After much thought, & severe cheapness, I have decided to buy a Hans device. It seems to me, that it is the only truely effect protection out there. This will be the only approved device next year in several series which allows more than one this year.

We worry about our 3" harness belts stretching. How about the 1" webbing used by other devices? How about the spinal compression they cause? How about the uncomfortable 'climbing harness' one makes you wear? I know that in the world of auto racing, I am actually traveling pretty darn slow. It cost a bunch of $$. So what? <U> I am making an investment in safety equipment. </U> I remember a prospective WC competitor complaining that the cost of the device would keep them out of racing. On that forum, the general consensus was, if you can't afford the $1300 for it, what makes you thing you can afford to run in WC. FYI, the new 'economy' model ($975), is purported to actually be better that the 'pro' model of a couple of years ago, in design details & weight.

I am buying a Hans device. Why aren't you?

 

I know very little about the Hans device and have a question. Is the Hans device marketed for all levels of motorsports? At what sort of crash situation would the Hans device prove worthy of having?




[Modified by SUPERAUTOBACS, 9:02 PM 11/22/2002]

 

A good question that most people will have differing opinions on. Basically, the faster you are going, the more you need one. Actually, it isn't the speed so much as the sudden deceleration that makes it important. For example, if Racer X is going 100 mph, he will get a much harder 'hit' if he drives straight into a immoveable concrete barrior than if he drove thru a gravel trap & then hit the tires. Just because the car stops moving, it doesn't mean that the body stops. The internal organs keep going. Your helmeted head keeps trying to go. Too much force can lead to basilar (sp) skull fracture. Dale E. has not been the only person to die this way.

 

I would like to know which series(you speak of), other than F1, that requires the HANS specifically over the Hutchen's device?

 

Yes, i understand that the faster the average speed gets in the type of racing u do, the more need to protect urself from potentially life-threatening crashes. I can understand the move towards making the Hans device a neccessity in all open-wheeled racing (F1-3, CART, IRL, etc.), all oval racing series, and "pro-level" GT racing. The speeds that these cars are capable of neccessitate the use of such a device, but how about regular road-going cars that wont reach as high in speeds and cornering G's? For the average HPDE'er or racer?
Just some quetions that i have in mind....

 

Good decision.

Not racing related, but still applicable... I wrecked a motorcycle years back and received a compressed vertebrae in my lower neck/upper back. It bothered me considerably, but eventually got somewhat better. About 3 years ago, a 72 yr old man decided to make a left turn in front of me. I hit his driver side door going 40-45 as soon as my foot touched the brake. Seatbelt on, no airbag. The hit was hard enough for me to hit the steering wheel and push it about 3inches into the dash. I re-injured my back, not from the impact directly, but because my body stopped and my head snapped forward and down while the seatbelt held my body. This effect would be magnified with a racing harness.

I will not start racing without one... and you may see me driving HPDE's in one before the year's out. Death is an option that most racers seem to have made their peace with. Permanent debilitating injury is not, and has a much higher probability. I have life insurance to protect my family, but the worst-case financial situation for them would be an injury that prevented me from working.

I guess the Hans design really hits home with me because it's designed to prevent the exact injury I have sustained. This device is the one against all others are compared... you never hear anyone asking if a HANS is as good as a hutchins. I personally hope to see more grassroots racers find room in their budgets for these.

 

In my brand new Racer Wholesale catalog, there is a device called the SRS-1 that is meant to provide the same type of protection to the skull/neck interface (?). Anybody have any experience with it?
They don't advertise a price yet, only that it is at a price that "won't break the bank." Most of the G-Force Helmets they sell now seem to come with the mounting points pre-installed to use this system. I don't know much about G-Force, except that they are relatively inexpensive compared to other "name brand" helmets like Simpson, Shoei, Bell, etc., so I don't know about the quality level of their products.
comments?

 

I'd lump it in the "better than nothing" category...



[edit] here's a link as well: http://www.gforce.com/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
It can only be used with helmets made to use the system (read: G-force) and helmets cannot be retrofitted to work.


[Modified by JeffS, 12:38 AM 11/23/2002]

 

just to add my comments to the discussion...
i've worn both the HANS as well as the hutchens and i can say that i prefer the hutchens over the HANS--it's much more comfortable. to those who wonder about the effectiveness of the hutchens, i can (unfortunately) say that i've tested it and it does, in fact work.
just a little food for thought, the makers of the hutchens device released a new model called the D-Cell and it uses wider straps and is designed to work without clipping into the lap belts.

-tony

 

In addition to F1, I was told that it would be the only approved required head restraint system for Grand Am. It would also most likely be the only approved device for NASCAR next year.

While the G-Force system looks like it may be better than some of the others, I still think the Hans is the best. For them to imply that other 'systems' mounting points are suspect is funny. Seems like it isn't an issue with anyone else. Interesting how they mention the testing of their product but don't give any results.
There is an 7 page doc. on testing @ http://www.hansdevice.com

 

I don't spend a lot of time in climbing harnesses. I have used them for rescue training/work in my job. In order to work properly, they must be pretty darn tight. They are not comfortable. It does look better than the original system though. http://www.hutchensdevice.com/html/html.html

 

the straps acutally don't need to be that tight on the hutchens. the majority of the straps on the device are used just to keep it in place. the effectiveness comes from the fact that the harness comes back up between your legs and clips into your belts--this is what stops the forward movement of the head. like i said, i've worn both and the hutchens, in my opinion, is far more comfortable than the HANS.

 

I was making my comment in ref. to the new D-Cell. It looks like it uses a 'type' of climbing harness to anchor the safety system.

In addition, no matter what system, including the Hans, the looser and the longer the various straps are, the more slop there is.


[Modified by civicrr, 10:25 PM 11/22/2002]

 

sorry...i misunderstood.

 

Its all good. The more people that buy a system, the better. I just have decided on the Hans. It sure hurt to send the $$ out!

 

HANS is definitely a worthwhile investment. the only problems that i have encontered with it was that the belts tended to want to slip off of the "yoke". keep in mind that this was the open-wheel version of the HANS and it is narrower so that it can fit in the tiny open-wheeled cockpits.

 

Hmm.. That will be interesting.. I work on the Fire/Rescue team for the NASCAR races, and they haven't told us anything about requiring the drivers to wear HANS yet. There are more drivers out there with the Hutchen's and Simpson restraint systems than there are with the HANS... I'm sure it will be a feat in itself just to make them switch. Tony will be back in Anger Management for sure. Haven't heard about Grand Am either.

 

Something to consider is sponsorship. I don't believe that Hubbard/Downing (sp) sponsors anyone with $$ or product. I am pretty sure the same can not be said for the other two.

That is just my perception. I 'think' I read that somewhere. I can, of course, be completely wrong on this too.