Side Impact

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drummingpariah
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Side Impact

Post by drummingpariah »

Over the past couple of years, I've seen a fair number of hard impacts. I ran 2014 with the un-caged Miata, then went a little faster through 2015 with a minimal cage and hans. This year, I'm on track to bring the Datsun out, and while I have every confidence that Joey is making the car as safe as possible, I need to revisit the safety options for the soft squishy bits inside of the car.

HANS replacement
To be perfectly honest, I don't think a HANS is sufficient for hillclimb racing. The test results I've seen indicate that it's superb for front-on crashes, but doesn't do much for hard side impacts. Most of the off's I've seen were front impacts, but a few (I'm thinking of several cars at Philo, flying through the trees at Okemo, and flipping a Focus at Burke) really have me thinking about how much more extreme side impacts tend to be. I really like the neck protector Seth and Erik use, with the chest harness and all that stuff ... but that doesn't seem to be available any more. The next best thing looks like the NecksGen, which looks like a 2-axis HANS. I'd love to hear other peoples' advice/feedback/recommendations.
http://www.necksgen.com/features/

Containment Seat
The more I think about it, the less like it seems that I'll be able to use the fiberglass/kevlar seats I have in the Datsun. The shoulders and bases are all too wide on them. I got some measurements on a few aluminum containment seats, and it looks like they'd fit snugly. I've been looking at something like the Kirkey 70 because of the head containment and the price. I liked the ~15-degree layback I had on the Miata, and it looks like circle track seats support that. If possible, I'd like to get something with removable head containment for daily driving, so I can still turn my head and see all the way around me. It doesn't look like the 70 can do that, but I'm not quite sure of what I'm looking at.

Again, this isn't an area I have experience in, so I'd like to avoid expensive mistakes wherever I can.
Butch#178
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Re: Side Impact

Post by Butch#178 »

there is a few others that do the same as the nex gen and since they do not make the big one any more....... I use the the nex. gen big one and love it and yes I have had a big hit on the side and the only thing I had after was a sore neck but no bruised shoulder...... go to ebay and look in the performance & racing part and you can find them there


Hope that helps Butch # 178
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sachilles
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Re: Side Impact

Post by sachilles »

I use a simpson hybrid pro-rage, and bought for the additional side impact protection. I think the next gen is good as well. For the drivers at work, only 1 uses the Hans.
Sachilles
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3rdgendennis
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Re: Side Impact

Post by 3rdgendennis »

I bought two FIA seats with the head bolsters for this year in case of a side impact. My off at okemo last year was pretty bad to the car, but was more backwards than sideways, so I got lucky, and my safety equipment didn't really have to do much.
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drummingpariah
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Re: Side Impact

Post by drummingpariah »

I love getting input from you guys. I haven't been able to find the bigger (older) nex gen one, so I think I'm looking at a pro-rage or nexgen rev (they're priced about the same right now). It looks like the nex gen is a bit easier to put on/off, but the pro-rage looks like it'd be safer. I imagine they're all pretty good in practice, and that the effective difference between them is fairly minimal?

Butch, do you happen to have a photo of the nex gen you have?
Butch#178
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Re: Side Impact

Post by Butch#178 »

Sorry I do not but there is one called Zamp Z-tech head & neck restraint then there is Impact Racing one and they both kind of look like the one I have...... both are on ebay .....parts & accessories.......performance & racing parts....... then safety equipment and do a search on head & neck restraint


Hope this helps

Butch #178
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sdwarf36
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Re: Side Impact

Post by sdwarf36 »

The main pain with the hybrid is you have to put it on before you climb in the car. Once you're used to climbing in + out with it, its not a problem.
The Hybrid works fine with 3" belts-unsure about the Necks gen-but the Hans needs a 2" belt. (still legal-they make harnesses either way.)
Translating road racing to hillclimbing:
Proper tire selection== nothing hooks up on moss or wet leaves.
Staying on the racing line==anything paved is considered good.
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drummingpariah
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Re: Side Impact

Post by drummingpariah »

I got used to jumping in/out with everything on with the HANS, so I don't imagine the hybrid would be any different. When you have a roof, getting the helmet on inside the car can be a challenge (especially in the Miata, where the roof was so low). It looks like Larson is willing to part with his old Necksgen, and I'm probably going to go for that. I really like the Zamp helmet I have, especially for the price. I wasn't sure if that harness was designed with side/diagonal impact in mind, but that's definitely helpful to know.
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