Is it safer to run the factory seat belts on the street?

AZmoto

Well-Known Member
So I have no experience with racing harnesses and my plans at this point are for the Goblin to be 100% street driven.

I've been doing some research into my options and my understanding so far is that a racing harness minus a HANS device actually puts your neck at more risk than the factory belts. Is this correct and if so does it make more sense then to just run the factory belts? I notice that almost no one seems to do that here.

I have Kirkey drag seats if that makes a difference.
 

baustin

Well-Known Member
I have no scientific data here, just opinion that isn't worth much.

A kids safety seat avoids using a 3 point belt since they know there are no airbags involved for a kid seat during a wreck. I also don't have any air bags... so my 5 point harness is an adult safety seat setup. I haven't researched it but I assume the 3 point belt was designed prior to airbags in cars however the application has been designed around airbags being part of the safety system for many years now. I would think that a HANS style restraint would be even safer during a wreck however the sky's the limit on how many steps people can take making things safer.

I think it comes down to what you feel most comfortable doing. Sure, a 5 point harness might mean my neck takes more movement during a wreck but that's because my mid-section is held still and would be saved from the roll bars and I wouldn't be likely to hit my head on the halo bars above me.
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
The racing belts make shoulder checking more difficult, as it holds your shoulders tighter. I run the stock seat belts, just because I'm lazy, and don't want to spend as much time to buckling up.
 

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
So I have no experience with racing harnesses and my plans at this point are for the Goblin to be 100% street driven.

I've been doing some research into my options and my understanding so far is that a racing harness minus a HANS device actually puts your neck at more risk than the factory belts. Is this correct and if so does it make more sense then to just run the factory belts? I notice that almost no one seems to do that here.

I have Kirkey drag seats if that makes a difference.
Paul, you need the harness to keep you firmly in your seat. Your noggin is far to close to the open air above the cockpit and people with our mass (relative weight) don't stay in the seat too well if something untoward were to happen. We can never be too safe. This is just my opinion.
 

Lonny

Administrator
Staff member
This is just my opinion and as always you should be comfortable with your safety choices.

Well before head and neck supports were popular the racing industry was already enforcing the use of 5 point harnesses. Even today most of the local circle tracks require 5 point harnesses but do not require a HANS device.

One thing to consider is that 5 point harnesses serve a second function that a lap belt does not offer. They are proactive. Under aggressive driving conditions, they keep you held in your seat which allows you to control your vehicle with better precision.

Factory lap belts are reactive and only respond after you have collided with an object or an object has collided with you.

I feel that if you are often driving at high speeds you should consider the use of a HANS device and arm restraints or a window net. Especially high-speed racing tracks.
 

Rauq

Goblin Guru
How well would (or does) a three point belt work with your Kirkey? Does the lap belt go through the pass-throughs in the seat or outside of the bucket?
 

DCMoney

Goblin Guru
The racing belts make shoulder checking more difficult, as it holds your shoulders tighter. I run the stock seat belts, just because I'm lazy, and don't want to spend as much time to buckling up.
I agree with the added difficultly of shoulder checking, theres one intersection on the way to work I've gotten really good at loosening the top strap to check a hard left then snugging it back up quickly once I get going again.

I loosen my top straps every time I get out of the car and position the harness over the shoulder bolstering of the seat once I'm out for ease of getting back in and not fighting with the harness. Think once you are use to it it's not that difficult with a 4pt and QD steering wheel in my case.

One thing to consider is that 5 point harnesses serve a second function that a lap belt does not offer. They are proactive. Under aggressive driving conditions, they keep you held in your seat which allows you to control your vehicle with better precision.
If you've ever done a track day in your daily driver with OEM seat belts you'd see how bad they do of holding you in your seat, during tracks day in my 135 I would have to plant my left foot against the floor to keep my body from moving around through the corners. I get zero feeling of coming out of my seat with a 4pt harness in the goblin.
 

Brett

Well-Known Member
As the chief crash test dummy around here, I will say that 5 point harnesses are a definite life saver, even on city streets. I had no injuries above my waist and I attribute that to the 5 point harnesses and the engineering in the frame. If I was using the factory cobalt seatbelts, I am sure I would have had more injuries by coming into contact with the steering wheel and potentially the frame.
 
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