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Limeyboy
01-25-2007, 05:46 PM
Just wanted to see if anyone knows if it is legal to use a racing harness on the streets here in California? Or do I have to use the factory fitted seatbelt over the top?

vtluu
01-25-2007, 05:50 PM
It's not legal unless the harness happens to be DOT-approved. The Schroth street belts are; I don't know about any others.

Legality aside, you shouldn't be using a race harness without rollover protection and preferrably a racing seat.

Limeyboy
01-25-2007, 06:01 PM
Thanks Tam - jus checkin ;)

earlyapex aka jack ass
01-25-2007, 06:31 PM
Plus it's hard to get your gat out of the glove box for those random drive-bys when you are all strapped in.

MarkSAE
01-25-2007, 06:37 PM
Once strapped in, you can't even reach far enough to close the door either!

inYubaSha
01-25-2007, 11:33 PM
Legality aside, you shouldn't be using a race harness without rollover protection and preferrably a racing seat.

I oughta get me some a them 'racing' seats lol
Tam, could you pm me some info on roll cages & half cages please?
then we could do a tutorial install!!!

EvoRicer
01-26-2007, 12:57 AM
Isn't it hard to check for cars once strapped in too? I wouldn't drive with a harness around on the street...

awdaddict
01-26-2007, 01:01 AM
Isn't it hard to check for cars once strapped in too? I wouldn't drive with a harness around on the street...


What do you mean check for cars.. in blind spots or via the mirror?
I think if you have to move around to see your blind spots or via mirrors...
then the setting of your seat/mirror r not right... hehe.

inYubaSha
01-26-2007, 01:14 AM
how many people drive on the street with their helmets on?
(i was breaking it in)

vtluu
01-26-2007, 01:23 AM
My buddy Nick did that once. A cop pulled him over but let him go since he wasn't actually doing anything illegal. :lol:

awdaddict
01-26-2007, 01:44 AM
My buddy Nick did that once. A cop pulled him over but let him go since he wasn't actually doing anything illegal. :lol:


"What's wrong officier?"
*points to the helmet*
"O... this?" "I just want to be safe"
;) something like that?

vtluu
01-26-2007, 02:18 AM
Rollbars: your options are pretty much AutoPower or custom. AutoPower rollbars have a few options; definitely get both the diagonal and harness bars. Don't bother with removable bars, they're not as strong, won't really improve your cargo or passenger capacity...

... Which is to say that if you've got any kind of rollbar installed, you've got a two-seater four-door car. It doesn't matter if you still have a back seat and if someone can still crawl back there, it's simply not safe for anyone to ride in the back. Again: if you have a rollbar, don't allow passengers in the back seat unless you really, truly want them to die.

"Bolt-in" rollbars won't really help. They're bolt-in in the sense that they're not welded to the car, but they're not items that you can change in a few minutes. You won't be swapping a rollbar into and out of the car before and after a track day.

Details on the AutoPower rollbars here: http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=AP952

Custom rollbars; any number of race car fabricators will build you a custom rollbar or rollcage. The most well-known locally is probably Tony C. @ TCDesign (http://www.tcdesignfab.com/) but there are plenty of others. Generally you want to find fabricators by reference and/or see examples of their previous work; don't trust your life to some random idiot with a tubing bender and a welder.

Rollcages, as opposed to rollbars, are not streetable, period, mainly because in an accident they can easily smash your unhelmeted head like a ripe melon. No amount of padding will change that. To be safe they require use of race harnesses, racing seat, and helmet. In other words, don't even think about a rollcage unless you're ready to make your Evo a track-only car.

AutoPower makes a bolt-in rollcage which is "okay" but if you're hardcore enough to want/need a full cage, don't go half-assed; get a decent custom cage welded in. Various racing organizations will have different requirements for cage design and material. Good fabricators will know/find out what the requirements are and present you with the options. Expect to pay $3k-$6k, possibly more, for a custom cage.

Cusco makes a bolt-in cage. That thing is for show purposes only (I don't care what they claim to the contrary) and would be a death trap in the event of an accident. Stay far, far away.

EvoRicer
01-26-2007, 02:35 AM
Isn't it hard to check for cars once strapped in too? I wouldn't drive with a harness around on the street...


What do you mean check for cars.. in blind spots or via the mirror?
I think if you have to move around to see your blind spots or via mirrors...
then the setting of your seat/mirror r not right... hehe.


Well I don't need to turn my head since I can see everyone around me plus more with my current settings but I like to be safe and turn my head anyway. There are so many crazy ass drivers on the road these days...

inYubaSha
01-26-2007, 02:22 PM
cool cool, so that second autopower bar looks like it has a extra bar mounted horizontally, that for the belt or the 'head restraint. I assume you can have two harnesses connected right?

and the reason I don't want just a harness bar ... is ... rollover protection?
what If I have helmets for the people in the back seat, w/just a harness bar..??
Not trying to be stupid, jus wanna know
I was hoping I could put a big noodle on it http://www.poolstore.co.uk/ishop/691/shopscr413.html

vtluu
01-26-2007, 03:51 PM
cool cool, so that second autopower bar looks like it has a extra bar mounted horizontally, that for the belt or the 'head restraint. I assume you can have two harnesses connected right?

The added metal bar (the higher one), I'm told, is for mounting a seat restraint--basically an extra bracket that attaches to the seat to prevent it from pitching forwards or backwards in a crash. Some racing rules require such a bracket, some don't if the seat is mounted in a certain way, etc. It's more commonly used with aluminum racing seats. I never used it, myself.


and the reason I don't want just a harness bar ... is ... rollover protection?

Yes. A harness bar (with race harnesses) without a rollbar may cause your head/neck to get crushed in the event of a rollover, by preventing the stock seat from collapsing as designed in a rollover, or by keeping you belted upright in a non-collapsing racing seat.


what If I have helmets for the people in the back seat, w/just a harness bar..??

That won't protect the rest of their body, and also won't change the fact that the rollbar will complicate efforts to get them out of a car following a crash.

Pool noodles are for swimming pools. Pipe insulation is for plumbing. Rollbar padding is for rollbars. It comes in low-density form, kinda like pool noodles, which is good for preventing bruising from casually bumping into the bar, but useless in any collision, and in high-density "SFI-approved" form, which does offer some protection to an unhelmeted head in a collision.

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+301784+115&autoview=sku

And yes, it's expensive, but after you've spent all that money on a cage or rollbar, not really.

dohcvtec
01-26-2007, 05:23 PM
Thats the same padding I have in the honda. Stuff feels like its hard as a rock. :P And yes, it does get expensive when trying to pad every bar that can contact your body. :(

inYubaSha
01-28-2007, 12:18 AM
thank you tam. kinda disheartening but great life saving info.
so.. . we do have collapsable seats I assume, which means the harness bar is bad... period .
even without the belts attatched

... does that mean i'm gonna hafta duct tape the camera to the passenger seat?

vtluu
01-29-2007, 10:15 AM
... does that mean i'm gonna hafta duct tape the camera to the passenger seat?
There are a number of different options for mounting cameras that don't require a rollbar/harness bar.

One thing I did early on was use the middle child safety seat anchor bolt (it's on the rear deck just in front of the 3rd brake light I think) to bolt down a straight metal bar, and bolt a tripod head to the end of that bar. That works if the camera is light enough; the disadvantage is the field of view is a bit narrow (otherwise you catch a lot of the back of the front seats).

There are also some suction-cup based mounts that I've heard can work well; for example: http://www.stickypod.com/