Harness Questions.

[SASHO91]

Im thinking of ordering a set of Harnesses for the car.
What i was wondering about was:
1) Are they street legal? ( I have seen disclaimers in Summit that read: Off road use only...etc...)
2)I can get a good deal on a set of 2'' belts. Are there any dissadvantages with going with the 2'' instead of the 3'' (the car will eventually see some track use, but I do push the car sometimes on the street)
3)Mounting loactions: I have seen multiple setups were the mounting points are different. I have read that the prefered angle is 45* or so. But i have seen some setups with the belt going under the rear seat.(were it mounts, i dont know) I have seen others that go over the rear seat and behind it. Were would the best mounting location be? Also, could i use a stock seta belts clip and hook it into the stock rear seat belt?

Just some questions i have been pondering, and keeping me from purchasing them.
TIA.

 

[pitaSHO]

A Schroth four-point harness (the exact model number excapes me at the moment) is DOT legal. It bolts in at the pillar where your regular belt is, on the seat where the catch is; in the back the seat is removed (only for installation; it can be re-installed after the harness is in place) and the harness bolted in again where the existing bolts are for the rear seat belts. The rear locations require some bending of the bracket, but they work great, and are priced at under $200. I have tracked mine a few times and absolutely love it. It's worth every penny.

 

[Shoaz]

Be very careful, as putting a harness in a car without a cage is open to pitfalls and controversy. You'll get a lot of opinions here, so just be careful, do your homework, etc., etc.

A significant question is who do you intend to track it with? Many organizations now (e.g., NASA) are very specific about what harnesses are allowed for track events. It boils down to whether or not the manufacturer has sled-tested the harness to qualify it specifically for installation in your car. The good news is that, as sho-tym mentioned, the Schroth 4-point qualifies as they make one specifically for the Taurus. It will probably be important to keep the paperwork that comes with the harness to demonstrate to the tech inspectors that your harness is suitable for your car.

Like sho-tym, I used a Schroth 4-pt in my silver car for a long time (not on the street, just on the track, it flops under the seat pretty easily when not in use, and doesn't interfere with the stock 3-pt). It's pretty easy to install and works pretty well for keeping you planted in the seat.

But be aware that there are tradeoffs about using a harness in a non-caged car. There are certain accident modes (e.g., some rollovers) where the stock seat/belt combination are designed to allow your torso to move laterally to avoid injury. A harness will prevent this lateral movement, and that's where the cage normally comes in to avoid the need for it (by reducing the chance of a side/roof collapse. So a harness without a cage may compromise your safety in certain types of accidents.

Despite this I used the Schroth at the track, without a cage, because I also felt it was dangerous to slide around the seat so much with the stock 3-pt. Maintaining control is very important all the time, and I just made a personal decision that the ability to maintain better control due to the harness was a preferrable tradeoff against the likehood of injury due to the harness. Make your own decision, YMMV, don't try this at home, etc., etc.

On the street a harness is just bad news. It's more of a hassle to put on, it restricts your movement (try to close the door or reach in the glove box after you're buckled in), and it _isn't_ as safe on the street as the 3-pt. And on the street you shouldn't have trouble staying planted in your seat, so it's really not needed, anyway.

So take your time and do some research before you decide what you want to do.

 

[SHO92]

I have an older Schroth 4-point that has an solenoid locking reel with an inertia sensor. The harness can be locked, or left unlocked and allows you to bend forward, but the lap belt is always locked. The inertia sensor locks the harness when the car pitches forward.

AFAIK, Schroth no longer makes this harness. The other thing worth noting, is that in the Schroth papers that I have, it says the harness is ok to be used in the Taurus, but NOT with the stock seat. I am fairly certain this applies to the non-retractable 4-point as well.

The other thing to watch out for is that certain organizations require different thicknesses for the harness. Make sure you get one that is wide enough for the sanctioning body. I think you might have problems with a 2" wide harness.