Expired harnesses

[breakaway500]

^ Some organizations don't recognize SFi standards,and some don't recognize FIA.Pretty silly. Yours will be valid for the FIA expiration date with COM.

[naschmitz]

The one I got said SFI and FIA approved. WTF does that mean?

It means it is good for five years from the FIA date.

[StephanAlfa]

The one I got said SFI and FIA approved. WTF does that mean?

I could not resist .. I googled .. and had a hard time finding SFI .. but came across some interesting abbreviations:
Sequential Fuel Injection WOW! some special seat-belt!
Science Foundation Ireland Measures the spill index of your beer while wearing a seat-belt
significant finding investigation HUmmmmmm... I wonder
Six-Figure Income Yup, that it! need lots of that if you want to race!
Sexual Function Index TMI!!!
Significant Finding Investigations uh, ok, change seat belts every 2 years but hold on to your 13 year old originals ...
Special fabrication instruction engineer in USA, fabricate in China?


As for "FIA" I think you know what that is... parlez-vous Français?

[chaos4NH]

If you still have the stock belts, and feel really cheap, you can use BOTH the stock belts and the 6 points. Not a recommendation, but using the stock belts makes it legal if the 6 points are out of date.

[McMahonRacing]

Was going to stay out of this one, but ...... the short version is:
SFI - 2 yrs
FIA - 5 yrs
We can second guess the "Rule Setters" all we want, bottom line is if we can't spend the few $$$ to buy belts, meet the rules and save our own ARSE's then just maybe we shouldn't be doing what we are doing ....it really shouldn't be a debate about stock vs race harness, it ought to be about keeping one safe ...... reality is, many groups cut the beginners some slack ( helmets, harness, suits, shoes, neck support, cages, harness bars, etc. ) but once you obtain a liscense the rules should be the same for all period.

Below are a couple pics of a friends car, more can be found out about it on the NASA forum under American Iron, but it is from Summit Point just days before the COM event & it was not the only incident from that event, think about it, this stuff is meant to save lives and it does ( I think we even have a couple COM members that can attest to the fuctionality of the proper safety gear & how little it costs when it's your life ) ......

[John F]

Do you know if the cause of that mess the broken spokes on the drivers side front wheel or is that just a side effect?

[McMahonRacing]

Short version: was into the turn hot, turn was very slick the entire event, tracked out a bit far ( had been out ther before w/o incident ), believe's he must have caught a rut or other it snapped & tossed it cross track into the wall ....

[savage217]

That is too bad. Hate to see stuff like that, and of course hope the driver came away unscathed. I am all for safety equipment, believe me, I just think a lot of it is a marketing scheme and is about keeping the companies in business and profitable. I don't know, that's just my opinion. Ideally all cars that are being tracked should have full cages with fire surpression, drivers should be required to use 6 point harnesses with hans devices, etc, etc. Luckily, that is not the case because if it were, I would not be able to use my SPB daily driven street car on the track.

[McMahonRacing]

In their defense, they as a Mfgr. do not know what the end user is doing as an ex., I run two cars:

Cobra, open top, street legal & driven .... at the end of two yrs my harness looks rough, would personally not run belts more than two yrs. in this car

Mustang, closed car, track only & rarely used ..... at the end of two yrs the belts look brand new & would certainly use them if allowed

Myabe there is a better way to evaluate the harness, but it would require more then any club or organization is ready to put forth, so just be preppared to pay, it is the cost of excitment in our case & be happy you don't have to buy multiple sets !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nateh]

Good FIA (5 year) belts do not have to be expensive. Check out the G-Force camlock series. I've been using them for quite a few years and I continue to be very happy with them.

Belts and helmets are a small investment in the bigger picture of what we spend to be on track.