New Schroth Quick Fit Harness!

froop · 11-04-2013, 06:20 AM

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20º angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed.

Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position.

Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said.

froop · 11-04-2013, 06:21 AM

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20º angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed.

Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position.

Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said.

02rsxpilot · 11-04-2013, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froop

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20º angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed.

Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position.

Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said.

My understanding is the harness is designed to allow the inboard shoulder strap to transfer energy (elongate) in the event of an accident, which would prevent that sort of downward force. I'm no safety engineer though, so I admit I just trust that they didn't receive DOT and other transportation regulation certification for street use without good reason.

Ultimately I was looking for a more secure seating position for HPDEs, not an increase in safety per say, so as long as the harness isn't less safe than the factory belt, I'm happy.

froop · 11-04-2013, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

Quote:

Originally Posted by froop

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20 angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed.

Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position.

Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said.

My understanding is the harness is designed to allow the inboard shoulder strap to transfer energy (elongate) in the event of an accident, which would prevent that sort of downward force. I'm no safety engineer though, so I admit I just trust that they didn't receive DOT and other transportation regulation certification for street use without good reason.

Ultimately I was looking for a more secure seating position for HPDEs, not an increase in safety per say, so as long as the harness isn't less safe than the factory belt, I'm happy.

Makes sense! Glad they have all of the appropriate safety mechanisms.

02rsxpilot · 11-12-2013, 12:11 PM

Got my harness last night. Couple notes and one question:

I bought the whole she-bang, including the harness grips and shoulder pads. I believe the harness pads will prove to be a good investment. I can't say the same about the harness grips. They are $16 for literally $0.25 worth of plastic. You slide a plastic bolt through the loop in the harness strap and snap on a cap on the other side (which by the way, I haven't figured out how to snap on yet. Probably user error but brute force was not working. They also don't thread, which would seem to have been the easiest solution).

As for my question, I'm just not sure how to access the driver's side lap belt anchor point (the black bar). I only spent a few minutes looking at it all last night, so it's possible I just need to get in there with a closer look. Bottom line is there's a plastic cap on the end, which I'm trying not to break like a neanderthal if I don't have to. The instructions that came with the harness are primarily aimed at Mini's, which would be useful if I was installing on my fiancee's R56, but not so much in the Beemer. The rest of it is pretty self-explanatory though. So if anyone has advice on how to get at that anchor point, it would be much appreciated!

Looking forward to event at Sonoma in two weeks where I can report on the effectiveness of the product.

3002 tii · 11-12-2013, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

Got my harness last night. Couple notes and one question:

I bought the whole she-bang, including the harness grips and shoulder pads. I believe the harness pads will prove to be a good investment. I can't say the same about the harness grips. They are $16 for literally $0.25 worth of plastic. You slide a plastic bolt through the loop in the harness strap and snap on a cap on the other side (which by the way, I haven't figured out how to snap on yet. Probably user error but brute force was not working. They also don't thread, which would seem to have been the easiest solution).

As for my question, I'm just not sure how to access the driver's side lap belt anchor point (the black bar). I only spent a few minutes looking at it all last night, so it's possible I just need to get in there with a closer look. Bottom line is there's a plastic cap on the end, which I'm trying not to break like a neanderthal if I don't have to. The instructions that came with the harness are primarily aimed at Mini's, which would be useful if I was installing on my fiancee's R56, but not so much in the Beemer. The rest of it is pretty self-explanatory though. So if anyone has advice on how to get at that anchor point, it would be much appreciated!

Looking forward to event at Sonoma in two weeks where I can report on the effectiveness of the product.

I haven't even looked at my 1 that closely but I did aftermarket seats in my other car and I'd imagine to access the lap belt anchor point, you'd need to temporarily remove the driver seat?

02rsxpilot · 11-12-2013, 01:26 PM

I'm actually referring to the side nearest the door so the seat shouldn't be an issue.

If you had a passenger sitting right behind the driver, their feet would be adjacent to the black bar where the driver's seat belt attaches. There is a plastic trim piece that covers the end of this bar, where the bolt is. I need to access the bolt to install the harness mounting bracket. I just can't figure out how to pop that cover off, at least with my hands. I might try prying it up with a flat head screw driver tonight.

UPDATE: This prior post confirmed that the plastic cover is removable by hand: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209863 (See last photo). I ended up using a pen to wedge in from the back side of the cover to pry it off. It's fairly pliable plastic so the risk of really breaking it is probably minor, but if you don't use leverage to apply the force in the right place, it'd be pretty easy to just bend and stress the plastic instead of popping it off.

Also regarding the harness grips, I used a 4" C-Clamp to press them into place. A light hammer might have also worked.

11-04-2013, 06:20 AM	#23
froop Colonel 171 Rep 2,682 Posts Drives: 08 AW 6MT E82 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (3)	Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20º angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed. Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position. Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said. __________________ froop's AW 135i Build Thread
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-04-2013, 06:21 AM	#24
froop Colonel 171 Rep 2,682 Posts Drives: 08 AW 6MT E82 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (3)	Not to be the bearer of bad news, but isn't it unsafe to have the shoulder harnesses mounted at such a sharp downward angle? I was under the impression that there was supposed to be less than a 20º angle from horizontal at the shoulders to the mounting point. This is because in the event of an accident, a sharply angled shoulder harness would result in compressive forces on your spine. That's why people have harness bars installed. Maybe there's a feature in the harness I don't know about, but if there isn't, it seems kind of odd that they would sell something that clearly mounts in an unsafe position. Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken, but I'm just going off what the instructions on my harness said. __________________ froop's AW 135i Build Thread
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-12-2013, 12:11 PM	#27
02rsxpilot First Lieutenant 47 Rep 327 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 135i Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: NorCal iTrader: (2) Garage List 2012 BMW 135i [10.00] 2013 Mini Cooper S [0.00] 2002 Acura RSX [0.00]	Got my harness last night. Couple notes and one question: I bought the whole she-bang, including the harness grips and shoulder pads. I believe the harness pads will prove to be a good investment. I can't say the same about the harness grips. They are $16 for literally $0.25 worth of plastic. You slide a plastic bolt through the loop in the harness strap and snap on a cap on the other side (which by the way, I haven't figured out how to snap on yet. Probably user error but brute force was not working. They also don't thread, which would seem to have been the easiest solution). As for my question, I'm just not sure how to access the driver's side lap belt anchor point (the black bar). I only spent a few minutes looking at it all last night, so it's possible I just need to get in there with a closer look. Bottom line is there's a plastic cap on the end, which I'm trying not to break like a neanderthal if I don't have to. The instructions that came with the harness are primarily aimed at Mini's, which would be useful if I was installing on my fiancee's R56, but not so much in the Beemer. The rest of it is pretty self-explanatory though. So if anyone has advice on how to get at that anchor point, it would be much appreciated! Looking forward to event at Sonoma in two weeks where I can report on the effectiveness of the product.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-12-2013, 01:26 PM	#29
02rsxpilot First Lieutenant 47 Rep 327 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 135i Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: NorCal iTrader: (2) Garage List 2012 BMW 135i [10.00] 2013 Mini Cooper S [0.00] 2002 Acura RSX [0.00]	I'm actually referring to the side nearest the door so the seat shouldn't be an issue. If you had a passenger sitting right behind the driver, their feet would be adjacent to the black bar where the driver's seat belt attaches. There is a plastic trim piece that covers the end of this bar, where the bolt is. I need to access the bolt to install the harness mounting bracket. I just can't figure out how to pop that cover off, at least with my hands. I might try prying it up with a flat head screw driver tonight. UPDATE: This prior post confirmed that the plastic cover is removable by hand: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209863 (See last photo). I ended up using a pen to wedge in from the back side of the cover to pry it off. It's fairly pliable plastic so the risk of really breaking it is probably minor, but if you don't use leverage to apply the force in the right place, it'd be pretty easy to just bend and stress the plastic instead of popping it off. Also regarding the harness grips, I used a 4" C-Clamp to press them into place. A light hammer might have also worked. Last edited by 02rsxpilot; 11-13-2013 at 02:49 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Quote