Harnesses, harness bars for S1

[pftim]

Just been researching which ones to get - bolt in, wrap around etc and which harness bar to choose for the S1.

I do about 10 trackdays a year and want to use the car on the road too so would like to keep the original belts in. And keep the original seats if possible.

Can someone who's been through similar help me out please.

Thanks Tim

[shangani]

If you keep the original seat, you need bolt in harnesses, otherwise there is the danger of the straps slipping off your shoulders. Try eliseparts or hanger 111. However, you will need to do some cutting on the plastic bulkhead cover. You can keep the inertial reels - gets a bit complicated to get it perfect. Ask hbaumhardt - even though he put his harnesses in a year after me, he had a more elegant solution to keeping the inertial reels while folding away the harnesses.

Options for harnesses:
1) Luke - 4 point - good harness for good value - under £100. Look good, work well.
2) Schroth Profi II ASM - oem on the 240R. Don't buy it from lotus. Excellent harness ~ £120, and like the Luke can be used as wrap around or bolt in.
3) Willans - eg Silverstone, good, but expensive - £160 + vat. Can't see the advatages over the others. You need to make sure you get the right one as they are not as adjustable.
4) Sabelt - good harness, similar to Luke AFAIK.

IMVHO the clubman type - one aircraft type buckle with the chest straps stiched to the waist belt are bl**dy awkward. I took mine off. (currently in the garage - black willans. Hoping that hbaumhard uses a free set in his car for when I am a passnger. Especially if he gets sticky rubber. I do not want to be catapaulted into the road.

[hbaumhardt]

Eliseparts bolt in harness bar, Luke national 4 point straps do the job if you keep the inerta for road use

If you want to remove the inertia then you will need quick release/adjustable shoulder straps for leaning fordward to look out at junctions and mess with the radio; the premium Willans Silverstone seem favoured.

Took me a day (at least 4 hours of swearing) to fit e.g. cutting holes in the bulkhead plastic the worog size/place. Top top - get another S1 owner to take photos of the holes they cut with a ruler for scale you simply cant "measure up" to the bar when fitting. Search seloc on "harness bar" for the step-by-step guides.

I really would like to put a harness on the pax side but am far too tight ... have a spare CGlock though (these are fairly OK actually).

[shangani]

Far too tight? I said you could have the bleedin' thing for free! Heck I am currently the person most likely to benefit anyway. Will give it to you the next time I see you if you want it.

Otherwise for those interested in harnesses - go for it, if it serves no other purpose, you will feel kinda cool. Actually it stops you sliding around in the seat.

[anonymous-user]

hbaumhardt said:

Took me a day (at least 4 hours of swearing) to fit e.g. cutting holes in the bulkhead plastic the worog size/place. Top top - get another S1 owner to take photos of the holes they cut with a ruler for scale you simply cant "measure up" to the bar when fitting. Search seloc on "harness bar" for the step-by-step guides.

I got the Spyder bar for my S1. Bolted straight in, no cutting of anything required.

[cuzza]

You don't need to cut anything to get the bar in on the S1 so this job is much easier.

Opinion is split on whether you can keep the inertia reels - I haven't in mine and only very occasionally have to undo the harnesses to lean forward. The reason for doubt is that, with harness tags and seat belt tags, less bolt thread is anchoruing and more is sticking out which could make it snap easier in an impact. You can alleviate this concern by using spreader plates on the floor which, I think is what haumbardt (sp?) has done.

[steff]

I've also got a spyder bar in my S1 and no cutting was required.

I've ditched the inertia reels on the drivers seat as I bought the motorsport corbeau seat which can only be used with harnesses and its much more comfortable than the standard S1 seats.

[shangani]

cuzza said:

You don't need to cut anything to get the bar in on the S1 so this job is much easier. Opinion is split on whether you can keep the inertia reels - I haven't in mine and only very occasionally have to undo the harnesses to lean forward. The reason for doubt is that, with harness tags and seat belt tags, less bolt thread is anchoruing and more is sticking out which could make it snap easier in an impact. You can alleviate this concern by using spreader plates on the floor which, I think is what haumbardt (sp?) has done.

There is a willan's kit for installing it. On both sides of the seat, the inertial reel attaches in exactly the same place as it does without the harnesses being installed (ie no further from the seat. A different sized spaced is used. The bolt screws into the side of the seat to the same depth as well (ne less thread anchoring - if you bolt too deep the end of the bolt can be felt though the seat padding), so there should be no difference in strength at all: Just as much thread and no change in the lever arm. It does take some fiddling though!

As for the floorplates - it is a real pain and means drilling the floor. Hbaumhardt decided against it and rather went for different bolts fixing the seat to the floor - they are 50% stronger than the oem ones he came up with a navel arrangement for the side of the seat. I stayed with the inertials as I foung rear 3/4 visibility a problem on the roads if you can't lean forward at intersections. Nearly cause me an accident a while back.

[steff]

I've drilled the floor and fitted spreader plates its an easy enough job.

Its just a bit when you start drilling holes as you dont want to make a mistake !

[pftim]

thanks for all the replies......

Ive ordered an eliseparts bar which looks easy to fit. Next choice is where to mount the bottom bolts for the 4 point harness. I assume in the floor is best and keeps the load off the seat in an impact. I can also keep the inertia belts too.

Steff - Do you have any pics of where you drilled the holes for the spreader plates.

[hbaumhardt]

After significant research I did not do the spreader plates a conversaton with the author of the following article convinced me ...

www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=643&page=1&pp=20 The lower harness bolts should be bolted through the rear chassis beam and NOT the floorpan as is only 2mm sheet aluminium and can't handle the load. Use spreader plates placed inside the (hollow) beam and bolt the harness to this. This does require some minor cutting and peeling back of the glued aluminium sheet underneath the passenger compartment to get the plates/nuts in place. Afterwards these parts should be pushed back and some glue/coating applied.

... so I fitted the lapstraps to the existing seatbelt mounts without moving the attachments outboard whilst allowing everything to rotate out of each others way. My lapstrap soluton http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=66936#pid using the willans fitting kit may be specific for the S2, the S1 may not use the same attachment config

[pftim]

excellent.

I'm doing the same - a good diagram!!!

[steff]

Drill the hole to fit the bolt colar to stop the box section getting crushed when you tighten up the bolt.