Roll Cage and Harnesses - V8S

[seb400]

I've been looking through posts on this subject but there doesn't seem to be a definitive answers as the best way to go. I'd like to fit a roll cage (Tower View were mentioned), and while I'm at it replace the ineffective seat belts with harnesses. Has anyone got recommendations/hints as the best way to go on this, details of suppliers and the ins and outs of the different types/makes of harness available. I want it essentially for road use with perhaps the odd track day.

MTIA
Steve

[Longers]

Steve,

Here's a pic of my roll bar that is a fair bit beefier than the Tower View offering....

It was fitted by someone that these guys know http://www.scaredstifff.com/ before I got the car. However, before I realised my current S was available with one already fitted I enquired about them installing a similar one to my previous S and the rough quote was approx £1500 I think. It is stamped with FIA approval so may be beyond your needs. It's beyond my needs but certainly stiffens the whole car up. Also the harnesses help you feel more "connected" with the car Are you at S Club? We could take a run in mine and you can feel the difference for yourself if you want

One of my regular passengers thinks the harnesses are a bit thick so has installed these thinner ones in his Tiger, can't remember the brand though.

Whatever you do, don't think of harnesses without a roll bar - with a conventional belt you stand a chance but if you roll wearing a harness with no bar fitted....

HTH
Longers

[Longers]

Steve,

Checked and quote was "approx £1200", not the £1500 I incorrectlt said above. That did include the roll bar, harnesses and fitting though.

Longers

[V8S]

I have a Tower View rollbar but wouldn't mind adding harnesses as I'm frequenty slipping from side to side in the seat.

Anyone know how you fit harnesses to single hoop rollbar?

Like this... click

[GreenV8S]

V8S said:

I have a Tower View rollbar but wouldn't mind adding harnesses as I'm frequenty slipping from side to side in the seat.

Anyone know how you fit harnesses to single hoop rollbar?

Like this... click

The harnesses usually come with clip-on attachments that fit to eye bolts. You need to have bobbins in the rear stays to take the eye bolts. The lap straps attach to eye bolts that replace the existing lap strap mounting bolts. The harness will probably come with the standard 3/4" long eye bolts which are too short; you will need 1 1/2" long eye bolts.

Sometimes for reasons best known to themselves Tower View supplied rollover bars with the bobbins fitted into the front of the rear stays instead of the side. These don't give you the right alignment for the rear straps but you might get away with it. The ideal though is with the bobbins in the side of the rear stays. This will give you the option of fitting an eye bolt in either side. What you want to is fit the eye bolt on the inner side (closest to the center line of the car) and attach the rear strap (or both rear straps, if you have 2) to this inner eye bolt.

You will probably find that the eye bolt is positioned too close to the seat and it may seem that you can't shorten the straps sufficiently to clear the seat because the double section of strap won't go through the adjuster. One option is to buy specially short '7' style straps, but in fact if you loosen everything it's possible to push the doubled section of the straps through the adjusters and reduce the length to almost nothing.

[seb400]

Thanks for all the info guys, .... difficult decision.
Longers, thanks for the offer of the test drive, but don't think I'll be at S Club sadly.
I might go for the Tower View style and replace the seat belts.

Many thanks
Steve

[V8S]

GreenV8S said:

V8S said:

I have a Tower View rollbar but wouldn't mind adding harnesses as I'm frequenty slipping from side to side in the seat.

Anyone know how you fit harnesses to single hoop rollbar?

Like this... click

The harnesses usually come with clip-on attachments that fit to eye bolts. You need to have bobbins in the rear stays to take the eye bolts. The lap straps attach to eye bolts that replace the existing lap strap mounting bolts. The harness will probably come with the standard 3/4" long eye bolts which are too short; you will need 1 1/2" long eye bolts.

Sometimes for reasons best known to themselves Tower View supplied rollover bars with the bobbins fitted into the front of the rear stays instead of the side. These don't give you the right alignment for the rear straps but you might get away with it. The ideal though is with the bobbins in the side of the rear stays. This will give you the option of fitting an eye bolt in either side. What you want to is fit the eye bolt on the inner side (closest to the center line of the car) and attach the rear strap (or both rear straps, if you have 2) to this inner eye bolt.

You will probably find that the eye bolt is positioned too close to the seat and it may seem that you can't shorten the straps sufficiently to clear the seat because the double section of strap won't go through the adjuster. One option is to buy specially short '7' style straps, but in fact if you loosen everything it's possible to push the doubled section of the straps through the adjusters and reduce the length to almost nothing.

I don't think I understood most of that, old stick.

Bobbins? My roll bar doesn't have anything I might term a bobbin, which I assume is a fixing point. It is just smooth metal hoop with two supporting bars heading backwards - that's my car and rollbar in the linked page.

[GreenV8S]

V8S said:

I don't think I understood most of that, old stick.

Bobbins? My roll bar doesn't have anything I might term a bobbin, which I assume is a fixing point. It is just smooth metal hoop with two supporting bars heading backwards - that's my car and rollbar in the linked page.

You mean that's your car shown on the Tower View website?

I can see the bobbins in that picture. Run your hand down the rear stays and you will find a couple of sticky-out bits (stop me if I get too technical) where the bobbins have been welded into the tubes. If you look closely at these you'll find a threaded hole just the right size to take a standard eye bolt.

[trackcar]

why are those rear upright supports curved at the top? surely that nullifies any chance of them adding structural support to the top tube, and therefore are a complete waste of time, and as such the roll bar is pointless?

[Longers]

Picking up on Trackcars comments, if you look at the pic of mine higher up in this thread you'll see that it also has additional diagonal and horizontal support, plus it's made of a larger diameter tube compared to Tower View's. I know the Tower View product comes from Rollcentre Racing so I'd have thought it'd be fine....?

Mine also 2 holes on top of the roll bar behind each seat. These take a bolt and the biggest allen key I've ever seen top attach an additional section to give some extra height / protection if you are wearing a helmet - with them in place you cannot fit the roof. As I mentioned above it's a bit over engineered for my requirements but if you're thinking of lots of trackdays it may be a consideration

[Orophin]

I want a roll bar for my future S. Just the standard one for me if it's strong enough...which it must be otherwise they wouldn't make them. How much for roll bar and fitting? And where is it? I don't mind going for a cruse on the mainland.

[Longers]

Orophin said:

I want a roll bar for my future S. Just the standard one for me if it's strong enough...which it must be otherwise they wouldn't make them. How much for roll bar and fitting? And where is it? I don't mind going for a cruse on the mainland.

http://www.shpub.co.uk/tvrservices/index.html

[V8S]

GreenV8S said:

V8S said:

I don't think I understood most of that, old stick.

Bobbins? My roll bar doesn't have anything I might term a bobbin, which I assume is a fixing point. It is just smooth metal hoop with two supporting bars heading backwards - that's my car and rollbar in the linked page.

You mean that's your car shown on the Tower View website?

I can see the bobbins in that picture. Run your hand down the rear stays and you will find a couple of sticky-out bits (stop me if I get too technical) where the bobbins have been welded into the tubes. If you look closely at these you'll find a threaded hole just the right size to take a standard eye bolt.

Sorry for being so dense, Pete.

Yes, consensus seems to be that that's my car in the pics as I think a previous owner was one of the first to have the rollbar fitted.

Anyway, I remember now about the 'bobbins'. Just shows how much I pay attention to the inside when there's a gorgeous outside to look at!

Trackcar - as the chap above says, the bar comes from Rollcentre so I would assume it's had the necessary development and testing. You've certainly put a doubt in my mind now so perhaps I'll email them and ask. I haven't actually seen another S with that particular rollbar, but then I don't see many Ss.

[V8S]

Orophin said:

I want a roll bar for my future S. Just the standard one for me if it's strong enough...which it must be otherwise they wouldn't make them. How much for roll bar and fitting? And where is it? I don't mind going for a cruse on the mainland.

Don't know what the cost is now, but when mine was fitted in something like 1999 it was about a grand for supply and fitting.

[GreenV8S]

V8S said:

Yes, consensus seems to be that that's my car in the pics as I think a previous owner was one of the first to have the rollbar fitted.

It would have to be one of the second, because mine was the first one they did.

[Roy C]

Longers said:

http://www.shpub.co.uk/tvrservices/index.html

I'm afraid thar Tower View has gone the same way as TVR Engineering.

[V8S]

GreenV8S said:

V8S said:

Yes, consensus seems to be that that's my car in the pics as I think a previous owner was one of the first to have the rollbar fitted.

It would have to be one of the second, because mine was the first one they did.

Ah! Perhaps that's your car in the pic then, not mine.

I seem to recall yours is green, GreenV8S...

So how did you fix your belts to the car then?

[Longers]

Roy C said:

Longers said:

http://www.shpub.co.uk/tvrservices/index.html

I'm afraid thar Tower View has gone the same way as TVR Engineering.

Didn't know that!

Might be worth contacting Rollcentre Racing direct - may even be cheaper without Tower View taking their cut

[trackcar]

V8S said:

Trackcar - as the chap above says, the bar comes from Rollcentre so I would assume it's had the necessary development and testing. You've certainly put a doubt in my mind now so perhaps I'll email them and ask. I haven't actually seen another S with that particular rollbar, but then I don't see many Ss.

Rollcentre are excellent, they did the cage for our tasmin race car and the t350 race car .. its just the curved rear hoop stays dont offer the support a straight tube would and are more likely to bend if rolled, however if the tube is beefy enough even with a bend it will still have some strength but straight would have been better, maybe it's bent because of some clearance issue with straight tubes?

[GreenV8S]

V8S said:

GreenV8S said:

V8S said:

Yes, consensus seems to be that that's my car in the pics as I think a previous owner was one of the first to have the rollbar fitted.

It would have to be one of the second, because mine was the first one they did.

Ah! Perhaps that's your car in the pic then, not mine.

I seem to recall yours is green, GreenV8S...

So how did you fix your belts to the car then?

No, I don't think that's my car because it's far too clean (I suppose Tower View *could* have washed it for the picture?) but also my car has a bucket seat and that clearly doesn't.

I'm not sure why the rear stays are kinked like that. Mine are the same. The original mockup I gave them didn't have that kink, it isn't necessary to clear the seat. Perhaps it was added to get the harness attachment further back from the seat, maybe it's just a styling thing? I don't see it making much difference either way - it's very close to the top of the stay so not going to compromise the strength significantly in my view.