rraustin

Am using a Simpson Hybrid FIA neck restraint device for track events. I choose this for several reasons.
1. Can be used with 3-point seat belt and all harnesses
2. In addition to the restraining neck movement going forward this device has side movement restraint in case of side collisions. This is especially important in cars that do have the racing seats with built in side head restraints.




The problem I have seen with these devices is that the metal parts on the upper back can rub on the back of the seat and cause damage as you can see below in my RS5.



In the GT4 I find that the metal parts at the back of the Hybrid will rub on the carbon fiber if you remove those small pillows in the seat back. With the pillow in, the Hybrid is better snugged up to the seat and it will prevent scratching the carbon fiber section of the seat. Not sure if HANS and other neck restraints cause the same problems, but the pillow can help if they do.

So for track days I put the pillow in and the rest of the time I remove it.

Bob Rouleau

FWIW, I don't feel the need to wear my HANS in cars that have airbags. In race cars - always.

Best,

ShakeNBake

I have the older r3 that I use in students cars. I found out the hard way - I scratched up a students gt3 seats. Fortunately a leather expert was able to repair it. I've since covered those metal rails with industrial Velcro (soft side), it seems to work well and is holding on. If you can wear a hans, it's far better, but not all cars are setup for it.

orthojoe

Yup. The co-owner of my gt3 used to have a Simpson hybrid and scratched the carbon fiber on the seat because the pad was removed. We put the pad back in. We all use either a Hans or necksgen now and no rubbing or damage.

digistyl3

I'm going to my first track event this weekend with the GT4. I better cover the sharp bits up with something soft. I have a Schroth Super Sport:

rraustin

I agree that airbag cars do the job, but I just promised my wife I would use every safety precaution possible.....

Looks a lot better than the Hybrid since strap guides on yours look like plastic, so less scratching I would think.

orthojoe

It won't be a problem with that device

ShakeNBake

agreed. The hybrid/r3 has sharp edges and the screw heads are ragged. I don't know why they just didn't use the same interface as the hans....they are the same company now.

needmoregarage

I haven't had a chance to sit in the seat with helmet/HANS yet - but in my R with LWB I had a problem with HANS getting wedged under the upholstered part of the seat back. I tried a variety of things to solve it.

In the new seat - if it looks to be a problem - he made a creative suggestion which I like: take the "little intermediate pillow" (that some of you are removing) and send it to the upholstery shop for some extra padding. That way it sticks out a bit further than the surface of the seat, and acts as a shim or guide to keep the upper edge of the HANS from rubbing against the leather.

ML///

I assume you mean you're not wearing the HANS in cars that do not have harnesses?
When you're not wearing the HANS you're saying that the airbags and three point harness is good enough, correct? I guess I wanted to make sure I understood your statement.

seapar

Not to hijack but any opinions on the schroth new FHR product? Same price point as necksgen rev and sport 3 Hans. About 600.

stingray84

+1

I'm researching to buy a HNR device and have the same question on those three options.

digistyl3

I didn't want to risk it, so I improvised. Tomorrow is track day



This section is not too sharp, but definitely not smooth.



I used some double-sided tape and one of those screen cleaning cloths (silky smooth).



The double-sided tape is pre-cut into small strips.



I pressed one side against the cloth...



... then cut the cloth into shape.



The strip was somewhat larger than the part I was covering.



I could've trimmed the whole thing, but I wanted to do something that's fairly easy and fast.



Before...



... after

It just glides over leather surfaces.

rraustin

Looks great. Problem solved.

Macca

Our run group had similar issues with scratching leather using hybrid and some model HANs. Most of us use NECKGENll now, it's smaller, lighter, allows some neck rotation laterally and with no metal fastenings on the back is guaranteed to no cause damage to your chairs. I've been using this 2+ years in my 991 GT3 clubsport ROW and it doesn't cause an issue...