you run your upper straps through the harness cutout or under your head rests, if you have them, you are to run the straps to the lower back seat mounting anchors, where a child seat is anchored. What is the benefit of having a harness bar? Does it stop you from having to run to the back seat?
From what ive read and learned the ideal location in a race car for the harness shoulder strap mounting point is from straight back behind the seat to a 45 degree angle down behind the seat. The rear straps should NEVER be mounted at a greater angle than 45 degrees! Not only is it not safe(something to do with the way your weight is transfered wrong in a crash) im pretty sure it wont pass any racing tech/safety inspection either. well as long as the tech inspecting the race cares actually cares about safety. lol
A bar like this is usually made into a roll cage. the idea of this bolt in harness bar is to have something that is strong and safe but also can be taken out when not needed with relative ease. I imagine its legal for racing applications because of its sturdy mouting location where stock seatbelts mount. these mounts/bolts are designed to take a big hit. so theres no fear of this ripping out in a crash what so ever.
I guess you could say this item is perfect for the weekend racer. Id reccomend this for any form of organized racing really if you dont want something perminant like a roll cage. also the rear strap angle being way less than 45 degrees in a crash your much less likely to be hurt by the harness. This is a win win situation for you and your car.
Last edited by ACRneonNJ : 12-21-2008 at 05:53 PM.
I'm not asking the mounting procedures of harnesses as I understand the mounting procedures of a harness. Depending on the harness some are to mounted to the top anchor in the rear seat, which would be straight back and some to the lower anchors where a child seat is anchored as I mentioned before, which would give you a 45 degree angle. This can be done without a harness bar. If you go more then 45 degrees during a crash you could cause too much compression on your spine, which could cause major spinal damage.
I'm also not asking what a harness bar is as I understand harness bars can be bolt ons that can be mounted and removed easily. They can also be permenat as part of a roll cage.
My question is, what does it benefit you or the advantage of having one? What is the main purpose of them? You can bolt in harnesses without a harness bar and they will be installed correctly and meet track inspection. They are strong, safe, and have good mounting points doing what? This in no way can be compared to a roll cage as it is bolted behind the seat and not above you, in front of you, or on the side of you. This isn't a roll bar in any way!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, I just dont' understand the benefit of having one over not having one. Yes, it looks cool to have one, but how is it benefiting you?
Last edited by Phillips8201 : 12-22-2008 at 07:06 AM.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, I just dont' understand the benefit of having one over not having one. Yes, it looks cool to have one, but how is it benefiting you?
Because those harness kits that attach to LATCH hardware are not safe and if you run to the rear seat belt attachment, you are causing too large of a down angle on the belts. Mostly the first point.
Think about those LATCH points for a minute. They are tested to withstand an impact of UP TO 35 MPH with a child in a seat weighing no more than 40 pounds. How well do you think they will hold your ~175lb body during a 100MPH crash?
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I've been thinking of getting the DOT approved Schroth Rallye 3, Rallye 4, or Rallye Cross harnesses. These are all bolt in harnesses. The mounting points for the 3 point for the upper straps is to the C-pillar factory rear seat belt mount. The mounting points for the 4 point upper straps is to the lower rear seat belt anchor points. I messed up when I said you are to use the anchors for the child seat. These are DOT approved and Track safe so the angle of the 4 points going to the lower rear seat belt anchors must be safe. I know many of the European Enthusiasts run these 4 points and have them install this way, as recommended, and have been approved at several tracks. My buddy actually has these in his VW Jetta that he autocrosses and road races with.
So are you saying that these harness bars actually have mounts that you are to latch your upper straps to? This is safer then seatbelt mounts? I've seen the straps ran through guides on the bar, but never seen them latched to one. If you don't mount the upper straps to them, how does it benefit? I guess, what does this harness bar exactly do in detail and how does it benefit you in detail. This is what I don't' get! I understand that they mount up to the driver's and passenger's upper stock front seatbelt mounts on the B pillars and have a bar that goes across behind the rear seat. Some then have two poles that run to the floor that mount to the bottom of the seat bolts to help support the upper cross bar. Then there are two harness guides behind each seat and then sometimes a tripod mount in the middle for a video camera. What else is there to it? I don't understand how it is safer or how it is benefiting you. Could someone explain in detail. Maybe the maker?
For example, CBD sells their Vortex Generator. They claim it helps handling. But how? They explain by telling you what it does and how it helps:
Vortex generators are all about lowering the coefficient of drag to make the vehicle more "slippery" in the air. A lower coefficient will improve straight line acceleration and all around gas mileage. It doesn’t hurt that the carbon fiber model will attract attention just about anywhere.
Instead of just saying that it's just not safe without one, they explain how it works and how that benefits you. This is what I'm trying to ask as I guess because I don't understand.
Like I said, I'm not saying that these bars are useless by any means. I'm asking how they benefit you on being more safe with harnsesses as I dont' understand. I see them sold for several cars so there must be something I dont' understand or know about them. I personally don't know anyone arround my area who has one without it being built into a full cage, so I can't just go look at one bolted in and being used to see what I'm not seeing in the few pics that I've seen.
Last edited by Phillips8201 : 12-24-2008 at 12:21 AM.
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