Date on Caterham 4pt harness

[AlC]

I have the Caterham QR 4 point harness (like this one). I noticed when building the car that there is a "best before date".

 

Clearly a time limit to use is appropriate when racing, but a friend has just told me the date also applies to MOTs. I don't really intend to use my car on the track ☹️, but I do intend to get it MOTed in just under three years. I can't see how there can be a time limit for road use - the straps aren't going to deteriorate any more than a standard seat belt, and as far as I know the MOT simply checks for belt wear/damage and appropriate fixing to suitable mounting points.

 

My first reaction was "I'll cut the labels off then", but then thought I'd ask the experts first.

 

So for road use only, do Ineed to fork out something like £138 * 2 every few years (after the first three), or can I just ignore this, or should I cut the labels out?

 

Thanks

[Shaun_E]

No - the date is for racing only and is not considered at MOT time.

[Jon Crofts]

Rubbish, was my first reaction, the dates are applicable for MSA/FIA only, belt dates never get checked, only integrity.

 

That said the TuV people at The Ring are spot checking harnesses & dates, a leeway of 2 years is being allowed, aftermarket fitting to cars is also under scrutiny by TuV peeps, anchorage points are of particular note.

[tbird]

shouldn't worry,

IIRC 4 point harness is technicaly an MOT failure anyway as I dont think we can prove they meet BS3254, although I am yet to hear of one failing 😬

 

Tim

 

 

 

Edited by - tbird on 21 Sep 2011 14:33:24

[Jon Crofts]

Well I never knew that. I thought it was t'other way, ie you had to be able to hit the eject button with 1 hand not vicky verky?

[tbird]

Sorry removed one handed bit and made your post odd 😬 fastening with one hand may have been a red herring, cant remember the source but BS stuff is from SELOC

 

Tim

[Fil M]

Mine are out of date and MOT was no problem. At my age the seat belts would be intact .... I would just break up around them!!!! 😬

 

Fil M

[tbird]

From new MOT manual

An adult harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder straps bearing a British Standard or European approval marking (an upper case ’E’ or lower case ‘e’ and a number) is an acceptable alternative to any of the seat belt types listed.

 

so as long as BS or european approved OK but I don't think FIA approval is technicaly acceptable

[James_Russell]

Just to add to the weight of opinion, My car passed MOT in March 2010 with both harnesses displaying a date of 2002!

[guilleracing]

The best before date is there solely for FIA level motor sport competitions.

Seats and seatbelts are "life limited" to 4 years only.

 

This requrement does include circuit racing for seatbelts, ( not sure about seats ) in the UK but NOT hill climbing.

 

I change my belts regularly as they are a cheap bit of safety, however I know of a chap who is hill climbing here in the Islands, with a set that were originally made in 1995. There are probably much older seat belts still in use! Makes me shudder!

 

Most hill climbers cut the date labels out.

 

I guess Common Sense would be to take in to account their visible condition when checking their suitability for use. I recently had a mint set that went to a kit car owner that were over ten years old but due to their condition still worked and looked like new.

 

Greg.

[AlC]

Sorted then - I'll stop worrying

 

Thanks

[Nifty]

Commonsense needs to prevail here.

 

If you are not in need of adhering to FIA regulations then normal wear and tear will determine the life of the belts.

The FIA stipulate a date so that it makes scrutineering the car easier and reduces the chances of a worn, dangerous belt from escaping through inspection ... the date is arbitarily set at 4 years, rather like best before dates on food.

The webbing on these belts will withstand many tons of force - where they tend to deterioate is on the edge of the webbing where they rub on the metal parts.

If you do one race a year, single driver, then the belts will easily outlast 4 years.

If, on the otherhand, you do a series of 6 - 24 hour endurance races with driver swaps (particularly drivers of differing sizes) the belts may be showing significant wear well within the 4 year window.

 

Not sure what the MSA regulations are with regard to changing belts after a heavy collision but with inertia reel belts on a road car these are only designed to withstand one serious incident and should therefore be replaced after any heavy impact incident.

Fixed belts fitted snuggly to the wearer are unlikely to have such a problem because they have no moving/braking parts and it is probably the seat belt fitting points that are more likely to need inspection/repair than the belts themselves.

 

My belts are starting to show a little fraying on the edges where they go through the adjuster but these are 8 years old and still perfectly adequate for road/trackday use and pass the MoT (to date ❗).