I'm looking at upgrading my reclining BRIDE seat to a fixed-back competition seat. Of course there are FIA and non-FIA (tuning) seats, and I am focusing on the FIA-homologated seats. One question I had, however, was the difference between HANS-ready seats and HANS-"friendly" seats.

For example: http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/26.pdf

How can a seat that has harness holes - which hold down your HANS - not be HANS-ready? I did call a supplier, Racing Seats USA, and their tech guy hand-waved a bit about not being able to fit the HANS device in properly, but he didn't sound sure. All you guys that race competitively and presumably wear a HANS device, what's the true difference?

Thanks for any insight!

 

Never heard of that and I race a BMW E30 PRO3 class in the North West.

I've heard of Hans friendly harness belts as they fit over the Hans better and secure it.

I've been using an Sparco EVO seat with and without a Hans for a couple of years with no issues in two different cars.

Call a race shop probably tell you the back of the seat fits better with the Hans.

 

From what little I have read the difference between a hans ready and a standard FIA seat is the width of the slots and the angle vs. seat size.

Other than that I don't know.

 

Good info, guys - thanks. I called SafeRacer, and they hand-waved a little bit, so suggested I call Sparco directly, which I did.

I got a nice tech guy on the phone that indicated that there is a dip in the shoulder/back area of a HANS-compatible seat, which makes using a HANS device more comfortable. He said in no way would not having this dip affect the safety of the system. They also suggest using a 2" harness since it won't slip out of the raised edges of the HANS device, though 3" can be used with success as well.

 

Are you going to leave the fixed seat in all the time?

I had a custom mount/bracket made for my Z. I can change the seat out in 10 mins using the stock seat holes.

I don't track the Z that much anymore since I have a race car now.

 

Double check but when I was deciding on belts my race shop said that if you go with the 2" shoulder straps you basically have to use the hans full time because it won't distribute the load properly if you don't use the hans. I went with the 3" because it will fit over the hans but still allows me to run without a hans at events where I don't intend to use a hans (ie lapping days with a passenger).

 

Well, IMHO the 2 things that I looked for in a "HANS Friendly" seat

the shoulder belt holes in the seat need to be 1"-2" higher to maintain the proper angle and not bind the belts. I sit tall in the seat and this was already a problem for me as I am 6'1" with a long torso.
It is very easy to over-tighten the shoulder belts when using a HANS, and if the holes are too low, the belts will pull you down in the seat over the term of the race. However the same thing happens without a HANS

the angle of the head restraint portion of the seat needs to be less acute (more angle to the rear of the car) to give room for the 2"-3" that the HANS adds to the back of your head/helmet. Otherwise your head is forced forward in an unnatural position. And it will hard to get the HANS in the proper position on your shoulders.

I had to have a custom seat made to get the shoulder belts holes right, and it just happened that the head rest fit OK, but I would liked just a little more room. You can see in the pics that the belt holes are very high up on the seat...so the belts will not touch the top (or bottom) of the holes (Ultrashield Aluminum seats are built to order for a reasonable price) http://www.ultrashieldrace.com/

BTW: I still have this setup for sale if interested, PM if interested.

 

Agreed on the 2" Shoulder belts when using a HANS...I use the Schroth belts for designed for HANS usage.

 

Without that little dip the HANS device tends to push forward on your upper shoulders/lower neck. Not an issue in a 30 minute race but it gets uncomfortable if you're in the seat for an hour or more. You'll really feel it the next day.

 

Finally got my HANS device, now just need to figure out if I should switch to 2" shoulder belts or leave my 3" belts. Also need to install the new seat.

 

Will say that 3" belts work just fine, but it's harder to get them to sit in the belt channels when buckling in.

 

Having used a HANS device in standard non-HANS-designed seats (they work in any five-point setup with belts that fit) I can say this: having that little indent is more than a comfort issue if you're going to be in the car for a long time. It HURTS after a few hours of having your neck pushed forward and trying to crane it up to see.

Some seats are better about this than others; we were in fiberglass seats with minimal padding, so there was nowhere for it to go. The angle of the seatback also plays a role; ours were pretty upgright, it being a rally car. If you can sit in the seat with your HANS/helmet on before you buy, I would.

If you're only going to be in the car for 20-30 minutes up to an hour or two, I wouldn't worry about it. It's really hours 3-12 that wore on me.

 

If you only have to get into the car once, I'd keep the 3" belts. If you have to do driver changes, the 2" belts make it easier/quicker to swap. It's still not a big deal either way. You'll need someone to help you whichever one you go with.

 

Definitely get the 2" shoulder belts...