Harness for track use on street car?

I just recently installed a G-Force 5-point harness in my car with the stock recaros.


I have left the stock seat belt in place and drilled 2 holes to mount the front part of the harness (one bolt is mounted with the stock seatblet in place, using the same bolt. There isn't much leverage effect and it appears quite safe.) The shoulder straps are more tricky. I'm using the lower rear seat belt holes to mount my shoulder straps. This won't be safe in a high speed impact as there is a great angle goign from my seat back to the rear seat belt bolts. IT should be OK in mild to medium impacts, but if I get involved in a really bad front end collision, it could compress my spine and make me paralyzed or worse. Oddly enough, this is OK with the group I run with occasionally, so I haven't looked into a better solution yet.

If you want more details on how to actually drill the holes and mount the harness, ask here. I'm sure other members and I will be able to help you out.

For now though, I would recommend getting a seat with larger bolsters. This will give you more support when cornering and still be fine to use on a daily basis.

Zunige said:

In fact, harnesses are typically forbidden at track events, when a car does not have a roll bar.

Click to expand...

Enrique,

That may hold true for Spiders, but hard top like the Milano are able to run with harnesses, and they do help significantly. I find you can drive much better when all you have to concentrate on is steering, brake/throttle, and shifting - instead of holding yourself behind the wheel.

*Another* option is the DOT-legal 4 point system from Schroth.

That's a bit of an odd design for a 4 point. I've only ever seen 4 points made like this;



It seems you guys have more stringent guidelines for competition though. I know most of the intermediate serious competition here simply requires a minimum 4 point with 3" width.

I just leave my harness in most of the time, the buckle sits in the back of the seat so isn't uncomfortable, and I have my stock seatbelt retained for street use. I simply drive to the track with the stock seatbelt, clip in the tail of the harness to the parcel tray, race with the harness, unclip and drive home normally. I went through a period with just the harness and no race seat, and it did make a difference in the amount of movement I encountered. Of course installing a race seat made even more of a difference.

ROCK ON
R~R

That Schroth 4 point with a Y is not allowed by many race groups. And also, putting in a 4 point should be easier than a 5 point....there's one less hole to drill.

Keep in mind, if you're goign to install a harness, might as well be a harness that you'll actually be able to use when you go out to the track (5 point, 3 inch atleast).

Kredden, if you get a harness for your Milano, be sure it is an "H-type". If it is not, it may not be long enough to attach to the rear of your car, as many of these harnesses are designed to be used in conjuction with a roll bar or cage, and are not long enough to reach the back of a sedan.

I don't beleive the I/O port racing harness bar will work in a Milano. The bar goes right across where most drivers will need their seat back and head rest. I just wish us poor Milano drivers could have something like this that I saw in an Evo:

Harness Bar for Milano

There are a few different ways to go... all custom no matter how you slice it. I prefer not to drill any additional holes or weld/add any extra bolts. This bar looks and works perfectly... extremely sturdy and positioned correctly (looks a lot like that Evo bar in this thread). Anyway, this utilizes stock belt system bolts and can be installed/removed in about 5 minutes (I also had a very similar one fabricated for my '69 GTV a few years ago). More info about this one if anyone is interested. Sorry for the bad angle/picture of the bar itself, it's the only one I could find quickly... will take a few more and post again. Thanks.

Mirko