kingfish

My dd/de 09 c6 has harnesses and racetech shells for track. I attached 3 point seat belts to the Hardbar bracket without the tubular horizontal contraption on the female side [used female end from a Tahoe]. This done to allow daily driving with 3point. Seat belt icon is lit on dash.

Does anyone know what happens in a crash?
1. Will the seat belts still lock up as usual?
2. Will air bags deploy?

Should I forget about 3 points with Racetech shells and swap seats each track weekend?

Thank you

BEZ06

There are a bazillion combinations of failures of all the different components of the restraint system.

Out of all the different failure modes, some will disable everything, and some will only disable parts of the system.

I don't know the trim level of your car, but if you had side airbags in the OE seats, you've lost them. As you said, you removed the "tubular horizontal contraption", which is the seat belt pretensioner, and an integral part of the restraint system.

So, you've probably removed or inhibited multiple components, and it would be very difficult to figure out what will or won't work without taking it out and doing crash tests with the car.

I suspect the entire airbag system is inop, but I dunno for sure!?!?

As far as the seat belts locking up, I believe that's a simple mechanical ratchet device and should still work.

Most race shells will not allow proper use of the OE 3-point belts. I don't know how yours are constructed, but most will not let the lap belt secure you properly in the seat because the sides are too tall and the lap belt is held up away from your hips.

Bob

kingfish

Better just to keep swapping each time than to create a death trap on the street?

matteo

I swap out my street seats for a race seat when heading out to the track. It takes me about 20 minutes total but it's part of the track prep and I've had lots of practise. The most time is when dis., and reconnecting the electrical connectors, they're a bit fragile. I think it's much safer and far more comfortable than trying to "McGiver" something that could get you hurt or worse.

Bill Dearborn

The tubular thing you aren't using is an important part of the air bag system. It has an explosive inside that pretensions the lap belt across your pelvis before the air bag fires. Without the seat track you are also missing the sensor that tells the SRS how far you are from the steering wheel. No idea what happens if these parts of the system aren't in place. Air bag may still fire but the default may be to assume the driver is not buckled in and the seat is all the way to the rear with the result it deploys at full force.

If you have the same setup on the passenger side you are missing the seat position sensor, the passenger position sensor and the pretensioner. That air bag will not fire.

Bill

kingfish

Thanks Everyone,

I may be a little slow but the nuts on the back of the Hardbar brackets are hard to get to and take me about 15 mins a side. I would like to find a way to make the shells work on the street [harnesses seem over the top around town]. Does anyone have a safe way to set up the 3 points with race seats?

Bill Dearborn

Plus they are not legal since they aren't DOT approved. I could see where an LEO hardass could cite somebody for not using a seat belt just because of that.

Bill

HeelToeGo

Brey-Krause's seat mounting kit for the Corvette C6 allows for reinstallation of the stock 3 point belt. But without the sensors and wiring of the stock seat, retaining all the functions of the air bag system is difficult, if not possible.

http://www.bkauto.com/corvette/r9144.php