64Chevelle
05-06-2009, 12:10 AM
Hi,
I'm a tall guy and as such the new racing seats that I've got has the shoulder strap slots a couple of inches below my shoulders. My first thought was that this was going to be quite unsafe with the possibility of the shoulders compressing in case of an impact. I searched around a little and found this information about child seats, but it should apply to grownups as well:
4. For forward-facing installations, the safety harness must be AT OR ABOVE the child's shoulders, IN THE REINFORCED SLOTS
"In a forward-facing seat, the harness will hold the child back and in the seat in a crash. The harness must be at or above the shoulders to do this properly. If the harness is below the shoulders, the shoulders can be compressed and the head can travel further forward in a crash. Many convertible seats REQUIRE that the top slots be used when forward-facing. This is because only the top slots are reinforced to hold the harness in the seat when forward-facing. NEVER use the middle or bottom slots on a convertible seat when forward-facing unless your manual specifically allows this. All harness slots are reinforced on combination seats and forward-facing-only seats, so use the set that is closest to at or above the child's shoulders. Read the instruction manual for your car seat!"
What do you guys think? I've got a feeling that I need a custom build seat with an extra long back, I bet none of the standard models have a long enough back. Anyone know of a custom build seat shop?
I'm a tall guy and as such the new racing seats that I've got has the shoulder strap slots a couple of inches below my shoulders. My first thought was that this was going to be quite unsafe with the possibility of the shoulders compressing in case of an impact. I searched around a little and found this information about child seats, but it should apply to grownups as well:
4. For forward-facing installations, the safety harness must be AT OR ABOVE the child's shoulders, IN THE REINFORCED SLOTS
"In a forward-facing seat, the harness will hold the child back and in the seat in a crash. The harness must be at or above the shoulders to do this properly. If the harness is below the shoulders, the shoulders can be compressed and the head can travel further forward in a crash. Many convertible seats REQUIRE that the top slots be used when forward-facing. This is because only the top slots are reinforced to hold the harness in the seat when forward-facing. NEVER use the middle or bottom slots on a convertible seat when forward-facing unless your manual specifically allows this. All harness slots are reinforced on combination seats and forward-facing-only seats, so use the set that is closest to at or above the child's shoulders. Read the instruction manual for your car seat!"
What do you guys think? I've got a feeling that I need a custom build seat with an extra long back, I bet none of the standard models have a long enough back. Anyone know of a custom build seat shop?