Im getting a set of Sparco harnesses for my birthday and I've been reading a little about the differences. The only thing i've really seen is the 5th point keeps the buckle from going into your stomach (posibly upwards towards the rib cage area) compared to a 4 point where there is no strap holding the buckle in one place. What are the pros and cons of 5 vs. 4. And with 5 point do you need a seat with a hole in the middle of the seat or can you safely use 5 point with a stock seat?

 

Don't mess with the 4pt harness. Even if your organization allows them (SOLO II for example), they're a pain in the *** to keep tight without something keeping the latch down. And for road racing the 4pt isn't even legal. As for the stock seat, the correct answer is no, you can't (shouldn't) use it. However, lots of people still do, which is okay I guess as long as they understand the risk.

 

i may be a little confused and i havent tracked my car yet due to lack of experience/knowledge but will sometime in the future and am gettin a really good deal on these harnesses. Im in a MKiii supra. They have 8 way adjustable seats (lumbar, back ''depth'', standard moving front to back, and the butt area can move up or down evenly or each end individually) and feel just like any racing seat ive sat in so i was wondering why buy a racing seat when the stock one feels just the same. I may be wrong there. But for now 5 point would be better then 4 point on a stock seat for the time being and not used daily.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TRD MA70 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> i was wondering why buy a racing seat when the stock one feels just the same.</TD></TR></TABLE>

A racing harness has no recoil like an OEM belt, so once the seat moves in relation to the harness mount you have nothing but slack. This is why most racing organizations require a "fixed back seat." The reclining mechanism is a point of failure. Also, unless you cut a hole in the bottom of your seat, you cannot properly mount the sub-belts. There are ways to do it, but they are not nearly as safe (like going around the front of the seat, or under your butt through the gap between the seat bottom and back rest).

 

I see. Well since I'm getting a good sized discount and its for my bday its not costing me anything and i dont actually race in an organization yet would a 4 pt. be suitable for occasional ''street'' use like cones in empty parking lots. And even if its not worth it for that use, its a ''mod'' that my parents are ok with for buying me since its a ''safety feature''. And I could see people thinkin im a ricer for wanting a harness if im not a track ***** but its free, I'm young, and i gotta start somewhere.

 

No roll protection, no harness. Don't use any kind of harness on the street or track if you're not going to brace the roof with a roll bar (seems to be a street car). Really the only "accepted" time when you can use the harness w/o roll protection is autocrossing. Why? If you roll and the roof crushes even a little your head/neck/back is gone because there's no give to move out of the way with a 4 or more point harness. Just stick to the OEM seatbelt, if you have to use a torso belt or something similar.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TRD MA70 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">since its a ''safety feature''. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Its only a safety feature when properly implemented in combonation with other safety gear (rollbar/cage/seat, etc) and harnesses are almost never a good idea for street use.