helmet restraint systems

[trackboss]

I would like to open up a discussion on the various helmet restraint systems available. I have never looked at one up close and in person, but it seems to me as though there is almost no reason not to have one. I understand HANS to be pretty much the standard by which all others are judged. The other ones I know of are:

Isaac

hutchens

teamtech

and a few others that look to be similar to the hutchens.

 

To me they all look to be designed for reducing forward movement of the helmet in a head on crash. The Isaac appears as though it may offer some protection against side movement which would be nice. The only thing that concerns me is that in a very extreme crash is there a possibility that one of the side units could somehow come apart and protrude into a driver's neck or helmet? Also, what about if a driver needs to get out of the car in a hurry like a fire? Forgetting to release the device could take up precious time and lead to further injury, no?

 

I would like to hear any info on any of these systems from those who can contribute. Additionally, Isaac rents their system for next to nothing for those who want to try it out first which is very nice.

 

thanks,

-V

[JWL]

V-

 

I've been using the HANS for two years and I love it. It really limits my forward neck travel with the straps and side travel is limited by the carbon "horse collar" itself. It has never presented a problem getting in and out of the car now that I'm used to it and I find that my large bulky backside is more of an impediment than the HANS. It does, however, limit how far I can turn my head, so sometimes I have to rely on mirrors rather than turning one way or the other. It is easy to get used to and well worth the trouble in my mind.

 

As for other stuff, Ryan and I were over at Ernesto's the other night and the D-Cel also looks like a good deal from our brief living room tests. It seems to work fine, but it does have the unintended side effect of making your package look funny when it's all strapped in. The wives got a kick out of that.

 

Bottom line is that I'm glad to see people discussing these things and I hope we never have to test any of the devices in the real world.

 

-JWL

[SDR_John]

I have decided to go with the HANS. Like V said, it's the standard by which all others are judged, and it is simple. I like simple things that work well. Most of the others look to complicated for my little brain.

 

I would also like to pass along to anyone interested in HANS. A fellow racer (FFR Spec Racer) has arranged for a 5% discount on the HANS for NASA members. That brings the Economy model down to $821 from $865 IIRC. Still alot of money but every bit helps. My dad paid about a grand for his 2-3 years ago. You just need to use the promotion code of NASA and your NASA member number. Enter that in the special instructions box when ordering online or mention it to the phone associates if you call in your order.

 

I have no personal interest in this other than wanting to see "US" as safe as possible.

 

John