More Safety stuff this time Head and neck restraints

"MINI COOPER POWAH!" (ajdaboss64)
05/28/2014 at 19:22 • Filed to: None

Hello all, I realize its been a while since I wrote a post, but I've been a bit on the busy side with my racing and some other things (In other words, don't EVER buy a boat)

Today I want to take some time to talk about Head and Neck Restraints, Pros/cons of each and what you should know. First things first to get this out of the way, if you a racing or on track in a car that has 5/6 point harnesses, WEAR A HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINT, IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Now to go over some options and info on these devices:

A) HANS Device ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

the hans is the original head and neck restraint, arguably the simplest, and definitely the most popular. Originally developed in the 80s by a doctor and his brother in law SCCA racer, the Hans has proven extremely effective and popular. The hans works by being held down by your shoulder straps on a harness, and by a sliding tether off the back of the device to an anchor system on your helmet. In a crash, the hans prevents your head from literally flying off your spine. The hans has several options, being either made in the sport version (a heavier carbon) the Pro (ultra lightweight carbon fiber) the padding underneath of it (foam or gel) to the anchors and tether links. by far the most popular is the 20 sport with a sliding tether and post anchors.

B) Simpson Hybrid Sport/pro ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

The hybrid is another head and neck restraint made by simpson (who also owns HANS), it works similar to the hans but slightly different. the big difference is the hybrid actually straps around your body and can tether into your harness system (they call it the SAS system for seatbelt anchor system). many people incorrectly assume that a hybrid is safe to use without a 5/6 point harness due to strapping around your body. that is incorrect and it is still meant to be used with harnesses. the options with the hybrid include anchors (m6 or post style) or SAS (with or without).

C) Simpson R3 ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

The R3 is another option from Simpson (notice a pattern?) that is again similar but slightly different from the previous two options. The big difference with the r3 when compared to others, is that it is molded all the way down ones back. supposedly the r3 is useable without 5/6 point harnesses, but I personally have not seen data to back that up, and thus cannot recommend that. the r3 comes with a seat back insert for comfort in a car, and does not come with many options.

D) Necksgen Rev ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

Necksgen is its own company that is slightly different, but still works by being held down by the harnesses and anchoring to the helmet. I personally haven't had my hands on one of these yet, so my knowledge is limited. My big concern would be how it holds in place without the front chest pieces, but again I haven't seen enough to judge.

E) Foam "Donut" Collar ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

Made by many companies, these supports are what they are. they are not head and neck restraints and offer minimal to no protection in an accident. they were made to reduce fatigue on the neck, but even then seem to be subpar at that. I strongly DO NOT recommend these as protection in an accident.

That wraps me up for today, please comment with feedback as I am looking for more on this safety series. since I've been away a bit, I will re-link all of the articles in my series so far:

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DISCUSSION (11)

Dusty Ventures > MINI COOPER POWAH!
05/28/2014 at 19:37

Nice post, good description of the options. Putting in a little personal input, I'm not a fan of the HANS, but love my Hybrid Pro

MINI COOPER POWAH! > Dusty Ventures
05/28/2014 at 19:41

Why not a fan, may I ask?

Dusty Ventures > MINI COOPER POWAH!
05/28/2014 at 20:03

I found it uncomfortable and cumbersome. I didn't like the tethers and the relative difficulty attaching them and detaching them (as opposed to the quick release on the Hybrid, which is a huge help when I need to constantly unhook at the end of a rally stage so I can look left and right at intersections). Also, coming from a desert and rally background, I know a few competitors who have had issues with the belts loosening due to the constant bumps and g-outs, which has at least twice resulted in the belt slipping off one side of the HANS. So for what I do the SAS is a safer option as well.

Slow4o > MINI COOPER POWAH!
05/28/2014 at 21:57

So what are the main reasons people choose between the regular HANS and the Hybrid? Just comfort and ease of snapping in/out?

MINI COOPER POWAH! > Slow4o
05/28/2014 at 22:09

essentially, it comes down to what you prefer, some people like the hans, some like the hybrid,

Slow4o > MINI COOPER POWAH!
05/28/2014 at 22:12

Cool. My best friend has a HANS, so I plan to check it out when I'm ready to put a cage in my car or when I start seriously racing LeMons.

Equana > MINI COOPER POWAH!
08/05/2014 at 16:53

You forgot to mention that the donut collar does not have SFI 38.1 certification and will not be accepted as a restraint in the SCCA nor NASA club racing or professional racing organizations.

I thought my HANS was very cumbersome when I first put it on. I figured it would be a literal pain in the car. Not so, once the green flag drops, the HANS disappears. It was not a hindrance in the car. I'm a believer, do NOT race without one!

MINI COOPER POWAH! > Equana
08/05/2014 at 17:02

Definitely a slip up on my part.

couldnt agree more on the hans. i love mine!

Stef Schrader > MINI COOPER POWAH!
08/05/2014 at 23:39

We sell soooooo many Necksgens at work. ( This is my day job when I'm not posting pictures of Fluffy Bunny sitting on racecars or broken 944 parts all up in hurr.) It's lighter than the HANS that's at the same price point (the Sport II), plus it includes the posts and a nice carrying case. It's a lower profile in the back so it doesn't push up on the back of your helmet as much when you're strapped in. Also, it's got a loop on each side with two attachment points (as opposed to one tether that goes to the back of the device) and that triangulation is supposed to protect against side-impacts a bit more—even if you're not in a halo seat with the little winglets around your head. I haven't used one myself yet, but the response and other peoples' impressions of it have been overwhelmingly positive.

I have a carbon fiber HANS Professional. It looks like a warped CF toilet seat. (Dude, if I could have a carbon fiber toilet seat, I totally would.) I like it except for the fact that I have a seat that was made before seat manufacturers started angling seats back a little more on your upper back, so the seat totally pushes my HANS, which pushes my helmet forwards in the Porschelump. New seat time, arr.

MINI COOPER POWAH! > Stef Schrader
08/06/2014 at 09:09

Hi winding road, i work for OG, i think we've sold stuff back and forth before (its a small industry). thanks for your feedback on the necksgen, i had used the old one, and it pushed my helmet up horrible, so naturally i hated it. i kinda doubt the side impact thing, but hopefully we get some testing and prove it either way!

Stef Schrader > MINI COOPER POWAH!
08/07/2014 at 12:45

Awesome! I hadn't seen the earlier design, so I can't speak to that one but it looks like the current model is just a hair taller than a typical foam donut. (I should've clarified that I was talking about the newer Rev, not the original version.) A lot of it depends on neck size and shape, too, so if it just barely clears the bottom of your helmet and whacks up on it all the time, it'd be worth trying a different device and maybe going with a halo seat instead to protect against t-boneage.

It looks like Necksgen published some testing results for side impacts here, which seem promising, although that data appears to be for the original version, not the Rev: https://www.impactraceproducts.com/Articles.asp?I…