Tag Archives: Takata

Safety First!

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Several years back we posted about how to properly install Takata Racing harnesses on a vehicle.

Since then, Takata has updated their products. And while they have some street legal harnesses (Drift II and Drift III series), there are still some very important notes to point out on the installation of the harnesses.

Of special note was the placement of the shoulder straps and the angle relative to your shoulder positioning. Too extreme an angle and you can actually compress your spine in a frontal impact. Although the new Takata harnesses include their ASM (Anti Sub Marining) technology on Drift II and III, and Race 4 series harnesses, which allows a small portion of the shoulder to break away and extent, it is only applicable to one shoulder. *Technically, the ASM system is to prevent the driver/passenger wearing the harness prevent them from slipping under the harness and under the lap belt portion. Maintaining proper angle is still very critical.

Also, there are some seat requirements in which the end user should check to make sure the  shoulder harnesses will work properly.

With the new addition of the Bolt-On harnesses (Takata harnesses were known for being snap-on style using Eyelet bolts as attachment points), there are some installation procedures to follow. Since the bolt-on brackets can be bent to conform  to its mounting position, end users should not continue bending back and forth as the bolt-on brackets can fatigue and potentially break.

For those using a harness bar, the bolt-on or snap-on brackets can be removed and the harness can be looped using a three bar adjuster (sold separately). Special attention in how it is looped is just as critical since the shoulder straps must retain tension at all times.

While the attached images  can be pulled directly from www.takataracing.com, we figured it would be easier for you to get directly from our blog (just click on the image to enlarge).

Takata_Tuning_Instructions-page-1

Takata_Tuning_Instructions-page-0

Takata_Tuning_Instructions-page-2

Please let us know if you have any questions on setting up your Takata harnesses. As always, your safety is of great importance to us!

J T Motoring’s FR-S Build

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One of our good friends, Brian Hung from J T Motoring out in Massachusetts, has made a name for himself bringing JDM tuning to New England. His latest build for 2013 is this beautifully crafted Scion FR-S.

IMG_3349 (Custom)

When Brian, contacted us, you can already guess that he needed a suspension solution. We were fortunate enough to be one of the first coilover manufacturer’s to have something readily available for the new FR-S, and for Brian, it was a no-brainer to step up into the Type Flex coilovers since this build was more than show. He had performance in mind for this project.  Matched to our coilover package is another new offering- EDFC Active. This was, in fact, one of the first cars in New England to sport this setup. But, this car is full of plenty “firsts” for its region.

By the looks of it, you can see that no expenses were spared. No corners cut. Brian wanted to push the emphasis on JDM and he chose the highest quality for parts that he could find, which happen to be the very same brands he sells at J T Motoring.

The spec sheet has more listed than all the ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving dinner. And looks to be more delicious, too.

 

Exterior:
APR Carbon Fiber Fender Insert
APR Carbon Fiber Brake Inlet Ducts
APR Carbon Fiber Trunk Garnish
Rocket Bunny Version 1 Kit
Buddy Club LED Tail Lights
JT Motoring Custom Retrofit Black Housing Head Lights
Nokya Yellow Turn Signal Front Bulbs.
Footwork/Brakes:
TEIN Flex (JDM Version)
TEIN EDFC Active with GPS
Tanabe Front and Rear Tower Bars
Buddy Club 4 piston/ 330mm rotors Front Brake Kit
Buddy Club 2 piston/ 330mm rotor Rear Brake Kit
 
Engine:
HKS Supercharger
ARC Oil Catch Can
Buddy Club Racing Spec Condenser Grouding Kit
MXP Front Pipe
MXP Cat-back with adjustable exhaust tip
HKS Oil Cap
Interior:
Bride Euro 2 seats in red buck skin
Bride Type VZ brackets
ATC Carbon/Suede Steering Wheel
MXP Titanium Shift Knob
STRI Club Sport Boost Gauge
STRI Vent Pod Gauge Holder
Kenwood dnn0990hd Double DIN Navi/DVD Receiver
Takata Drift 2 4pt Harnesses
Wheels/Tires:
Volk Racing TE37RT
18×9.5 +23 front
18×11 +17 rear
Wheelmate 5×100 to 5×114.3 conversion front 25mm
Wheelmate 5×100 to 5×114.3 conversion rear 30mm
Project Kics leggdura racing lugs
And they’re not done yet. More parts are being added to this project! We’ll try to get updates on this build!
For those of you out there in New England, give our friend Brian at J T Motoring a call. He can help you get your build to where you want it to be!J T Motoring
1183 Hyde Park Ave.
Boston, MA 02136
Tel: 617-364-6888
Web: www.jtmotoring.com
Also, please be sure to follow them on their Facebook page!

NEW TAKATA ACCESSORY PRODUCTS

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If you have not heard yet TAKATA now has street legal seat belt harness and racing series belts as well. I believe another member of TEIN USA will give further details of this on another post.

I’m here to mention the accessory items that can be used with the new belts and some that are available to use on the vehicles.

First of all, TAKATA has developed 3 different type of Seats, yes that is correct TAKATA now has seats for your vehicle.

They offer the Street Pro LE Seat. Built around tubular steel frame, this reclining seat is designed for comfort and support for spirited driving. Covered in black Spacer fabric with Carbon Fiber look vinyl patches to protect the heavy wear areas it has the TAKATA Logo embroidered on front and back of the headrest. For more features and specifications click this TAKATA link.

Street-Pro-LE1 Street-Pro-LE-Spec

 

Another Seat that they offer is the Limited Edition TAKATA Drift Pro LE seat this is a masterpiece of automotive seat engineering, creating an amazing light-weight, hybrid composite recliner, with a stunning pure carbon backrest with a TAKATA green diamond stitch pattern, high-density molded polyurethane foam, polished stainless steel chassis work. This seat redefines the category of light weight sport seats. The seat comes standard with an integrated seat heater for street-driven cars for modern comfort. For more Features and Specifications click this TAKATA link.

driftproLE-1DriftProLE.Dimensions_9a6278c6

 

They also carry the limited edition TAKATA Race LE Seat, which is an incredibly safe, deep-sided and extremely rigid seat that still allows freedom of movement for all disciplines. The black Spacer Fabric, stitched in subtle TAKATA Green, keeps you cool. High backed, fully HANS® compatible with increased kidney protection, but relieved below the shoulders for lateral arm movement, this seat allows you to really get over the wheel and take control without any compromise on what is known as one of the most comfortable seats in the industry. Comes in two sizes, Standard and Wide (+30mm) to ensure a perfect fit for every driver.  For more Features and Specifications click this TAKATA link.

Race-LE-Wide-FrontRaceLE.dimesions

Other then seat and seat belts, they also just released the Tow Strap for your race car with Tow Hook.  Available in green and black, with TAKATA Logo embroidered. With bendable stainless steel bolt-on hardware for up to 7/16″ or max 12 mm bolt; capable of pulling over 1800 kg (4000 lbs). For more specifications follow this link TAKATA tow strap.

towstrap

For those that enjoy the comfort of the TAKATA shoulder pads they now offer them in a 2 inch or 3 inch width.  Click on the size for more information.

 

takata2inchtakata3inch

 

 

 

New Takata Product Line

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Takata_Harnesses_985x630

Takata had actually released a new line of belts at the beginning of this year.  The new lines have some more options available from the color types of the original green color to the new black colors. The belts would also offer either a two and three inch wide belt in the choice of a standard snap on clip or a new bolt on style which can just be bolted into the existing seat belt bolts.

Takata_74001-H2_Green_1 Takata.70003-0

The belt application will vary from the tuner who’s looking to add some bling to his daily driven project but still be street legal who can use the Drift Series belts, to the professional/dedicated racer looking for something to allow the adaptability of the HANS device available in the Race 4 and Race 6 Series belts. Regardless of what you may be looking the new Takata lines would be a little more budget friendly and customizable. For further details of the new belts available  please be sure to visit the weblink provided below. Also please be sure to visit Takata’s website for any Takata installation tech info as well as other new Takata products releases.

TEIN Link: http://www.tein.com/products/takata_harnesses_accessories_parts_.html

Takata Link: http://www.takataracing.com/products

Using Racing Harnesses

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I’d like to approach this topic by first stating that racing harnesses are not suitable for daily driving. When used properly, a good harness system keeps you relatively firm in place, minimizing your body movements critical during quick maneuvers on track. The idea is to keep you planted into the car and reduce any excessive body motions that just add hysteresis to your hand and foot inputs.

With racing harnesses, proper head and neck restraint systems should also be used. Obviously, helmets are for head protection, but you should also use a neck brace (or a HANS device, if you have the money) when using a helmet and racing harness in conjunction. It would be pointless to use a harness that keeps you pretty firm in your seat while your next could pivot around in a nice axis. In a frontal impact, your neck can easily swing forward in an unsafe manner. Add the weight of the helmet you’re wearing, and that just adds to the trauma.

Another important notice- the angle of the racing harness must be set properly. If the shoulder straps use a very low anchoring point (like right behind your seat and towards the ground), that can cause serious bodily damage (paralysis, or even death) due to the compression of your spine in a frontal impact. Mounting or setting the angle of the shoulder straps horizontal to your shoulders (+/- 20 degrees) can help prevent that. One of the safest ways is by using a harness bar. But they aren’t available for every vehicle. So you would have to find a secure, roughly horizontal (again, +/- 20 degrees) anchoring point for the shoulder straps to secure on to.

The picture above shows the suitable angles for mounting the shoulder straps.

The use of the harness bar allows the anchoring point to be placed low behind the front seats since the bar’s angle relative to the shoulder height is horizontal. So in a frontal collision, there wouldn’t be any compressive forces pushing down on your shoulders. Instead, the harness bar would take the vertical load as your body attempts to move forward in an impact.


Harnesses mounted without a bar. Assuming the seat’s backrest can take the vertical load rather than your shoulders, and the anchoring angle set within an acceptable range, this is okay. I’d prefer a harness bar, though.


Anchoring the harness using the bolt holes from the OE mounting is more than sufficient and secure for eye ring bolts included with some harness sets like Takata.

Regarding neck support (HANS, specifically), this is just as important as you can see in these photos with & without HANS


Fortunately, I was able to find much of this necessary information on Takata Racing’s website

http://www.takataracingproducts.com/guide.html

but I also looked up some images online and pulled up some interesting information.

By now it must sound like safety equipment is a very expensive proposition. But this shouldn’t be a factor that you decide to skimp on when preparing a vehicle for racing.

The Takata harnesses we sell include most of the necessary hardware to use factory belt mounting points. But optional longer eye bolts and mounting plates are available if you decide to make your own mounting point.

Also, if looping to a harness bar, a 3 bar adjuster will be needed. Pegasus Racing sells such adjusters from their website

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=627

The Octane Report also did a great write up on how to install harnesses to a harness bar

http://octanereport.com/gallery-how-to-takata-safety-harness-loop

I hope this gives you some great insight on safety equipment, and what is necessary for setting it up correctly. Just remember, your safety is the most important aspect to consider.