Raider89

I am fairly new and recently got a full Cayman race car that has both driver and passenger hans/halo seats and full 6 point harnesses. I have proper 2015 helmet and Necksgen neck restraint for myself. I still get Instruction occasionally and know they should bring their own. But, what about my passengers which are commonly friends or family?


To my surprise, I thought I should get a foam neck collar for added neck restraint for passengers since their helmets and neck sizes vary. However, those foam collars are intended for helmet support, not neck protection according to Simpson. I am not trying to go cheap, but need lots of variability considering passengers different helmet and neck sizes. Are there any other alternatives?

JustinL

Those foam neck things aren't worth anything. I'd suggest a standard size HANS and a bunch of anchor kits that you can put on your guests helmets. Especially having harnesses for both driver and passenger, it would be a worthwhile investment. I don't think I could drive a passenger unless they had equivalent gear to me. It's like the bikers who are all leathered up with the girl on the back in a tank top and shorts. Seems wrong.

MUSSBERGER

Anybody riding with you should be afforded the same protection as you. My experience has been unless you're an instructor nobody gets a ride unless it is an instructor.

caymannyc

Really depends on how aggressively you are going to drive and the passenger.

HANS and other equivalent "spec" neck protection systems have specific sizes. There is no "one-size-fits-all" and it MUST be of the proper size to be of proper protection. They are expensive. You can go with plastic instead of CF but the whole system (with properly fitting helmet) will cost you at least $2,000 per person, closer to $3,000, unless the size of your passengers is the same. And then you'll be stuck with a whole bunch of very expensive helmets and neck protector and you have to ask where the limit is. Are you going to make each one spend a couple hours practicing vehicle escape? Are you going to train them to access the extinguisher and utilize such extinguisher and do drills? Are you going to make them wear full fire retardant suit, shoes, gloves, mask? Really? Of course not.

If you are actually racing against other cars, you're not taking a "passenger" on anyway. Not only is that detrimental to performance, it's a huge danger and disallowed. If you're talking about simple track days, you really don't need HANS and the full racing get up. It's overkill and you shouldn't be doing full "racing" mode on a track day anyway - it's hazardous not only to yourself but to others on the track who are there oftentimes just to have some fun. If a car in front is going very slow, either pass on the straight or go slow for 30 seconds and you'll soon have a clear track ahead of you. Safer and better than going for a pass on a corner on a car driven by somebody you don't know, may have unpredictable driving habits and may panic and spin himself out hurting himself or worst case slamming into you.

A simple DOT helmet system, and if you're really paranoid, a foam neck cushion is fine. And always drive more cautiously with a passenger next to you. It's the speed that kills.

linzman

Hate to disagree, but this is just bad advice. If you are using harnesses, you should have a head/neck restraint. No ifs, ands, or buts. Even at a DE. Even if you drive very unaggressively. Cars these days are super fast, and all it takes is the guy in front of you dropping some fluid for you to go off-roading, possibly hitting something. And you can get a hans and decent helmet setup for $1000 easily.

Raider89

For clarification, this car will be used for track days only, not racing. I fully understand the importance of not going full out when passenger is in the car (but restraint can be difficult). I stepped up from track prepared street car to full race car for the added safety protection and my aggressive driving behavior. I intend to wear full gear for track days as do many of the other drivers in similar restricted egress cars.

CrookedCommie

Uh.... have you been to a recent PCA event and seen some of the hardware out there?

I can only speak for myself, but I have the race seats, roll over bar, six point belts, and run a HANS for HPDE. A wall is a wall, doesn't matter if I'm racing the guy in front or not.

Raider89

I agree > Bell Sport helmet and Necksgen for about $1000. Only problem is sizing variability among passengers.

ProCoach

Actually, the HANS and some other SFI 38.1 compliant head and neck restraints ARE a standard "medium" size, with a "large" option available for neck sizes 18" or above. http://hansdevice.com/faq.html

For a generic rider, I would recommend a HANS Device Adjustable, which accommodates upright or laid back seating, with sliding tethers for about $580. The time consuming thing will be installing the posts on your rider's helmets.

Under no circumstances would I recommend a foam neck cushion. They don't do anything.

You need to think very carefully about bringing riders along who are not used to being in the passenger seat or are not serving a purpose by being there. Fluids on track, a breakage, even at a low speed, can inflict injury if they are not fitted and the installation optimized for their size and build. Loose seat belts are one of the major causes of injury, again even in low speed impacts.

I applaud your use of identical safety gear fro each side of the car, but urge you to think long and hard about who you allow or invite into the right seat...

caymannyc

$1,000 if you go bargain basement, sure. And that still doesn't change the fact that he will need several sets of these bargain basement parts to accommodate his family and friends.

And to Peter, you're forgetting the youth sizes, which may be more suitable to smaller passengers (including females). Sizes are actually super-small, small, medium and large. You need to try them on to see which one fits, and yes, you can buy the wrong size. Same goes for helmets. Most people tend to wear them too large. Proper fitting helmets are uncomfortable.

http://www.ogracing.com/hans-device-...FQUcaQodEGQPdQ


Thousands of people participate in track days around the world without incident. Crashes do happen, but in most cases they are preventable. I suggest you step back and consider what you're considering. Buying a helmet and HANS gear for someone who may ride as a passenger at most once a year for maybe 20 minutes total of some spirited driving? And weren't we just talking about how expensive and out of control the costs of motorsports has become?

ProCoach

The dropdown menu on your link from OG lists only the Medium and Large. Those are the only ones I've ever seen stocked for automotive use.

Don't mean to quibble, but if someone is small enough to need a super-small or small, then their shoulders will be under the shoulder belt cut-outs in the seat and the HANS will not be able to be safely worn.

On helmet fit, I'd be pissed if my $2500 helmet wasn't at least reasonably comfortable! <grin> That said, any point of contact with the helmet liner should move the surrounding skin when the helmet is twisted or rocked after being put on and the strap fastened.

This is dating back, but when I was CI for DE's many years ago, we did not allow minors or even people who could not be safely restrained in the car, on the track. YMMV.

Raider89

It clearly will require restraint on my part and acknowledgment of the same dangers that exist with myself exist with them. Most of you know the situation, family or friends that want to ride (even in my street car that occasionally drive beyond the law).

So, another off the wall consideration. The difference in street car with standard OEM belts versus 6 point harness is that shoulders are locked in place and not allowed to give in event of impact - plus airbag protection. What if someone used only the lower 4 belts and not shoulders? Is that too great of compromise? Seems like endangering the back instead of neck now?

CrookedCommie

^ Don't do that, safety systems are meant to work together. If it's family and friends, either get an extra standard HANS, have them bring their own, or drive 7/10 and show them how fun track driving is while still being safe and not pushing the limit. You won't scare them, or put them at risk, and nobody's going to complain that you didn't hit your personal best.

Driving a passenger or even a HPDE instructor isn't the time to show off or chase the timer. Pro-instruction excluded, obviously.

JustinL

Like the 2 anti sub belts and the lap belts with no shoulder restraint? That's a terrible idea.

ProCoach

As noted above, these systems require the use of all their components to work properly. Please, don't use just the lap and sub belts. Use it all. Forego the HANS if it can't be fitted correctly. And have fun!

The former? True dat.

The latter? Fuggeddaboutit!