Hey guys, Im just posting here to seek knowledge, Are harnesses really any safer then a standard seatbelt, My mum is really not trusting of me driving my Z around with out any airbags lol, So a proposal i said to her was to buy me some recaros and harness kit only if it is actually going to be safer than driving with normal seat belts. any insight would be lovely
The seatbelts fitted in your vehicle should be ADR approved. There is a possibility harnesses, like roll cages, are not legal in street registered vehicles.
Harnesses are only legal in a street car when used in conjunction with the approved seat belt. They must be used in conjunction with a roll cage, or harness bar, which you would have to have engineered for street use.
Only one harness is adr approved in Australia, debatable how good they are on the street though as they restrict your movement making it harder to do shoulder checks.
Just realised no one has actually answered your question lol. End of the day man, harnesses, if installed correctly will hold you in your seat a lot better than a standard seatbelt in case of a crash. Like Ryan said, it reduces visibility due to holding you in your seat so you can't move around.... So there are positives and negatives. I'm guessing you're a young bloke, either born in 93 with a 95 zed, or vice versa.. Something tells me that this may not be about safety, as much as it is about being hella JDM. I guess this, because my mum offered to pay for a roll cage and harnesses for my 21st, because she's worried about my safety in a 300kw car, and I'm heaps keen... not that I'd actually use a harness and roll bar 99% of the time.
You could always sell up and buy a Z32 with airbags ... or a yarris lol I honestly think a harness would be restrictive when it comes to head checks etc. Your standard seat belt should be doing its job. To test, put it on and pull it straight forward from yourself and see if it stops itself from releasing slack.
I couldn't find anything about harnesses for street cars, but there have been some good comments from other members. Keep in mind that an airbag in a Zed is a 20year old airbag and doesn't compare to the systems they have in more modern cars. You could get a half cage like 3clipse and fit new seat belts and seats that offer some sideways head protection are a bonus. If you read the quoted stats of airbag compared, you might conclude that the bicycle helmet is 1.2% more effective than the driver's airbag anyway. So for your Mum's peace of mind, you could wear your bike helmet until you get down the road. Remember, like you did when you rode your pushbike to school all those years ago.
If your mum is that worried, you should consider selling it. No matter what you do to make it more safe, it wont stop her worrying.
I had clip in 4 point harnesses. Always found the belts across the waist rode up too much, probably more to do with the mounting location than anything. Help much in a accident over normal belts? Doubt it.
The harnesses Ryzan mentioned are these: http://www.slideindustries.com.au/product_p/takata-70003-h2.htm As far as I know they're the only Aussie road legal harness ever, though like Logan said I guess the way they're affixed would need to be assessed by an engineer. Hot off the presses this. Awesome news though! Previously it was illegal to use harnesses on the street. You could remove your original seat belt (and do it super cleanly with some AUDM door cards/JDM C pillars so there wouldn't even be any holes left) but I would rather keep both in. Use the regular seat belts for daily driving, harnesses for thrashes. Something like that. Certainly got me thinking.
What makes them legal in Aus?? Says they meet US and Euro compliance only. In QLD you can have harnesses fitted provided the mounting locations are mod plated. The friendly QLD Transport defect man told me that You are allowed to use them, but only in conjunction with your standard seat belts. The harnesses I had were made by Klippan and had the ADR tags on them and were push button to release like those Takata's. Fixed harness can be used standalone in older cars that had non-intertia reel belts originally fitted.
