To Add Race Style Belts or Not?

So for all previous cars I've replaced the standard 3-point factory belts with either 4 or 5-point racing belts (sans all the ugly logos and banners). The reason is that I like the feeling of being tightly bound into the car and not have any body shift at all, which let's me relax and concentrate with my arms and feet. It's a habit born of racing. I really like the security of knowing that if any incident ever happened, that no matter where the car goes, my torso is going to stay still while I attend to business, whatever that may be.

With my CGT, the 5-point belts went in on top of the factory ones so that it was legal in U.S. and so that if you just wanted to just slip on the shoulder belts, no problem.

So I assumed that I would do the same thing with my 458 Speciale, but I was strongly "in no uncertain terms" told not to do this, even if I could hypothetically install the European 4-point belts or my own custom design.

Now, putting aside the notion of resale value for a moment (although it made no bit of difference when I sold the CGT), I wanted to throw this issue out there for comment to see if anyone else had gone down this path and what you've concluded?

Thanks to everyone ! Hope you had some great drives this weekend!

 

I'm aware of the usefulness of a HANS device... that didn't exist when I was racing. We had a semi-rigid neck collar under the helmet and that was it. I did get a concussion at PIR when I half-spun flat out and hit the wall sideways at 170... still have the helmet to show off the dent j The in-car camera is pretty interesting to watch as well.

The current rationale is that the extra "give" in a factory 3-point harness allows your body to yield to extreme forces just enough so that you "fall" into the air bags thus keeping your head from snapping too far in any direction, thus saving you from a basal skull fracture.

All good BUT 99% of survival in a crash is using car control to get the car in a less deadly position, and if your entire body weight is "sloshing" around in the seat, it's less certain you will keep control of the car. Also, if the car were to flip (sorry for the morbidity), being tightly bound to the seat is much safer than bouncing around the interior, air bags or no. (Especially with air bags as they only save you from one "hit" before deflating.)

https://www.facebook.com/mastersofdirt/videos/10153089184771796/

Imagine that with a 3-point harness. My tight 5-pointers have saved my bacon several times. And one could argue with a 458S that an open face helmet wouldn't hurt either.

As for visibility... you just avoid certain types of intersections and stop at a different distance, depending on the car model of course.

 

Well... it's all good feedback. Thank you guys !! And I promise DavidJames I have never been a hazard on any road... ever. I do not road race, that's what the track is for.

 

There is no debate here... only a discussion. It was a different time and place and any of us racing could have died... it goes with the territory. Perhaps my question was misplaced here in this forum. My apologies.

 

But just to be clear... Dale Sr. died because his harness came loose and there was too much "give"... not because of bad design. I recall quite clearly watching the footage and not comprehending how he could have died with such a relatively "mild" collision with the wall (in my crash, half the car was crushed flat and I survived... another Formula Atlantic racer named Jovie Marcelo was doing rookie training at Indy, had a relatively mild crash into the wall and died instantly... turns out he had an undiagnosed aneurysm about to blow). Just saying...