Potomac-Greg

Anything good or bad to report?

I also wouldn't mind a little feedback on the relative pluses and minuses of sliding anchors and/or quick-release anchors.

Thanks.

rlm328

I purchased the Defnder as my first head/neck restraint system, so I cannot compare it against another manufacturer's product like Hans. I do not have a halo seat and thought the added feature of lateral stability would be a plus. The system is easily donable in the car. I will get in the car and start the process of putting on the horseshoe (for lack of a better word) by threading the seat belts in place and then putting on the helmet. Attaching the anchors in place is not a big deal. It was a bit of a pain until I got the tethers adjusted to the proper length.

As stated earlier I do not have anything to compare it against but once your strapped in and your belts are pulled tight your head movement is really restricted, so you may need to adjust your rear view mirrors, also it restricts how far down/through/around a corner you can see. One benefit is that I have a HANS friendly seat and the horseshoe locks into the seat once the belts are snugged down.

I will not drive my car again without some type of head/neck restraint.

Hopes this helps.

Potomac-Greg

Thanks, Bob. Good info.

schwank

Not that search works great but I posted this question earlier this spring in this forum and got some decent answers. I've since purchased harnesses but have not dropped the dime on the H&N restraint yet.

Here you go:

https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...hlight=defnder

Potomac-Greg

Thanks. We are at the same point. The guilt is killing me. The "sport" HANS seems like a better value than the pro HANS, but when I get it in the size I need, it's still a lot more expensive than the DefNder. I'm a cheap bastard, and I am trying not to make a mistake!

rlm328

One of the major advantages of the Defnder over the HANS is that it locks the shoulder harness in place, i.e. the shoulder harness will not slide off in the advent of an impact which is one of the issues with the HANS.

You are wise to invest in a head/neck restraint system with a harness.

From the referenced search, no one who responded had yet tried a Defnder, so I believe Greg's new thread is not a rehash of old data.

forklift

I ordered mine this morning. You can now get them in full black (no green).

Good thread here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1151847

Circuit Motorsports

I sent a PM offline to Greg as I saw this pop up so I didn't clutter it up with too much commercial post side of things before others chimed in.

I have them and carry them. I really like the DefNder. As I have said in earlier threads I spent a lot of time at the show checking it out and finding reasons not to like the device. I had a HANS that I used in the formula car, just an FYI.

It has the same recommendations for seatbelt architecture as HANS, and uses the same holes in the helmet so if you have a predrilled helmet you are good to go. Otherwise there is a very straight forward template to use.

The belt guides are a nice addition and while I feel it is an improvement it's not a replacement for a well setup shoulder belt system (sorry to harp on this point but it is often overlooked).

The only issues I have seen with the DefNder fitment wise has been for barrel chested people, large chin wickers on helmets and those in a very reclined seating position. Very much the same issues people have had with the HANS.

Any questions or pictures people want please send me a message or post here and I'll get the answers for you.

I have them in stock, free shipping (only the green ones right now). 549 shipped. If for any reason you don't like it you are welcome to return it.

ApexPerformance

We've had a handful of customers upgrade the DefNder to a Hans because the green stabilizer bars sit kind of high and can interfere with the helmet - you can't turn your head side to side (if you have a helmet with a lip on it or have no neck). The shoulders can be adjusted slightly.

One thing to remember - HANS is SFI and FIA approved, DefNder is only SFI approved at this time. The DefNder does have some neat features though.

ltc

You must have missed the memo.....there is no issue with the belts coming out from under a HANS device in an off axis/lateral impact (wings, no wings, friction material, no friction material, standard 3" shoulder belts, HANS specific tapered 3"-2" shoulder belts).




Yes, I'm being sarcastic, especially since Sir Isaac Newton isn't here to chime in.

IMHO, the safest way to employ a HANS (assuming you have all the geometries correct for you, your cockpit and (containment) seat, would be to use the 'double shoulder belt' system...4 shoulder belts.

BTW, does anyone know the status of the lawsuit brought by H&D against the folks who make the DeFender (whom IIRC were originally with Leatt) ?

95m3racer

I believe there were actually a couple lawsuits, one from Leatt as well. Seems there has not been any CD orders, as they are still selling/shipping.

http://www.leatt-corp.com/stat_press8.htm