Trying to fit bar and belts to my S1.
Can anybody give me some tips re cutting the trim around the speakers to access the bolt hole AND weather to drill chassis OR fit belts to existing seat points.
Belts came with anchor plates for chassis fitting
Sorry bud, I can’t help, but I’m going to hijack your thread!
I’ve asked my dealer to install the harnesses on my S2 when it arrives and take out the seat-belts.
Was this a good idea?
I know that they’re technically illegal for road use (not too bothered about that), but do they offer the same crash protection properties as standard belts?
You could have started a new thread, you big meany!
I don’t believe you’re correct. I think harnesses are legal, as long as you have the right buckle (one with a red push button, not an arm that rotates. Not that anybody is ever going to do you for it).
As for safety, as long as you do them fairly tight (and don’t have a freak accident) they are MUCH safer. I don’t feel as safe with a lap strap any longer.
Add to that not getting thrown about as much while driving and you’re on to a winner.
Ian
Xman
Retain the standard seat belts, as well as fitting the harnesses. For routine “round town” driving, the ordinary belts are far preferable - particularly when at a junction waiting to join the main carriageway - harnesses are effectively “fixed”, preventing you from leaning forward to see what traffic is only on the main road.
Im in with Pesky ! - have both, much easier… Ive heard some one say in the past that red button type is required for MOT - not sure if this is true or not
M
Thanks for that fellas. Does the standard fit harnesses that come with the Sports Package have this ‘red button’?
PS - Apologies once again Mr Bean… I will hand control of the thread back to you shortly
Does the standard fit harnesses that come with the Sports Package have this ‘red button’?
Yep.
Thanks Mr Pesky.
Now can anyone help Mr Bean… he’s been waiting patiently for ages.
Mr Bean, you have control!
Do you really need the speakers? I would store them and save the weight.
Also gives you the option when selling to return the car to original.
I don’t think it’s the particularly the red button that makes a harness street legal it’s the E4 marking on the label that does that. It’s usually on the lap strap that retains the buckle. Technically you should fail an MOT without one present but I’ve never heard of it happening.
You shouldn’t have to drill the chassis to fit them, you can space off the eyebolts and use the existing mounting points for the rear of the seat after all the stress points for a three point belt are on the seat.
Pesky’s right though a harness can be a PITA for town driving and especially reversing, but I would think that if you do little enough of this type of driving it’s worth losing the inertia reel belts altogether. I did and haven’t looked back since…bloody harness won’t allow me to do that!
It might depend on which bar you are fitting but I had to cut quite alot away when fitting an EliseParts harness bar. however it did not really matter as its not really visible.
I initially fitted the lap straps to the seat points and left the inertia belts in place. However, I was not happy about the positioning of both anchor points on the same bolt - only one could be fitted in the ideal position - and after getting used to the harnesses took the inertia belts out completely. Its personal opinion but I find the full harnesses comfortable, easy to put on when you are used to them and they offer far better protection.
The final move was to drill out the floor and fit the anchor points directly. Seeing how flimsy the thread inserts are for the seats I couldn’t believe that these would take the loading of a bad trackday crash.
Thanks steve…I’ve just fitted the Elise-parts bar which is quite a struggle and as you found have cut a load of the trim away…fitted it all …then found I could not get the outside shoulder harness bolts in …so it all had to come out again…!!!
EParts say Drill The Floor so thats tomorrow’s job.
where approximately did you position the fittings??
cheers
Hmmm… May change mine but Lotus M’Sport fitted my harness’ so I kept the original inertia reels and the lap belts shared the same mounting points on the seat…
When I fitted mine I put the strengthener plates as close to the edge and rear as possible, which looks to be the strongest point, but beware because it also means that the strengthener bolt, which protudes below the car, is immediately beside the jacking up point sticker…
This can be a problem when jacking up…
When you position the jack, it can sometimes just catch the edge of the bolt and then slip off it, doing no harm, but you do have a mini heart attack, cos you think it is falling off the jack !!
One day I’ll move it a bit…
thanks MIke guess, its through the floor panel NOT through the crossmember as Eparts pic shows?
Cheers
Bean - The floor panel is not strong enough…
That’s the conundrum - it has to be the crossmember…
It might be possible to go more central, and feed the lapbelt around the seat base - depends on your exact set up…
What about using allen, button head bolts?
Guess I’ll fix to existing seat positions for now and see what others have done whilst at Bedford on Monday. Better drive carefully so not to test them !!
EParts say Drill The Floor so thats tomorrow’s job.
where approximately did you position the fittings??
cheers
Have a look HERE. The photo inside a car shows a MkII Exige Cup and how the Motorsport team mounted the anchor points; and the underneath picture shows what Mike was saying about it being close to the jacking point. There is a 3rd photo which shows the recommended fixing angles for harnesses which i would not deviate from. Note that if you follow this and fit a 5th or 6th belt then you HAVE to mount it through the thin floor!
It might be possible to go more central, and feed the lapbelt around the seat base - depends on your exact set up…
Mike the danger of doing this (if I have understood you correctly!) is that the angles which fall well outside the recommended fitting angles for harnesses and might be more dangerous than fitting through the floor