HANS vs. D-cel
Casey and Hammer need not read this, as they have heard it before and do not like to hear me repeat myself!
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I always get questioned about the harness I wear. This weekend, I got more than normal... likely due to this thread and my comments at the driver meeting.
Here is why I chose the D-cel... despite the fact that it looks foolish.
1- I have heard that in a hard hit, the HANS has been known to dig in and break the driver's ribs.
2- Some guys have been unhappy with how the HANS fits in the Skippy car.
-Have you seen Sy standing on the back of a car to help someone adjust their HANS??
-Hammer uses a strap to keep the belts on his HANS. I think that is dangerous.
-In non-head-on impact tests and multiple impact tests, safety harnesses have been disloged from the HANS, thereby rendering it useless.
-These are not issues with the D-cel, as it attaches to the driver and does not rely on the car's harnesses.
3- The HANS offers no neck support under normal driving circumstances. The D-cel has been shown to dramatically lower neck fatigue thoughout a race.
4- D-cel offers more side impact support than the HANS
5- Some have complained that the D-cel limits their vision by reducing how much they can turn their head. This sounds like the same argument made by guys who don't like full face helmets on motorcycles.
6- D-cel and HANS are both approved by NASCAR
7- By HANS' own research... D-cel is shown to reduce neck movement to below the injury threshold. I haven't found any test results conducted by D-cel.
I'd like to hear if anyone has done research that shows the D-cel to be inferior in any areas. I haven't heard any yet.
Either way... buy one and strap it on boys!
FYI... the Hutchins (what I used to wear) is similar to the D-cel. The difference is that the Hutchins buckles into the car's belt system. This means it needs to be re-adjusted everytime. The D-cel wraps around your legs... therefore, only an initial adjustment is required.
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