I have 5 point seat belts with the lap and center installed. Does anyone have a suggestion for mounting through the fire wall? It seems thin and not sure where to mount behind the seat.
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I have 5 point seat belts with the lap and center installed. Does anyone have a suggestion for mounting through the fire wall? It seems thin and not sure where to mount behind the seat.
Your shoulder belts should mount to a cross bar attached to the frame or a roll cage. Check your belt manufacturers guidelines for positioning the location and angle of the shoulder straps, this is very important if you want them to work properly in an emergency situation. The firewall by itself is too thin to mount to.
Just my own opinion, but if I did not have a full roll cage, not just little round hoops behind the seats, but a proper roll cage with all requisite bracing, I would not use shoulder belts. I have 5 points in my spyder but only use the shoulder belts when I bolt in my full cage. If the cage is not in its only three for me!
A five point harness when properly installed and cinched down will allow you very little movement. If your car should happen to flip over in an accident you will probably lose your head, literally. The roll cage prevents this. With a three (or two) point belt you at least have the chance to duck or be pushed into the cockpit when upside down.
Not that it ever happens....
Just my own opinion, but if I did not have a full roll cage, not just little round hoops behind the seats, but a proper roll cage with all requisite bracing, I would not use shoulder belts. I have 5 points in my spyder but only use the shoulder belts when I bolt in my full cage. If the cage is not in its only three for me!
A five point harness when properly installed and cinched down will allow you very little movement. If your car should happen to flip over in an accident you will probably lose your head, literally. The roll cage prevents this. With a three (or two) point belt you at least have the chance to duck or be pushed into the cockpit when upside down.
Not that it ever happens....
Thanks Doug. Now that you have opened the door... Do you have any good advice for a roll cage. Does yours bolt to the frame and can be removed. Do you have pictures. I would like to race / autocross and would like to get a similar set up that you have.
Thank you very much for your help!!
Thank you very much for your help!!
Hi Tane, yes, I do have pics. I'll try to post them into my pics folder this weekend. I'll post here to let you know if/when I'm successful! If not I can always e-mail them to you if you post your e-mail address...
Anyway, it is a bolt in cage that I remove for "touring" and bolt in for track days. We had to weld in 6" long sections of 3" x 4" tubing "pads" to the outside of the frame (still inside the cockpit) fore and aft to bolt the cage to in four places. There is a full width main hoop with one diagonal cross brace and top and bottom horozontal braces. The top horozontal brace is where I loop my shoulder harnesses. I used 1972 SCCA specifications to base my design from and so far it has satisfied every tech inspection at the track days I attend. I'm sure it will not be legal for current SCCA specs, but should be more than adequate for autocrossing. A side benefit is that it does stiffen the chassis considerably! And it makes for convenient handholds to assist getting in and out of the car!
Anyway, it is a bolt in cage that I remove for "touring" and bolt in for track days. We had to weld in 6" long sections of 3" x 4" tubing "pads" to the outside of the frame (still inside the cockpit) fore and aft to bolt the cage to in four places. There is a full width main hoop with one diagonal cross brace and top and bottom horozontal braces. The top horozontal brace is where I loop my shoulder harnesses. I used 1972 SCCA specifications to base my design from and so far it has satisfied every tech inspection at the track days I attend. I'm sure it will not be legal for current SCCA specs, but should be more than adequate for autocrossing. A side benefit is that it does stiffen the chassis considerably! And it makes for convenient handholds to assist getting in and out of the car!
Tane, if you look at my pictures posted in my gallery (Biker2) the first picture is turn 2 at Gingerman in South Haven, MI. You can see a little bit of the cage to get an idea of what it is.
Doug, thanks for sharing. As I look into autocross and racing I know I need some help to get the car ready for the track. If you have trouble with the pics you can email me at tane@eastbaymortgage.com. Thanks again for the help. I will keep you posted on progress with the cage.
Hi Tane,
I uploaded a few pics of my rollbar this morning. YOu can find them in my pictures folder. There are a few shots of the mounting points, and a few overall shots. If you have any questions please give me a shout, always glad to help!
I uploaded a few pics of my rollbar this morning. YOu can find them in my pictures folder. There are a few shots of the mounting points, and a few overall shots. If you have any questions please give me a shout, always glad to help!
Thank you. This will really help. I noticed your rear tires look pretty wide. What are you running? Do you notice a difference in holding the corners?
Thanks Again!
Thanks Again!
I think the rears are 205/60 - 15's. Whatever came on it! Don't know if it holds better with wider rubber in the rear as I have never had narrow tires back there! I thought most Beck cars had 4.5" rims front and 5.5" rims in the back, with smaller 185/65 - 15's up front.
Anyway, the rear seems to hold well right up to the point everything lets go, as long as you are steady throttle or accelerating through a corner. If you lift in the middle of or entering a corner you will probably be seeing the scenerey by the side of the road flash by you spinning :)
Anyway, the rear seems to hold well right up to the point everything lets go, as long as you are steady throttle or accelerating through a corner. If you lift in the middle of or entering a corner you will probably be seeing the scenerey by the side of the road flash by you spinning :)