ypshan

I almost ordered a Hans but found the following.

http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/chart.html

I know it's not what the race car drivers we see on TV wear but from a scientific stand point, it makes a lot of sense. Your opinion?

The "Other Pages" link has all the details. I may still be inclined to go with Hans since that's what everybody wears but this definitely has some advantages over Hans and I can't seem to find any weakness.

KPV

This seems like a really cool product. I like the idea a little better than the HANS unit. My only concern would be the angle of the damper.

ColorChange

ypshan Thanks! This looks excellent. Better than the Hans (better protection, better visibility (rotate your head), more comfortable (no pad).

Sloth

My only issue with the ISAAC device is that it attaches the helmet to the belt webbing. Imagine that the car is upside down and on fire with the driver uncoscious. The cornerworkers release the belts expecting the driver to come free, but they remain attached due to the way the ISAAC device mounts to the seatbelt and helmet. Despite the quick release on the device and even showing cornerworkers before hand, I worry about that extra step being forgotten in the heat of the moment when seconds count.

The HANS fits under the belt webbing and does not attach to anything other than the helmet. Release the belt and the driver comes free.

Now all that being said I have no experience with the ISAAC device and never seen the system first hand. I do use the HANS device, so I am probably a bit biased. Once situated and belted in the car, it is very easy to forget that the HANS is even there. The only time I notice it is when I am going through the paddock and trying to see around me.

ColorChange

Excellent points Sloth. I really like the concept and think I will post a sticker on the side of my car saying to unclip the helmet to get me out. Wife won't like seeing that one either (along with my blood type stitched into my suit)!

ypshan

HANS has a quick disconnect mechanism with two red straps that you can pull to detach the helmet from the device. One can also attach red straps to the release pins of the ISAAC device. A cornerworker who's familiar with HANS would likely pulls the red straps for you if you are using ISAAC.

I have a regular TT seat and can slide sideways more during a side impact. With ISAAC, should I be worried that my body will move sideway but my head won't since ISAAC is holding it in place with the shoulder straps?

gbaker

Guys,

I am an engineer with the Isaac company.

First, thanks for the kinds words about the product. We are getting good feedback from both crash dummies and customers, some who claim to also be crash dummies. The product is very new, so many drivers have never heard of it.

The server says we are getting some hits from this thread, so I thought you may want to know that another discussion is going on about this subject on this forum. A lot of questions can be answered there. It can be found at:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...5&pagenumber=4

That should be >Performance & Comp... >R&D Ed... >Recaro HANS seat

I owe the posters there some responses, but have been busy with the SCCA Nationals at Sebring.

I'm set for e-mail notification, so feel free to post a question here. I'll try to get back to you ASAP.

Stay warm.

ColorChange

gbaker:

Can you address the emergency exit issues if the corner workers or safety personnel are not familiar with the Isaac and don't realize you're hooked to the harness while they're yanking on you (assumed unconscious).

gbaker

Good question. We recognized early that this could be a problem if safety personnel found the quick-release pins unfamiliar. Long story short, they don’t. We have even gone so far as surprising corner workers with an Isaac system connected to a helmet and asking them to disconnect it. We have yet to find one who doesn’t get it. Safety crew chiefs report the same from their crews after we send them sample systems.

This is part of a larger issue, namely multiple connections showing up on helmets. One corner worker said (paraphrasing), “At least that [Isaac pin] is designed for a quick release. I’m more concerned about radio connections, drink tubes, forced air tubes and in-helmet camera lenses and shift indicators.” Another one said (paraphrasing), “If I’m in a hurry I just cut everything, including the belts.”

In the more serious race series, most of these guys/gals are firefighters or EMT crewmembers who work racing on the side, or are employed full-time by the sanctioning body. Most of these organizations have included reviews of all head and neck restraints in their training, and we are seeing more of the same at the amateur level. If you are doing club racing or DEs involving amateur workers, we strongly suggest you bring up the subject regardless of the product you use.

We provide with the instructions a separate sheet depicting the disconnect and encourage drivers to supply this to safety personnel and review with them how everything functions. Also, a video is available on our Web site, and decals are supplied with every system for placement on helmets and car door frames.

The video link is here: http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/Othe...tructions.html

And here is a link showing a photo of the typical decal placement: http://www.isaacdirect.com/images/AR...7-0740_IMG.JPG

One racing organization compared the Isaac and HANS in a simulated extrication in the scenario you describe. The driver was placed in a seat-harness-roll cage assembly that was then inverted. The driver was instructed to assume the role of an unconscious driver. Extrication by a Level III EMT crew took just under one minute with the Isaac system. Extrication with the HANS device required 93 seconds.

ColorChange

Thanks Gregg: You've won another customer. I was going to get the Hans but being an engineer also, the benefits of your design are obvious and I'm sold.

gbaker

Thanks! Our fax machine awaits your order.

Sloth

How could that be? How did it take an additional 30 seconds to free the driver using the HANS system? The HANS just needs the seatbelt released whereas the ISAAC would need the seatbelt released then two pins pulled on either side of the drivers helmet. 30 seconds is a long time and I am just curious to know how or why the ISAAC system was so much faster when there is more to release. Was the action performed by the same EMT crew? Was it the same "driver"?

gbaker

Sloth,

Same everything, only the head and neck restraints were different.

The ISAAC pins pop out very quickly and the assembly falls away. See the second and third entries here: http://isaacdirect.com/html/OtherPag...sComments.html

Watch a video of Bobby LaBonte getting out of his burning Cup car last July. He had to completely remove the HANS before he could climb out the window.

ColorChange

Gregg:
Please address the lateral force issue (hitting a wall in a sideways skid, getting T-boned ...). In other safety threads in the racing forum, they make a big point of using a seat with wings at helmet height to keep the head from flopping sideways. It looks to me like your system should address lateral g's as well and this should be an effective solution (although not as effective as the seats with helmet wings that should stop your head faster). Am I right?

gbaker

Sorry, that page has been edited. You want the first and fourth entries from Messrs. Loescher and Cudahy.