I went looking for 6-point harnesses for street use that were DOT/FMVSS approved. I know Schroth made them, I had the link saved. They seem to have stopped producing the street-legal 6 point set. I can't find any manufacturer making an approved 5- or 6-point harness for street use. Shoulda bought it when they had them. With the seat angle on the SLC a harness with at least an anti-sub strap would seem to be pretty important. Anyone know where to get a decent harness, or, how did you avoid issues during inspection with an unapproved harness?
6-point seatbelts for street
- Thread starter FlyinJ
- Start date
Neil
Supporter
In my race car I use an RJS 7-point harness due to its layback driving position. Here is a link: https://www.rjsracing.com/ . You should call them to ask about DOT applications. I'd recommend using a Cam-Lock as it allows each belt to be clicked into place one by one. Beats trying to gather up all ends at the same time to fasten with a latch.
Joel K
Supporter
Jeff,
Here is a link to the FE which is DOT and has the optional sub belt.
www.northstarmotorsports.com
Here is a link to the FE which is DOT and has the optional sub belt.
Schroth Profi II-ASM FE Racing Harness - Northstar Motorsports
Schroth Profi II-ASM FE Racing Harness is available from Northstar Motorsports, the premier supplier of Racing Safety Equipment
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Neil
Supporter
Woops, I gave you the wrong company. I used DJ Safety but it looks like their website may be inactive. A pushbutton release defeats the whole purpose of a Cam-Lock. It is designed to prevent accidental release in a crash where things are flying around in the cockpit- like your arms.
Schroth's was a combined camlock and center pushbutton. Was a great bridge design that gave you the benefits of the camlock and the pushbutton to meet regs. The pushbutton was recessed so probably even less danger of that being released than a regular street car 3-point belt.
EDIT: DJ safety stuff can be bought here but I didn't see any DOT approved sets.
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Neil
Supporter
OK, that design makes sense. You should probably call DJ and ask them directly; distributors usually only know what is in their catalog. I've always found DJ Safety to be easy to deal with.
You need DOT approved because you need it to pass some form of inspection?
Yes, NY has multiple inspections when registering a self-built car. I’m going to try to get it registered as an SLC and not as a reproduction ~’80s LMP car, so that will require it to meet current rules. Shouldn’t be a big deal, it’s just little things like this where the rules don’t really expect someone to want 5+ point harnesses in a street car because they can be deadly in normal vehicles.
Neil
Supporter
"...in a street car because they can be deadly in normal vehicles."
??????????????????????
Ken Roberts
Supporter
In a standard production car the roof structure is designed to crush. A 3 point belt is better matched for this. A 5/6 point belt is really designed for a roll cage. In most parts of Canada a 4/5/6 point seat belt is illegal for a street registered vehicle. I’m sure in some of the strictest States in the USA they are not allowed but seldom enforced. Sure you could sneak it through perhaps but imagine if there was a lawsuit because your passenger suffered a neck injury.
^
That's the answer. Normal cars if the roof collapses your body has a chance to move aside with a standard 3 point seatbelt. If in a 5-pt harness, your head becomes the roll cage because you can't really move. But it's a different story in cars with roll cages, and 5-pt+ harnesses can be better, especially if you don't have all the other safety features of side and curtain airbags.
That's the answer. Normal cars if the roof collapses your body has a chance to move aside with a standard 3 point seatbelt. If in a 5-pt harness, your head becomes the roll cage because you can't really move. But it's a different story in cars with roll cages, and 5-pt+ harnesses can be better, especially if you don't have all the other safety features of side and curtain airbags.
Schroth claims:
Their marketing video for their Quickfit DOT (not FIA or SFI) 4 point harness claims that while wearing a 3-point harness in a rollover, there are more fatalities from the head sticking out the window and hitting the road or a guard rail than there are roof collapsing injuries with a 4-point harness.
Their marketing video for their Quickfit DOT (not FIA or SFI) 4 point harness claims that while wearing a 3-point harness in a rollover, there are more fatalities from the head sticking out the window and hitting the road or a guard rail than there are roof collapsing injuries with a 4-point harness.
Neil
Supporter
"In a standard production car the roof structure is designed to crush."
Why on earth would anyone design a car with a roof that is supposed to collapse? I'll bet that the probability of a frontal collision is many times that of a roll-over. Who makes these decisions?
Beats me. Seems they're fine with you flopping around in a crash and depend on airbags of various sorts to save you. The seat back will break at some point and you get flat with it and someone decided that preventing all that was bad with a 4+ point harness.
The roll cage is there to keep the cockpit intact, so it's moot in the SLC's case when it comes to more belts.
The roll cage is there to keep the cockpit intact, so it's moot in the SLC's case when it comes to more belts.
That is the same i use in my build, with the optional anti-sub straps.Jeff,
Here is a link to the FE which is DOT and has the optional sub belt.
Schroth Profi II-ASM FE Racing Harness - Northstar Motorsports
Schroth Profi II-ASM FE Racing Harness is available from Northstar Motorsports, the premier supplier of Racing Safety Equipment
One of the few approved for street use.
Ken Roberts
Supporter
Be careful with the DOT approval. It’s a grey area. The only thing about it being DOT is the buckle system. If your State doesn’t allow a 4/5/6 point harness on the road then the fact that type of buckle is approved is pointless. If your state allows those types of seat belts then definitely seek out this brand.
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