Head and Neck Restraint

#1

So I am trying to decide on whether to get a HANS or an R3 before the Dec event. Even though I am only doing an HPDE it would make me feel a lot safer having some protection. So I am wondering if anyone in the Atlanta or SE area has either of the HNRs so I can try them out before buying.

#2

If your car has 5/6 point harnesses get the hans, if you are still using your stock 3 point belts the R3 would be better suited for you. There is a new unit coming out called the defNder www.defNder.com it will retail at about $600.

If you go with a hans, buy it from discoveryparts, when you get there Friday take them your helmet, and he will install the anchors on your helmet and have it back to you by Sat. morning.

#3

Ask the 15Nov dyno types to bring a couple. If no one shows up with an R3 you can play with mine on 4Dec. Find some folks that have worn both. I have only limited experience with the HANs so maybe I’m biased. I liked the HANs sliding tethers and I liked it’s price. Otherwise I like the R3.

If the cheaper HANs had been out when I bought my HNR, I’d a bought the HANs. Is there a lower cost version of the R3 out yet?

#4

I have a 5 pt and am using the racetech rt-4009 seat. The defnder looks pretty cool but I kind of want to have something for Dec unless some crazy reviews and numbers show that it is superior to everything else. Right now I guess the plan is to wait it out and get Discovery Parts to do the installation for me at RA. I guess the reason I’m up in the air about either is the fact that the R3 people claim that they out perform the HANS with side impacts and say that the HANS is prone to slipping out from under the belts. I obviously have no experience on that but it’s just something to think about.

#5

the defNder one will do better than a Hans in side impacts (pretty much any of the other SFI devices do).
comparative data at http://www.trackpedia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4829
and http://www.racingsafetyinstitute.org/Head%20and%20Neck%20Restraints.html

#6

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Ask the 15Nov dyno types to bring a couple. If no one shows up with an R3 you can play with mine on 4Dec. Find some folks that have worn both. I have only limited experience with the HANs so maybe I’m biased. I liked the HANs sliding tethers and I liked it’s price. Otherwise I like the R3.

If the cheaper HANs had been out when I bought my HNR, I’d a bought the HANs. Is there a lower cost version of the R3 out yet?[/quote]

There is a cheaper version of R3 for $695. R3 now also has a sliding tether option.

#7

If your racetech has head restraints (HR), you wont need to worry about protecting against side impact with a head and neck restraint.
Ive never worn an R3 but it looks very uncomfortable.

x2 for hans

#8

For the record. R3 and Hans both have “cheaper” models, both have sliding teathers, R3 is no more uncomfortable then Hans, as a matter of fact, Hans hurt me like crazy because of prior shoulder injuries and R3 works Great with either 3 point OR 5/6 point harnesses, actually if you do any instructing or want the option to ride in other “non-race” cars at the track and use your HNR, get the R3!

Ron at Discovery Parts can likely get you either. Buy it there!

#9

epalacio19 wrote:

Funny you mention this. Not long ago I was watching one of the Pro ALMS races, can’t remember which it was, and during a driver change I noticed the guy left the pits and was driving down the track and still messing with his Hans device. The shot cut away but I wondered if the guy ever got his harness up and over the Hans?

Bear in mind that the R3 is the only HNR that I know of that can operate completely independent of the harness.

#10

epalacio19 wrote:

I have used the HANS for several years and find it to work very well – provided the seat and belts are mounted in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. If your shoulder belts angle down from your shoulders too severely, it can feel like the HANS is compressing you.

With a RT4009 seat, you have side restraint handled. With the sliding tethers, I don’t even notice the HANS in the paddock, much less on track.

My wife just bought a sport model HANS ($700?) and once you are strapped in the weight penalty doesn’t matter.

I use Safecraft belts with 2" shoulder straps and they stay on the HANS perfectly. The ALMS belt issue was compounded by the rapid driver changes those guys try to do. With our mandated-length stops in (almost all?) club racing enduros, we have the luxury of taking our time with belts to make sure they are on top of the HANS.

If you want to go with a product with a proven history and a ton of users, go HANS. If you have a problem supporting a virtual monopoly, choose R3 or ISAAC or one of the others.

Steve D.

#11

The R3 is more comfortable than the HANS in my experience. The defnder does look like an interesting unit too. At the same time, after getting used to the HANS, it hasn’t been an issue. I take off the straps when I’m entering the pits so I can look around.

#12

I have a HANS that I’ve recently added the “vision” tethers and I’ve only tried on an R3. If I were in the market for a Head and Neck Restraint system, I’d probably go with the R3. The HANS is nowhere near as comfortable as the R3. I don’t have a lot of meat on my collar bones and even with the gel pads, the HANS can be pretty painful after an extended period of time in the car.

#13

Just a note,

If you are considering doing any instructing. most student cars will not have the belts to support a HANs.

#14

I use an R3 Rage and like it a lot. The two main reasons I like the R3 is that there is no pressure on my shoulder blades (as with the HANS) and that the top rear part of the R3 is shorter than the HANS such that it doesn’t touch the back of my helmet (see photo). I never notice it while driving…plus, like Mike S. mentioned, when I exit the track I undo the quick releases so I can see better in the paddock. I also read somewhere that you will be now able to get a sliding teather for the R3 like the HANS has…but I haven’t seen it advertised yet.

#15

I forgot to mention that if you have a cool shirt you definately will feel pain with a hans. I had black and blue zebra stripes on my collarbones after an enduro this summer :S… even with gel pads.

#16

No affiliation, but I’ve heard good things about the DefNder - www.defnder.com - from a friend who raced in the Jetta TDI Cup. Looks like a HANS on steroids with additional straps that provide side restraint.

I don’t think they are shipping yet, but it is another SFI-rated restraint to try.

Steve D.

PS - Robert - There are HANS-compatible cool shirts that don’t have tubing under the HANS or over the collarbones. But yes, a standard shirt can be painful of you can’t/don’t move the tubes out of the way before you cinch down your belts!

#17

“ the R3 people claim that they out perform the HANS with side impacts”

There has been no independent testing done to verify these claims.

“the HANS is prone to slipping out from under the belts.”

Not true. If the harness is mounted per the harness manufacturer instructions, there are no issues with the shoulder straps coming off the HANS Device.

“the defNder one will do better than a Hans in side impacts (pretty much any of the other SFI devices do). comparative data at http://www.trackpedia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4829
and http://www.racingsafetyinstitute.org/Head%20and%20Neck%20Restraints.html”

Again, there has been no independent testing of side impact protection with any of the HNR’s. Everyone thinks the HNR should be a panacea for everything. Look at how you are strapped into your car with a harness. You aren’t even restrained for a side impact.

“Bear in mind that the R3 is the only HNR that I know of that can operate completely independent of the harness.”

Does this REALLY make sense to anybody???

“the top rear part of the R3 is shorter than the HANS such that it doesn’t touch the back of my helmet”

There is a really good reason for the height of the collar on the HANS Device. For every action there is an opposite reaction. When the head rebounds back, the collar of the device will not be forced up between the head and helmet.

As far as comfort, everyone is comfortable with different things, so if one device is more comfortable for the racer, great. Use what works for you. Try different devices. I know the chest straps of the R3/Hybrid are not comfortable for me. The Leatt-Brace is uncomfortable to me and there is so little actually known about a device (DefNder) that hasn’t even be released yet. There’s no telling when and where they will be available in quantities. Maybe because I am use to the HANS Device and everything is mounted correctly in my car. I will say the majority of issues I have come across where people complain about comfort with the HANS Device, there have been other issues besides the HANS Device itself causing the discomfort.

I plan to be at the RA event in December, either getting in the way of the other racers or spectating and providing support for Discovery Parts. I have a L-B, R3 and Hybrid that I use in training classes anyone can try on.

Howard Bennett
HANS Performance

#18

yes, if you want to use an HNR while instructing.

hbennett wrote:

[quote]
“Bear in mind that the R3 is the only HNR that I know of that can operate completely independent of the harness.”

Does this REALLY make sense to anybody???

Howard Bennett
HANS Performance[/quote]

#19

+1 on R3. It takes a litle time to learn the attachment to the helmet, but otherwise it is very easy to work with. They also have a seat mount version that mounts to the seat with a pad (included in price) and velcro. With this version, the strap that usually clips around the waist clips into the harness.
Ed

#20

+1 HANS

I use the Schroth version which seems to work much better with 3" belts, since it doesn’t have a lip at the edge of the top of the yokes (at the back).

After I adjusted the harnesses to the correct length i.e. adjusters sitting on the bottom 2" of the yokes, proper angles at the rear of the seat, and angled my seat correctly, I almost forget it’s there.

You do, when you think about it, feel really enclosed, like a clamp has come down to stop you moving up or forwards. Raced several times with it without problems, and no seat modification necessary.

And now that they have the sliding tether system available, vision is a non-issue.