Right side net vid!

[GlennCMC70]

here is a vid of why you want a right side net. i'm sold.
dont watch this if you dont want to buy a net!
http://www.hmsmotorsport.com/docs/Wh...t_Side_Net.wmv

[Mike Bell]

OUCH!! :shock:

[AllZWay]

OUCH!! :shock:

No kidding. :shock:

[michaelmosty]

That's pretty crazy seeing the side supports on the seat get trashed like that!!!

[oz98cobra]

When watching this, there is more to consider than might first meet the eye.

Firstly, this is a light tube frame car into a very solid unpadded concrete wall, which is likely to be a very different scenario from most side impacts we are likely to encounter (and yes, I know there is a small chance that one of us could find a wall at TWS).

It also looks worse than it actually is because if you watch it is slo-mo, his visor unwraps and flings out, which makes it look like his head goes further than it actually does.

But consider this - an incorrectly placed side restraint net could be worse than nothing at all unless it covers your upper body as well as your head? Imagine if you stopped your body and not your head - or worse, the other way around and you restrained your head and not your body! Double ouch!

It may not look like it from a quick look at that video, but the seat side restraints did their jobs exactly as they were designed to do - they slowed the acceleration of his body and head pretty much at the same rate, and they need to deform to this. Looks to me like they needed to be a little stiffer, but who knows, safety experts may beg to differ? I think the vid is just as good as an advertisement for seat mounted side restraints as it is for nets!

My opinion is that such a seat mounted system is perfectly adequate for the type of racing that we do - to me, the important lesson from this video is that what ever system you use, be sure that it will support both the head and shoulders - which means those who are considering just adding head side wing attachments to your seat should also go for shoulder wings as well - and nets should be placed so as to cushion head AND shoulders!

Also, consider that adding side wings to seats that weren't designed to use them as an integral system may not be desirable - talk to your seat manufacturer, and you maybe be better off with a net in this situation?

[GlennCMC70]

i think that a light hit into the wall shows how violent it can be inside the car.
Lou G once wrecked a World Challenge car. after the wreck, he noticed his stearing wheel was bent. he had no idea how that happened. later he found the coresponding mark on his helmet.
your body does things you dont realize or remember in a crash. that vid shows a small impact and the result. any safety gear installed incorrectly could do more harm than good. not a good argument. A.J. at PST told me that if your head was going to hit that part 2 times, the 2nd time it wasnt going to be there. that vid shows that.

[GlennCMC70]

bump.

[gt40]

Before I form an opinion on what's in this video, I want more information, including details on the seat's and head bolster's construction.

The fact that both the seat and bolster deformed doesn't bother me that much (you want to get hit in the head with a hard steel beam or a soft aluminum one?) That deformation, as Darren said, absorbs energy the same way the car's crush zones do.

[GlennCMC70]

the point of that vid is that if your head is going to make contact w/ that bolster more that once, like if the car is rolling or flipping, its only going to help you once. not to mention if you are hit by a car that knocks you in front of another car. its the "double whammy" i'm worried about. i have an Ultra Shield right side support i may install, but there will be a net in place. the right sidesupports that bolt onto a seat are just that, a support for the roundy round guys to rest their heads on. i do not think they are designed as a restraint. all this resulted from a conversation w/ AJ @ PST. he has many years working on the crew ofa few Pro road race teams. i value his opinion highly.

[gt40]

My ultrashield seat and head bolster showed up today.

IMHO, the bolster isn't going to cut it. It's a single sheet of aluminum bent into shape. Like the one in the video, it'll deform pretty easily in an impact.

I figure there are two options here. Install a net, or reenforce the bolster with additional aluminum or steel behind it to stiffen it up considerably.

Unfortunately, the ultrashield seat where the bolster attaches isn't all that strong, either...