bertie Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 OK so I am totaly sick of the harnesses being sooooooo flipping difficult to adjust. I've contacted the normaly very helpfull Luke who unfortunately on this occasion only suggested replacing the harnessess as the FIA cert was about to run out??? Now I don't race so the certification is of no consequence to me but it looks like the only way of sorting this is to change the harnesses. Given the Luke ones I've got were very very stiff from new (I hoped they would free with use but they haven't) what or who would people reccomend? Safety Devices? Sabelt? Willians? View appreciated, I really want to be able to adjust them without pulling muscles every time and having to feed it through inch by inch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 I have the ones that CC sell (Luke I think). One original from 2002 and one new one that I bought in 2007 (to replace the diagional inertia reel that remained on the passenger side when I got the car). Not that difficult to adjust ! 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 Mine were the ones that came with tmy R400 kit in 2003, Caterham branded Luke 3" straps. Waist straps forget it, get out the car and start breaking finger, shoulder straps you have to feed through inch by inch until you have enough to get a really good hold with both hands, then you might just pull them tight but that often includes ripping muscles in the process. And I'm not being a puff honest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Boy Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 When you say adjustment, do you mean loosening the shoulder belts when getting out or the laps when your sitting in? Only ask like that because if it is the former then the Willans Aluminium Alloy adjusters are the best - See pic here Simply lift the flap and push up a bit with your body and they free up. Of course when I bought mine I went with standard steel shoulder adjusters as you can see fitted on the lap belt in the pic on the above link but I never have any probs with mine. Think the major difference between Willans and Luke is the lap adjusters, in that the Willans are what they call reverse adjusters whereby you have to pull the strap away from the centre buckle to tighten, the problem is that because there this so little space in a 7 you don't have much room to 'pull into' if you see what I mean. the trick is simply to shorten the straps so they are tighter than you can do them up, then flick the lever once or twice to get them about right then BREATH IN and belt up! Sounds a phaff but it isn't really. If I understand correctly with the Luke ones you pull the strap back towards the buckle to tighten which has to be a bit easier I suppose and you probably get a bit more leverage so to speak. I just prefer the look and feel of the Willans ones but it's all personal. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTD Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Willans are light years ahead of the Caterham ones - I know, as I have one sort and my passengers put up with the Caterham ones!! This space deliberately left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Willans I have the alloy adjusters in my single seater and they're sooo easy to loosen off without having to undo the main catch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Boy Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Looking at this shot of the Luke ones here I think I understand better what you are saying. The Luke lap adjusters are further away from the buckle and so more buried down between your thigh and the side of the car whereas the reverse adjusters on the Willans are in a much easier to 'get hold of' position on the strap. Willans is your answer! ...until someone comes along in a minute and tells otherwise 😬 Dave Edited by - Lotus Boy on 3 Dec 2007 18:03:17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casbar Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Had the Willans in my last car, which had S Type seats. With the adjusters near the buckle and pull down adjustment, I found them a little easier to adjust but still quite difficult. Infact I know have CC Luke ones in my car and find pulling up easier than pulling down if you know what I mean. The only pain now, is with the buckle hiding behind the Tillets, but I intend to make the Tillet hole larger on the advise of Steve Tillet. Other option of course is to get yourself down the gym Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 I can accept the lap belts are always going to be a pain, that's a given. It's the shoulder straps which you have to adjust and tigthen every time you get in that bug me. As I said, you have to feed them back through 10mm at a time and then if you can grab them with both hands you can sometimes get them to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Boy Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Then it's the Willans alu alloy adjusters for you Bertie. I'm sure there must be someone out there local to you or at your area meet that will have them that you can have a ahem...tug on. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 With the normal Luke style adjusters, if you move the buckle in the opposite direction that you are pulling the loose end of the strap, they will tighten/loosen much easier. I find it's a 10 second job either loosening the straps to get out or tightening again when getting in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 sounds like you are having a particular problem with the adjusters right now. Are you using the std Caterham / Luke harness, as Ive never had a problem loosening mine since new. Are you lifting the front of the adjuster before pulling the strap through? (apologies if this sounds liek teaching you to suck eggs...) Edited by - mav on 3 Dec 2007 22:05:24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Boy Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 and it reads like mav is having a particular problem with the pc keyboard right now...after a bottle of wine tonight! 😬 edit to say you missed a bit mav Edited by - Lotus Boy on 3 Dec 2007 22:06:25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 No wine, just tired Lotus Boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted December 4, 2007 Author Share Posted December 4, 2007 As I said.....Mine were the ones that came with my R400 kit in 2003, Caterham branded Luke 3" straps. I know how to adjust them, they are just very, very stiff. I had hoped Luke might say they'd take a look and alter the springs but no. Sounds like Willians are the ones then. Do people go for 2" or 3" straps? The Safety Devices ones look good also, anyone got them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casbar Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 If its the shoulder straps your having problems with, then I would say there is something wrong with your harnesses, as I've never had a problem adjusting the shoulder straps even when my Luke ones were new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted December 4, 2007 Author Share Posted December 4, 2007 YES!!!!! I know there is something wrong with them. The ones on my previous car were fine!! However even though they were like it from new, they are now 3 and a bit years old and Luke say the only option is to buy new ones. If I am buying new I have a free choice and given the problems I'd rather not gamble on buying Luke again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I have the 3" shoulder straps on my Willans harness, it'll spread the load that bit more when you come to that sudden stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted December 4, 2007 Leadership Team Share Posted December 4, 2007 If you have the Caterham/Luke 4 point harness, the buckles can on occasions be sods to adjust. However, if you replace these with the Caterham/Luke 6 point race harness, the shoulder buckles are different. These have a type of lever setup which lifts upwards and makes loosening the shoulder straps very very easy. Same adjusters on waist straps though. However, these are ITRO £170 each side I didn't realise these existed until I changed my car! I guess these are the version that Mav has also. Stu. www.superse7ens.co.uk..........the rebuild 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Stu, I'm currently on the std 4 point ones. Will be fitting the newer 6 points in the new year to both cars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanAm Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I have the Caterham/Luke 4 point and have no problem slackening off the shoulder straps. However, when Mrs CanAm gets in the car after someone slimmer it's nigh-on impossible to slacken-off the lap-straps while she's still sitting there, which causes considerable grief about "your bl**dy stupid little car". BTW if anyone mentions this to her, I will have them killed. So are the reverse adjusters on the Willans possible to adjust while sitting comfortably in the car? On the photo in Lotus Boy's link they still look as though they would be buried down the side of the seat. Alan The existence of chance is everything and nothing whilst the greatest achievement is the living of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casbar Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Had the Willans with S Type seats and they are still a sod to adjust, if your not a big person, pulling down whilst sat in the car is more difficult than pulling up IMHO Have now gone back to the Luke harnesses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I have the sabelt Caterham Harnesses fitted with the alloy adjusters, these are very smooth in operation even when new. The alloy adjusters look better than the willans as well Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Boy Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Alan - yes possible to adjust whilst in the car but don't read that as 'simple'. Easy to slacken but more difficult to tighten. If you read my first post on this topic on page one you will see my preferred technique to adjust. It works well. I do all my major adjustments i.e. slackening the shoulders and tightening the laps out of the car, then it is easy to fit the shoulders into the buckle and lightly adjust the laps once you are in. Bertie - 3" shoulder 2" lap all the way!!!! Dave Edited by - Lotus Boy on 4 Dec 2007 20:28:45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Are the harnesses in question a bespoke design for Caterhams? Is it possible to use a "formula car" harness set? Thanks for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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