Bucket seats/ racing harnesses

Fratta_46

Can anyone tell me if you're aloud to have bucket seats and racing harnesses in your car and would they fail an nct?

CianDon

I know of plenty of cars that have flew through tests with harnesses and bucket seats without the slightest bit of bother. Word of warning though, If you are going with harnesses, make sure to get them properly set up and dont bolt them to the floor and run them vertically up the seat back. In an accident, that sort of set up will cause all sorts of issues for the person in the seat. Your two safest options would be to remove the back seat and run the harness from a bolt point where the rear bench previously was or get onto a motorsport based company who could make up a mounting bar under the rear bench meaning you can keep the rear seats and still have harnesses. if the harness isnt at a decent angle to the seat back, your in a world of bother come crash time

Fratta_46

CianDon wrote: »

I know of plenty of cars that have flew through tests with harnesses and bucket seats without the slightest bit of bother. Word of warning though, If you are going with harnesses, make sure to get them properly set up and dont bolt them to the floor and run them vertically up the seat back. In an accident, that sort of set up will cause all sorts of issues for the person in the seat. Your two safest options would be to remove the back seat and run the harness from a bolt point where the rear bench previously was or get onto a motorsport based company who could make up a mounting bar under the rear bench meaning you can keep the rear seats and still have harnesses. if the harness isnt at a decent angle to the seat back, your in a world of bother come crash time

Thanks, I was going to take out the back seats and weld eye bolt plates where the seat was would that be ok?

ianobrien

Word to the wise OP. I hear that they are failing cars that have non original seats (racing seats) fitted. I know racing seats and harnesses were passing the NCT (a previous car I owned had harnesses and bucket seats and passed no problems).

I've heard though that they are failing now though. It seems that regulations were changed last year and non original seats are now failing. I know there is nothing in the NCT manual but still....

Edit. The cars that have failed this year on seats passed 12 months ago with the same seats and harnesses fitted.

Fratta_46

ianobrien wrote: »

Word to the wise OP. I hear that they are failing cars that have non original seats (racing seats) fitted. I know racing seats and harnesses were passing the NCT (a previous car I owned had harnesses and bucket seats and passed no problems).

I've heard though that they are failing now though. It seems that regulations were changed last year and non original seats are now failing. I know there is nothing in the NCT manual but still....

Edit. The cars that have failed this year on seats passed 12 months ago with the same seats and harnesses fitted.

Where did you hear that?

ianobrien

Fratta_46 wrote: »

Where did you hear that?

I heard it from owners of Endurance Rally Cars. They were passing the NCT in 2012 and 2013 with harnesses and bucket seats. They are failing now in 2014 on them. The regulations changed mid 2013 it seems.

Fratta_46

ianobrien wrote: »

I heard it from owners of Endurance Rally Cars. They were passing the NCT in 2012 and 2013 with harnesses and bucket seats. They are failing now in 2014 on them. The regulations changed mid 2013 it seems.

Oh ok thanks anyway

challengemaster

AFAIK You need OE seatbelts in place and functional to pass. Harnesses alone will not do.