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I have a 2017 C43 sedan that I got last year and I'm finally getting it on track this year. Just fun track days with Clubs or open track days with street-class sessions & passing restrictions/rules. Same thing I did with my 2006 C230 6-speed for several years.
For now, I'm going to rely on the stock car's safety measures if I have a serious off-track incident. But, if I ever want to upgrade to a 4 or 5 point harness in the future, I'd need a roll cage to connect it to. Is that correct? The only harness I've personally seen in an M-B is a 5-point in an original style SLK32, and the shoulder straps connected to the little roll bar hoops behind each seat. In my car, could the shoulder straps be connected to the rear seat belt receivers? And, I'm not sure where the other lower straps mount. Should I assume some custom mounts would need to be created on structural parts of the floor? Or, if a cage is installed then it would also be used for those? Just curious, thinking to myself about the future. Oh, and I do know a HANS device should be worn with a harness. Thanks!
Correct as to both. If the shoulder harnesses are not installed at the proper height and bolted down to create the proper angle, you risk spinal compression (or worse) in the event of an accident. If you have never had a daily driven car with racing harnesses before, you will learn it is a PITA.
Query: what is wrong with the stock seatbelts and seats for the light track driving you intend to do?
As others have said for both 4-point and 5-point harness you need appropriate seats. The AMG Performance Seats support a 4-point harness. They have the passthroughs above the shoulders, but as said, for a 5-point you need a different seat to attached the 5th point. Then yes you need a cage or something to secure the harness to. FWIW, the AMG Driving Academy only has 4-point harnesses in their AMG GT cars that already have a fixture to attach the harness. For most levels they are only used for the instructor ride along at the end of the event. When I attended in Germany at the Nürburgring with the GT Black Series they fitted us with Hans device and strapped us tightly into the 4-point harness. So the first question is which seats do you have?
The only reason to go to a harness is to restrain yourself to protect from a cage. No cage? No harness necessary, as a harness can actually cause more injuries compared to the stock belts. A cage in a street car is an amazingly bad idea, as it will crush your skull if you have no helmet and harness. Subjecting oneself to the restrictions of a harness in a car that's not actually a race car is ridiculous. To hold yourself more firmly in place, a G-Lok on your stock belt will do the trick very well. The rollover protection built in to the car is more than adequate for HPDE, autocross etc. Once you go with a cage, you then need to gear up with harness and helmet to protect you from your own cage.
what is wrong with the stock seatbelts and seats for the light track driving you intend to do?
Nothing. I was just curious about what people do when they get a bit addicted to this stuff and want to do more, go faster, and be safer. I ran with standard M-B factory safety in my 2006 C-class and I plan to do that here, unless I get really into it down the road.
Originally Posted by superswiss
As others have said for both 4-point and 5-point harness you need appropriate seats. The AMG Performance Seats support a 4-point harness. They have the passthroughs above the shoulders, but as said, for a 5-point you need a different seat to attach the 5th point. Then yes you need a cage or something to secure the harness to. FWIW, the AMG Driving Academy only has 4-point harnesses in their AMG GT cars that already have a fixture to attach the harness. For most levels they are only used for the instructor ride along at the end of the event. When I attended in Germany at the Nürburgring with the GT Black Series they fitted us with Hans device and strapped us tightly into the 4-point harness. So the first question is which seats do you have?
The standard seats. Here's a random pic from the interwebs. A cage in a sedan would make the back seats useless, making it a dedicated track car. I'm not ready for that yet, and unless the car (and my skills) surprise me, I don't think it would be a great choice as a dedicated track car.
Originally Posted by VTSummit
The only reason to go to a harness is to restrain yourself to protect from a cage. No cage? No harness necessary, as a harness can actually cause more injuries compared to the stock belts. A cage in a street car is an amazingly bad idea, as it will crush your skull if you have no helmet and harness. Subjecting oneself to the restrictions of a harness in a car that's not actually a race car is ridiculous. To hold yourself more firmly in place, a G-Lok on your stock belt will do the trick very well. The rollover protection built into the car is more than adequate for HPDE, autocross etc. Once you go with a cage, you then need to gear up with harness and helmet to protect you from your own cage.
Yes, that all makes sense. I've not heard of the CG-Lock (same as "G-Lok"?), but it looks like a clamp that keeps your belt from adjusting any. I was taught a simple trick of sliding the seat back, locking the seat belt with a tug, then sliding back up. It's a real tight fit and keeps the belt locked. If this works similarly, but is easier/better in some way, then I'll give it a try. It's pretty low cost.
Thanks, everyone, for your opinions and information.
04-20-2023, 02:20 PM
