SimXperience G-Belt review

[ltnordb]

I'd seriously consider using SimHub for tactile. SimVibe doesn't come close anymore. Once upon a time they were better, but SimHub pulled away a while back.

I'm using simhub for tactile and one of the things that have put me off the g-belt is the software. No issues running SimVibe and SimHub together?

 

[Leynad777]

I'm using simhub for tactile and one of the things that have put me off the g-belt is the software. No issues running SimVibe and SimHub together?

Don't use SimVibe and SimHub together and wouldn't be smart anyway, but Sim Commander and SimHub isn't a problem. I switched to SimHub for tactile feedback some while back and just deactivated the SimVibe-instances in the game-profiles. Better don't deactivate it globally, because than all settings getting deleted. These are my ShakeIt-settings, but just activated gear grinding and TC active effect without trying it...

 

[NetLawMan]

Well, I'm going for it and ordered a G-belt. It will be a bit before it gets shipped out to me, so now I am looking for a harness. Anyone willing to share links to harnesses they would recommend? I''m going to go 5 or 6 point. Thanks.

Sweet. Hopefully it will arrive quickly

 

[RCHeliguy]

Sweet. Hopefully it will arrive quickly

That's easy!
Crow 6 point harness!

 

[Leynad777]

That's easy!
Crow 6 point harness!

Not if you don't want to spend over 200 bucks like for this Crow thing. My one is more affordable and still happy with it...

 

[RCHeliguy]

I still think the crow is worth it. You may be happy with it but I went through 2 harnesses more expensive than that one. I gave them both away.

With the Crow, the metal anchors come right off to allow the webbing to coil up pretty behind the G-Belt without cutting anything.

The 6 point belt is much more comfortable than 5 points and you want a solid anchor so you can feel what the G-Belt can deliver.

I will never punish myself with a 5 point belt ever again.

The buckles loosen and tighten very easily and hold perfectly.

It just makes everything more enjoyable and face it comfort matters and you get fastened into your seatbelt a lot!

I would absolutely NOT go cheap on this part.

 

[5teveC457]

I still think the crow is worth it. You may be happy with it but I went through 2 harnesses more expensive than that one. I gave them both away.

With the Crow, the metal anchors come right off to allow the webbing to coil up pretty behind the G-Belt without cutting anything.

The 6 point belt is much more comfortable than 5 points and you want a solid anchor so you can feel what the G-Belt can deliver.

I will never punish myself with a 5 point belt ever again.

The buckles loosen and tighten very easily and hold perfectly.

It just makes everything more enjoyable and face it comfort matters and you get fastened into your seatbelt a lot!

I would absolutely NOT go cheap on this part.

Which Crow harness would you recommend? I have the G-Belt on order and just purchased an inexpensive 5-point belt, but am wondering if I should just go with the 6 point instead. I noticed some of the 6 points belts anchor at a single point at the bottom of the cam, while others anchor a bit to the sides off the lap buckle.

 

[anton_Chez]

The only time SimVibe was better was when Simhub did not exist.

Recommendation for a harness for G-Belt. Absolutely make sure that there is a spring on the shoulder harness buckles. You don't have to go full on legit FIA approved harness, which would be the best you can get but for half the cost you can still get something that is adequate for our use case. If you get a cheap harness, which are normally $100 ish dollars, AUD in my case, compared to the $300 legit ones, they normally will not come with that spring. The springs stop the belts from working their way loose. The best case scenario, I reckon, is find a legit harness, but a second hand one that is expired from an actual race car. You'll get it for knock off price and have the real deal.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Which Crow harness would you recommend? I have the G-Belt on order and just purchased an inexpensive 5-point belt, but am wondering if I should just go with the 6 point instead. I noticed some of the 6 points belts anchor at a single point at the bottom of the cam, while others anchor a bit to the sides off the lap buckle.

I recommend this one. No dog bone attachment.
I got mine in red and it looks great against a black seat.
It's $254 which is reasonable for a fully licensed racing harness.

Crow Formula 6-Point Cam Lock Racing Restraint

www.racedaysafety.com

As I mentioned the anchors come right off and can be rolled up under the G-Belt without damaging the belt. I just have a couple velco straps holding the belts rolled up.

You can run the two bottom belts through the slot under your seat.
I found this more comfortable and it also creates a great anchor point.

If you go to a bit past 3 minutes, you can see me putting the harness on.
Normally I put it on faster than I did in this video, but it gives you an idea how it works.

 

[5teveC457]

I recommend this one. No dog bone attachment.
I got mine in red and it looks great against a black seat.
It's $254 which is reasonable for a fully licensed racing harness.

Crow Formula 6-Point Cam Lock Racing Restraint

www.racedaysafety.com

Thank you, super helpful! I'm returning my cheap $50 one to Amazon now, and going to order the one you recommend.

I also have the NLR V3, and am wondering where you anchored the submarine straps? I was thinking of placing an aluminum bar between the front seat mount bolts and then attaching to that bar, but am also thinking I could just attach them to the rear seat mount bolts instead.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I bolted the anti-submarine belts right to the NLRv3 There is an 8mm hole where I mounted mine. The other is mounted to my seat bracket.

You could optionally use the seat's slot and use a bar like you mentioned.

I have a piece of profile under my NLRv3 for my flight stick quick release. I initially tried using that for the above using a slot.

 

[5teveC457]

I bolted the anti-submarine belts right to the NLRv3 There is an 8mm hole where I mounted mine. The other is mounted to my seat bracket.

You could optionally use the seat's slot and use a bar like you mentioned.

I have a piece of profile under my NLRv3 for my flight stick quick release. I initially tried using that for the above using a slot.

Oh, that makes sense now. I didn't realize there were actually multiple anchor points for that submarine belt, with the two under the seat and the others on the sides. I can see that now in your picture where both the lap belt and submarine belt anchors are shown. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Clover11]

I noticed that Crow harness you recommended has a different connection for the two sub belts then the 5 point and other 6 point mounting that just snap in the bottom. Is this more comfortable? Can you share any info on why you picked this one and what you like better about it? Thanks.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I noticed that Crow harness you recommended has a different connection for the two sub belts then the 5 point and other 6 point mounting that just snap in the bottom. Is this more comfortable? Can you share any info on why you picked this one and what you like better about it? Thanks.

It is definitely more comfortable than a 5 point belt where the anti-submarine belt is pulled across your crotch!

I like this design because the anti-submarine belts are positioned wider and there is no metal snap at the bottom.

I'm sure there is some personal preference to this selection. I wanted to maximize comfort.

 

[anton_Chez]

Do the bottom anchor belts go on top of your thighs, then? I noticed that too and immediately thought that it must be done for comfort. I have my 5th point connected the old fashioned way, into the cam, and since it's a lap belt it's the full 3" width. I find it surprisingly comfortable and I maximise this by folding the belt in half, like a U shape, which my legs then press together and keep folded naturally. One thing that might be helping the comfort is that, unlike a traditional harness position for safety in a car, I have my cam up much higher than I did with the lap belts connected. It's up around my navel and that seems to allow much more room down below. It's perfect for what we use it for and I feel completely free while driving. It really did surprise me how much I don't notice it being there. It does a great job of maximising the G-Belt, though.

 

[metalnwood]

Do the bottom anchor belts go on top of your thighs, then? I noticed that too and immediately thought that it must be done for comfort. I have my 5th point connected the old fashioned way, into the cam, and since it's a lap belt it's the full 3" width. I find it surprisingly comfortable and I maximise this by folding the belt in half, like a U shape, which my legs then press together and keep folded naturally. One thing that might be helping the comfort is that, unlike a traditional harness position for safety in a car, I have my cam up much higher than I did with the lap belts connected. It's up around my navel and that seems to allow much more room down below. It's perfect for what we use it for and I feel completely free while driving. It really did surprise me how much I don't notice it being there. It does a great job of maximising the G-Belt, though.

Thats pretty much the same as me. The 5th center one is folded, in fact I put a cable tie around to keep it like that and have it a bit higher as well. No issues with it. There are probably a few factors, that being one, possibly a hole in the seat too far back and the final one, not all people are in their seat as well as they can be, especially if the seat is more upright leading the small of your back to not have good support and your front to get closer to the seatbelt.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Just so we are comparing apples to apples.

I'm as far back in my seat as possible. My butt leaves a good imprint on the very bottom of the seat back. I'm about 180lbs and 6' tall. So I'm not as skinny as some or as large as others.

The belt was still digging rather harshly into my crotch. Look at the picture below. No ziptie is going to improve matters any.

I went so far as to enlarge the hole in the bottom of my seat to allow the anti-submarine belt to come out of the seat further away from me.

I tried to make the best of it for a while, but it was uncomfortable.

All I can say is OUCH! A 5 point belt is an absolutely unusable solution for me!

Talk to real racers and see what they say about 5 vs 6 point harnesses.

Even Barry Roland who is a pretty small guy has very strongly recommended a 6 point harness for comfort. The fact that you guys are using a cable tie to modify the 5 point harness to make it more comfortable tells you are still dealing with comfort issues. If you've managed to make it work for you, fine. I'm happy for you, but I don't want to mess with that! I certainly wouldn't recommend that to anyone.

 

[anton_Chez]

I'm simply offering a scenario in which a 5 point harness setup did not prove to be completely uncomfortable. Everyone is going to have to work it out for themselves. I simply tried this method because I was able to. I did not expect it to go as well as it did and it's stayed the way I tried it ever since.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I get it and I'm not saying that just because I like something that everyone else has to do the same thing I do. I just see making a 5 point harness work as being a hit or miss thing. Maybe for some it's worth trying to save money to see if a 5 point belt will work and then if it doesn't than move on to a more expensive 6 point solution. I remember you saying that getting a good 6 point harness in Australia was very expensive.

A harness is something you will be living with for many years. I doubt I'll ever replace mine, so this is a forever purchase. I'm also all about comfort and ergonomics and $254 for a harness is a drop in the bucket given what I have in my rig.

 

[cnhoff]

I actually have a high-quality Sparco 6-point harness and it is indeed comfortable. On my specific seat, which is an EVO, i don't think having a 5-point harness would change that though, the bottom feedthrough hole is forward enough to leave enough room.

I think ultimately it boils down to the seat and stature you have.

What i stopped using were the hip belts because in my opinion, at least on a non-motion system, there is no real benefit to using them, but a lot of added hassle getting in and out of the seat.