front airbag vs four point harness

i`m having a huge debate with my friend; he suggests that a person is safer with a four-point harness, and i still think airbag (we`re talking driver's side) is safer and is there for a reason. This topic came up because he has an aftermarket steering wheel and i dont, and i want one. i wear glasses so airbags might hurt me in an accident, but i still think having somethign in front of your face is better than nothing?

what do you guys think?

 

I would definitely say that it depends on the severity of the wreck direction etc.Also does the car have a roll cage/bar? I take it you are getting one without an airbag, Also wonder how insurance company would treat you if you removed it. Some give discount for airbag, abs etc..

 

yea, defnitely a smarter idea to keep the airbag.. too much hassle to change the steering wheel, face consequences, etc..

 

literally

 

Both can be very dangerous. Airbags are known to cause whiplash, broken nose, and chemical burns, especially if the seating position is not proper for the car. Those little people that drive and you look from behind and think there is noone at the wheel usually have really bad results from the airbag. I had chemical burns when my bag deployed, though the burns were on my arms, my face never touched the bag. My friend who was in the car at the time, got some of the burning powder residue from the bag in his eye.

Four Point Harness is most likely to cause whiplash or broken neck. I believe you are ideally supposed to combine a harness with a helmet, and a bungee strapped to the helmet to reduce the ability for your head to snap forward on impact.

 

I think a lot of pros use hans devices on their helmets now. I think Dale Earnhardt would have survived his big nascar crash if he was using one.

While a four point harness may seem cool and keep you strapped in, it's usually best to stick with the stock equipment if the car is mainly a daily driver. Remember the impreza has some of the highest crash safety ratings, so maybe the engineers at Subaru knew what they were doing.

 

This is a very dangerous topic. I have some input, but it's for entertainment purposes only. I'm not a professional driver and have never even been in an auto accident.

4 point harnesses in street cars is a bad idea. They are designed to be used in a car WITH a cage, helmet, all cars traveling the same direction, and tire barriers all around. In a car without this stuff, in a collision you're held into a place that's getting crushed. Seat belts are designed to pull passengers into the center of the car and away from collapsing parts (roof, doors, etc.). There is a DOT approved harness for WRXs by Scrotch or something like that. It's designed to pull passengers into the center of the car. They're left/right side specific. Your body will also fold in/OVER the lap belt preventing you from submarining. A static 4 point holds you in a straight line and allows you to slip under the belts (submarining).

basically, you don't want to be help in place in a collision as well as a racing 4 point will. If you're sliding all over the place, slide your seat back, snap the belt to lock the tension, then slide your seat forward into to the locked belt. You don't slide a bit and it's still safe for the streets.

Just my 2 cents.

ALSO, the harness I speak of buckles into your stock seatbelt plug as it's a quick disconnect. This tells the computer to deploy the airbag at a different rate as it thinks your seatbelt is being worn.

In conclusion, don't mess with your car's safety equipment. If you want a 4 point, get the quick fit harness because it works well with a stock car.

 

To make things even more simple before someone kills themselves in a 20 MPH collision...

 

Harness do not protect against rollover. You are not using a Hanns device in conjunction with the harness. There is not a fifth point as Alex said, you will submarine. 420 was right about the broken neck also, not to mention the brain hemoraging. Your brain is going to smack the front of your skull very hard. The airbag deploys to slow your head down.

No air bag on a non-race car by choice = bad idea

 

i was considerin puttin the harnesses in mine. i am fixin my back to workin condition from an accident. during the accident the airbags deployed. and i am pretty sure the seats and harnesses will be cheaper to put in than replacing the airbags. all sparco equipment(seats, sliders, harnesses) will cost bout 1300 a side. feedback would be appreciated

 

The sparco stuff is really nice and cool looking. If you are autox'ing or tracking, you don't need all the accessories. A simple 4-pt. will work just fine. Connect it into the rear seat and when you are daily driving just put it behind your seat and use the stock 3-pt. If you make the 4-pt. fit tight enough, you won't slide around, thus eliminating the need for a racing seat. Remember that you have to drive in this seat everyday if this is your daily driver and full bucket seats are not comfortable, and they don't have much padding. Spend the $50 on the G-Force 4-pt. harness and be done with it. Thats my opinion...

 

Actually, without a cage AND helmet a harness will make a rollover more dangerous. Standard 4 points keep your head in place where the roof is collapsing! Factory belts are triangles so that your body/head is directed to the center of the car and away from danger.

 

i dont really thnk a cage can tell the difference what is causing the accident.

 

This is the opposite of a good idea if you're driving on the street! Even if you drive with a full cage, seats, and helmet all day, you're going to be held in place too much. The factory system is designed to let you move away from danger and slow down without a sudden spike. Tire barriers at a track slow you down gradually. Hitting another car or tree, even at slow speeds, would rapidly stop your body and probably snap your neck!

This isn't a pretensioned harness and would be worse than a stock belt...

A few of us are, but the two above aren't.

 

The 4pt. harness I just use for autox, because it locks you in your seat. Its a lot better for autox than a 3pt.

 

That would be fine. I just didn't want anyone to buy that in place of their airbag and standard belt for street use.

 

I don't know how this ties in, but here is an article from MSNBC today about how safer cars are leading to more brain injuries. Always drive defensively.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17508770/

 

If I remember correctly, when I bought my wrx, imprezas were just rated as one of the safest vehicles for it's class. Why mess with it?

 

+1

I guess some people don't realise you get into different types of accidents when racing on a track than when driving on a street.

I mean, on a track, side impact airbag is mostly pointless; its not like the #3 position car is going to cross you at a right angle unless you're in a demo derby.

 

I'm no more of a safety engineer than anyone on this thread, but a few seasons of watching WRC makes me question a statement like this. Their wrecks are the worst kind of accidents that you're going to see, and they chose to be strapped in tightly long before Hans came along.

I'll admit that I have my own biases about air bags. I think that they're far more valuable to the Darwin Award candidates who still won't wear a seat belt than they are to someone strapped in. But, on the other hand, I've never heard of good data to tell whether a 4-point Schroth is more or less safe than the stock 3-point.

Use your best judgment.

 

i personally dont want to mess around with ANY safety features on the car, but how stupid am i even thinking about going thru the trouble of getting a four-point haness, etc. just to have the cool steering wheel.... man, i learn so much from posting up stupid questions haha. thanks guys.

 

:eek3: better tell my friend in the 86 corolla to use the regular seat belt... but i think he`s in a death trap either way in that car wether it be the 4 pt or the stock one. might as well tell him why it's dangerous though.

 

Most American's don't avoid accidents because they drive "defensively", you need to be drive offensively and defensively. If the only thing you do to avoid an accident (like most Americans) is slam on the brakes, your chance of hitting another car is a lot higher. Use the steering wheel also. This is why most drivers young and old should autox for at least a few races. Cone dodging at 40mph is close to car dodging on the streets.

 

:bigthumb:

 

I believe hundreds of lives could be saved if each state had a track drivers had to lap at a certain speed to get a license. When I was 18 I did my FIRST track day at Road Atl in my 3000GT VR4 in Class B (passing class). Everything I thought cars could do was disproved in five laps. THINK HOW MANY CRAPPY DRIVERS WOULD BE FORCED TO IMPROVE IF THIS HAPPENED!

I'm planning on running for President and this will be part of my platform. Vote Mike 2034!

 

the only minus is having to "know a guy" when i get my vehicle inspected. fortunatly " i know a guy"

 

i am not wantin to change mine just to look cool. i either need to replace the airbags and it cost out the bum, or for a bit less get the seats and harnesses

 

You will look really cool after your first accident when you have SPARCO indented on your head. Just stick with the seats and harness, avoid the steering wheel change.

 

i didnt want a aftermarket steerin wheel. i was puttin stock back in with no airbag

 

Whats the point of having the stock one if you aren't going to use the airbag?

 

IIRC his bags deployed and are too expensive to replace...?

 

Is the price of the bag worth more than your life? If thats the case, forget the seat and harness, get the airbag replaced.