Hans device...or not? Fire proof overalls? Opinions please
Discussion
As per the title, I do track days and regularly get up to 130-140 mph.
I understand the arguments re Hans devices for drivers in high speed race series (oval racing, F1 etc).
I value my head and neck.
Do we, the well-informed PH readership, think I should be looking at getting a Hans device for track days in a fast road car?
I am not worried about looking pretentious.
Same question re fire-proof overalls.
My track car is a (fibre-glass) TVR, so if it goes up in flames it will burn brightly.
And the fuel lines are about 12 inches above my feet.
I suppose that answers my question really...
I understand the arguments re Hans devices for drivers in high speed race series (oval racing, F1 etc).
I value my head and neck.
Do we, the well-informed PH readership, think I should be looking at getting a Hans device for track days in a fast road car?
I am not worried about looking pretentious.
Same question re fire-proof overalls.
My track car is a (fibre-glass) TVR, so if it goes up in flames it will burn brightly.
And the fuel lines are about 12 inches above my feet.
I suppose that answers my question really...
77racing said:
Ment to say I have several sets of 6 point harnesses out of racing date if you need some cheap ones, bell me if needed.
Thanks Perry, that's kind of you. I have a set of 3 inch 4 point harnesses, and don't have the fixing for the crutch strap, so would probably take the risk of sliding under the harnesses.
I use Tuscan seats in my Chimaera, with the seat pads removed on track, so am quite low in the seats.
I used to use the harnesses before I got the Tuscan seats, but took them out after four hours of trying to get them to fit with the new seats and my inertia reel belts.
I just need to re-work the harness fixings, as i want to retain the use of the normal inertia reel belts for road use.
To everyone else, as you can tell from the tone of my original post I am receptive to the idea of max safety (given that I am daft enough to drive a TVR on track at my age).
Thank you for your thoughts - I think you are right and I should embrace all of them. There is little enough protection in a TVR as it is, and to date I have been lucky on my excursions off the track, choosing places with loads of space to lose concentration, or on one memorable occasion at 120 mph, the brakes.
Thank you for your thoughts - I think you are right and I should embrace all of them. There is little enough protection in a TVR as it is, and to date I have been lucky on my excursions off the track, choosing places with loads of space to lose concentration, or on one memorable occasion at 120 mph, the brakes.
Very useful - think I may need to take myself and the car to somewhere like Merlin @ Castle Combe to get an expert to fit me, a good helmet and the Hans/Simpson device in the car. I do have doubts whether my seats would be suitable, but I do have the option of doing a seat swap for track days.
Present road seats:
You can just about see the harness fixing eye on the roll cage behind the passenger seat
Present road seats:
You can just about see the harness fixing eye on the roll cage behind the passenger seat
Yes, I have a half cage at the moment in my Chimaera - all behind the seats, but it is close to my head (not dangerously so) and affords some protection. It also stiffens the rear of the car quite noticeably, as you said.
Looks like you were testing the side impact protection (non-existant!) in the TVR there. I will avoid the obvious 69 jokes.....with difficulty!
I know I have been lucky so far. My only damage accident in 4 years of track events was a slide into an earth bank at low speed on a sprint. I thought I was a driving god.....but failing to control a power slide out of the hairpin at Curborough proved I wasn't. Just cracked the front corner fibreglass and damaged my ego.
Other excursions off track have included at spin in damp conditions at Snetterton at 90+mph - I touched a puddle and did 3.5 rotations along the main straight, luckily in a straight line, ending up backwards on the grass at the first corner. An MGB that did the same trick 10 minutes later hit the barrier on the right hand side of the track hard, trashing both ends of the car on the armco.
And I have also left the grey stuff at Mallory Park at the entrance to Gerards at 115 mph when I had brain fade and completely forgot to brake - I count myself lucky that there is so much grass there, and that i managed to spin the car to stop it without rolling it over. Similarly I didn't roll when I went into the gravel by the pit entrance, locked up and sideways, on a different Mallory track day, though I did trigger the fuel cut off.
A 120mph spin with complete brake failure at Hullavington had me thanking the Gods that it was an open airfield.
So, I thank you all for taking the time to give thoughtful advice, and I will take your advice and will spend the money to give myself as much head and neck protection as possible, properly professionally advised.
When I started this thread I was already thinking that way, but was expecting at least one post saying don't bother. I am actually pleased to see everyone on the same page on safety.
And yes, I will from now on be one of those "all the gear, no idea" twerps who wears race overalls to a track day. As my daughter says all too frequently, I am at the age when I only look cool with a Magnum in my hand - a Double Caramel one, not a .357. So I have no dignity left to lose.
Looks like you were testing the side impact protection (non-existant!) in the TVR there. I will avoid the obvious 69 jokes.....with difficulty!
I know I have been lucky so far. My only damage accident in 4 years of track events was a slide into an earth bank at low speed on a sprint. I thought I was a driving god.....but failing to control a power slide out of the hairpin at Curborough proved I wasn't. Just cracked the front corner fibreglass and damaged my ego.
Other excursions off track have included at spin in damp conditions at Snetterton at 90+mph - I touched a puddle and did 3.5 rotations along the main straight, luckily in a straight line, ending up backwards on the grass at the first corner. An MGB that did the same trick 10 minutes later hit the barrier on the right hand side of the track hard, trashing both ends of the car on the armco.
And I have also left the grey stuff at Mallory Park at the entrance to Gerards at 115 mph when I had brain fade and completely forgot to brake - I count myself lucky that there is so much grass there, and that i managed to spin the car to stop it without rolling it over. Similarly I didn't roll when I went into the gravel by the pit entrance, locked up and sideways, on a different Mallory track day, though I did trigger the fuel cut off.
A 120mph spin with complete brake failure at Hullavington had me thanking the Gods that it was an open airfield.
So, I thank you all for taking the time to give thoughtful advice, and I will take your advice and will spend the money to give myself as much head and neck protection as possible, properly professionally advised.
When I started this thread I was already thinking that way, but was expecting at least one post saying don't bother. I am actually pleased to see everyone on the same page on safety.
And yes, I will from now on be one of those "all the gear, no idea" twerps who wears race overalls to a track day. As my daughter says all too frequently, I am at the age when I only look cool with a Magnum in my hand - a Double Caramel one, not a .357. So I have no dignity left to lose.
The guy who services my TVR races a similar car and uses a Hans device. He has a Tillet seat in his stripped out race car, so perhaps my first port of call will be to ask him to wear his kit and show me how it all sits/fits in his car.
All Chimaeras have a harness anchorage point built in by the factory to the top corner each side of the chassis above the diff. It may be that I have to use that for the rear top belt fixing, and swap my driver's seat for track days - it's only fixed by four bolts through the floor, but unlike factory standard cars, my seats are already actually fixed through the chassis itself, not through the fibre glass floor alone. At least if I use a proper race seat on the track I will be able to fit a full six-point harness. Food for thought, and I have a good 2-3 months to think about it and get it sorted. Thanks. Fire proof overalls - no brainer, sitting here at the computer.
All Chimaeras have a harness anchorage point built in by the factory to the top corner each side of the chassis above the diff. It may be that I have to use that for the rear top belt fixing, and swap my driver's seat for track days - it's only fixed by four bolts through the floor, but unlike factory standard cars, my seats are already actually fixed through the chassis itself, not through the fibre glass floor alone. At least if I use a proper race seat on the track I will be able to fit a full six-point harness. Food for thought, and I have a good 2-3 months to think about it and get it sorted. Thanks. Fire proof overalls - no brainer, sitting here at the computer.
Interesting.
I have had a frontal impact crash in which the airbag went off.
I tend to sit well back, for me the only negative was the burns on my bare arm, as I had the wheel turned trying to avoid the impact, and my forearm just over the airbag got burnt by the firing explosive. Not a deep burn.
I was totally unaware of the airbag otherwise.
It was on the road, so not wearing a helmet, and I hit a stone wall head on at about 30 mph..
My track car has no airbags. No ABS, no side impact protection, no traction control. Good old analogue TVR.
One question...does the Simpson device need harnesses, or is that the whole point of it?
I have had a frontal impact crash in which the airbag went off.
I tend to sit well back, for me the only negative was the burns on my bare arm, as I had the wheel turned trying to avoid the impact, and my forearm just over the airbag got burnt by the firing explosive. Not a deep burn.
I was totally unaware of the airbag otherwise.
It was on the road, so not wearing a helmet, and I hit a stone wall head on at about 30 mph..
My track car has no airbags. No ABS, no side impact protection, no traction control. Good old analogue TVR.
One question...does the Simpson device need harnesses, or is that the whole point of it?
Hi Jes.
All very interesting.
In my Chimaera I had some race seats, and fitted track rod ends onto the seat belt (longer) bottom bolts, and then screwed the eyes (for the harnesses to clip onto) into those. 4 point harnesses.
Since I got my lovely Tuscan seats, they are about 5mm too wide to let me do that.
I am going to have to swap in a Tillett type seat for track days I think.
And then swap it back out again afterwards. No big deal - 10 minutes with a decent spanner.
I have most of the harness fixings.....just a case of buying the rest of the kit, and thanks for your suggestions on that.
As I have no intention of competing, all I need to do is buy all the kit once.
I am presently spending considerably more that the cost of the safety kit, refurbishing the car and upgrading the power output.
My head and neck must be worth the cost of the proper kit.
Thanks to all of you for the contributions and discussion - far exceeding my expectations and certainly getting me thinking in the right direction.
All very interesting.
In my Chimaera I had some race seats, and fitted track rod ends onto the seat belt (longer) bottom bolts, and then screwed the eyes (for the harnesses to clip onto) into those. 4 point harnesses.
Since I got my lovely Tuscan seats, they are about 5mm too wide to let me do that.
I am going to have to swap in a Tillett type seat for track days I think.
And then swap it back out again afterwards. No big deal - 10 minutes with a decent spanner.
I have most of the harness fixings.....just a case of buying the rest of the kit, and thanks for your suggestions on that.
As I have no intention of competing, all I need to do is buy all the kit once.
I am presently spending considerably more that the cost of the safety kit, refurbishing the car and upgrading the power output.
My head and neck must be worth the cost of the proper kit.
Thanks to all of you for the contributions and discussion - far exceeding my expectations and certainly getting me thinking in the right direction.
wuckfitracing said:
Hi Qbee
Just a quick question, what are your seats bolted to.
Colin
Through holes in the floor, then the front bolts go through the outrigger centre bar corner plates, while the rear bolts go through a steel strip welded across between the outrigger and the bottom chassis railJust a quick question, what are your seats bolted to.
Colin
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