TRS Seat belt parts

[Guest Paddy Lawler]

Hi everyone! 
I’m after some help / advice about the 4 point TRS harness on my GBS. The black slider that holds the loops for shoulder strap in place has broken and disappeared. Does anyone know where I can buy the part from without having to shell out for new belts? I’ve tried TRS themselves but they said no. 
Many thanks

Paddy

[IanS]

Seat belts are not normally repairable as they are a safty fitting.

[Mrbarry]

Better idea, get some five or three point replacements. Your knees will thank you if you ever use them in anger! Four point harnesses are horrific in a front impact. I am a hypocrite tho I haven’t replaced mine yet, my car came with four point harnesses.

[theduck]

If they've broken then  would be worried about the rest of the harness. TRS do sell spares though http://totalrestraint.mc.rhp.io/accessories-harness-accessories/trs-accessories/snap-hook-kit_ct496bd191pd1681.htm

[brumster]

2 hours ago, Mrbarry said:

Better idea, get some five or three point replacements. Your knees will thank you if you ever use them in anger! Four point harnesses are horrific in a front impact. I am a hypocrite tho I haven’t replaced mine yet, my car came with four point harnesses.

Can you elaborate? I get the anti-submarining idea of a 5 point (although I'd argue for a road car we're getting a bit over the top), but 3? How is it better?

[Guest Paddy Lawler]

Thanks everyone. Probably looks like a replacement job which I was hoping to avoid. The seat belts are all fine it’s just a plastic clip that holds it together as you adjust. A few pence I’m sure

any advice on removing the seats and putting new belts in before I embark? I’m a new owner so many lessons to learn - probably the hard way.
 

thanks again everyone 

[Mrbarry]

Three point belts use your own weigh in your favour. In a front impact your torso hits the longer diagonal part of the belt pulling the shorter horizontal part in, this results in your butt being pulled rearwards Keeping your legs as far as possible from the steering and dash components. 
As we know 5 or 6 point harnesses simply lock you in hard. 
4 point are terrible, they are normally worn too loose because the cheap ones most people use don’t stay where you adjust them, and as you say submarining is a big problem if you like walking after an impact. May seem dramatic but I’ve seen a lot of track cars rolled and smashed, the guys with 4 point harnesses all ended up with leg injuries or cuts and bruises, not to mention friction burns up their front where they slid under their belts. 
 

There’s a few things racing and showing cars has taught me over the years. No 4 point harnesses is one. Always chain your filler caps and anything that can be stolen at public shows in another had about £250 of parts stolen off my track car on Toyotas main stand at Goodwood festival of speed. 

[Mrbarry]

All that said, I have some old out of date fall attest harnesses. They have those plastic parts on to stop the flappy bits getting in the way. I will measure them. If they are the right size you’re welcome to the clips they are no good to me

[brumster]

You're on about fixed 3 point harnesses, not inertia-type belts like in production cars (doesn't really apply to our types of cars) right?

I get the focus on racing/etc but it's not something the average joe on the road really needs to worry about. In our types of cars, you have to be pragmatic for the general types of users we have; I guess 95% of sales are to road users. An inertia reel isn't practical because of the car design (you could get the mount up on the rollover hoop, sure, if GBS were that way inclined) but I'd probably err more on the side of strapping myself in so I don't come out. Submarining or not, I think if an impact was that serious in our little tin cans you'll be waving goodbye to your legs pretty quickly, whether it's a 3, 4 or 20 point harness :). A frontal is probably not too bad because there's a heck of a lot of front crumple (ie. the entire chassis forward of the bulkhead) but anything remotely side-on, or something that splits a chassis tube and had it poking into the passenger compartment.... I think the least of your worries is "damn it, I wish I had a crotch strap to stop me sinking forward"

Just wouldn't want people worrying over nothing, or at least putting it into context. The guys who popped their testiles out thanks to a 6 point are probably very annoyed about it, sure, but I bet they're glad they were wearing something more than a 3-point intertia reel !!

edit: I should say, you're totally right, a badly-adjusted harness is going to do next to nothing, and at least that's the one good thing about a 3 point, it's less prone to incorrect adjustment. I have an issue with the GBS/TRA lap straps, they constantly loosen, I was speaking to TRS at Autosports about swapping my harness for ones with reversed lap straps with motorsport adjusters on them... bugs the hell out of me

Edited January 20, 2020 by brumster

[Mrbarry]

Agreed these are not cars for the safety conscious amongst us. I just like to pass on info if I can help people out. If you’re buying new harnesses anyway it just seems worth buying better ones. In for a penny and all that. Only problem a fifth strap creates is you need a compatible seat, if you have no hole for said strap to feed thru you're buggered. 
I drive a motorbike, if safety was my main concern that would be a big no no lol. The zero is much safer option to that, even with no belts at all!

 

[fry61]

7 hours ago, brumster said:

Can you elaborate? I get the anti-submarining idea of a 5 point (although I'd argue for a road car we're getting a bit over the top), but 3? How is it better?

Hi Dan, 3 point belts are definitely better IF they are inertia reel type & are working correctly.  How often do you re-adjust fixed belts to allow for differing amounts of clothing & different drivers?

Wouldn't have any other type, they fit snugly as soon as clipped in & only restrict movement under braking or cornering. ( No idea if they work on acceleration, Florin has only a few BHP ) 

[kevin the chicken]

Fit the best belt that is affordable/practical but believe me they won't save you in the wrong circumstances, in a kit or normal road car. All you can do is give yourself the best chance. In a road car it is important to get your driving position correct so that belts and airbags work in harmony with each other to hold you in place away from any hard surfaces or areas which might intrude into your space. Not much you can do about the footwell but a new car is massively stronger than one made 20 or even 10 years ago.