acefuture
Well-known member
- Jun 8, 2021
- 332
- 551
Initially was going to post this in Sandrail Tech but this is applicable to all offroad, so general chat it is. I've harped on several threads about the importance of the correct seats and harnesses. I have been meaning to do a write up on it but kept forgetting, but in light of a severe crash over the past weekend of one of our group members, I figured nows the time.
It pains me to see the mass amount of vehicles in our sport utilizing the incorrect seats, harnesses, mounting, and securing. The choices you make with these items and how you use them can literally be life and death.
Seats:
Suspension seats: May be somewhat controversial but I maintain my stance that suspension seats have NO BUSINESS in an offroad car that is doing anything faster than 50mph. Period. Suspension seats were designed for, and should be strictly utilized by slow moving vehicles with limited suspension. They are to add further comfort for vehicles that need some extra cushion. They are constructed with a light duty metal frame, and composed of straps that essentially hold the seat pads in place, creating a "suspension" effect.
Composite or hardshell seats: This is the ONLY seat that should be in our sports' cars (specifically buggy and high speed vehicles). The intention is that you are contained within the shell and cannot move further than the containing bucket. These seats are not designed to be comfortable, they are designed to be SAFE. There is a reason why almost every high speed race sanction top racers use bucket/containment/hardshell seats. Furthermore, you need to be fitted for your seats. They should contain you and give you very little room to shift or move around. These wide seats that allow you to slide all over the seat are not safe! Go sit in a handful of seats at Kartek, Mckenzies, the sand show, etc and find the seat that fits you nice and snug. Some brands to look at: Sparco, Cobra, Beard, PRP. My personal favorite is the Sparco Evo series.
Harnesses:
Harnesses MUST be 5 or 6 point. A crotch strap is imperative. I was first one on the scene of a crash once where the SxS did not have crotch straps and the female passenger slid down so far that her legs went over the dash during the violent roll over. The straps should be manual tighten, not auto adjusting, and should utilize a snap clip or a camlock closure. Picking between the two is up for personal preference. There had been argument over camlock usage in offroad over the last 5+ years, but have been proven to work well in our sports. I personally use the camlock closure and like it better than the snap clip, but neither are better/worse per say. SFI rated belts are preferred but not mandatory. Any top name brand will have a certification, and this certification is from date of manufacture, not of expiration. I personally use a 2" strap, to fit with my HANS device as well as not rub on my neck when not wearing a HANS, but 3" is a popular size for others as well. The most important thing about the harnesses is that they are strapped TIGHT. So many people just loosely tighten them, which does nothing for you. Pull up vs pull down is completely personal. Summit Racing's website has a monster amount of options. Brands to look at: Impact, Crow, Racequip, PRP.
Mounting:
All mounting points should be welded to the chassis, with seats/harnesses mounted to those utilizing minimum Grade 8 hardware, preferably stronger if you can afford. All 4 mounting points on the seats should be used. Bolts should be shanked with the correct shoulder lengths. If you need to use a spacer, make sure a welded sleeve is used. The belts should be mounted to the rear cross bar by way of either circling the belt around the bar, or using welded rings to the chassis and a clip or bolt. 10 degrees or less should be the angle of your belt from the seat pass through to the rear bar.
Hopefully more people will become privy to the fact that their safety systems are not up to snuff and replace their seats with quality safety gear.
Below is some images as well as resources and a video that is helpful to explain in a visual form. This is not meant to in anyway discredit any brands or products. Simply to show what should be used for our sport and what should be used elsewhere.
Suspension seat (general reference):
Hardshell seat:
Mounting position:
Seat comparison video:
It pains me to see the mass amount of vehicles in our sport utilizing the incorrect seats, harnesses, mounting, and securing. The choices you make with these items and how you use them can literally be life and death.
Seats:
Suspension seats: May be somewhat controversial but I maintain my stance that suspension seats have NO BUSINESS in an offroad car that is doing anything faster than 50mph. Period. Suspension seats were designed for, and should be strictly utilized by slow moving vehicles with limited suspension. They are to add further comfort for vehicles that need some extra cushion. They are constructed with a light duty metal frame, and composed of straps that essentially hold the seat pads in place, creating a "suspension" effect.
Composite or hardshell seats: This is the ONLY seat that should be in our sports' cars (specifically buggy and high speed vehicles). The intention is that you are contained within the shell and cannot move further than the containing bucket. These seats are not designed to be comfortable, they are designed to be SAFE. There is a reason why almost every high speed race sanction top racers use bucket/containment/hardshell seats. Furthermore, you need to be fitted for your seats. They should contain you and give you very little room to shift or move around. These wide seats that allow you to slide all over the seat are not safe! Go sit in a handful of seats at Kartek, Mckenzies, the sand show, etc and find the seat that fits you nice and snug. Some brands to look at: Sparco, Cobra, Beard, PRP. My personal favorite is the Sparco Evo series.
Harnesses:
Harnesses MUST be 5 or 6 point. A crotch strap is imperative. I was first one on the scene of a crash once where the SxS did not have crotch straps and the female passenger slid down so far that her legs went over the dash during the violent roll over. The straps should be manual tighten, not auto adjusting, and should utilize a snap clip or a camlock closure. Picking between the two is up for personal preference. There had been argument over camlock usage in offroad over the last 5+ years, but have been proven to work well in our sports. I personally use the camlock closure and like it better than the snap clip, but neither are better/worse per say. SFI rated belts are preferred but not mandatory. Any top name brand will have a certification, and this certification is from date of manufacture, not of expiration. I personally use a 2" strap, to fit with my HANS device as well as not rub on my neck when not wearing a HANS, but 3" is a popular size for others as well. The most important thing about the harnesses is that they are strapped TIGHT. So many people just loosely tighten them, which does nothing for you. Pull up vs pull down is completely personal. Summit Racing's website has a monster amount of options. Brands to look at: Impact, Crow, Racequip, PRP.
Mounting:
All mounting points should be welded to the chassis, with seats/harnesses mounted to those utilizing minimum Grade 8 hardware, preferably stronger if you can afford. All 4 mounting points on the seats should be used. Bolts should be shanked with the correct shoulder lengths. If you need to use a spacer, make sure a welded sleeve is used. The belts should be mounted to the rear cross bar by way of either circling the belt around the bar, or using welded rings to the chassis and a clip or bolt. 10 degrees or less should be the angle of your belt from the seat pass through to the rear bar.
Hopefully more people will become privy to the fact that their safety systems are not up to snuff and replace their seats with quality safety gear.
Below is some images as well as resources and a video that is helpful to explain in a visual form. This is not meant to in anyway discredit any brands or products. Simply to show what should be used for our sport and what should be used elsewhere.
Suspension seat (general reference):
Hardshell seat:
Mounting position:
Seat comparison video:
