Review – Takata 6-Point Safety Harness Belts
If you caught up with our how-to on safety harness belt looping , then you’re already familiar with some aspects of the Takata safety harness. Having supplied to ALMS, F1 and Super GT racing teams, the Takata safety harness boasts a very reputable list of credentials.
A quality unit, the Takata brand’s racing reputation was hurt (in our opinion) by the early adoption of its products by car show loving compact car enthusiasts, many of whom had never seen a track before. But with its US profile slowly progressing and its appearance in professional motorsports growing (Acura LMP), Takata harnesses are falling within the purchasing reach of your average weekend track Joe.
Takata harness only come in one model, 3-inch wide 4-point belts with snap-in ends. There is a short shoulder harness belt version for two-seaters, such as the Chevy Corvette or Honda S2000, and a long shoulder belt version for four-seaters, such as the Subaru WRX STI or BMW M3 sedan.
Takata’s camlock is machined metal and the spring-loaded feel reeks of quality. The belts themselves are also quality units and come with FIA certifications. The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) requires harnesses to meet SFI spec 16.1 or 16.5, or FIA spec #8853/1985, 8853/98 or D-###.T/98. SFI rated harnesses expire after 2 years, FIA after five.
Considering that a Takata harness has more than twice the lifespan of a SFI rated unit helps justify its price. The available backing plates even show Takata’s eye to detail. A small hole is put into each plate’s corner, into which a rivet or bolt can be installed to prevent the plate from backing off of the eyebolt.
The thing to keep in mind when purchasing is that Takata has not fully shaken off its Japanese roots. In Japan, it’s fully acceptable by sanctioning bodies to run the shoulder belt mounting points down to the rear seatbelt mounting bolts, with no harness guide tube. The instruction manual even makes this seem to be an acceptable mounting method.
But in the US, that won’t get you through tech. NASA’s CCR requires the use of a racing seat (harness can’t be used with OEM seating) and a harness guide tube (either a harness bar or a cross tube in a rollbar / cage) to ensure the proper angle on to the driver’s shoulders. So, when picking which Takata you want, keep in mind that the long belt version is most likely going to be used for wrap-around bar installation and the short version for eyebolt-in-cage installation.
Also strange with Takata’s offerings is the lack of a 5 or 6-point harness package. The belts are only sold as 4-points. You can easily buy a 5th or 6th optional crotch belt, which is required by NASA, but we don’t see why it’s optional. Nobody should be allowing the use of a 4-point harness on track.
Source
Takata
www.takataracingproducts.com
