Harness bar - INSTALLED!!!!
04-19-2008, 12:47 AM
#1
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Harness bar - INSTALLED!!!!
For those of you who dont know, a harness bar is a bar for racing harnesses to wrap around so in case of impact, the harness is at the correct angle to restrain the occupants. Many people bolt the harness LOWER than the shoulders which can cause severe compression injuries in an accident.
I was browsing on fleabay and noticed some unversal harness bars for under $200. I also saw one seller was nearby. So after a few emails with Andy Truong, we agreed to meet to see if any of the 3 bars he had would fit my car.
I arrived at the warehouse and met Andy. He was very friendly and was glad to try out the bars. The bars came in two colors, blue and titanium. I chose titanium because it matched my interior nicely. The bars can easily be powdercoated or painted though. I may go with red later on.
The bar consists of a hoop in which the harness wraps around and connects to the existing upper seat belt bolts and then two lower rods that connect the main hoop to the lower seat belt bolts. An ancillary benefit is that it stiffens the chassis of the car. It also adds 11 pounds of weight.
Install was easy, and took under an hour at dusk. The ends of the hoop swivel to adjust to varying lengths. The two down rods are also adjustable lengthwise and the ends are heim joints. I was VERY impressed with the quality of the material and noted it is made by NRG, a well known maker of aftermarket performance products. I thought it would be thin and tinny but it was anything but thin.
After i bolted it in, I went for a drive and, sure enough, the chassis felt noticably stiffer. Remember, I have roadraced and autocrosses for 23 years so if my butt says the chassis is stiffer, the chassi is stiffer. There are no creaks or groans in the chassis if you go over uneven speed bumps. If felt much more solid.
Here are some pics:
Opinions? Comments? Titanium or red for my car?
I was browsing on fleabay and noticed some unversal harness bars for under $200. I also saw one seller was nearby. So after a few emails with Andy Truong, we agreed to meet to see if any of the 3 bars he had would fit my car.
I arrived at the warehouse and met Andy. He was very friendly and was glad to try out the bars. The bars came in two colors, blue and titanium. I chose titanium because it matched my interior nicely. The bars can easily be powdercoated or painted though. I may go with red later on.
The bar consists of a hoop in which the harness wraps around and connects to the existing upper seat belt bolts and then two lower rods that connect the main hoop to the lower seat belt bolts. An ancillary benefit is that it stiffens the chassis of the car. It also adds 11 pounds of weight.
Install was easy, and took under an hour at dusk. The ends of the hoop swivel to adjust to varying lengths. The two down rods are also adjustable lengthwise and the ends are heim joints. I was VERY impressed with the quality of the material and noted it is made by NRG, a well known maker of aftermarket performance products. I thought it would be thin and tinny but it was anything but thin.
After i bolted it in, I went for a drive and, sure enough, the chassis felt noticably stiffer. Remember, I have roadraced and autocrosses for 23 years so if my butt says the chassis is stiffer, the chassi is stiffer. There are no creaks or groans in the chassis if you go over uneven speed bumps. If felt much more solid.
Here are some pics:
Opinions? Comments? Titanium or red for my car?
04-19-2008, 01:47 AM
#5
It really stiffened the chassis up that significantly? I think its just a placebo effect.
But nonetheless... very awesome mod. Red would look awful IMO but it's your car, of course.
When are we gonna see a turbo?
But nonetheless... very awesome mod. Red would look awful IMO but it's your car, of course.
When are we gonna see a turbo?
04-19-2008, 08:19 AM
#8
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In my honest opinion I think this looks horrible. It might serve a true purpose as far as stiffening the chasis, but I'm a bit more into the aesthetics in a vehicle. In my opinion, I think this cheapens the look of the car tremendously. As someone already pointed out as well, looks like if you're about to hit up a roller coaster ride up in Islands of Adventures or something along those lines. Again, this is just an opinion. As long as you like it and feel proud to have it, than that should be the only thing that matters. After all you're the one driving the car......
04-19-2008, 02:12 PM
#13
If you re-read Deus' first post he states that it is for the purpose of restraining the occupants on impact. I would have to make an educated guess and say that this is in the vehicle full time, but hey ya never know.
04-19-2008, 09:15 PM
#18
Looks good Dues, glad you finally found something, I know you wanted to do this for a few months now.
And just to make sure everybody is clear. this is far from an everyday "mod", it is really a race only mod that will aid in safety. This will add tons of chassis stiffening, though, just think about it........a strut bar is tiny compared to this, and goes into an area much smaller than the passenger cabin, yet everybody knows a strut bar WILL aid in structural rigidity and help handling. So tell me why a 2.5 inch round steel bar in and area 3 times the size of an engine bay wouldn't help?
And just to make sure everybody is clear. this is far from an everyday "mod", it is really a race only mod that will aid in safety. This will add tons of chassis stiffening, though, just think about it........a strut bar is tiny compared to this, and goes into an area much smaller than the passenger cabin, yet everybody knows a strut bar WILL aid in structural rigidity and help handling. So tell me why a 2.5 inch round steel bar in and area 3 times the size of an engine bay wouldn't help?
04-19-2008, 09:39 PM
#19
well... from the picture, it looks like the end of the bar is welded to a metal plate which does not seem very rigid to me. just the overall design is not very convincing but this is all coming from looking at the pictures though.
04-20-2008, 10:00 AM
#23
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It doesnt look as intrusive as the pics seem to show. You can easily get in the back seat with NO interference from the bar. The bar tucks around the upper area of the seats.
Daytime pics:
Daytime pics:
04-20-2008, 10:22 AM
#24
I think it looks pretty cool, and I like the color. I'm just not sure how a few small bolts are going to stiffen up the chassis. A full roll cage I could understand, but this doesn't look like it attaches to enough strong points to really do anything. As long as you're more secure in your seat, I think this is a cool mod.
04-20-2008, 02:01 PM
#27
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I'm just not sure how a few small bolts are going to stiffen up the chassis. A full roll cage I could understand, but this doesn't look like it attaches to enough strong points to really do anything. As long as you're more secure in your seat, I think this is a cool mod.
04-21-2008, 04:03 PM
#30
curious but what seat rails are you using on the max?
i never knew they made rails for our car.
what company?
or did you use the OEM EVO rails and just make new bolt holes or welding?
looks nice deus but you can always bolt it from the rear seats for the belts.
i never knew they made rails for our car.
what company?
or did you use the OEM EVO rails and just make new bolt holes or welding?
looks nice deus but you can always bolt it from the rear seats for the belts.
04-21-2008, 04:28 PM
#31
Nice. In addition to all the conventional/physical factors with a mod like this, psychologically I bet it has huge gains. Knowing that you have the added protection might allow you to be more agressive on the track. Pretty cool mod.
Dues, just out of curiosity, is your Max your daily driver, too? Or just something you toy with on the side and at the track? You mentioned you had a daughter and I could only imagine how cool it would be growing up if my dad drove a race car to work everyday! Ha!
Dues, just out of curiosity, is your Max your daily driver, too? Or just something you toy with on the side and at the track? You mentioned you had a daughter and I could only imagine how cool it would be growing up if my dad drove a race car to work everyday! Ha!
04-21-2008, 04:49 PM
#32
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Good question. My brackets and rails were fabbed by a company called Wedge Engineering in Long Beach, CA. This is what they do and they do it well. it cost me around $410 and they fit perfectly. The only problem I see is that the drivers right and passengers left seat belt is buckled to the seat and not the car itself as is necessary. I may drill a hole and install it correctly, not sure yet.
04-21-2008, 04:52 PM
#33
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Nice. In addition to all the conventional/physical factors with a mod like this, psychologically I bet it has huge gains. Knowing that you have the added protection might allow you to be more agressive on the track. Pretty cool mod.
Dues, just out of curiosity, is your Max your daily driver, too? Or just something you toy with on the side and at the track? You mentioned you had a daughter and I could only imagine how cool it would be growing up if my dad drove a race car to work everyday! Ha!
Dues, just out of curiosity, is your Max your daily driver, too? Or just something you toy with on the side and at the track? You mentioned you had a daughter and I could only imagine how cool it would be growing up if my dad drove a race car to work everyday! Ha!
By the way, 2 of my 3 kids passed their driving test in my car, first time takers, and mine is a 6 speed manual. I honestly didnt mean to build such a modded car. It just became very modded over time. But, my mods are mostly functional with good bang for the buck- if it makes it faster, I want to do it.
04-22-2008, 05:57 PM
#34
Watch this crash test of the Maxima:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...U=51&HBX_PK=pi
04-22-2008, 11:27 PM
#37
Also, how often do you really have people back there? I think in the entire time I've owned my car I think I have a person sit in the back seat maybe once every 6 months.
04-23-2008, 11:03 AM
#38
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My kids all have their own cars, so I dont have many people back there.
Talk to Andy Truong - trader.nas@gmail.com Let him know Mark with the black 05 Maxima sent you.
Talk to Andy Truong - trader.nas@gmail.com Let him know Mark with the black 05 Maxima sent you.
04-23-2008, 09:37 PM
#39
My kids all have their own cars, so I dont have many people back there.
Talk to Andy Truong - trader.nas@gmail.com Let him know Mark with the black 05 Maxima sent you.
Talk to Andy Truong - trader.nas@gmail.com Let him know Mark with the black 05 Maxima sent you.
04-23-2008, 09:43 PM
#40
well i'm thinking if ur going to go with the harness bar for the seat support...you should go for the whole 6-point H bar for the interior support...i mean you do track it...so i think u'd need the extra support...
