I am looking to fit a right side net to my 944 but do not have a dash bar and still have the HAVC in place (heater) so would struggle to mount an eye to bulokhead. Anyone done this or have any good ideas?

 

Here is what I did in my S2. Remove the central vent panel from the dash, so you can see the fire wall. Raise the hood and cut the thin black plastic that covers the HVAC (?) components by the fire wall to allow you to drill a hole through the fire wall. I did this on the passenger side. Drill a hole through the fire wall after you figure out where to position the center net in the inside.

You may have to cut a little of the stuff behind the center vent away. I used a belt loop with a bolt and nut through it to hold the strap on the rachet end of center net. I bought the net at Apex Performance.

I was able to put the center vent back on to maintain the stock look for running PCA stock class. If that was not my limiting factor, I'd probably removed as much of the dash and stuff behind it to make room.

Good luck.

 

Just Remember;

- Whatever point you choose, you do not want it to deviate too far toward the passenger side. In other words, you do not want it to deviate too far from a longitudinal axis. In other words... you want the net to be as parallel to the center tunnel as possible. The more it strays from this ideal, the less effective it will be at doing its job, which is to keep you from flying sideways on an offset hit.

- You also have to choose a point that allows you to have enough clearance to reach under it to get at the shifter, but not so high that it blocks your side vision.

- Additionally, you have to choose a net whose strap ends match the position of the tubing you will terminate it on, or be able to fabricate add-ons that accomplish this effectively.

- Finally, any point you mount it to should be able to withstand roughly the same loads as any safety harness in the system; nominally 1500lbs.

Reading between the lines, you should see that it is a VERY difficult item to properly position. It takes lots of thought, and probably some trial and error. The wise installer will do LOTS of mocking up and prototyping before doing any cutting or drilling!

 

Here is mine.

 

Joe P. I have considered using that location but feel, as John pointed out, that the net is angled way to far toward the passenger side. In a heavy, right side t-bone, I think my body would be forced toward the dash due to the angle of the net. Just my 0.02$

 

Tough Call;

Structurally, that's a good spot. Pulling in tension, very close to a parallel path to the object surface, on a sheetmetal assembly that additionally has some built in reinforcement simply from its form and shape. Balance that against a spot closer to longitudinal, pulling more toward a perpendicular path, and with less inherent reinforcement... This might be the best compromise. As always, there are a whole bunch of factors competing for attention. The real key is in REALIZING them all, and then weighting them properly. You are looking to juggle and prioritize them to come up with the best compromise.

Don, you mention being thrown toward the dash as if it were not a good thing. That is actually beneficial, and quite the underlying point of the net. All of our safety devices, and the human body, perform best in the longitudinal direction. The flexibility of the human form, the effectiveness of harnesses, and especially that of a HANS device, are all at their peak when moving forward. While we obviously do not want to clobber the dash, we do seek to divert energy in that direction, as that is where all of our restraint systems function most effectively.

 

OK guys, want to get your advice. I actually took a similar approach to Joe to fit my right net. I had to add an extra anchor point in the rear as my cage did not work for all 3 anchor points. I also did not want to damage the dash so went through the airbag recess like Joe. Must say that it is ROCK solid and is perfect height for me. My only concern is the angle it is at because I did not want to go through the air vents in the dash and have to remove the heater. There is very slight pressure on seat but no significant torque as on my 12th attempt I managed to lign the webbing up so the sholder bolster was not touching a webbing vertical (see pic 1 for what I mean(.

My thought process was that as it is perfect to my seat/head position/head height and all very tense the offset angle is not a major issue (although not perfect) your thoughts?

 

where does the top of the net bisect your helmet?

Looks like it's too far angled to the right, but hard to tell from the picture. If there is too much travel, it kind of defeats the purpose. Just my $.02

Mine almost follows the seat line directly to the attachment point

 

I think the pics make it look worse than it is angle wise. The top of my helmet is 2.5 inches above the top of the net and my eye line is lined to top line of net and when I am sat in my regular position the net is 1/2 inch from the side of my helmet. In an accident I know I could move forwards and as I do the net gets further away but with my head 9 inches straight forwards my helmet is still only 4 inches from the net and with my limited HANS movement the helmet still touches the net (see last pic - dont laugh but I was tring to simulate my head action in a crash )

 

Hey;

The height should be so that you can just look over the top strap into your side mirror, the same as a head halo should be on a containment seat. Thatplaces the top strap (or halo) right at the tip of your nose. When you do not have a full containment seat (as in your case), the side net will be called upon even more to keep you from travelling sideways in an offset hit. Judging by the pictures, the fore/aft offset is much to severe. Much as you hate to do it, to get it right you need a front mount point closer to the steering column.

 

Yes a compromise at best. My factors were.
1) No dash bar
2) The rear of the net wraps around the behind the seat. In front I needed to have space to operate the shift lever. This would move the net up or to the side. I sit low so the side was easier since it would still catch the body.
3) strong mount that was also easy to access.


Of course I have never tested this. I hope I never need to.

 

This is how I did mine. I roto-zipped the vent and the steal behind it to allow access, while retaining the screw to secure the vent. The ratchet is behind the seat to keep it tight.

 

Wow, I was confused for a minute.

 

dan - welcome to the club - congrats on the 944 .. n/a ? how u liking ?

 

Look at the date Vito, ancient thread...