Operations

The Big Bend Open Road Race is next month and my 07 Z06 needs 5 or 6 belt harness, (among other items) to qualify

What belts and harness bar would you recommend with the stock seats?
I would like to also mount a video camera

Thanks in advance

TRACKMAN2

youl need a harness bar that mounts across the car where the stock sholder straps mount to hold the shoulder belts and a bar for under the seat for the sub belt there are many typs avalable,, i like the old latch lock type belts.. cam locks have ben known to come open by acident .. but i know lots of guys love them.. just make sure the belts come down from bar over the front of your shoulders ... if they go up and over your shoulder bad things can hapen i had to mount my R&D bar kind of upside down to get the right angle for the belts.. the harness bar is a great place to mount a camera too hardbar can help you more .....he is in the vendor list....

JaGsC5

Take a look at a "Jetpilot" harness system from Teamtech. That harness system has two great qualities. One, the system uses a unique design for its sub belt. Most folks do not use or mount there sub belts properly. A sub belt needs to drop straight down for your lap belt or down a rearward to work properly. You should not mount a sub belt in a way that it comes over and in front of the seat like most do with stock seats. You won't need to buy and install a special bar to mount the sub belt with the jetpilot system. The second great design feature is the padded sternum strap which helps keep the shoulder harness properly located on your shoulders if your bringing your harnesses around the seats. A word of caution though; if you bring the shoulder harness around the seat it's not the recommended way to install and use any harness. Depending on which organization you're driving a track day event with; they might not allow you to use a shoulder harness that comes around the seat. Check with the event organizer before you show up and find out you're not allloud to drive.

AU N EGL

shoulder harness should be mounted with the proper seats, routing holes in the back, and not around the seat back.

Even with a sternum strap, shoulder harness should mounted properly.

So just having a harness system is not enough anymore. Taking special care to mount the harness system per manufacutres installation procedueres PLUS the proper seat with routing holes for shoulders, sub belts and lap belts is becoming more important.

JaGsC5

Like I said, it's not the recommended way to install a shoulder harness but still people are doing it and if they are, Atleast do something to keep the belts properly on your shoulders, hence a sternum strap.

AU N EGL

Many clubs we no longer allow this type of harness conections. Harness must be routed though the proper holes in the seats.

Sternum straps WITHOUT proper shoulder harness routing though seat holes are dangorious. Better and safer to use teh DOT 3 point harness.

Wicked Weasel

I am glad that clubs are finally setting some rules around this and other harness infractions like angle of the harness. People are getting a false sense of security thinking that their harness is going to help them when in actuallity the harness may be causing them more harm.

VetteDrmr

I'm not sure what harness bars are out there for C6s (I think Gary at Hardbar has one, but again I'm not sure). One thing I would recommend would be to swap out the stock seats in your Z06 for some sport seat leathers. From my limited time around the C6Z06, the seats are essentially the same as on the C5, meaning the C6 coupe and 'vert have the sport seat option, which has a cutout at the shoulders.

If this is the case, then it's pretty easy to covert your stock seat back to a sport seat back. Here's a link to some photos I took during my conversion:

http://webpages.charter.net/VetteDrmr/

PM me if you think this is viable and I'll give you some more details.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

JaGsC5

Thought i said that?

gkmccready

http://www.hardbarusa.com/ does have C6 harness bars, and belt mounts, and is a TeamTech dealer. I love my setup.

FWIW, though, the C6 Coupe does _not_ have a Sport seat option that I know of. Atleast my Z51 car didn't come with it.

Operations

Thanks for all the good advice

95jersey

Gary @ Hardbar is the best! You won't find better support.

Operations

Here are the rules for the event;

1. A five (5) or six (6) point safety harness system is mandatory.

2. Three (3) inch lap and shoulder belts are the minimum standard required.

3. If a Sternum Belt system is used the Lap belt must be placed in the proper position at the pelvis and the Anti-submarine belt must be used to keep the lap belt down and in the proper position.

a. The use of large "buckles" for the Sternum belt is not recommended.

4. Mounting Points must be at, or on, the Roll Cage, frame member or body panel.

a. The recommended shoulder belt mounting point height is no more than 2"(+/-) of the driver's shoulder when seated in a driving position.

b. Shoulder harness should be attached to the horizontal brace of the Roll Bar whenever possible.

c. The belts should be mounted in such a way so as not to cause undue spinal compression.

d. If mounted to the body panel, adequate spreader plates or large spreader washers should be used.

5. Belts must be mounted to a frame member and/or Roll Cage in the Super Sport and Unlimited Division.

6. Mounting to fiberglass is specifically prohibited.

7. All belts/restraints must be permanently dated in "like new" condition and no more than five (5) years old for all Divisions other than Street Rod and Touring.

For those of you with experience, unlike me, would these requirements more clearly define a particular brand I should go with? So should I say, eliminate any?

Thanks again

95jersey

Here's the problem that your not thinking through as a C5 owner. A 2LZ C6Z06 has side airbags in the seat. The car will NOT work without the seats hooked up electronically. NO ONE (aftermarket) has come up with a solution for this problem and it looks like this might be one that might never get resolved (at least not in the near future). Simply you CAN NOT put aftermarket seats into a 2LZ car. So according to your thread, a C6Z06 then should simply not track their car?

We all want to utilize as much safety as possible, but the ONLY choice a C6Z06 owner has is to use a 5 point with a sterum strap...that's it! So, it is easy for you to say that in unacceptable, but then you get to drive your car at the track, according to your statements, I need to leave my car in the garage.

AU N EGL

Or just use the stock belts.

I understand this delema, believe me we are working and talking to many diffent ppl in many diffent clubs and race tech ppl as to this saftey issue.

There is no one standard for HPDEs. the SCCA and FIA have their standards ( darn good ones too) NASA has thier standard, very close to the SCCA and FIA standards.

The PCA and BMW clubs look to be the most strick and going with the SCCA technical saftey standards for 2008. This is an issue that all car clubs are facing for any on track activites.

It may just come down to it is your car, your life, your saftey, and you did sign the weaver that you and you heirs will not litigate for any reason what so ever when you enter a track and register for an event.

So we will see.

cendres

I would urge you to take this rule with a grain of salt; it is completely inadequate, IMO. I imagine it is meant to reflect the FIA standard of 5 years' service life for harnesses, but I question FIA's policy, as well. I recently researched this and found that belts routinely lose 50% of their strength in just one year, and up to 80% after two years. Source: SFI Foundation

Belts are not that expensive, and having an expired set re-webbed is pretty cheap. Please consider following SFI's two year service life standard, whether your sanctioning body requires it or not.

Carl Johansson

What class and speed are you running in, and what tech speed are you looking at? does the speed require a roll bar or cage? If you require a roll bar you would mount the belts to that - at least the shoulder straps - the hip straps would mount to the stock mounting points - and the sdubmarine or crotch strap needs to be mounted essentially undser the seat - I'm not familiar with the underside of the car - so I can't tell you how to do it in a C-6.

Even though the rules allow it - I would not even consider a stock seat sternum bar setup. There are reasons why many race orgs now specifically disallow that setup.
Often the reason an organization "allows" certain things is based on some of their members preexisting setups - instead of consideration of the latest safety info. (I have no idea what the case is in Texas - don't know those people - someday I plan on running there.)
The proper race seat and belts is actually quite inexpensive considering other costs associated with races like this. You really ought to think long and hard about what priority safety will play in your decisions.

BTW - I disagree with whoever favored Lever locks over cam releases. Many organizations are now requireing cam releases - others require special caps covering the lever locks so they cannot be accidentally released. I went with cam release - first because it was required - a hell of alot easier for a course worker to get you out of a car quicker - in a worst case scenario. Second because I had heard alot more about lever locks catching on a sleeve or arm strap or something else and getting accidentally released - as compared with the positive twist required to open the camlock. - both of the setups are good - but again - I look at new regulations taking effect - safety rules are updated as a result of what is learned from past tragedies.

Have fun and be safe down there - someday soon I hope to join you. This year it's the open road race in Arnold Nebraska - we have 2 cars entered! 1 in 95 mph (fiero teched to 120 or 140) - 1 in 110 - C-4 teched to 160)

Carl Johansson

Operations

The division is Grand Touring 120, Max allowed 140, no roll bar

Carl Johansson

wow -- SORC requires a 4 point roll bar in anything over 105!
Carl

urslooow

How would you guys feel about using an around the seat harness in addition to the stock seat belt (would keep you in your seat during a frontal/rear impact---whilst the harness would greatly stabilize you during good high perf driving?)