new 08 Club DE seat/harness rule
#23
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I used to share your reservation about getting a competition seat. Now that I have one, I just wish I got it sooner! It's just as comfortable as the stock seat, holds you in better and communicates so much more than the stock seat. I really was amazed at the difference.
Seats comfort is a subjective thing but check out this thread for some suggestions. I've had absolutely no downsides to my cobra seat. I've retained the stock seatbelts for street use and have a safe 5pt schroth system for track use. Just be sure to have it professionally installed for safety reasons. My sub strap is welded to the floor.
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=cobra
Seats comfort is a subjective thing but check out this thread for some suggestions. I've had absolutely no downsides to my cobra seat. I've retained the stock seatbelts for street use and have a safe 5pt schroth system for track use. Just be sure to have it professionally installed for safety reasons. My sub strap is welded to the floor.
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=cobra
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Originally Posted by tomzz
Thanks first350,
very helpful information. Will look at this seat option.
How do you use your OEM seat belts for around town driving? I have my harness attached by the appropriate anchors, but how (if) do you utilize the regular seat belt with the strap holes and high sides of the race seat?
very helpful information. Will look at this seat option.
How do you use your OEM seat belts for around town driving? I have my harness attached by the appropriate anchors, but how (if) do you utilize the regular seat belt with the strap holes and high sides of the race seat?
Originally Posted by Stack
How do you have your shoulder straps mounted? It looks (but is hard to tell) like you have them mounted to the floor, running up to the shoulder slots. This will not pass any tech worth the paper its written on, and in fact, could be fatal if you were to be involved in a serious collision. If the seat back were to fail, you could suffer spinal compression.
The shoulder slots are guides only, and should never be used as load-bearing. You really need a structural harness bar (actually you need a 4-point roll bar with an integrated harness bar, but that debate is unrecognizable as even a dead horse.)
The shoulder slots are guides only, and should never be used as load-bearing. You really need a structural harness bar (actually you need a 4-point roll bar with an integrated harness bar, but that debate is unrecognizable as even a dead horse.)
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Originally Posted by first350
I have a harness bar for the shoulder straps...I know many ppl discourage this b/c it's not a full cage. (I mainly autoX, so I'm less concerned with a hard crash than if I were to do more track events).
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Originally Posted by daveh
I used to share your reservation about getting a competition seat. Now that I have one, I just wish I got it sooner! It's just as comfortable as the stock seat, holds you in better and communicates so much more than the stock seat. I really was amazed at the difference.
*Now when I drive(autoX) another car w/ out a race seat, I can see how much more work I'm doing just to keep myself in the seat.
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Originally Posted by daveh
I used to share your reservation about getting a competition seat. Now that I have one, I just wish I got it sooner! It's just as comfortable as the stock seat, holds you in better and communicates so much more than the stock seat. I really was amazed at the difference.
Seats comfort is a subjective thing but check out this thread for some suggestions. I've had absolutely no downsides to my cobra seat. I've retained the stock seatbelts for street use and have a safe 5pt schroth system for track use. Just be sure to have it professionally installed for safety reasons. My sub strap is welded to the floor.
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=cobra
Seats comfort is a subjective thing but check out this thread for some suggestions. I've had absolutely no downsides to my cobra seat. I've retained the stock seatbelts for street use and have a safe 5pt schroth system for track use. Just be sure to have it professionally installed for safety reasons. My sub strap is welded to the floor.
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=cobra
Humm - So Dave, If one was to put in the Cobra seats for some flexibility of drivers, how would you do the floor mount? Custom sliders to get the height right?. Can they fit w/o doing the door inding? What about those JDM Aghai sp?? super low sliders that some others have used for race seats in Z's? My, what a tangled web we weave. Thanks for all the good help.
#28
Originally Posted by tomzz
Humm - So Dave, If one was to put in the Cobra seats for some flexibility of drivers, how would you do the floor mount? Custom sliders to get the height right?. Can they fit w/o doing the door inding? What about those JDM Aghai sp?? super low sliders that some others have used for race seats in Z's? My, what a tangled web we weave. Thanks for all the good help.
Motorsportseats.com makes sliders for a lot of cars and seat combinations. They make a nice twin latch slider one for competition use.
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Originally Posted by tomzz
Humm - So Dave, If one was to put in the Cobra seats for some flexibility of drivers, how would you do the floor mount? Custom sliders to get the height right?. Can they fit w/o doing the door inding? What about those JDM Aghai sp?? super low sliders that some others have used for race seats in Z's? My, what a tangled web we weave. Thanks for all the good help.
Custom seat installs are not that much more than the off the shelf hardware in many cases and they fit better. Not an area to skimp out on in my opinion.
You might want to check with PCA if sliders are ok for their events since none of them are FIA approved. Are those JIC seats FIA approved with date stamp?
Last edited by daveh; 01-08-2008 at 11:32 AM.
#30
Actually some of the sliders have been FIA approved. According to Article 253 Appendix J on page 14, "If rails for adjusting the seat are used, they must be those supplied with the homologated car or with the seat or be certified by the seats manufacturer."
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Originally Posted by mhoward1
Actually some of the sliders have been FIA approved. According to Article 253 Appendix J on page 14, "If rails for adjusting the seat are used, they must be those supplied with the homologated car or with the seat or be certified by the seats manufacturer."
#32
No idea, but I can try to do some research.
I think the big issue is FIA's testing procedure which just mounts the seat on a plate and only tests for horizonal impacts. If a manufacture deviates, they have to test it themselves and submit to FIA for review. I think FIA has opened the door since last year for more of this, hince the fairly open statement above.
I think the big issue is FIA's testing procedure which just mounts the seat on a plate and only tests for horizonal impacts. If a manufacture deviates, they have to test it themselves and submit to FIA for review. I think FIA has opened the door since last year for more of this, hince the fairly open statement above.
#34
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Here is something linked from the sparco website about proper belt mounting. I was going to weld tabs on my seat base for the lap and sub belts and use a harness bar as I do time trials. I want to believe a harness with a harness bar is better in a crash than the stock 3 point belt. Welding a tab to the floor for the sub belt is not a problem. Can someone enlighten me to the benefits/comfort of a six point harness over a five.
http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/16.pdf
http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/16.pdf
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Originally Posted by daveh
Are those JIC seats FIA approved with date stamp?
I don't recall seeing any date or "FIA" approval on it.
The JIC seat brackets (which mount to their slider) come with multiple height adjustments, and are slotted (left-right) so that you can position the seat just right to where it doesn't rub the door.
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Originally Posted by first350
I don't recall seeing any date or "FIA" approval on it.
The JIC seat brackets (which mount to their slider) come with multiple height adjustments, and are slotted (left-right) so that you can position the seat just right to where it doesn't rub the door.
The JIC seat brackets (which mount to their slider) come with multiple height adjustments, and are slotted (left-right) so that you can position the seat just right to where it doesn't rub the door.
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Originally Posted by 1cockyZ
Here is something linked from the sparco website about proper belt mounting.
http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/16.pdf
http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/16.pdf
I was going to weld tabs on my seat base for the lap and sub belts and use a harness bar as I do time trials. I want to believe a harness with a harness bar is better in a crash than the stock 3 point belt.
Remember, just because you're time trialing, it doesn't mean the car isn't experiencing race-like forces and risks.
Harnesses and a harness bar, in most accidents will be safer than stock 3-point belts. BUT that also depends on how they are mounted. IMHO, its also debatable whether that set up is better than 3-point belts AND passive restraint systems (airbags). Don't forget too, using harnesses basically negates the passive systems.
Welding a tab to the floor for the sub belt is not a problem.
Can someone enlighten me to the benefits/comfort of a six point harness over a five.
#38
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Originally Posted by Stack
If you're gonna do that, why not just use backing plates and drill holes?
Main difference is the load applied to the double anti-sub strap is reduced since its spread over two anchor points as opposed to one one. Comfort wise, depends a bit on body shape and belt adjustment.
Main difference is the load applied to the double anti-sub strap is reduced since its spread over two anchor points as opposed to one one. Comfort wise, depends a bit on body shape and belt adjustment.
#39
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The only reason I mentioned time trialing is to eliminate the possibility of car to car collision. Drilling holes in the car is not for me. I was pondering a 4 point cage(weld in) but for time trialing purposes its not required nor is a 5-6 point harness. But I want to use a race seat. So for my particular situation I need to figure out how to safely mount a harness with a harness bar. Its the lap belt mounting points. Being the seat bracket holds the stock seat belt and passes crash test and is welded on I thought that would be a good idea. I can just use a longer bolt and use the same hole that anchors the seat base to the floor and then use the stock lower mounting point behind the door. As for the sub belt every car I have seen just uses a tab welded to the floor in front of the seat. Roll cages are welded in. My first track day this year I will have my stock seat and 3 point belt and then talk to tech and look at all the other cars and ask questions. I sat up last night reading rule books about harness mounting and I need pictures. I think this is a good rule and as for the hans device 09' idea well you can't argue with either paying $800 for something that will make you faster vs. save your life. But in order to use the hans device you need a harness and compatible helmet. I am going to start another thread about harness mounting please contribute. I don't want to take this one off topic.
#40
Originally Posted by 1cockyZ
The only reason I mentioned time trialing is to eliminate the possibility of car to car collision. Drilling holes in the car is not for me. I was pondering a 4 point cage(weld in) but for time trialing purposes its not required nor is a 5-6 point harness.
I think we also have some good pics laying around somewhere for proposed mounting points.