> [Moore, John] Ah sir, but you are mistaken, this Schroth system
>does not use the Y-type shoulder strap and is from the Schroth Competition
>restraint System Profi III line which gives you an option of a 2" or 3" lap
>belt and H type shoulder belts as well as optional single or double sub
>straps. According to Schroth, with either lap belt, the System meets all
SFI
>16.1 and FISA requirements which would make it acceptable for use in other
>competition as well. The straps even have the SFI 16.1 labels on them. The
>shoulder straps attach to a harness bar behind my drivers seat
individually,
>and are only not attached to the roll cage because the cage comes too close
>to the seat to allow proper attachment angles.
Aha. I stand corrected. Obviously I am dredging up outdated data from my
memory bAnks (the cerebral kind, and they are starting to atrophy anyway!
:-). Regarding attachment, I would expect to have the same variety of
options as any other maker, depending on what car it may go into.
[Quoted proices of of $89 for a latch-type or $169 for a camlock from
Simpson]
> [Moore, John] And why would someone spend the $219 for the
>Schroth? The first is the Anti-submarining technology they have built into
>the belts. This allows the belts to be only attached at 4 points yet still
>be able to avoid submarining in most cases. And I have seen the reasearch
to
>prove it works. Second is the cam lock. Cam locks are so much easier to
deal
>with than a latch type, and the Schroth cam lock is especially easy. While
>it requires a full quarter turn to disengage, it can be done with little
>effort.
IMHO -- and this could be a personal taste thing -- avoiding a 5th strap is
just not worth the $130 extra cost (even Simpson's camlock is $50 cheaper).
Especially a belt that, by itself in the Simpson catalogue, is a $13 item
but bought as part of a harness system is a throw-in.
>> BTW, for those who think they might ever go on a track (including Solo
I),
>> the mandated lap belt is 3". Schroth fails that spec too.
> [Moore, John] I don't see anyplace that requires a 3" belt. Just a
>requirement that it meet SFI 16.1, or am I missing something?
GCR 20.1. Remember, I specified the possibility of race track/Solo I
applications. I always look for systems that are legal in all venues where I
may take my car, including road racing. If you are absolutely never going to
take your ride beyond a Solo II course, the 2-incher is just fine. GCR 20.1,
BTW, mandates a 3-inch lap belt for drivers seated in an upright position
(as I am), but permits a 2-inch lap belt for drivers in a semi-reclining
position but also specifies a 6-point system there. Also, Schroth research
aside, the GCR does require 5-point or 6-point systems, so whether or not
Schroth's 4-point works is moot in that context. But I would not be
surprised, based on what John said above, to learn Schroth had a 5 or 6 if
that was what is needed.
> [Moore, John] So I guess I'll stick with my Schroth [instead of
Simpson's]
>"obviously intended for kiddie racers" 2" belt and be comfortable and safe
>during Solo II and you can use whatever you want for whatever other kind of
>racing you desire to do.
IMHO, something that meets the safety specs for road racing (where the
opportunities for impact is greater and the hit will likely be harder)
certainly is safe enough for Solo II.
OTOH, so are many lesser systems (including what the manufacturer put in the
first place [I'll argue with that, but the rulebook deems it so]), so I
certainly have no problem with the Schroth system being safe for Solo II and
in fact one helluva lot better than what the OEM put in.
If I go do some other form of racing, my Solo II
>car is not what I would choose to run anyway, so even if my 2" lap belt may
>not be legal for Solo I, what difference does it make?
>
Precisely. My point being that IF you (the broad "you" of potential
competitors, not necessarily any specific individual) ever contemplated
taking your Solo II ride to a Solo I or beyond, you'd need a GCR-legal
system. So the question to ask is, is there any remote chance I might use my
car in such an event? If you can answer an unequvocal "no", and you really
want to spend the money, then Schroth is a very good product and the
2-inchers will work just fine. You just don't want to spend that $219 and
then find two years later it was insufficient for something else you wanted
to do. And from John's initial paragraph above, it seems it may possible to
get a Schroth that DOES meet GCR specs. So we are not discussing brand name
here (except, possibly, regarding price) so much as specifications. Be sure
the specs of the product you get will meet the requirements of what you are
going to do with it. Read the applicable rulebook(s), not just the
manufacturer's blather.
--Rocky Entriken
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