HANS

Author
Discussion

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Friday 6th December 2019
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If you’re just canvassing opinions, when I get back into track days (maybe 2021) I will only do it with a HANS device.

boxsey

3,574 posts

209 months

Friday 6th December 2019
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geeks said:
Porsche’s will go into a wall in any fking direction!

As for not wearing one in something front engines. This pic shows why that’s pretty fking stupid! Guy in the left no HANS, Guy on right has a HANS!

P.S HANS have been mandatory on Club Racing for some time now with the exception of historic stuff as it’s not much use without actual belts!

It should also be mandatory for all caterfield drivers to wear HANS on trackdays because most of them seem to have the attitude of 'if you don't fall off the track you're not trying hard enough' hehe

Jimmy Riviera

283 posts

228 months

Friday 6th December 2019
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ab8 said:
I might be about to get a GT car with clubsport package, and intend to use the harnesses. I never see HANS devices at trackways, but have been repeatedly told that if you're harnessed, you need to use HANS. What do people here do?
On the basis that you are going to use HANS device and the GT4 has the carbon bucket seats, you might want to consider getting some of these:

https://www.autoquestcars.com/custom-07

Others will chime in with their experience of the seat and use of helmet but I would agree with what is described by autoquest.

There are other options out there on the market too.

PGNSagaris

2,926 posts

165 months

Friday 6th December 2019
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breadvan said:
What would you do?

I’m keen to track my 991.2 GT3 CS as often as possible next year and safety is very important to me.

A RTC many years ago left me with a neck injury which I want to protect with Hans but I also lost my left eye so I like to move my head a lot for peripheral vision.

Is there a product that covers both next support and head movement?

Cheers
You should get yourself a Simpson.

To the OP, I use a HANS for racing l and wouldn’t do a trackday in a car with belts without it. Madness not too in my opinion. You cannot control or hypothesise how you will crash - makes no difference what car you’re in.

I’ve hit walls in 911’s (never from the rear) and walls in BMW’s and in Caterhams and they have all been different routes into said walls.

Will get a Simpson next season for Rallying and will be interested to see how it feels compared to the HANS when I use it on circuit.

Pope

2,633 posts

246 months

Friday 6th December 2019
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Filibuster said:
After having seen this video, I'd get a HANS myself should I ever do any kind of racing myself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40YatgE_CE
Watched your link then this one came up - gave me a headache and I'm on a sofa!!

https://youtu.be/pX8r5ZyHvGw



Yellow491

2,911 posts

118 months

Saturday 7th December 2019
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Pope said:
Filibuster said:
After having seen this video, I'd get a HANS myself should I ever do any kind of racing myself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40YatgE_CE
Watched your link then this one came up - gave me a headache and I'm on a sofa!!

https://youtu.be/pX8r5ZyHvGw
Great couple of clips there,one reason i use a winged seat also.Couple of friends have been hurt over the years,one with brain damage with out a scratch on his helmet.

d16rr

162 posts

141 months

Saturday 7th December 2019
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nudgerwilliams said:
I bought one having watched an alarming video on the Demon Tweeks site. Shows a rally car having a head on stop in a ditch - co-driver with HANS; driver without. I don't always wear it on track days though as I've found it a bit uncomfortable, and I'm assuming all the airbags in my GT4 will do the same job of stopping my head moving around.
If you have the harness on the airbags will not deploy, wear your hans and get used to it

noneedtolift

846 posts

222 months

Monday 9th December 2019
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It just takes some getting used to. In reality it doesn't really restrict your field of view and if you own one there is no reason not to wear it. Matter of factly you are better off wearing one in a crash, regardless where the car Impacts (front, rear, side). Which is probably why it is mandatory in all FIA series.

Narrow belts help with comfort, as does a seat that has been designed with HANS in mind (won't find that in a road car). I have also found that some seats require additional padding in the centre of the backrest as the driver's posture may change with wearing hans.

BertBert

18,953 posts

210 months

Monday 9th December 2019
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I think you need to take care with a hans to make sure it fits properly. Angle, belts, seats etc. If not you make it more dangerous rather than less.

nudgerwilliams

247 posts

180 months

Tuesday 10th December 2019
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d16rr said:
nudgerwilliams said:
I bought one having watched an alarming video on the Demon Tweeks site. Shows a rally car having a head on stop in a ditch - co-driver with HANS; driver without. I don't always wear it on track days though as I've found it a bit uncomfortable, and I'm assuming all the airbags in my GT4 will do the same job of stopping my head moving around.
If you have the harness on the airbags will not deploy, wear your hans and get used to it
Good point. Hadn't thought of that

Discombobulate

4,792 posts

185 months

Tuesday 10th December 2019
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nudgerwilliams said:
Good point. Hadn't thought of that
Unless you plug the seatbelt in and sit on it before harnessing up - from memory...

red997

1,304 posts

208 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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correct; plug in the inertia belt wrapping it round the back of the seat.
no more dash light and airbags will still go off in the event of a crash.
for the record, I use a HANS now - watching a few of the videos with fairly low speed impact just shows how much you head moves, especially with a helmet. You just cant control it.

Jamie Summers

403 posts

250 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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d16rr said:
If you have the harness on the airbags will not deploy, wear your hans and get used to it
Interesting - never occurred to me. Is that model specific, or all cars (Porsche or otherwise) ?

d16rr

162 posts

141 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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Jamie Summers said:
Interesting - never occurred to me. Is that model specific, or all cars (Porsche or otherwise) ?
Not sure, Porsche have belts and harness so makes sense, you really don't want air bags being deployed as they damage the interior.

noneedtolift

846 posts

222 months

Monday 16th December 2019
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All modern will not deploy the airbags if your not in position or have not plugged the seat belt in (google OoP airbag for entertaining videos). If I were you I would NOT activate the airbags by plugging in the three point harness for track work.

If you are properly (and I mean tight) strapped in with a 5-point harness the airbag will not help you, it may even hurt.

The best this will do is add 2 doorcards, a dashboard, a steeering wheel, two three point belt harnesses and a windscreen to the repair bill... (if a passenger only wears a three pointer you'll get the same minus the steering wheel and a door card...)

There is a reason why the airbags don't deploy from factory when you're wearing the factory supplied harness.....