A racing harness is a piece of equipment generally installed in racer’s car to keep the racer in place while they are going at a high speed. Most of the cars either come with the required seatbelts or you may have to get them installed. If you are well-informed and equipped regarding motor vehicles, you may be able to install a harness yourself. However, if you want to learn how to and you are an amateur, this article will be able to help. Learning how to install racing harness without bar can be complicated if you do not have the right information.
The first step to getting the right information is knowing the different types of racing harnesses on the market. There isn’t one type and you can pick according to the type of racing that you do. You may choose one that you feel most comfortable with. The perfect racing harness for you will give you the confidence you read to be a good rider. Not every harness works for everyone and choosing one does have many factors involved. You have to gauge different aspects of a harness before you make a choice.
4-point Harness
The first and most standard harness is the 4-point harness. It is quite self-explanatory that this type of harness has exactly 4-points where you can attach it from. The harness is quite sturdy and does not require a bar to be installed. If you want to learn how to install racing harness without bar, this may be the simplest method to do so. This harness will protect the racer from over the shoulders and from around the waist. These harnesses also come with length adjusters that you can fix according to your height and your body type.
8-point Harness
Before we talk about the medium version of the harness, we will talk about the extreme version. The 8-point harness. The 8-point harness attached to the seat from 8 different points. It is the maximum amount of protection that you can get while racing without a bar. This harness will go over your shoulders, around your waist and then it over the crotch area as well. The harness is bound to keep you in place at the most maximum speed that your car is capable of. The best part is that there is no bar which means you get all this protection minus the hindrance and restrictive nature of a bar.
5-point Harness
Finally, we have the 5-point harness. This is one of the best kinds of harnesses on the market if you want something standard and decent enough for you to be held in place while racing. This harness will require some eyebolts that can used to attach the harness. This harness is a step up from the 4-point harness. The installation process fairly standard and can dealt with if you have some level of information about cars.
There are 5 steps or five parts that you need to have information about if you want to install your harness properly. This section will talk about how to install different parts of the harness using a bar
Shoulder Belt
The first step is to know that the shoulder belt will go around the harness bar in the very beginning. The three-bar adjuster will be modified according to the cage or the harness bar, whichever one you prefer. The three-bar adjuster should positioned to avoid any hindrance. The shoulder belt will be secured to make sure that it moves smoothly against the harness bar and through the loops. From the shoulder to the harness bar, the belt should be at about 30 degrees and there should be adequate space between the anchors and the shoulder belt.
Lap Belt
Next, we will talk about the lap belt which is the belt that goes over the lap to keep the legs secure and in place while the racer is driving at high speeds. The angle should be between 60 degrees and 80 degrees. The webbing should be flat and the adjusters should not be caught in anything. It should positioned close to the seat at about 30 degrees. The hooks attached to the eyebolts and it kept in place using a wire of sorts. You can use wavy washers to adjust the eyebolts according to how you want them. There is a snap on bracket that is a part of the adjuster bar and the bolt in lap belt has to have momentum with the brackets that are being used.
Sub-Strap
Now, we have the sub-strap. The sub-strap is a piece of equipment used to position the bottom of the seat in the right way. The 5-point harness should be at about 10 to 20 degrees and the 6-point harness can be at about 20 degrees from the plane, on a tangent. Make sure that under no circumstances are the adjusters caught in the belt because this could lead to an injury. Make sure that the bolt-in brackets are attached properly using the hardware that is provided to you by the company that you bought it from. Mixing hardware can lead to a mishap happening, the bolts might come loose or the brackets may not be entirely compatible. You should refrain from doing so.
Shoulder Spacing
There is a certain amount of math that goes into shoulder spacing. The shoulders should be at a comfortable level to make sure that the racer does not get cramped at any point in time. The shoulder belts should come at an intersection when the anchor points are more than 18 inches behind the backrest of the seat.
Conclusion
It all depends on what kind of harness you are comfortable with. There are a lot of adjustments that go into installing a harness to make sure that it is perfect for you. Know how to install racing harness without bar is also important if that is what you are comfortable with.