[snicko]

Hey y'all -

I'm looking into a harness+seat+rollbar setup for the SS 1LE. The car is street driven but not my daily driver (4000 miles in the last 10 months + 6 or 7 track days so far..). It will see a few (10 - 12) tracks days a year.

I would prefer to have an head restraint seat like the Racetech 4100HR that I've had in past lives in dedicated race cars. I was happy with that seat.

While I'm sure I can get the mirrors aligned so I can use them, the direct left & right visibility is of concern. After many years, my memory is a bit fuzzy - I have distinct recollections of having lean forward and look around the head restraint wings to see directly left and right out of the race car. That is making me lean towards a non-head restraint seat. I would need that visibilty for street driving.

I'm curious tho hear from y'alls experience with head restraint seats in street driven cars - how was side visibility for you?

Thanks!

[Christian1LE]

Mine is fine, you do kind of have to look around it but my eyeline is right over the "wings". It definitely makes it less convenient than when they are not there but it's too much of an issue for me. My car almost never gets driven on the street though.

[snicko]

Originally Posted by Christian1LE

Mine is fine, you do kind of have to look around it but my eyeline is right over the "wings". It definitely makes it less convenient than when they are not there but it's too much of an issue for me. My car almost never gets driven on the street though.

Hmmm. . I seem to vaguely remember needing to lean forward a bit with the HR seat.

Thanks, I think I need to plonk my fat ass in a few seats at Wine Country . . .

..now to pick a roll bar.. CMS I think ?

[ariZona28]

I've got a C5 Z06 that is a mostly track car and visibility with the containment seat is pretty challenging at best. There is a thread in the Corvette Forum and the suggestions I mentioned apply to the Camaros also. Roll bars are a great safety addition BUT in a street driven vehicle with no helmet being worn a minor accident can turn into a life altering catastrophe if your skull makes contact with it. Track safety items can be a slippery slope. Containment seat? Air bag delete? Hans device? Fire suit? Fire supression? The gm factory stuff is pretty good for hobbyist HPDE. Get above that level and you really need a well coordinated comprehensive ensemble. Kinda tough to have a robust track vehicle and have it be street legal. Keep in mind if you're using a harness belt system those belts might not be DOT approved. Try explaining that to the other drivers insurance company in the event of an injury accident.

[kropscamaro16]

i wouldnt do it i have a sparco qrt r in my car right now and when i get my trailer im going to put one in and swap my seat to passenger but for now since visibility sucks so much i wouldnt put one in a street driven car

[snicko]

Originally Posted by kropscamaro16

i wouldnt do it i have a sparco qrt r in my car right now and when i get my trailer im going to put one in and swap my seat to passenger but for now since visibility sucks so much i wouldnt put one in a street driven car

Ok that's good to know - The QRT R is one I want to plonk my ass into, along with the Racetech.

[snicko]

The topic of harnesses, seats in a street driven car is a pretty hot topic, not to mention the topic of rollbar vs no rollbar vs harness bar (THAT is a spicy topic on its own..).

I appreciate sharing your thoughts on this - thank you

I've been down this slippery slope before with other cars. In this case I know where the bottom of the slope is. For me I want a harness for track days - I find the car a bit more of a handful to drive while I'm bracing myself, even with the belt locked in. I won't do a harness with a stock seat (lack of sub belt mounts and shoulder belt angles) and I won't do a fixed back seat without a rollbar. And so .. here I am.

Originally Posted by ariZona28

I've got a C5 Z06 that is a mostly track car and visibility with the containment seat is pretty challenging at best. There is a thread in the Corvette Forum and the suggestions I mentioned apply to the Camaros also. Roll bars are a great safety addition BUT in a street driven vehicle with no helmet being worn a minor accident can turn into a life altering catastrophe if your skull makes contact with it. Track safety items can be a slippery slope. Containment seat? Air bag delete? Hans device? Fire suit? Fire supression? The gm factory stuff is pretty good for hobbyist HPDE. Get above that level and you really need a well coordinated comprehensive ensemble. Kinda tough to have a robust track vehicle and have it be street legal. Keep in mind if you're using a harness belt system those belts might not be DOT approved. Try explaining that to the other drivers insurance company in the event of an injury accident.

[Christian1LE]

I don't think it has to be too complicated. I would have no problems driving my car on the street, it's not any less safe IMO. I feel like the only argument you can make is that the headrest of a track seat won't have the give that a stock seat has.

The 4 point rollbar will never hit your head, it's behind the seat, rollbars in street cars only affect the driver if it's a full roll cage, not a half/4point one.

You can still use the stock seatbelts instead of the 5/6 point seatbelts in your track seat so your body will still have the normal give to make use of the airbag properly.

What I wouldn't do is drive on the street with a 5 point harness.

[eimarshall]

Since I put in the halo seats driving on the street is a pain in the ass. I wouldn’t recommend it. Follow krops’ example and just get a normal seat if you’re going to spend much time on the street.

[snicko]

Originally Posted by eimarshall

Since I put in the halo seats driving on the street is a pain in the ass. I wouldn’t recommend it. Follow krops’ example and just get a normal seat if you’re going to spend much time on the street.

Thanks for the additional data point!

[snicko]

Originally Posted by Christian1LE

I don't think it has to be too complicated. I would have no problems driving my car on the street, it's not any less safe IMO. I feel like the only argument you can make is that the headrest of a track seat won't have the give that a stock seat has.

The 4 point rollbar will never hit your head, it's behind the seat, rollbars in street cars only affect the driver if it's a full roll cage, not a half/4point one.

You can still use the stock seatbelts instead of the 5/6 point seatbelts in your track seat so your body will still have the normal give to make use of the airbag properly.

What I wouldn't do is drive on the street with a 5 point harness.

I looked at pics of a handful of rollbars, one looked like it was really forward and close to the driver's head. From pics I've seen, yours included I think, the CMS one seems set far enough back to be clear of the driver and passenger heads.

Agree with you on the harness on the street - I plan on keeping the stock belts in the car for street use. I'll toss a set of airbag resistors into the harness to keep the airbag light off.