Re: Harness

[TCame86712@aol.com]

Prepare for some harsh words here, but a reality check......

<< 
 >I think that a harness is pretty safe, but:
 
> 1.  It's a bitch.
> 2.  If you get in a "flammable" accident, you're gonna burn, pal.

If this is your advise for a driver who seeks your advise and respects your
opinion, either educate yourself or keep your opinion to yourself. Doing so
might save his life someday. 
Wearing a seatbelt is as simple as wearing your clothes. If you are in an
accident severe enough to be "flammable" and you're not wearing your belts,
you'll already be dead. At least if you wear your belts you'll have a chance.
FACT: Seatbelts will save your life. Is your life worth the "hassle" of the
simple "click" of a buckle? Mine is.
 
>I have Scroth Rallye 3A(i think)'s, left and right.  I only use them for
> autox.  For daily driving, I they drape over my seat and I sit against
them.
> I don't use seatbelts for daily driving.  If I did, it'd be a toss-up
> between the harnesses and the stock belts.  
 
So, aparently your life isn't worth a simple "click". Again, this is foolish
advise to hand out and I hope anyone who has read this is smart enough to
realize this.

> They are anchored where the rear seat belt buckles were.
 
> People can NOT sit in the back when my belts are IN USE.  there is a buckle
> in the middle of the harness, between the strap section and where it
> anchors.  When not in use, I just undo that and everything basically
drapes.  
 
So don't use the harness if you have a passenger in the rear, use the stock
belts.

> Install was not a pain.
 
Very easy, as a matter of fact. In my Scirocco, GTI, Jetta, RX-7, and M3. 

> Mine are 3 point.  They connect on the left and right of the seat, plus
> where the rear seatbelt buckles were.
 
I have the same set up, probably the same Schroth. I love it.

>They are not a pain in a daily driver, unless you intend to use them for
>daily driving.  Getting strapped in comfortably before an autox run takes a
>few minutes.  

I only use the harness at an autocross or a long trip. On a trip, it keeps me
very relaxed, and I can usually go for about 2 extra hours without a break.
The rest of the time I use the stock belts.
 
> I think 5pt's require special seats, maybe, but 3 and 4 are easily done w/
> stock seats.  
 
Not necessarily, the 5th point (sometimes called a "giggle strap" in racing)
comes up from the floof to the buckle, in the center of your lap. It is only
there to keep the lap belt from riding up too high in a collision and not to
actually stop you from moving as the other 4 pionts do. It doesn't actually
need to be snug against your crotch, and actually should't, for obvious
comfort reasons. I raced an ITC SCCA club racing Scirocco with a 5pt harness
and stock "S" seats and it worked great. I wouldn't ever consider a 4pt for
this type of use. For autocrossing, though, I have used a 3pt Schroth and it
does just fine.

> I don't think that one harness is much safer than the other (3pt vs. 4pt.
vs
> 5pt.).  My 3's do the job quite perfectly.
 
 Well, you do the math. Which do you think is safer? The 5pt by far, followed
by the 4pt, then the 3pt Schroth (or equivallent) and then the 3pt stock.
Last, and by far the least is the stock lap belt with the "passive" shoulder
harness. This is essentially a piece of crap and one of the worst ideas VW
has had.

I would welcome some other opinions here. I am an insurance auto damage
appraiser and accident investigator and have seen the aftermath of many
accidents. I've seen some that have left the car looking like a ball of
aluminum foil where the driver walked away because he was WEARING HIS
SEATBELT. I've also seen accidents where the car didn't look bad at all, but
the driver had no belts on and died. 

And last, why do you think harnesses are requried in every form of racing
(except for carting, due to the roll-over factor, but a whole different
situation entirely)? SAFETY, man, not just for laughs.

So, you make the call.

Todd Cameron

Don't worry, my soapbox has OSHA-approved hand rails so I don't fall off.
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