2 failures this weekend. wicked sandcar on sat. funco on sun. both drivers, and both in the upper 200lb class. while we were helping with the wicked sandcar, someone stated that this is the second time recently, that the stitching had torn. this was before the funco accident. anyone else aware of failures? i did'nt feel safe the rest of the weekend when i buckled my seatbelt, since i'm in that 200lb class.

The belts we use in drag racing are dated and must be replaced or you cannot even tech your car to run. I wonder why the off road companies sellling harnesses are not the same way?

They are...all the good brands have dates and you won't pass tech at the races with old belts.

My crow belts are dated, just wondering how old the belts in the above mentioned cars were. 2 years is the NHRA rule but if exposed to sunlight very long the thread deteriorates so inspect those things well. You can also send them in for redading but not really cost effective.

wicked rail was on its 2nd trip on new car. the belts looked brand new.

That does not give me the warm fuzzy feeling. Did a complete failure happen?

I don't know if they were the good ones or not, in these incedences, but I know crow makes some really cheap (like $60) harnesses.
In off-road racing we were using harnesses that were almost $200 and you could see the differences in quality. I see a lot of people using the Cheapest Crow and RCI's belts out there, but have $3K in their paint, doesn't seem to be a good place to save money.

Can somebody post pics of the style that ripped,
and maybe a style that is better ,or proven?

How are they rated?

I for one would like to know if my belts are up to par??

Is this a good belt..... 3X3 SAND CAR RESTRAINTS

• 3" Seat Belts Bolt In.
• 3" Y-Type Harness Bolt In.
• Harness Sewn In Seat Belt

Seatbelts are designed to stretch when absorbing an impact. At faster speeds, the more strch you need. Some seatbelt manufacturers use different types of material as stitching so the belt can stretch. The belt may have worked correctly, but I would need to see the belt or a photo.

If there is any questions about the belt brand, why not call the manufacturer and ask them. I'm sure they know if their belts are designed to give in tha area.

ANYTIME you are in a collision while wearing your seatbelt (either in the sand or in the city) you need to change the belts!!! Once a seatbelt has streched to absorb the impact, it can't stretch anymore for a second impact.

A seatbelt must be worn tight to get the best protection. In higher speed collision, it is not uncommond to see a seatbelt stretched over 6 inches. If the belt was worn loose, the person could move over 8 inches, allowing his head to hit part of the roll cage or A-pillar.

Seatbelts do more than keep you in the car in case of a rollover. They stop you from contacting the dashboard and lessen the impact of your internal organs against the rib cage. I've seen many fatalities where the outside of the body is fine, but the internal organs ripped away and the person bled todeath inside the body.

Properly worn, properly mounted, and properly maintained seatbelts are a must to prevent serious or fatal injury. Wearing a helmet could save a life too....

When Dale E. got killed at Daytona, his belt had broken also. I knew an official that saw the belt personally. He did say something about Nascar not liking the way Earnhart mounted them, but who was going to argue with him about it...
I just put new belts in my car before the last trip, the old ones were dated from 3 years ago, now I am wondering if I should have gone with a better belt then the $80 Crows.. When it comes to stuff like belts, helmets, etc. you need to stop and think how much your, and everyone elses life is worth. I say more then the extra 100 bucks for the better product.

This is a great topic. How about posting some pics of proper mounting versus improper mounting. Having tabbed my car myself I would like to know I did it the right way. I will get some shots of mine and post them later today.

Im running the sand car Crows as well...

And after this weekend and everything we saw, we wore our helmets for the first time Monday. We wont leave camp without them again.

I'm very curious about where and how the belts may have failed. I'm not sure what this "patch" that's being refered to is.



Could do a lot better.

The Y-type harnesses are not as safe as the individual shoulder straps. In an accident all of the forces are transfered to that one strap with a Y Harness. With individual shoulder harnesses the forces are spread across two straps. The instructions that come with belts warn that they should be kept as short as possible to minimize stretch and that it's extra important with the Y harnesses.

The sewn in belt is another potentially less safe option. In an accident it can make it slower and more difficult to get out than with the individual straps. Usually not a huge deal but if there's fire every split second matters.

MANY MANY cars have their shoulder cars mounted incorrectly. In fact I'd say more have them mounted incorrectly than correctly. Mounting instructions are standardized by SFI (who certify belts) and all certified belts include instructions on how to mount them properly. SFI has those instructions on their website as do most belt manufactures. Most cars have the shoulder belts mounted too low and at too much of an angle. It's not easy to fix without adding more bars but it's a major safety issue.

And as already mentioned belts don't last forever. Most racing associations allow 2 years MAX. And those belts are usually inside a vehicle where they don't get the kind of UV exposure that belts in a rail do. Any certified belt will have the date of manufacture marked (Though interestingly enough the last set of Crows I got were marked as manufactured one month in the future from when I bought them.)

And wasn't the owner of Wicked Sand Cars? They medivaced him out...

I believe Crow has a "rewebbing" option for $40/belt. Cheaper than new ones.

Are my NEW belts questionable if they have been sitting on a shelf wrapped and in the orignal box for a year, never installed?

If it can happen to underwear, it can happen to seat belts.

We stopped using Crow belts 15 cars ago and went to TeamTech.. the belts are awesome and much easier on the body when the car impacts..I have had my fair share of hard hits and love them.

They are easily triple+ the price of a crow.

Here is a link to their site

Saw this picture on another thread. Does anyone know if the buggy had the sewn in lap belt and if this is where the belts failed. From the picture, no lap belt can be seen, just wondering if they cut the lap belt portion off or if it failed where it is sewn together?

yeah thats a sewn in lap belt, the failure is at the bottom of the straps in the picture, you can see the blue stitching.

edit: or is it the blue stitching near the higher points?

Why is the headrest bent like that?

i'm in shock about thomas in the wicked car i just met him last week. the wicked guys let us drive that very car around for a day. does anybody have more info.
?

For me anyway it looks like those belts were the kind that you weave though a fixture to attach to the harness. I see a spot in the belt where it looks like it was bent through the attachment (its still holding its shape). The left hand belt it the pic. Right side belt for the driver. Maybe they were run through the attachment incorrectly. Sad day indeed.. RIP..

If in fact the belts did fail, can someone explain exactly how and where the failure accured? I also have the Crow 5-points, and if they are not holding up, I want to replace them with something that will. I have these belts with the sewn in padding:

Does anyone know for sure that these belts failed? or did the medics cut the belts when extracting the occupants?

I'll be updating my belts prior to another trip..

(Simpson is just down the street)

Very good question. Does anybody know the facts of this?

I have the sewn in type in my Funco. If they were the sewn in type (pictured below), the only way the belt could look like they do in the picture is if they cut them or if both belts failed at the same spot, where it's sewn together at the lap belt.

Hopefully someone knows the answer.

The belts on the wicked car came un-stiched for sure, if the funco belts un-stiched as well there is something seriously wrong with crow seat belts! and caused some seriuos injuries and 1 death. very sad day in glamis for sure.

Does anybody have pics of the Wicked car? What part came unstitched?

I would like info about the belts ASAP,
I have Crows, and I am concerned.

I agree i have the same belts and i would like to know also.

I am also concernrd about my crow belts.

someone please let us all know if thier is a defect in the design.

Ditto....I have these with the anti sub,and pads sewn in too

ok since i started this post, i have talked to a very reliable source, who stated that both belts are the crow 3" harness sewn in type, he said he would like to comment more but can't. while we were talking i asked about the condition of wicked car driver. he said last he heard he was still in intensive care. if someone knows how he is doing, please let us know.

I too would like to know more. We have the 3" 5 point belts w/ padding. Please excuse my ignorance, but what does "sewn in type " reffer to? Is it the "padding patch" on the shoulders?

UH, THANKS FOR THE HELP.

I am hoping this is a coincidence with the Crow belts. Seems a high percentage of US are using these belts

I think I just read an article, saying the Simpson belt was a contributor to the death of Earnhardt.

with the funco someone said it was cut to get the driver out easier

How much cheaper are the "sewn in" belts VS. the individual hook up type?

Carl

By the photo, it looks like both shoulder belts tore at the lap rings. That or they were cut there.

I think I'll change my old belts out as well.

OK, Duh!! Just looked more carefully at pic. We have the kind with the metal hooks!!

Answered my own question.!!

My belts are dated from just a couple of months ago so they are not old, but if there is a defect in the 5- point belts, I want to know. I hope someone will answer these questions.

who will call crow and ask? does anyone have their number?

Unfortunately I see a lawsuit could be coming, I'd highly doubt anyone would get a response from them.

Here's their number if you'dike to try.

Crow 714-879-5970

I also have the ones with pads sewn in. This does cause some concern as it looks like alot of peeps have the same ones.

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I am reading I don't think it is where the pads are sewn in that is the failure point. It sounds like it is where the belts are sewn together down at the lap belt.

Bohica,

At least a call will make them aware if they are not already. I would say we can ask for a reply I am sure the sand car market is a good source of revenue for them. IF NOT US THAN ONE OF THE BUILDERS SHOULD ON OUR BEHALF

that is correct, its were they are sewn together on the lap belt.

I understand that. I was just replying that I had the crow belts also but the ones with the pads sewn in. I guess I should have worded that different.

per a source very close to funco family, very very close, when asked if belt failed, the answer was yes.