Has anyone mounted 4 point harnesses in their Z without a roll or harness bar? I'd like to get the harnesses but save the money I'd otherwise spend on a harness bar for more track days.

 

You can't mount a harness to the floor, it needs to be mounted to a bar at shoulder height - otherwise during an accident the harness could actually hurt you worse by compressing your spine.

 

For Solo2 I'd consider bolting a Y-harness to the child restraint location also behind the driver's seat. For lapping I wouldn't risk it b/c it's not designed to handle heavy loads - not to mention what it would do to your spine. Better to use the factory 3 point IMO.

To save money and get some restraint, check out the CG lock. Here's a link to a discussion of this device on my local auto club.

 

Correct me if i am wrong, but i think a seat belt locking clip will get the same job done
https://www.bchu.org/injury_preventi...nstalling.html

 

If you PM Riffster on freshalloy, he has a 4 point seatbelt system attached to the LATCH hook up points in a G35C. Not sure if that is in the Z, but it might be a good place to start looking.

 

Here's what I did. I was quite satisfied with the installation.

But if you do anything like this, prepare to get a lot of flack from people telling you how dangerous harnesses are without a roll bar. I had decided the risk was worth it, and managed to survive for a year (19 track days) before getting a roll bar installed.

AFAIK, there is no child restraint bolt behind the driver's seat (think about it!), and the one behind the passenger's seat is definitely not strong enough for an adult.

 

Has anybody been able to use this device in the 350Z? I've tried it and it no workie for me dude. The seatbelt tounge is shaped at an angle causing the CG-Lock to slip right off....maybe I'm doing something wrong here, but I did get it to work in 3 other types of vehicles. Who knows, haven't had time to mess with it lately....

 

I don't get this paranoia for roll over protection. We're not driving a Miata here, it's a super stiff chassis which doesn't even require stiffening for the convertible models. Realise there's no weakening-prone engineering within it's structure for a sunroof, there's a lot of head room compared to other sports cars, and the roof itself is shaped like a dome to assist in distribution of energy. Having only 2 doors also stiffens the setup.

I just picked up an Avalon harness bar (sweet!). Should I get any flack for it (although I do limited lapping), I'll let them show me where they feel the car's roof stiffness is comprimised. Not only would you have to majorly screw up to hit the roof, but it would take a really severe (read: rare) load to actually crush the roof to the point that one's neck and spine would be put at risk. I mean, where does it end? Would they expect a full roll cage next in case of a T-bone?

I'm not hacking on 350Z owners getting a roll bar especially if they lap a lot. It's their lives and they can protect it as they see fit. But we shouldn't feel pressured to get a roll bar because others group this car with Miatas (with a removable hard top and zero head room) or an old BMW 4 door with sunroof. There's a reason why Sports Car Associations require roll hoop on convertibles for lapping and not coupe/sedans. Our particular chassis makes an even stronger case for it not being essential.



There's is a child restrain bolt behind the driver b/c the chassis is international and accomodates both left and right hand drive layouts.

 

I feel qualified to chime in here.

I'll preface this by saying I am an event organizer so my opinion is skewed somewhat by that fact.

For lapping, autocross, HPDE events, and most non-competitive events, a roll bar is certainly not essential for the 350z. By the same token, niether are harnesses. For the HPDE portion of our events we only require roll bars for convertibles.

*** however ***

Once you start doing things like time trials or NASA or club racing - things are ratcheted up a bit. The chance of a roll-over becomes much less rare. For our time trials we require all cars have an SCCA approved (read: proper thickness/height for weight of car) 4-point roll bar. A 5-point minimum harness is reguired with these as well. We do not allow 4-point (must have sub belt) nor do we allow Y-type belts (not strong enough). These rules are taken directly from the SCCA Handbook.

On the issue of a harness without a roll bar, well - obviously there are varying opinions. MY opinion is this:

When you are wearing a helmet, you lose 2-3 inches of headroom. Usually putting your head very close to the roof. If you are strapped in with a 4,5, or 6 pt harness, the only leeway your head has is the movement of your neck. In the event of a roll over, I'd rather my upper torso be able to move to the side.

If you choose to have a harness without a roll bar, you should definately have a true harness bar, one that is mounted in some way to the unibody.

My point about being an organizer is this: we have to plan and expect the un-expected. When we give flack or refuse to let someone run with equipment that doesn't meet our standards, it is only for their safety and of course to cover our asses in the event of something disasterous. We carry insurance, but we'd rather not have to use it.

Please don't think that club rules of the track are arbitrary. Some clubs are more stringent than others. If someone chooses to run with a more 'lax' club, that's their perogative.

Stacy King
Track Events Coordinator
Triangle Z Club
www.triangleZclub.com