Harness question

[erlrich]

Opinions sought: I was thinking of getting a couple of 4-point harnesses to put in the car for my upcoming FATT (Friday at the Track) days, but there is one potential problem I wasn't sure about. The seats in my 240SX are the factory high-back buckets, the ones with the integral head rest and the slots in the back for the shoulder belts (you 240SX guys probably know what I'm talking about). However, the slots were evidently positioned for a 5-foot-nothing driver, as they are something like 3" - 4" lower than the top of my shoulders (I'm 6'4"). What this means is if I use the harness with these seats, the shoulder belts will come through the seat back and angle up sharply for several inches to come over my shoulders. I know this isn't the optimal geometry for the belts, but I'm wondering if there is a major safety issue here. I had considered getting the Kirkey seat now, but was hoping to wait until I could fit a, um, uh, slightly narrower seat. And since FATT rules mandate equal protection for driver and instructor, that would probably mean putting in a race seat for the passenger too. So, what do you guys think? Is this a non-issue, or should I stick with the factory belts for now?

Any opinions greatly appreciated

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Earl R.
ITA 240SX in process

[This message has been edited by erlrich (edited June 06, 2003).]

[x-ring]

Stick with the factory belts for now. A harness is designed to work with a racing seat and it sounds like your seats would dangerously compromise their effectiveness.

OTOH, Kirkey seats are pretty cheap but Summit, Jegs, et. al., have house brand plastic seats that would be better than factory seats and are even cheaper (like $39 ea). I don't think I would use them as a real road race seat but they might do until you can afford an Ultrashield or something else that is available in different widths.

Ty

[erlrich]

Excellent idea, thanks. Like you said, I would never have considered one of those seats for racing, but they might be just the ticket for this purpose.

[This message has been edited by erlrich (edited June 06, 2003).]

[erlrich]

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