Re: seat belt harness question (vuu16v)
I know it will not fly forward. My problem is that it will not compress in an accident.
If you are hit solidly from the rear, (i.e. get plowed by some cell-talking SUV drivin' soccer C*&t) the seat cushion will compress under the intertial force of your body. On a race track, a spin and hitting a wall with the tail of the car will have the same results.
In severe cases, this total force can be measured in TONS (none of you are probably old enough to recall public service announcements about holding your child in your arms in an accident. The point, a 40lb. child becomes a 700lb. projectile in a 30mph accident...How much do you weigh?)
Either way, I'm sure everyone has seen slo-mo video's of crash test dummies. Trust me, you'll compress the cushions...a bunch.
That unit will NOT compress AT ALL. And since it's leading edge is close to your neck and spine, to me the possible result is painfully, if not fatally, obvious.
I have no doubt that this unit works perfectly well for locating shoulder belts. And in a happy-happy-world where Sh*t don't happen, I would have no problem with it.
But crap happens. And a device like this should ALWAYS be designed with the "worst case scenario" in mind, and this device fails miserably when you think about what COULD happen. On any street. At any moment. In an instant.
Now, for how it should be done.
Check any rule book and you'll see that shoulder belts are NOT supposed to be anchored that far below shoulder level in the first place. No more than 4" to be more specific. With this in mind, and even though I'd designed something myself, I think the bar from Yarrowsport, and a set of belts with a standard "wrap around" type shoulder belt, is the best compromise for a street car.
Beyond that, a simple cloth or nylon strap between the two belts behind the seat will do a decent job of holding the belts together near the headrest posts. (Or pass the posts through the material using grommets. Gee, a soft material. Why, that would be a much safer version of the topspin idea. There you go, IP, free of charge...use it) would apply to any schroth type setup.
