OEM seat with a 5 pt. harness?

[gran racing]

When instructing at HPDEs, I make sure to have a passenger seat for ride alongs. I have heard conflicting view points about the subject of using a 5 point harness with a stock seat - is it safe? Or should I say, safer then the stock belts?

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Dave Gran
NER #13 ITA
'87 Honda Prelude

[Quickshoe]

Safer than stock? Dunno. I don't feel safe in a 3pt.

But I don't feel safe in an improperly mounted harness either.

Sub strap will be much too long. Shoulder harness may travel above the shoulder height (bad) or mount much too low (worse). If you can get the harnesses geometry correct with an OEM seat then I don't see a problem.

[joeg]

A six point would work better (and would be safe).

[Mike Guenther]

Why would a six point be better than a five point? I don't see the difference.

[joeg]

Because a six poit mounts its sub strap at the same spots as the lap belts; it does not go through the bottom seat cushion or come in from the front of the bottom seat cushion.

Cheers.

[bldn10]

"a six poit mounts its sub strap at the same spots as the lap belts; it does not go through the bottom seat cushion or come in from the front of the bottom seat cushion."

I'm not getting that - so where does it come in from? Does it not come up between your legs? If so it seems like it would have to come up from the front of the seat or through it.

[Wreckerboy]

I just went through this with a six point install on a OE seat in a Miata.

As the previous poster said, the sub belts get mounted to the same point as the lap belts. Per the supplier and (I believe) the GCR, the correct routing is up across the seat so that you are sitting on the sub belt when you are in the car. It then comes up past your groin to meet the common reciever for the harness and lap belts.

I have read in various places that the if the sub belt is mounted forward of your waistline you can literally be doing more harm than good, and that the sub belt (in some extreme cases I suppose) can actually pull the harnesses away from your body in an impact, allowing you to slide forward and down.

It would seem to me that a six point (or the coming seven point requirment) would be better than a five point just because of the additional points for loading force in impact, thus requiring all points to carry proportionally less load.

[joeg]

I'm not getting that - so where does it come in from? Does it not come up between your legs? If so it seems like it would have to come up from the front of the seat or through it. [/B][/QUOTE]

Your gluteous maximus sits on the substraps in a six point

cheers