Belts vs harnesses & that Honda F1 thingy

["Jeff Loh" <jeff.loh@fluordaniel.com>]

AFAIK, the only DOT approved harnesses are the Schroth ones. Besides 
the convenience features, they are constructed in a different manner 
than _true_ racing harnesses (Bell, Simpson etc).

In a real racing harness the webbing is designed to stretch upon 
impact. In fact, most teams replace their harnesses after any major 
shunt; even if it visually looks ok. The Schroth are webbed much like

OEM seat belts, and is designed to work in conjunction with any SRS. 

While a 4 (or more) point harness is desirable wrt performance 
driving, using it in a car without a roll cage is questionable. In a 
race car, the roll hoop/cage is designed to work with a harness 
system, by holding the driver in place during a crash. In a street 
car, if you roll while wearing a harness (dual shoulder-belts) you 
can't duck or fold out of the way of the collapsing roof.. -> oops, 
broken neck or worse. But hey, it's your neck...

On that Honda thingy .. ya mean the Acura NSX? (the torqueless
wonder) 
:-\ BTW, rumor has it Honda is putting out a 200hp Integra-R next 
year, with boy racer effects and all. eeewww!

/J.