Does anyone know of a harness like the Schroth Rallye that fits in a 2008 MINI? Given that Schroth still doesn’t have one for the 2007+ cars leads me to believe they won’t ever. I have a lap belt lock, but it isn’t enough; I’ve got a bad back and it kills me in tight turns.

TIA,
Rob

 

Have you tried the "yank on the belt to lock it and then put it on" system?

 

I’ve got a CG Lock, which sorta does that. I can do what you describe with the shoulder strap, but it doesn’t really keep you from side to side movement much (and I don’t have the sport seats with the bigger bolsters).

Rob

 

The CG lock wont help with the shoulder belt being loose, if you get the belt tight enough it really does a good job at keeping you in the seat.

I have heard that Schroth is in the process of testing the seats of the new cars to see if they meet the req's for their harness. So it may be available soon.

 

All you need to do to make an 02-06 Schroth Quick fit to fit an R56 would be to cut a very small piece of the plastic on the receptacle. This allows the receptacle to slip in far enough, otherwise, the plastic blocks it from being able to slip in. Basically, its the small plastic angled tabs on each side of the metal buckle. It takes about 1 minute with a razor knife and you are all set. This is also 100% safe too and does not affect the integrity of the harness.

Craig

 

It may not damage the harness, but there is no guarantee that the seat back will meet the safety req's from Schroth.

 

I can understand the "no guarantee" part, since they may not have done the necessary testing.

But is there really any reason to believe the R56 seat backs are that much different from the earlier MINIs? I guess the potential problem with the harness over the shoulder belt is that I pitch forward, the seatback behind me collapses, which causes slack in the shoulder belts, so I pitch forward more and do a facial into the wheel. I still think I'd be better off with the Schroth than the shoulder belt, but I'm only intuiting that.

Rob

 

The problem would be in a frontal collision when the seat back fails and you end up compressing your spine and doing who knows what kind of damage. The only reason the Schroth harness is approved to be used is because they test the seats to make sure they don't fail. The harness attaches to a point much lower than your shoulders.

 

I wouldn't use it on the street anyway, this is the Solo section. Its more than sufficient for SCCA Solo usage, which is what it was really designed for anyway I think. I would be hesitant to use it on the track, I am not sure what would happen if you flipped and the roof smashed in on you. I guess you woudl get smashed with the roof unfortunately.

 

I agree. I met a guy at a BMW track day who had these harnesses in his Beemer, and they asked him to remove them. I didn't get the details, but he understood it had to do with the rollover problem and using them in a car without a rollbar.

But if they can't get a 2008 version, then maybe I'll try the old model. At the autocross; not on the street.

Rob

 

So there is no way for someone to hit something while at the Solo track?
And yes in a rollover you would be at a bit of a disadvantage, but then again you would be in about the same condition with the stock belt.

I don't advocate using the Schroth on the street either.

 

its not likely, although, it has happened on a few instances across the country. Actually a Mini rolled last season at one event. I'll take my chances. For me personally, I think the most likely chance of hitting something would be if I were to lose control by not being harnessed in. With the harness, I can easily concentrate on driving rather than holding myself in the seat, therefore, I have better control of the situation.

 

I agree. Being in control is most important; you’d really have to loose it to hit something hard at an autocross. I probably wouldn’t use one at the track without knowing more, and in any case I don’t think my club (BMW CCA) would allow it anyway. And on the street it really impedes your ability to look behind, so it’s too much of a pain.

I’ll wait until late winter to see if they get new models going. If not, I’ll probably go with the older one on my R56 as suggested.

Rob