Two years

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
11/15/2018 at 15:14 • Filed to: None

Daily driving with h arnesses in the Miata for two years. Added the sub belt 6 months ago to jump up to a 6-point system. Regrets? None.

Schroth makes one hell of a harness. I’ve tried w hat seems like a million different harnesses over the past year—in everything from my beater Miata to stripped, caged Porsches— and I keep coming back to Schroth’s Profi II ASM FE.

My lap belts are 2" and a pull-down configuration. W ith the way they’re routed through the seat, you actually pull up to tighten them. Super simple. Shoulder belts are 3" and again, couldn’t be easier to adjust and get comfortable.

These belts incorporate a small sewn- in patch on one shoulder belt, that upon impact will break apart and loosen, allegedly greatly reducing the chance of submarining, and mitigating w hiplash, which has long been the main factor against running harnesses on the street. Client testimonials seem to indicate that Schroth isn’t just bullshitting here, that said... I hope to never test it.

Because of that system, and the red camlock button, this is (one of?) the only Dot-approved harness(es) . It’s also the only 4-point harness that will be allowed on most tracks.

T hat said... Buy a sub strap. While it may sound like an oxymoron, converting to 6-point brings the comfort level up substantially. It’s much easier to get the lap belt to rest properly with the sub belt, and you don’t need to adjust as much to account for different thicknesses of whatever clothing you may be wearing.

Things I don’t like? The cost. They were already on the expensive side ($320ish for the 4-point ASM) but they raised the prices significantly in the past year to around $500. And then another $100 or so if you want the sub strap. Y ou can buy a budget 4-point for $100 all day and hate yourself dealing with the miserable camlock, or spend not much more for a budget 6-point harness. Add in the cost of seats, brackets, mounting points, etc. And you’ll be quite far into the 4 digits, and that’s assuming you install everything yourself.

Which you should, because wrapping harnesses is probably the most fun you can have in a car without it moving. It’s almost enough to offset the torture that is trying to center a racing seat to the steering wheel by beating in the transmission tunnel.

Yo u’ll also get a lot of attention. That can be good or bad. Cops don’t seem to care, but children will absolutely come running up with smiles on their face, drive-through workers will comment, and dates will either think you’re the coolest person in the world, or refuse to get in

So. Any questions?

DISCUSSION (11)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion
11/15/2018 at 15:27

I kinda want something like this for the st but worry about....uh.. expanding to a point that it wouldn’t work.

I’m not getting skinnier with age.

DutchieDC2R > AestheticsInMotion
11/15/2018 at 15:31

Thank you for doing this article. I just bought a QSP steering wheel, harnesses and an H/X bar are the next things on the list.

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/15/2018 at 15:31

Seats break in, and stretch out a bit. If I sit in a brand-new version of my Bride VIOS III, it feels incredibly restricting compared to my four month old one. Plus you just get used to it. As for the belts, there’s a wide range of adjustability! Do your Recaros have prov isions for shoulder straps?

If so, you could easily keep stock belts as well and switch as desired

AestheticsInMotion > DutchieDC2R
11/15/2018 at 15:35

If you can stomach the cost, I have nothing but good things to say about the Profi II ASM. Unless you’re doing 100% track driving— there are definitely better options for the money— although the above belts have been tested and work great with a HANS system.

miadaman? yes please > AestheticsInMotion
11/15/2018 at 16:21

Are you also wearing HANS on your commute? (please say yessss)

AestheticsInMotion > miadaman? yes please
11/15/2018 at 16:28

I wish. I'm not that hardcore

DutchieDC2R > AestheticsInMotion
11/15/2018 at 16:55

Its for the ITR, which is my daily, I will be tracking it next year, but its not gonna be a 100% track beast by any means.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/15/2018 at 18:50

I’ve run into that problem before. A floor jack and a couple of 2x4 sections will expand your one- piece race seat to compensate for “ growing” with age. When I installed the cage and seat my senior year of high school I ignored the advise from a couple of people telling me to get the larger 16 inch because “you won’t be 17 forever” and bought the 15 seat that fit my 17 year- old self so perfectly.

miadaman? yes please > AestheticsInMotion
11/16/2018 at 11:34

Please be careful, any minor collision can result in serious neck injury without it. Whenever I’m forced to drive without helmet/HANS, I only use lap belt + factory 3 point.

AestheticsInMotion > miadaman? yes please
11/16/2018 at 12:19

Like I said, I hope to never test it, but this particular belt was designed with street use in mind and upon impact will "open up" to spread the force so your neck doesn't take all of it as it would with most harnesses. I trust Schroth a lot more than any other options, but at the end of the day I'm still driving a 2000lb Miata so....

miadaman? yes please > AestheticsInMotion
11/16/2018 at 13:50

Totally get you, I daily the same car with the same belt. I hope you never have to test it either!