[Keebler]

The tech inspector for my local track day club said running my bottom belt through the back of the seat like this was a no-go. His description of what a broken pelvis bone feels like left me with no disagreement.





...but replacing the seats seems like an expensive pain in the ass. Besides, I love the luxurious feeling of air blowing through my seat on a hot track day.


So what if I cut a belt hole in the base of the seat?

• What kind of stuff would I have to cut through beyond the leather?
• Are there any sensors or wires to watch out for?
• How could I keep the hole from spreading too far?
• I paid someone else to put the belts in and I haven't taken these seats out myself before, how difficult is it?
• Is this a really terrible idea and I just need to get some proper race seats or 4 point harnesses?

This is an SS2 non-1le model. I have a bolt in cage from Garage Therapy in the back.


Thanks in advance!

[That1guy_tim]

Do you have to run the 5th point? If so I would say it would probably be way easier to just buy a dedicated track seat. I sure as hell wouldn't want to cut up one of those seats. Can always swap seats back to stock for daily summer driving if you really want a cool bum.

I bought my seat and bracket from WDL. my base came from Planted technologies. little over a grand for the seat setup.

[kropscamaro16]

racecar or streetcar no in between as far as im concerned but hey its your car!

[JD_]

Definitely would not cut holes in the seat as that is also a no-go for some organizations. Racing seats have reinforced material around the anti-sub strap holes to prevent the belt from ripping thru the material.

Which organizing body were you running with? I have the same setup from Garage Therapy in my car and now I'm wondering if I need to pony up another grand for a race seat.

JD

[Rodan]

First, never go back to the shop that 'installed' them for you.

Second - stock seats, stock belts... the stock seats do not have the proper provisions for a 6pt. harness. Do NOT run a harness without the anti-submarine belt. There are some special 4pt. harnesses out there designed to work with airbags, but they are not made for Camaros (geometry is wrong), so stay away.

My suggestion would be to buy a race seat that you can swap out for track days to use with the 6pt harness. It's not that big a deal to swap them out if the race seat can bolt to the stock mounting points.

[JD_]

Originally Posted by Rodan

First, never go back to the shop that 'installed' them for you.

Second - stock seats, stock belts... the stock seats do not have the proper provisions for a 6pt. harness. Do NOT run a harness without the anti-submarine belt. There are some special 4pt. harnesses out there designed to work with airbags, but they are not made for Camaros (geometry is wrong), so stay away.

My suggestion would be to buy a race seat that you can swap out for track days to use with the 6pt harness. It's not that big a deal to swap them out if the race seat can bolt to the stock mounting points.

Therein lies the problem, most racing seats require you to replace the mounting brackets too.

[Keebler]

Ok, I'm talked out of cutting the seats.

Originally Posted by JD_

Which organizing body were you running with?

I run with different clubs that haven't objected to my current setup. This was caught in my annual tech for Tarheel Sports Car Club. While researching today, I found that Section 5 of their tech guide is very specific about this topic.

https://thscc.com/images/pdfs/track/TechGuide_2020.pdf

As recommended by the guide, I've ordered some 4 point Schroth Profi II ASM harnesses. I'll report back on how the install goes.

Originally Posted by Rodan

There are some special 4pt. harnesses out there designed to work with airbags, but they are not made for Camaros (geometry is wrong), so stay away.

This worries me. I called up Schroth and spoke with someone there that actually owns a 6th gen Camaro who assured me that this solution is safe as long as I'm attaching the shoulders to a harness bar or roll bar directly behind the seat at the correct height. He also said a QuickFit or something that ties into the rear seat belts is ok in some cars but is NOT safe in a Camaro. I hope this is the geometry problem you were referring to. Please update us if I'm wrong.



I also found this interesting video from Schroth about how anti-submarine works
https://youtu.be/s9f7wPzcWUQ

[Rodan]

Originally Posted by JD_

Therein lies the problem, most racing seats require you to replace the mounting brackets too.

Usually you can just fabricate a mount that bolts the race seat onto the stock mounting points. Sliders can be a problem depending on headroom, but for a single driver, fixed mounting usually works fine.

4 bolts/nuts - in/out for track or street.

[Rodan]

Originally Posted by Keebler

This worries me. I called up Schroth and spoke with someone there that actually owns a 6th gen Camaro who assured me that this solution is safe as long as I'm attaching the shoulders to a harness bar or roll bar directly behind the seat at the correct height. He also said a QuickFit or something that ties into the rear seat belts is ok in some cars but is NOT safe in a Camaro. I hope this is the geometry problem you were referring to. Please update us if I'm wrong.

The QuickFit is specifically what I was referring to. There were some threads on here a while back about using the BMW application, as it will physically work with the GM buckles, but I called Schroth and they were very clear that it was unsafe because of the angles to the rear seat belt recepticles.

If you have a roll bar, it sounds like they have an application for the Gen6. Our ZL1 only gets tracked a few times a year, so I didn't want to deal with installing a roll bar. We already have a dedicated track car.

[JD_]

Originally Posted by Keebler

I run with different clubs that haven't objected to my current setup. This was caught in my annual tech for Tarheel Sports Car Club. While researching today, I found that Section 5 of their tech guide is very specific about this topic.

https://thscc.com/images/pdfs/track/TechGuide_2020.pdf

As recommended by the guide, I've ordered some 4 point Schroth Profi II ASM harnesses. I'll report back on how the install goes.

I usually run with NASA or SCCA and did not see anything in their rules that would preclude the use of the 6-point and stock seats, but like you I am now considering the 4 point Schroth Profi II ASM harness setup.

Hate that I spent the money on the 6-point harnesses, but would hate it worse if I showed up at the track and was told I couldn't use them.

[JD_]

Originally Posted by Keebler

I run with different clubs that haven't objected to my current setup. This was caught in my annual tech for Tarheel Sports Car Club. While researching today, I found that Section 5 of their tech guide is very specific about this topic.

https://thscc.com/images/pdfs/track/TechGuide_2020.pdf

As recommended by the guide, I've ordered some 4 point Schroth Profi II ASM harnesses. I'll report back on how the install goes.

Hey Keebler,

Any updates on the Profi II setup?

[s.hammer]

As stated before, don't cut your seat up, 5 and 6 point belts are safety devices to be used specifically with racing seats designed for their use. I have used the Schroth 4 point for a year or so with a Brey Krause harness bar. The 4 point harness is not necessarily a safety device, it is more to keep you in the seat while cornering hard. I use the factory belt as well. The anti sub technology used basically amount to the inside shoulder strap stretching to allow the body to rotate as you would with your factory 3 point. You will need a roll bar or harness bar to attach the shoulder straps to. The height and ability to wrap the shoulder harnesses so they fall properly over your shoulders is the geometry I believe they are referring to. If you are looking to be held in the seat, the 4 point and harness bar are the way to go, if you are looking for additional safety, roll bar, 6 point, and a proper race seat are probably better.