BimmerDriver
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
When doing road racing, HPDE or autocross, safety is #1. A proper car setup will have a rollcage and other nifty things. However, that tends to ruin the car for the street, because you really can't drive a car with a cage without a helmet, as your noggin may tend to bounce off of the various rails and tubes. A compromise is a rollbar in the back, or if (like me) you don't plan to actually race but just do HPDE (or autocross), then a harness bar is a slightly lesser compromise, which doesn't interfere with your rear view and generally requires fewer (to sometimes no) permanent modifications to the car.
What I did was use the Braum harness bar ($299) which comes in five pieces... this makes it easier to install and remove, as you are not fighting with one huge piece which is difficult to get in the car and even more difficult to install. The Braum was not quite as easy as I had hoped. One thing is that it's designed for 2015-up Mustangs, but in 2018 (I believe) Ford changed the seatbelt mounts. So aside from the instructions being outdated, I had to do a little cutting of the plastic trim near the mounting points to make room for the bar in my 2020 GT. Part 2 was that nothing really lined-up right. We'll assume vagaries in production of both the car and the bar in addition to the installer (me) being an idiot , and so I used wood working clamps to help align the pieces to get it together. Hence all of the marks and blemishes on the otherwise lovely looking bars that they sent. The bar mounts in the outboard lower seat belt mounts for the front seats, and the child latch mounting points in the rear. No cutting of the seat was necessary, it uses the existing pass-thru.
So, the harness bar carries the shoulder harness. I also needed to mount the lower waist belts, and since I believe in 5 point harnesses, I also needed a mount for the submarine belt. This fifth belt goes in your crotch and holds the harness down, preventing it from sliding up into your stomach, which would be bad. It can also theoretically keep you from submarining (hence the name) under the belts. But you would be using your gonads to keep you in place, which I suspect would be uncomfortable. <cough>
I bought the Watson Racing Harness Lap Belt Mount ($95) for the lower belts, which mounts in the existing seat mounting points. It came with two (of the three) mounting points loops shown. The third one, for the crotch belt, came with the harness but I did have to go buy some washers and a nut.
The harness itself was about $200. Lots of choices for those. You can spend more. Research certifications to determine what you want, and never buy a used one.
Now, this is partly about safety, but also having a harness to keep you in your seat helps TREMENDOUSLY to let you focus on car control rather than struggling to stay seated. It also reduces fatigue and makes for a more enjoyable experience. Remember to turn off (if you choose) the traction control and the radio and HVAC, put on your helmet and shut the door before you tighten the belts. Because otherwise you're taking it all off again.
What I did was use the Braum harness bar ($299) which comes in five pieces... this makes it easier to install and remove, as you are not fighting with one huge piece which is difficult to get in the car and even more difficult to install. The Braum was not quite as easy as I had hoped. One thing is that it's designed for 2015-up Mustangs, but in 2018 (I believe) Ford changed the seatbelt mounts. So aside from the instructions being outdated, I had to do a little cutting of the plastic trim near the mounting points to make room for the bar in my 2020 GT. Part 2 was that nothing really lined-up right. We'll assume vagaries in production of both the car and the bar in addition to the installer (me) being an idiot , and so I used wood working clamps to help align the pieces to get it together. Hence all of the marks and blemishes on the otherwise lovely looking bars that they sent. The bar mounts in the outboard lower seat belt mounts for the front seats, and the child latch mounting points in the rear. No cutting of the seat was necessary, it uses the existing pass-thru.
So, the harness bar carries the shoulder harness. I also needed to mount the lower waist belts, and since I believe in 5 point harnesses, I also needed a mount for the submarine belt. This fifth belt goes in your crotch and holds the harness down, preventing it from sliding up into your stomach, which would be bad. It can also theoretically keep you from submarining (hence the name) under the belts. But you would be using your gonads to keep you in place, which I suspect would be uncomfortable. <cough>
I bought the Watson Racing Harness Lap Belt Mount ($95) for the lower belts, which mounts in the existing seat mounting points. It came with two (of the three) mounting points loops shown. The third one, for the crotch belt, came with the harness but I did have to go buy some washers and a nut.
The harness itself was about $200. Lots of choices for those. You can spend more. Research certifications to determine what you want, and never buy a used one.
Now, this is partly about safety, but also having a harness to keep you in your seat helps TREMENDOUSLY to let you focus on car control rather than struggling to stay seated. It also reduces fatigue and makes for a more enjoyable experience. Remember to turn off (if you choose) the traction control and the radio and HVAC, put on your helmet and shut the door before you tighten the belts. Because otherwise you're taking it all off again.
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