seat belts and trackdays

[mr toad]

Chaps

I have a mk1 111s which I am thinking about doing a couple of trackdays in later this year.

I did an airfield day in it earlier this year and all went well.

The reason for my question is that I'm interested in your thoughts on the wisdom of doing a trackday with just the standard inertia reel belt fitted. I didn't feel uncomfortable at Elvington (which is pretty low speed in the damp and not a lot to hit, apart from other cars) but it crossed my mind that this probably wasn't the perfect solution...

I'm well aware that the one thing that you never skimp on is safety kit.

If I wanted to fit a 4/5/6 point harness, can I do that with a standard 111s seat? What else do I need and is it going to cost a fortune? I use those excellent chaps at Brooke Kensington so prices are normally sensible.

Thanks for your advice.

Shall I just swap the 111s in for something more trackable?!


JT

[Raify]

mr toad said:

Shall I just swap the 111s in for something more trackable?! JT

Yeah, how about this: www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=29946&s=18

caught my eye when I was "post-lottery car shopping" yesterday!

[rfoster]

Worth a look at Eliseparts for this - they do an approved harness from £117, apparently fits all models. Probably worth giving them a call to confirm it's okay with the seat though.

[mr toad]

I'm afraid I'm too lazy to run something that needs a trailer - must be sufficiently roadable.

Looks very good fun though...

[dss123]

Hi JT,

I also have a 111s and have fitted Luke 4 points and the afore mentioned elise parts harness bar.

Standard 111s seats - no problem.

Don't really intend to do a great deal on the track but I think getting into the harness (ooh er!) really adds to the whole elise experience. I accept that this would be a bit of a ball ache on a daily basis but as I only use my car at weekends I love the added "faf". Adds to the anticipation of a good blat!

On a more practical note: The harness really does hold you very tightly so I imagine this would be just the ticket on the track. On the road it is also great, lets you relax your body totally and really concentrate on controlling the car, not your own body.

Some junctions can be fun because you can't lean forward to have a look. I've perfected the quick deployment of the shoulder straps so it's not a biggy.

Also if you are on the smaller size I have heard of people struggling to reach heater, stereo, light switches etc.

Personally, I would not revert back to inertia belts now.

Can certainly recommend the Luke / elise parts set up.

All the best

DSS

[mr toad]

dss - thanks for the info, keep enjoying the harness

I'll have a look