Snug up your seatbelt for better control...

[bilgladstone 13]

At the Advanced Driving Course at Pitt Meadows this summer, we learned that in order to control the car in demanding driving conditions, you have to be braced solidly in your seat in the best driving position.

In order to maintain this optimal posture, we were advised to make use of the "dead-pedal" to the left of the brake - to plant the left foot on that surface and use it to press your lower body firmly back in the seat in order to free your arms and right foot of the strain of keeping you in place. That lets you operate the steering and foot controls with a light and accurate touch.

But what a pain! Literally, in my case - I couldn't keep pushing and pushing with my left leg for very long before it KILLED! And even with trying to remember to brace up like that, a number of us found that on a certain curve at a certain speed, our bums wandered in the seat enough to let the right thigh actually bump the floor-mounted gear selector from drive to neutral! Talk about losing control, eh? Imagine yourself in a life-threatening traffic crisis and suddenly your car goes into neutral "all by itself"!

Here's a possible solution I stumbled upon lately - a 50-dollar accessory that turns your oem seatbelt into a snug, secure "racing harness."

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

[Duck 16]

I LIKE THAT!That is a neat piece of kit; I really like having a tight seatbelt. My only hesitation is that this could potentially interfere with the operation of the explosive pretensioner in the case of a crash. Although I guess that all depends on how hard this lil' guy actually clamps the belt.-Iain

[MightyMouseTech 0]

The seat belt tensioners like that have proven themself for many years. I used to use one when autoxing 10 or 12 years ago before I could run with a real harness. (I had to add a roll bar before I could add a real race harness safely) They work quite well. I actually used to have the same brand even, the CG Lock.

[Duck 16]

Canadian Site: http://www.cglockcanada.com/

Any thoughts on the explosive pretensioner conflicting with this?

-Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Canadian Site: http://www.cglockcanada.com/Any thoughts on the explosive pretensioner conflicting with this?-Iain

I've emailed them to find out. Will post any reply here. Also asked about insurance and liability concerns.B

[Duck 16]

Cool, thanks Bil I really wanna get one of these, like I said, I've loved a snug seatbelt ever since I was a kid! My parents told me when I was really little, I'd shout at my dad if he started to drive away before I had my belt on. -Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Once our concerns are addressed and we're confident there are no negative implications that we can't accept, yeah, I'd like one too (have to see the amount of next cheque etc.)All other cars I've owned had "loop-back" belt clasps that would let the lap belt be snugged up tight the way I like, not the "single slot" fastener like the smart.For me, I consider this a worthwhile safety feature, in that it gives the driver more stability and control.

Edited January 10, 2009 by bilgladstone

[Duck 16]

I just want it because it means I can go around corners faster. -Iain

[Duck 16]

Here is a nice big picture of it:

It is a really sharp piece of kit! It appears well designed; this is not a "Ractive"/Canadian Tire type mod

-Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Duck,

Here's a place in Southern Ontario that sells them for $49.95. Clickety-Click They should be able to give you the info you need.

You know you want one!

My only concern is for wear on the OEM seatbelt as reported by a number of users. Are they expensive to replace?

B

[siddeley 0]

Aug 08 price $264.70 for drivers belt. $230.70 for right hand belt. (list prices)

[smart65 28]

Those prices probably include the whole package (reel, tensioners, etc., as well as the belt). In my experience, seat belt systems cannot be repaired, just replaced in entirety. I once asked my Saturn dealer to adjust my seatbelt so that it would retract faster and more consistently. His reply was that no repairs or adjustments can legally be done on safety systems, only complete replacement is allowed.

Edited January 10, 2009 by smart65

[MikeT 744]

Seeing as the thing clamps the two parts of the belt together, I think it would definitely affect the operation of the tension retractor, however the tensioner would still work on the shoulder part of the belt and if the lap portion is very tight already you could be OK in the original moments after a collision.However, the other thing to remember is that the seatbelts in the smart limit forces on the people inside the car during the deceleration phase of the collision by doling out slack in the belts during the peak deceleration period and so this safety measure would only be working on the upper part of the body, not the lap portion, which would probably mean excessive deceleration forces acting on the pelvis/lower body.For a track event I would consider using one but on the road, for the above-noted reason, no way.

[Overkll 0]

I forget how I used to do it in my Civic? I used to move the seat back, lean forward quickly to get the belt to lock and then move the seat forward. This would snug the belt up quite tightly for autocrossing. Not sure why you would want it that tight day-to-day?

[Duck 16]

That's a really good idea, Overkill! (Except for the reasons Mike cited above)-Iain

[Duck 16]

Here's a place in Southern Ontario that sells them for $49.95. Clickety-Click They should be able to give you the info you need.

Oh my god that is the worst webpage in the world. I can't find it anywhere on there.

-Iain

[bilgladstone 13]

Oh my god that is the worst webpage in the world. I can't find it anywhere on there.-Iain

Yeah their site is very poor. The CG-Lock is on an non-linked internal page.Here it is. Scroll down: http://www.cscracing.com/se2.html

[bilgladstone 13]

Hello Bil,My apologies for such a late response to your questions about the CG-Lock. I wanted to circle back with our technical team to ensure I was answering your questions correctly.The CG-Lock has been crash tested and does not interfere with the normal operation of a seat belt system including those with pretensioners.In terms of insurance we have not had any issues however you may want to check with your carrier. If they have any questions please feel free to put them in touch with us. Transport Canada views the CG-Lock as a locking clip.If any of your members have children in booster seats you may also want to investigate our SeatSnug product. www.seatsnug.comPlease let me know if you have any additional questions. We appreciate your interest in our products.Best regards,PatCG-Lock Canada Inc.

[MightyMouseTech 0]

Oh my god that is the worst webpage in the world. I can't find it anywhere on there.-Iain

They are mainly a roundy-round racer fabrication shop. They are used to working with tubing and welders ... :)I did get my HANS device from them. They are really good, I highly recommend them.