I always take my time putting mine on... more dramatic when you have to buckle so many things before you leave...

 

If it only took you a minute, you're doing better than I. It never fails, as I'm reaching for the right side of the lap belt, the right shoulder harness and the submarine belt fall out. I usually get it on the third of fourth try :lol:

Pete

 

Like fumbling the bra strap!!

And yes it still happens

 

Not me I am a pro. 2 fingers and snap it is open. HAHA

 

That's awesome Arch!

 

Can't wait to hear all the stories now that you are on the road.

 

wait til you have to help buckle in a male passenger:sad: it can be a little awkward

 

I have been driving my Roadster for 5 days. I am much quicker now at putting the belts on, but nearly every time I go through this sequence....

Get settled in the car
Put the belts on
Turn off the immobiliser
Key in ignition
Foot on clutch
Start the engine
Realise the handbrake is still on
Foot on brake
Undo the belts (so I can reach the handbrake)
Put the belts back on
Start driving

1 minute? I wish I was that quick!

Gary

 

That's funny...I can relate - should move the E brake.
Also , get some racing seats instead of the vintage style
and the belts won't spin because they are already separated coming out of the seat holes

 

My buddies give me a hard time cause my wife only uses the lap-belt portion and I like to put the shoulders on also. I don't use the submarine unless I'm autocrossing.

Just make sure you're always aware of those buckles as they would make a good dimple or scratch in your paint. I'm glad I'm NOT speaking from experience - so far.

Oh yeah, and Like Jagnets mentioned - MUST UNDO HANDBRAKE BEFORE PUTTING ON SHOULDER HARNESSES.

Also back out of garage before putting on shoulder harnesses.

 

One thing that helps in case you haven't figured it out is to position the belts correctly before getting in the car. Fold the shoulder belts out around the seat wings and lay the lap belts over each side. Makes it much easier to find the belts and have them already untwisted.

 

This is one of the (many) reasons I'm using the Schroth ProFi III asm belts -- its got a push button camlock, so you just have to snap them in each like a normal seatbelt.

 

What can be as frustrating is to get all buckled in and then remember the key is in your pants pocket. Time to start over.

Lee

 

Ok, my hand brake is on top of the tunnel so no problem there. Keys in my pocket, yup that's a problem.
All this would be dramatic if I didn't keep fumbling everything.
Still, once I got the belts on, master switch on, clutch in, etc. Watching all those people take a step back when the engine came to life made it all worth while. And of course I had a grande Starbucks in the cup holder
Arch

 

Watching all those people take a step back when the engine came to life made it all worth while. And of course I had a grande Starbucks in the cup holder
Arch

You've got it nailed Arch. Cool is as cool does . Taking your time and purposely going slow only builds the anticipation for those watching.

I know exactly the scenario of which you speak. Leaving hockey practice after driving there in the car for the first time. Whole team outside to see the car and watch me drive away. You can imagine the comments from the peanut gallery as I SLOWLY went through my clip-in and startup process.

When I lit the fire the voices were silent (Ok, not audible) but the looks as they all took that instinctive step back said it all.

I now have cam-lock (twist to release) buckles like Lex's and they are by far simpler to do. You don't drop links half way through and takes minimal instruction for passengers to understand the need to clip in all 5 points.

Sean

 

So did you spill the starbucks as you left or not?? Come on... Belts are a pain. I use lapbelts only most of the time but recently installed sub belts so i could use shoulder harnesses too.No fun

 

I took the wife for her first ride of the year on Saturday and had to remind her that the sub belt is MANDATORY when using the shoulder harnesses. Anyone not doing this is risking major bodily injury in a crash situation.

Nothing cool about sliding halfway under the lap belt and crushing your major organs and ribs. Add to that, it's not uncomfortable and it only takes a moment longer to latch 1 more strap. The only time I use just the lap belt is short hop at slow speed in my small town.

Anything over 30-40 and it's all 5 straps all the time.

I've got the practiced method down pretty good. For the passengers or friends I let drive it, I call it an aptitude test...if you can't operate the belts...you can't ride or drive...LOL

 

Does anyone use pads for those shoulder belts?? they seem a little uncomfortable????

 

Yes, I have a pair that also have Cobra on them. Not sure which vendor had them.

Lee

 

OK, it's time for the safety police to step in...please use the shoulder belts! If you incorporate the fifth point/sub strap you will find the belts are much more comfortable. Without it when the shoulder straps are snugged the lap belt rides up...then the shoulders are loose again...then when you tighten them the lap comes up more... It is a vicious cycle that leaves you contorted and uncomfortable. Trust me, it works.
To quote Forrest, "That's all I'm going to say about that."

Jeff

 

Missouri requires an inspection at an authorized station before you can get tags. I took mine to a place where I knew they would be friendly and flexible on the inspection. The inspector told me they are not supposed to allow shoulder seat belts. When questioned he said it had to do with 'first responders' having problems figuring out how to undo the belts in an emergency. I pushed mine behind the seat and he was OK with it.

 

DOT requires an push button release to be street legal. Its not particularly well enforced, but if the harness isn't a push-button latch, its not legal.

I didn't want to invoke the safety police -- its been beat to death on here how unsafe the Simpson harnesses are for 4pt street use (and turns into a giant flamefest every time), so I just pointed out that the right harnesses for a street car are easy to put on and quick to take off.

 

I'm fairly quick with the belts now, and since I added the sub strap, it is a lot more comfortable. The cam lock style always looked fairly interesting.

Never never do I use only the lap belt or allow a passenger to use only the lap belt. Reading the story of the couple who had a small fender bender at low speeds and the wife mashed her face on the dash and lost quite a few of her pearly whites is example enough for me. And it's happed more than a couple times...

 

Arch, I laughed about this post yesterday, and Joe's comments on getting the belts oriented first is spot on, especially the sub belt.

While my cobra isn't on the road yet, I've dont a number of sessions in F2000 cars which are pretty damn narrow. I have to grab the sub belt before I slide in. The first time I forgot, one of the guys who helps you get into the cars looks at me and says, I'll pull your belts tight, but I ain't reaching down there for the sub belt. Pretty damn funny.

-Scott

 

Easy fix: Camlocks

 

EXPENSIVE fix: Camlocks

There, fixed it for ya

 

I've found that it helps to extend the shoulder belts to full length before releasing the latch when you park. That way the straps and buckles are easier to manipulate when getting back in.
It also helps to arrange things as much as possible before you get in, such as the the battery switch, ignition key, belts.
Start the engine before putting on the belt and use the fumbling time to warm up the engine. I sometimes make a bigger show out of it by running the "evacuation fans" for a few seconds before ignition sequence. It's just the vent fans, but don't tell anyone
Leave the door unlatched until after the belt is on to give yourself elbow room.
You also want to practice entry and exit in order to execute the whole event gracefully...especially with the top on...not possible, by the way. You have to dive in and then turn your butt down while knocking your knees against every part of the interior.

Never, never, never drive the car without putting on EVERY part of the belt. Never. Not even to the end of the drive way.

 

I've found that it helps to be younger than 30.

 

Fun times Arch!!!

Personally I was not happy with the "convenience" of the Simpson harness, so I went with these:

They take about a second to latch once the placed over the shoulders and lap.

 

I am curious is all states like that saying racing harnesses are not street legal unless they are of the push button type?

I didnt know about that, I thought if it held you in the seat it was a seat belt and there for legal.

 

Arch, you must have been loving every moment..especially when the car started for you. Congrats on getting it on the road!

My biggest fear of firing up the beast in front of a crowd of onlookers is getting all ready, seat belts on, switches thrown..and then silence..

What kind of crazy vehicle regulation is that? Push button only buckles?
I can't imagine a fireman or a paramedic fumbling around with seatbelts in a serious injury call? Even with the standard seat belts they just cut them most of the time. Fast and simple.

If you were to actually read fully the majority of vehicle manufactures service bulletins, seat belts in any car involved in a serious head on type accident are to be replaced. Insurance companys generally ignore this fact, unless the fine print is shown to them. Your average person isn't even aware of this. I had copys of the bulletins made, and used to hand them out to collision repair shops, so that they were informed properly.

The reason is that the buckles, retractor locks, and the belts themselves, are put under tremendous stress, and G force during an accident. They could simply fail altogeather if subject to a second incident. With todays modern cars having the SRS systems, the seat belt pre-tensioner deploys during an accident of any magnitude, so they are history anyway.

As awkward as they may be, I still like the Simpson 5 point system, and latching set up. Like others mention it probably builds the tension of the crowd waiting on the start up. I hope I can play it cool and collected when that day comes, and I'm not sitting there with a big stupid looking grin on my face..:001_smile: How do you stop from doing that anyway??:huh:

 

What kind of crazy vehicle regulation is that? Push button only buckles?
I can't imagine a fireman or a paramedic fumbling around with seatbelts in a serious injury call? Even with the standard seat belts they just cut them most of the time. Fast and simple.

You must not live in the country I live in if you think laws and regulations make sense. Plus, the first person on scene at an accident isn't always a trained professional with tools. Fact is, its the law. Debating why or if it makes sense is a secondary issue.

If you were to actually read fully the majority of vehicle manufactures service bulletins, seat belts in any car involved in a serious head on type accident are to be replaced. Insurance companys generally ignore this fact, unless the fine print is shown to them. Your average person isn't even aware of this. I had copys of the bulletins made, and used to hand them out to collision repair shops, so that they were informed properly.

That is because of the single-use explosive pretensioners in modern seatbelts. Its not because of the webbing or anything (in fact, you can replace just the pretensioning mechanism most of the time). UV and air exposure actually damages the webbing more than an impact, which is why FIA-certified harnesses have expiration dates on them.