Racing seats/harness Setup

[Ayodog]

So i'm gaining interest in purchasing a seat and a harness but it seems that the only way to do this safely is with the use of a harness bar or roll cage setup inside the car. Is this correct or no? I have an FA5 jfyi and am just a bit curious on how i could get a seat and harness and stay worry free from spinal injuries.

So if any of you have a setup done on your car right now and would feel free to enlightnen me on what needs to be done or even pictures, that would be magnificent!

Find myself bracing myself with the steering wheel and kick plate far too much ^^

[1sole]

to install a 4/5 pt harness without a roll cage or harness bar. you can attached the rear part to your rear seat. You would just replace the stock seatbelt buckle with an eyebolt, and that should come with your harness.

[nycclaye]

don't need eye bolts at all actually... here's mine. pm me if your interested in how to do it. look closely and you'll see what I did..

all you have to do it run thru into the trunk where the center of the spare tire cover (that carpeted part) is attached, and the one's on the outside's go in the corners of the back seats. just pull up the corners of the back seats.

FYI, I have the Sparco 4pt.

[fg2!kid]

the best way to do this is with a roll bar set up like the autopower roll bars
the way nycclaye has it is improper according to what i have read and seen from where the harness come out of the top of the seat it should be no more the 20 degrees up or down

like this

[VTEC_4_LIFE]

Originally Posted by nycclaye

don't need eye bolts at all actually... here's mine. pm me if your interested in how to do it. look closely and you'll see what I did..

all you have to do it run thru into the trunk where the center of the spare tire cover (that carpeted part) is attached, and the one's on the outside's go in the corners of the back seats. just pull up the corners of the back seats.

FYI, I have the Sparco 4pt.

id have put the shoulder straps on the B-pillar bar, thats the safest way to do it

[jrotax101]

Originally Posted by fg2!kid

the best way to do this is with a roll bar set up like the autopower roll bars
the way nycclaye has it is improper according to what i have read and seen from where the harness come out of the top of the seat it should be no more the 20 degrees up or down

like this

mounting to the stock seatbelt points is fine.

but regardless, harnesses should NOT be used on the street without a roll cage, and especially not with the airbags still attached.

[nycclaye]

Originally Posted by fg2!kid

the best way to do this is with a roll bar set up like the autopower roll bars
the way nycclaye has it is improper according to what i have read and seen from where the harness come out of the top of the seat it should be no more the 20 degrees up or down

like this

read further my friend... you can find especially if you not only read (remember at on time on "parchment" people believed the world was flat and we found that to be completly false unless you still believe it) but call the company they'll tell you where to mount the lines on a non-harness bar set-up. "yes" to include mine where I asked them if it would be within their safety net of NOT 20% but actually 40%...

Every set-up is different. but like i said earlier, believe what you want. I've already been into a rear end collision in mine and I promise the seat belt WOULD NOT have saved my life, chest, shoulders, waist, basically my whole body like the sparco harness did and that was going off Sparco's recommendations of where to mount it in my car.

It is your life, your car, do your own research but keep an open mind unlike some....

Originally Posted by VTEC_4_LIFE

id have put the shoulder straps on the B-pillar bar, thats the safest way to do it

actually you don't wanna put it on the B-Pillar. If you look at how it would actually mount, it would SEVER YOUR NECK if itt was pulled hard enough. I put mine there and when I sat down, i realized my mistake very quickly. I wouldn't recommend putting them there because the lines on a 4pt harness must "cross" behind the seat. look closely at my pictures above and you'd see why you wouldn't wanna do that if you were in an accident.

[nycclaye]

Originally Posted by jrotax101

mounting to the stock seatbelt points is fine.

but regardless, harnesses should NOT be used on the street without a roll cage, and especially not with the airbags still attached.

agree totally.... and looking at his M3, you'd find he know's what he's talking about.... I use mine "occasionally" on the street, but always for road race, clud racing, and auto-x...

[Ayodog]

Well this info is good, but i have heard ( so may be wrong ) that you can safely be on the streets with a harness setup as long as its done correctly. I do some driving about twice a week where i could really use a harness and seat but besides that i'm doing 400 miles a week of daily driving so if its just not practical enough then i wont bother with going through this route of a new seat and harness.

[splew]

Are you going to use your car as a daily diver or as a racecar? If it's a daily driver then a fixed 4 point harness is a bad idea. These types of harnesses that have fixed anchors are intended to be used with a head and neck restraint. If one is not use then your harness could seriously injure or kill you by causing a basilar skull fracture if you are involved in a front end collision. This is how Dale Earnhardt Sr. and many other NASCAR drivers died.

Basilar skull fracture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Itchytoe]

Just admit it, you're in a Civic. You don't have a race car and the race seats and harnesses are purely cosmetic in any Civic. Like splew said, they're actually a bad idea. You'll do best just leaving the factory seat belt in.
By the time you've added all the mods you'd have to in order to make the Civic a decent race car, you've spent twice the money a real sport car would have costed you adn you wouldn't have the same performance.

[Ayodog]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

Just admit it, you're in a Civic. You don't have a race car and the race seats and harnesses are purely cosmetic in any Civic. Like splew said, they're actually a bad idea. You'll do best just leaving the factory seat belt in.
By the time you've added all the mods you'd have to in order to make the Civic a decent race car, you've spent twice the money a real sport car would have costed you adn you wouldn't have the same performance.

I'm sorry but your statement is completely wrong on many levels.
No one needs a race car to make use of a harness and seats, just anyone who is pushing their car to a point where they are having to use other things such as the steering wheel and kick plate to brace themself does.
2nd... where i drive it really doesnt matter what you have, its driver more then anything. Else there wouldnt be ford fiesta outrunning evos when it only pulls 65hp to the crank.
As for spending money on a civic... yeah thats half the reason for buying a car imo; learning to work on it and learning the basics of a car. I'm 18 so i'll have a " real " sports car later in life <33

[lastminuteracin]

When you mount your belts be sure to read the directions. Most of the belts i have used in my racecars say to mount them 4in below the shoulders with the mount striaght up and down. So, a roll cage or bar would be a must.

[nycclaye]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

Just admit it, you're in a Civic. You don't have a race car and the race seats and harnesses are purely cosmetic in any Civic. Like splew said, they're actually a bad idea. You'll do best just leaving the factory seat belt in.
By the time you've added all the mods you'd have to in order to make the Civic a decent race car, you've spent twice the money a real sport car would have costed you adn you wouldn't have the same performance.

like ayodog said, your statement is very conflicted. regardless of how you install them, the factory seatbelt is still usable... that's something some wouldn't know unless you eithter had them or installed them before in our cars.

Originally Posted by Ayodog

I'm sorry but your statement is completely wrong on many levels.
No one needs a race car to make use of a harness and seats, just anyone who is pushing their car to a point where they are having to use other things such as the steering wheel and kick plate to brace themself does.
2nd... where i drive it really doesnt matter what you have, its driver more then anything. Else there wouldnt be ford fiesta outrunning evos when it only pulls 65hp to the crank.
As for spending money on a civic... yeah thats half the reason for buying a car imo; learning to work on it and learning the basics of a car. I'm 18 so i'll have a " real " sports car later in life <33

well put.

To the OP... Good luck. I hope my pics helped. Like with anything, you'll find useful info and USELESS info. Good luck sorting it out

[Ayodog]

Was talking with a friend and it seems that the best route to go might be getting this lock type thing or w/e. Basically what it does is when you set it your seatbelt locks into place, kind of like it would when you're braking. I can put it on tight and then do that...Still plan on getting seats however, better feel but also shed some weight. Info may be wrong but i heard that our seats are 50lbs a piece and the airbags in them are useless, i know... totalled my old fg2. ( 0% fault!!!! )

really hate the feeling of sliding around. It didnt seem too bad before but then i got a ride in a friends rx8 who has recaros and i was glued in the seat. I want a feeling close to that, being able to not fight g's and have all my focus on controlling the car is what i'm looking for.

[nycclaye]

i feel ya on that... G/L with the seatbelt locks. I've heard good reviews about them.

[splew]

Originally Posted by Ayodog

Was talking with a friend and it seems that the best route to go might be getting this lock type thing or w/e. Basically what it does is when you set it your seatbelt locks into place, kind of like it would when you're braking. I can put it on tight and then do that...Still plan on getting seats however, better feel but also shed some weight. Info may be wrong but i heard that our seats are 50lbs a piece and the airbags in them are useless, i know... totalled my old fg2. ( 0% fault!!!! )

really hate the feeling of sliding around. It didnt seem too bad before but then i got a ride in a friends rx8 who has recaros and i was glued in the seat. I want a feeling close to that, being able to not fight g's and have all my focus on controlling the car is what i'm looking for.

They protect your torso in a side impact. If you look at the crash test for any vehicle that offers them as an option you will see that they do make a big difference, the chance for injury is much higher without them.

[Ayodog]

Originally Posted by splew

They protect your torso in a side impact. If you look at the crash test for any vehicle that offers them as an option you will see that they do make a big difference, the chance for injury is much higher without them.

Maybe it was because my accident was a front impact hehe.

Either way i can do w/o them, this car has many safety features already <3

[cderalow]

there's also the old auto-x trick with height adjustable seats.

lower your seat to the lowest height. tighten your belt as much as possible. raise seat to maximum height.

enjoy tight belt and form fitting seats.

[nycclaye]

^^^^WTF!!! Been auto-x'ing for a year, and club racing for 3 years.. never heard of that!!! That's so simple and i'm sure it's effective as hell!!! Much respect for that!!