Re; Seat belts

["Leslie J. Singh" <Les.Singh@domain.elided>]

Ciao tutti

I have been horrified at some of the things suggested regarding seat belts
and plead with all contemplating going the "cheap route" to desist and heed
the words of Will Owen - see below. There's an old saying "$10 head - $10
helmet" but the same can also be said about belts. So what's your life
worth? Think it'll never happen to you? 

A friend driving a newish Alfa 75 TwinSpark found himself sitting sideways
in the PASSENGER seat when he spun and had a big off (all his own doing)
causing himself and his car some damage at one of our track sessions. The
belts were AR inertia reel which suggests that for track sessions its wise
to go for a harness. Over here a Sabelt 3-point competition approved type
costs around $150NZ ($75US ?). Unfortunately the Transport Nazis in NZ
don't accept these as safe for road use so hordes of people drive around
with Korean-made crap belts that are probably just one step safer than a
piece of string.

Les - typing with my one good hand - lentamente!
 
Will Owen wrote:
>
>DO NOT GET USED BELTS. Even if they haven't been
>"used" in the sense that they've actually had to save
>someone's bacon in a collision, you don't know what
>environmental stresses, abrasions, possible cuts or
>anything else the fabric may have been subjected to.
>Even the best nylon will degrade and lose its strength
>and flexibility over time, as it's exposed to
>sunlight, heat, fumes, and the normal stresses of
>regular use. 
>
>Non-retracting lap/shoulder belts from JC Whitney are
>around $40 per set, so $110 per belt for refurbished
>originals sounds damn reasonable to me, especially
>after listening to you guys speak blithely of spending
>crazy money for a set of cool wheels. I'll run on
>stock rims if I must, but me and my sweetie are gonna
>be belted in with the best we can get.
>
>Will Owen
>Nashville, TN

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