Seat Mounting: How Important is it really?
02-11-2005, 03:11 PM
#31
This is from memory so keep me honest here but FIA only tests seats to 17G... but that doesn't mean the seat actually breaks at 17G.. i would guess that most of them will comfortably exceed that. Some seat manufactures may privately test beyond that.
Redlineman... not sure I buy your kenetic energy arguement. Kenetic energy is imparted by the speed of the car. At the second of impact, the car decellerates, and your body continues at constant energy until something stops it.
Said another way, at any point in time the kenetic energy in your body is constant... it does not increase.
The problem you are citing is not a matter of slow or fast decelleration.... but of non-linear decelleration. Belts that stretch alot and then snap tight are not good. The belts must deform to be safe, but yes, you want that decelleration to start immediately, not stretch 6 inches and then start decellerating you. That first 6 inches is critical so I think what we are seeing are belts with less total stretch that are designed to start slowing you down immediately.
Redlineman... not sure I buy your kenetic energy arguement. Kenetic energy is imparted by the speed of the car. At the second of impact, the car decellerates, and your body continues at constant energy until something stops it.
Said another way, at any point in time the kenetic energy in your body is constant... it does not increase.
The problem you are citing is not a matter of slow or fast decelleration.... but of non-linear decelleration. Belts that stretch alot and then snap tight are not good. The belts must deform to be safe, but yes, you want that decelleration to start immediately, not stretch 6 inches and then start decellerating you. That first 6 inches is critical so I think what we are seeing are belts with less total stretch that are designed to start slowing you down immediately.
