Sparco harness Bar install

[Farbin Kaiber]

Just make sure to roll the car to get your money's worth.

[rwh11385]

I've seen similar setups around the NCC. It's not cheap, we're talking like a 1500 dollar deductible, plus something like 500 for the weekend. Makes sense for something like a 996 or E46 M3, not so much for a 1500 dollar e30.

-Charlie

Yeah... not worth it for it. A shell for an E30 can be had for much less than $2000, and you lose all the $500 you spend but don't make use of.

Oh well.

A track e30 can be replaced easily... your neck not so much

[Dave]

has anyone seen a roll bar for a four door, I haven't. That's why i am looking at a harness bar.

You use the same bar. I had a Kirk - worked fine in the 4 door.

You are in Mass. Call VSR, they are just up the road from you. They have a nice e30 bar.

The 4 door e30 is the same chassis. Only difference is the size and number of doors.

[Charlie]

Then if you want to take it to that level, then makes sense.


:crazy:

If that is true, good luck... and fill Dave, Charle, and I in on it

I've seen similar setups around the NCC. It's not cheap, we're talking like a 1500 dollar deductible, plus something like 500 for the weekend. Makes sense for something like a 996 or E46 M3, not so much for a 1500 dollar e30.

-Charlie

[rwh11385]

Well I do have a second car that I could use for the commute, the fact is, its just not nearly as fun as the E30. But it's about to get used next week since we are expecting inclement weather and its FWD with All Seasons vs E30 with UHPs.

Then if you want to take it to that level, then makes sense.

And as far as HPDE's go, any time into the forseeable future I will only do "insurable" events. The local Auto-x/track guys have a found a company that is willing to do it, fairly affordably too. So I can go do a BMWCCA event and have my car fully insured down to specific amounts for wheels, suspension, seats/harnesses, etc, so if something bad happened, I would be able to build up another E30 back to the level that mine is now.

:crazy:

If that is true, good luck... and fill Dave, Charle, and I in on it

[DSP74]

Well I do have a second car that I could use for the commute, the fact is, its just not nearly as fun as the E30. But it's about to get used next week since we are expecting inclement weather and its FWD with All Seasons vs E30 with UHPs.

And as far as HPDE's go, any time into the foreseeable future I will only do "insurable" events. The local Auto-x/track guys have a found a company that is willing to do it, fairly affordably too. So I can go do a BMWCCA event and have my car fully insured down to specific amounts for wheels, suspension, seats/harnesses, etc, so if something bad happened, I would be able to build up another E30 back to the level that mine is now.

You sure about the insurance issue. SCCA requires insurance and all it does is cover the clubs ass in the event of property damage. The waivers you sign covers their ass in event of personal injury. There is no coverage what so ever on your property......

Unless things changed very recently. A friend had his two time solo nat' champ Camaro wrapped around a light pole.....a 10K fix. That was with a co-driver driving too.....And he covered it-he's a cool guy too.

[BimmerScreamer]

has anyone seen a roll bar for a four door, I haven't. That's why i am looking at a harness bar.

[z31maniac]

Well I do have a second car that I could use for the commute, the fact is, its just not nearly as fun as the E30. But it's about to get used next week since we are expecting inclement weather and its FWD with All Seasons vs E30 with UHPs.

And as far as HPDE's go, any time into the forseeable future I will only do "insurable" events. The local Auto-x/track guys have a found a company that is willing to do it, fairly affordably too. So I can go do a BMWCCA event and have my car fully insured down to specific amounts for wheels, suspension, seats/harnesses, etc, so if something bad happened, I would be able to build up another E30 back to the level that mine is now.

[rwh11385]

So your guys advice is that if I put a 4pt in my car for driving events, I still need to keep fixed back seats and use the harness for street duty.

Or install and remove all three for each event.

The philosophy of a good number of club members and myself is that if you are tracking to the point you want a harness and a bar... you ought to have another car for a daily. If you are really pushing it hard enough to want a harness, that shouldn't be the car you need to get to work on Monday...

Some guys have a bar and fixed seats and harnesses on the road (kinda hard to change the radio... Alpine remote)...

But then again, there's some guys running 4 point harnesses to the base of the back seat with no bar whatsoever and R-comps... and somehow convinced their instructor it is fine. So play it as conservative as you like.

[kishg]

looks like a nice fast track. the error would be over correcting, I'm assuming there is runoff on the outside?

[Mtriple]

I hate seeing this......That really sucks.

Must have slid into the grass sideways?

Yeah, this car was absolutely beautiful before the crash. What a shame...

The driver lost control in turn 2, overcorrected, and ended up going off on the inside of the track sideways into a drainage ditch. It's a pretty common mistake at BIR due to the speeds that are carried into 2.

[z31maniac]

So your guys advice is that if I put a 4pt in my car for driving events, I still need to keep fixed back seats and use the harness for street duty.

Or install and remove all three for each event.

[BMWLA]

street 6pt cage has a loop and front crash bars just above hip hight

[jlevie]

Whether a cage, fixed back race seats, and 5-6 point harnesses is safe in a car driven on the street is a function of the car, cage design & installation, type of seat and installation, and the height of the driver. I'm 5'8" and there's no way that my head could get anywhere near part of the cage w/o the shoulder belts fastened. My cage is a Kirk Racing weld-in (the same as he built for the GRM car) and I pushed the tubing as tight to the body as possible, which puts the the tube that runs from the main hoop forward almost as far away from my head as the upper part of the door. My Sparco Evo is mounted lower than any other seat I've seen and results in about 4" of clearance between my head and the roof. So it can be done and be safe, at least for an average sized driver. And the cage would matter even less if the seat has head protection.

I don't drive the car to the track any more, partly because it gets darned uncomfortable after a couple of hours and partly because I'll drive it harder if I'm not concerned about how I'll get back home, but when I did drive it to the track I felt safer in the cage, seat , and harnesses than I do driving the tow vehicle.

[rwh11385]

I hate seeing this......That really sucks.

Must have slid into the grass sideways?

Better see a car damaged around a roll bar than someone paralyzed or dead without. Like the guy who died in the past year tracking a cooper with 4 point harnesses and no roll protection.

So how do you feel about a 4pt in a street car, which is my plan. I maiy want it for chassis stiffness and secure harness mounting for auto-x/HPDE

Generally... Pick None or Pick Three:
Roll bar
Fixed back seats
Harness

As Massive said, it is better because there is no bar to the side or front of your noggin... although if your seat back on a reclinable SRD breaks (as intended) and your 3 point belt lets you slide to the center... you may take out your skull via the cross-bar of the roll bar. (Which some approve of a back brace on a reclinable, etc.)

People go with fixed back seats and 4 point harnesses for Auto-X and take a risk... but I like walking so no thanks. We've had someone flip a M3 LTW auto-xing... $4!# happens

I'm eventually going to get a Role Position for me and move my 5pt SRD to passenger (with a back brace), 4 point rollbar and a pair of 6 points harnesses. Until then, CG-lock, stock belts, and reclinable recaros.