Thinking About Racing Seats & Harnesses? Watch This First for Your Safety.

[@michaelw6277]

I think the answer to “harness or no harness” is a lot more complicated than this and the right answer varies from one car to the next. For example, I wouldn’t trust the roof structure of a 1986 Honda Civic to keep the roof off of my head in the case of a rollover, so it’s getting a proper roll bar; but I would trust a modern WRX in a roll, so I would feel safe with a harness and the stock seats. Of course, other modifications should be considered, if the WRX is pushing 600 horsepower with wide, race compound tires, maybe I’m going to have a cage in it; but if it’s nearly stock and on street tires? A harness bar is fine. Also, if you look carefully at those crash test videos you’d see that the seat cushion was effectively parallel to the ground, so if your stock seat is angled up you can combine that with a four point harness that has an anti-submarining flap sewn into one of the shoulder straps to allow your upper torso to go forward enough to keep your butt planted. So “it depends” really is the only answer here.

[@REVlogue]

Indeed it depends is the answer for most cases, but a lot of the times it's for sure you either go all out with everything, or don't bother, as race safety work as a set.

[@MacLaw3084]

thanks for keeping it real and protecting people. seats, harness, and steering wheel (without airbag) look soooo cool tho.

[@REVlogue]

I agree. Race car looks sell for sure :)

[@MacLaw3084]

@@REVlogue yea im guilty. my momo wheel just arrived at my house. but i may send it back and just send my oem wheel to a custom fab shop and have it modified. hate the look of my oem wheel. depends on what my insurance says about whether or not theyll cover me in an incident if i smash my face into my momo wheel

[@REVlogue]

@@MacLaw3084 smart of you for sure. If it's a track car that don't see a lot of public road, you might be able to get away with it, but I wouldn't risk it if it's your daily, being stuck in traffic with a ton of ppl not paying attention, on their phones.

[@MacLaw3084]

@@REVlogue nah its not really a daily per se. i live in the same city i work so i dont really “commute” or rack up miles too fast. but i do drive it to work now most days since i bought it earlier this year. i doubt itll see much track time if any. its a weekend canyon carving R53 Mini Cooper S. my other car is a Focus ST and the stock steering wheel is much more please to the eye.

[@REVlogue]

@@MacLaw3084 ya I mean if you have a daily I think you can take a bit more risk, especially if you plan on doing everything (seats, harness, roll bar, HANS, and steering wheel)

[@FinlayDaG33k]

When someone tells me when I'll install a 4-pt harness in my car, I answer them: "I wanna drive fast, not die fast". So much misinformation on the subject floating around being perpetuated by "car bros"... Glad this video explains the proper information.

[@thethis1398]

Tha k you i hope more ppl see this information

[@lronhoyabembe1692]

I want those seats for safety reasons. I need an El Camino, for daily driving. They don't come with airbags and installing them myself would be very tricky so I've decided to just put a roll cage and bucket seats in there and always wear a helmet.

[@kevinneff3276]

I heard (on the internet, probably) that OEM seats are designed to break back in the event of a roll-over. Then the shell of the car, mostly below the windows, protects you from being crushed. I found out when I was trying to figure out why roof racks are all rated for 150 lb, which seems low for part of the car's structure.

[@REVlogue]

Very interesting.

[@2be379]

The Recaro RS-G look very similar to the Recaro ABE, would you say it not safe to use on road?

[@Reiilmao]

3:30 serious neck injury is putting it lightly, most often or not, at the speeds these people are crashing, it leads to a basilar skull fracture, which doesn’t have a high survival rate

[@L3AF]

thats why i want the factory seats cars have that are approved with alcantara so i would be safe. but with the good materials and looks. Cause its same chair just different material instead.

[@cayman9815]

Hi thank you for this useful info. I will now stick with my standard seat/belt in my Porsche Cayman and just buy a Hybrid Hans for my trackdays. think that is the conclusion here, correct ?

[@REVlogue]

Yup, the conclusion is, either do everything properly, or just stick with a three point oem seat belt + helmet and a hybrid S Hans.

[@cayman9815]

have other question : in fact when you have airbags is Hybrid Hans really needed ?

[@gtwUbX]

Really good informations, this should be one of most popular videos in this topic. Finger crossed :)

[@REVlogue]

Thank you! I wish everyone knew this info regardless of my channels success since it involves the safety of all the tuners out there..

[@apexclip3458]

Old video but you left out a back brace for the seat. It’s required in most high level sanctioning race series. That is, a triangulated seat attachment.

[@lexoracing8296]

I just purchased all the safety equipment for drag racing

[@CrazyUnicorn48]

This is what I was looking for, not "how hard will it be to go thru drive thru" lmao

[@mattfairy5927]

nice work brother! can I mount shoulder staps on the floor?

[@REVlogue]

I wouldn't do that in case of a roll over. You rly want the straps to be as perpendicular as possible.

[@michaelshepherd7572]

Absolutely not! Study any sanctioning bodies rules regarding how you mount your belts.

[@turyy9063]

Thanks for letting me know but what about in a much older that doesn’t have airbags does it make it safer ?

[@REVlogue]

These rules apply on older cars too. The main idea is that track racing safety only works when you have every component to the system (HANS, roll bar, harness, helmet, etc). We don't wear our helmets (I mean you could but it'd be annoying) all the time when we drive on the streets. For example, what happens if you get rear ended with yourself strapped to a harness? Your body is stuck but your head is not. Your neck takes in all the shock.

[@turyy9063]

@@REVlogue oh thanks for replying and letting me know

[@joelstatosky1817]

This is pretty accurate however there are so many other factors so your best bet is honestly consulting a professional. With a roll cage you can add padding. I recomend if you actually wanna daily your car to have. 1. Seats. 2. Cage 3. Harnesses 4. Hans device. You can still daily you car with good enough comfort even with these. However if you don't use a helmet on street driving make sure your seat has good head padding as well as the rollcage. If you daily your race car it is better to be safe than sorry.

[@jeppyjep]

Thats quite a lot for a daily car.

[@Sussex192]

HANs connects to the helmet, so not sure how you would use one, but not a helmet...

[@moal-jubouri4352]

I don’t 100 percent agree with this but a tip is asm harnesses which will on impact allow your body to roll to one side

[@REVlogue]

I know it exists but I don't rly trust it so much. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@964Luftballoon]

Great video. I’ve been considering adding the pole position Abe seats in my 964. Now I’m thinking twice about the harness . What is your recommendation with a half cage and the Recaro ABE?

[@REVlogue]

I think as long as you have a good structure you could run the harness, I would just use it on the track with a helmet and HANS exclusively, and retain the OEM 3 pt for the public roads. Just be aware that there is always a risk when running a roll cage if you're gonna drive the car on the streets. I'm not some lawmaker so I can't tell you to do this do that, it's rly up to you, but just wanted people to know the basic info of safety before making the decisions :) thanks for checking out the video!

[@964Luftballoon]

@@REVlogue Thank you for the reply. You’re correct I’ll stick with the 3pt for now it makes no sense for the street. This video is very informational for everyone especially the tuner community. A lot of times we go for “the look” and not really think about the consequences.

[@carlohiomile]

Im interested on if safety harnesses actually expire or is it a sales ploy. Why is that there is no expiration date on passenger car seat belts because passenger car crashes can be just as brutal as a race car crash.

[@REVlogue]

I'm no engineer, but maybe it has something to do with passenger 3 pt belt having slack vs race harness not having any, which means they may be exposed to more stress.

[@mikar636]

Amazing video!!!!

[@haris300tt]

Great simple explanations. I would like to bring up an example and ask your opinion. Do you believe that an older street car with no airbag and a convertible top could benefit from some of this equipment installed as a partial system (roll bar with harness bar, racing seat, 5-6 pt harness). For street driving you won't be using a HANS device so the risk of injury to the neck is still there. Is it worth considering installing all these aftermarket bits over retaining the factory seats and 3 point belt given that there is no airbag or rollover protection? I believe the driver/owner will have to make some kind of risk assessment. How much do you drive the car? Is it your daily driver? Do you tend to drive responsibly on city streets or are you an aggressive driver? Do you generally drive in high traffic areas where there is a higher risk of a forward collision with another vehicle? There is always a risk of injury when operating performance vehicles no matter what. Motorcycle riders know this well. Driving an unmodified older vehicle with lacking safety features is certainly not going to be as safe as driving a modern vehicle. I believe it's up to the individual to educate themselves and determine whether or not they are okay with the potential risks.

[@REVlogue]

Really well said. I just think track safety is very different from public road safety, but a lot of shops will sell you these track safety kits as on road safe equipments...

[@haris300tt]

@@REVlogue Agreed. I believe performance shops have a responsibility to inform their customers of these things before modifying road vehicles. As cool as some of this stuff looks, your personal safety is what really matters.

[@TheMarine015]

How do I stop from sliding around without doing a seat and harness. I wore a knee pad last time and that solved the bruising knee problem but its annoying having to re-adjust myself after each turn

[@REVlogue]

ooh... Honestly there is not a real good way other than to really embrace yourself against the dead pedal i think...

[@LouDog-bx1ep]

Miata ricers: well.... umm.... fuck...

[@acsbimmer]

What is your opinion on a 4 point with anti submarine, race seat, helmet, Hans, no cage for street and track?

[@REVlogue]

To be honest, it's probably fine, but I would personally just go for a 5+ pt harness. No cage for street is safer, but on a track with all those equipments you rly need it

[@GreyEyedHunter]

Howdy Stranger! Thank you for this video! It was really needed. Was lucky enough to snipe a Datsun 280z this month and thought about "making it saver" with some Racing seats and a Harness (incl roll bar). This video informed me quite well and brought me back down to earth so to speak. Still would love to know if you think a engine bar strut/brace would make the little Z more sturdy in a crash (+ any other ideas/tips you have to make it more 'save'). I hope you have a great day, and much love from Germany. Rain

[@REVlogue]

Hello, thank you for watching! I think separating out street safety with track safety is key. I'm not an engineer so not sure about the strut bars and stuff to be honest.

[@flipflop7577]

Hey Rain, ich denke dass Du auf dem Richtigen Weg bis! Dein 280z ist alt...und dementsprechend ,,relativ" unsicher beim crash. Gute Sitze, 4pkt Gurte und ein Bügel inkl Gurtstrebe sind definitiv besser als der Serien 3pkt gurt und Blech aus den 70ern! Achte auf Gurte mit asm system(Schroth,Takata) Viele bauen sich sitze und gurte in ein 2005 und neueres Auto, was oftmals wirklich eine verschlechterung ist. Ich baue mir sowas gerade in meinen Mx5 NA ein. Dort ists auch wie bei deinem ein Upgrade.

[@SydeshowMO]

All depends what your doing and tracks you run at. Hard parking pretty cars need not apply.

[@REVlogue]

there is a HUGE market for race car "aesthetics" I think...

[@elijahstewart1333]

lol i drive an 02 eclipse, my airbags probably dont even work, ill shell out the money for all of this

[@MOAB-UT]

Very good info. and important tips. I would lose the music. One last tip I would add- drive responsibly. No amount of gear will fully protect a person if they drive too fast and recklessly. No matter how good a driver they might be, eventually they will regret driving fast and end up really hurt themselves or even more tragically, others on the road. It happens every day. Movies glorify street racing. Often having all this "safety" gear has the opposite effect. It can very much empower people to drive faster than they should, especially on public roads e.g., 7:25. Ironically, it also looks like you are using a regular seat-belt with no harness or helmet.

[@REVlogue]

Hello thank you for the feedback. I'm coming from driving on a race track sort of a view, I would never promote any sort of street racing.

[@MOAB-UT]

@@REVlogue No worries- good overall info. Thanks for sharing.

[@mjon5706]

Unfortunately most auto manufacturers won't bother giving their prospects an option to get more aggressive seats. This leaves track enthusiasts with few options to mitigate being tossed around the cabin. The faster you get, the more the car will try to eject you on right turns lol.

[@REVlogue]

Definitely started paying more attention to the OEM seats 😁

[@marraharmon5863]

Schroth harness and half cage takes the dub

[@MacLaw3084]

still danger of bad whiplash with a schroth, especially if you no longer have an airbag in your steering wheel.

[@joelstatosky1817]

@@MacLaw3084 That is fair however the danger will always be there

[@elliotdasilva5047]

C est pour ça qu il faudrait qu en France les harnais 6 points soient autorisés!!!!!

[@NovaMad2010]

This whole ducking out the way thing is nonsense, you cannot control yourself in my experience anyway, nor can you see the roof coming down, so to me i would take the harness over the 3 point

[@Sussex192]

But the roof would just force you sideways, rather then you ducking from it? Sound being able to more sideways without a roll cage is still a good thing

[@NovaMad2010]

@@Sussex192 You want the roof to do dictate your movements? No tar would rather be held tight and depending where the roof is coming down it would mean you would be forced out the window, towards the tarmac, I rolled a Micra K11 in quite a big off, roof didn't come down on me, and the sunroof was still intact, I got out, car went home and I went to navigate on the rally I was on my way too, you would have to have a big shunt to have the roof come down

[@Sussex192]

​@NovaMad2010 yeah, true. Although that does depend on the type of car a fair bit. Of course the best thing is just a fully set up rally car 😁

[@ST3Focus]

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