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 ENGLISH
SEAT BELTS FIA AND SFI USERS’ HANDBOOK
1 INTRODUCTION
SPARCO s.p.a. wishes to thank you for choosing SPARCO racing seat belts.
Your help is needed to protect the quality of your seat belts and prevent its safety capacity from weakening.
Please read carefully this handbook and keep it in a safe place for future reading. If in doubt, please contact
SPARCO s.p.a. customer care service.
SPARCO have attempted to make this racing harness manual extensive and comprehensive. We have created
it to help the reader understand racing harness installation, use and maintenance, and how it relates to
safety in motorsports. Intensive research and experience in motorsports has led us to prepare up-to-date
instructions for optimized anchor point locations and racing harness design features.
Therefore, we ask the drivers, mechanics, teams and race car manufacturers to read and heed the information
in this manual carefully.

2 GENERAL INFORMATION
SPARCO s.p.a. FIA homologated seat belts are designed to be used on racing cars only. Any other uses are
to be consider forbidden.
Safety belts must be worn when the car is moving. Each seat belt must be worn by one person only. It must
not be used to fasten a child.
No seat belts, even thought they have been accurately designed and produced, is able to protect its user
against all danger and accidents which can occur while car racing or driving.
This harness, when properly installed and used according to applicable instructions can minimise injury. The
ability of any restraint system to minimise or prevent injuries is directly related to the type and severity of
accident. No restraint system can prevent injury or death in every accident. Racing harness belts are NOT
designed to be installed into street
legal vehicles, and DO NOT meet federal and state vehicle safety regulations. They are designed and tested
to be used exclusively in race cars and only in on-track events.
The sanctioning body regulating the motorsports series in which you are participating may have additional
information specific to your chassis. All information in this document is based upon the best knowledge as
the date of printing

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2.1 SFI APPROVED RACING HARNESSES
Racing harnesses specifically manufactured for motorsports requiring SFI 16.1 or SFI 16.5 approval are
tested and labelled accordingly. These racing harnesses MUST be replaced two years after the month and
year of manufacture. The date of manufacture is indicated on all three SFI labels, at the lap belt, at the
shoulder harness and at the Anti-Sub Strap.

3 ASSEMBLY- ROUTING-ANCHORAGES
It is prohibited for the seat belts to be anchored to the seats or their supports. A safety harness may be
installed on the anchorage points of the series car.
• The recommended geometrical locations of the anchorage point are shown in Drawing 253-61.

253-61
In the downwards direction, the shoulder straps must be directed towards the rear and must be installed in
such a way that they do not make an angle of more than 45° to the horizontal from the upper rim of the
backrest, although it is recommended that this angle should not exceed 10°.

The maximum angles in relation to the centre-line of the seat are 20° divergent or convergent. If possible,
the anchorage point originally mounted by the car manufacturer on the C-pillar should be used.

Anchorage points creating a higher angle to the horizontal must not be used. In that case, the shoulder
straps of 4-point safety harnesses may be installed on the rear seat lap strap anchorage points originally
mounted by the car manufacturer.

For a 4-point harness, the shoulder straps must be installed crosswise symmetrically about the centre-line
of the front seat. The lap and crotch straps should pass not over the sides of the seat but through the seat,
in order to wrap and hold the pelvic region over the greatest possible surface.

The lap straps must fit tightly in the bend between the pelvic crest and the upper thigh. Under no conditions
must they be worn over the region of the abdomen. Care must be taken that the straps cannot be damaged
through chafing against sharp edges.

If installation on the series anchorage points is impossible for the shoulder and/or crotch straps, new
anchorage points must be installed on the shell or the chassis, as near as possible to the centre-line of the
rear wheels for the shoulder straps.

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The shoulder straps may also be fixed to the safety cage or to a reinforcement bar by means of a loop,
and may also be fixed to the top anchorage points of the rear belts, or be fixed or leaning on a transversal
reinforcement welded between the backstays of the cage.

For each new anchorage point created, a steel reinforcement plate with a surface area of at least 40 cm2
and a thickness of at least 3 mm must be used.

A. Principles of mounting to the chassis / monocoque please refer Drawing 253-62.

The bolt should preferably

work in shearing stress
and not in traction

Steel reinforcing plate

fixed to the car chassis

253-62

B. Shoulder strap mounting: see Drawing 253-63.

Plate fixed to the chassis

and strenghened by
a reinforced plate
on the other side

253-63

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C. Crotch strap mounting: see Drawing 253-64.

Reinforcing plate
fixed to the car chassis

253-64

3.1 WRAP SYSTEMS TO ROLL BAR INSTALLATION

AND BRACKETS ASSEMBLY 3-BAR SLIDE WRAP
This installation is commonly used for shoulder strap roll cage installation and to assemble open strap ends
to brackets.
Do not install a lap belt directly to a roll cage by wrap around technique.Racing harness with end brackets
assembled to the shoulder belts by a 3-bar slide allow to dismount the brackets and use the 3-bar slide for
wrap around installation directly to the roll cage. Also brackets can be exchanged e.g. from a snap-on to a
bolt-in bracket or vice versa.
Please refer to SPARCO customer service for the homologation extension for each safety harnesses.

Installation

At least 100 mm (4”)

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3.2 75 MM OR 50 MM D-RING WRAPPING INSTRUCTIONS:

A. position D-Ring to roll bar with wider bar atop

B. slide a minimum of 600mm (24”) of strap length through D-Ring and from underneath around roll bar
[first loop]
C. slide strap from atop through D-Ring slot towards roll bar and back between roll bar and first loop until
it protrudes from slot in D-Ring (second loop).
D. Pull at shoulder belt to check that wrap will tighten when being loaded.
E. Wrap strap end around roll bar again [third loop] and thread through D-Ring again. Shoulder belt is now
sandwiched between first loop webbing and protruding strap end.
F. Make sure strap end protrudes at least 100 mm [4”]

3.2.1 WRAPPING INSTRUCTIONS

A. Place D-Ring with its thicker bar onto the bracket.
B. Run strap end through slot at D-Ring and then from underneath through webbing slot at bracket.
C. Pull through at least 200 mm (8”) of webbing. Fold strap end over the wider bar of D-Ring and back
through the gap between bracket bar and D-Ring bar.

D. Slide strap end further through the webbing slot at bracket and then fold the strap end through the slot
at D-Ring.

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E. Pull at the load taking strap and the bracket to make sure, the webbing is properly clamped by the wrap
hardware.

F. If this is not achieved, check for proper strap routing and follow these instructions step by step again.
G. If the protruding webbing is significant longer than the minimum of 50 mm [2”], you may fold it over
again, run it through webbing slot of the bracket/latch and again back and through the webbing slot at
D-Ring.

At least 50 mm (2”)

H. In this case, the strap end now protrudes from the down side of the D-Ring. Webbing must be wrapped
tightly!

3.3 EYE BOLT INSTALLATION FOR SNAP-ON AND CARABINER BRACKETS

A. Assemble eye bolt and spring washer as shown in sketch beside.
B. Bolt in eye bolt and tighten securely. The optimum torque setting is 40 Nm (350 lb inch). Pull either
screw driver or similar tool through eye and turn clockwise to tighten the bolt securely.
C. Make sure the eye’s ring is pointing in direction of pull as shown in drawing below. This position will
reduce the risk of unintended loosening of the eye bolt by torque forces applied by the harness during
racing. If you cannot achieve this position by further tightening or loosening the bolt by a maximum of
¼ turn, dismount the eyebolt and use 2 spring washers to come closer to the recommended position.

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3.4 INSTALLATION
A. Anchor point positioning has to provide a bracket pointing toward the driver as shown in sketch below.
B. In front view webbing shall not run off the bracket under an angle of more than plus or minus 25°.

Wrong Correct Correct Correct

3.5 FORMULA LIGHT WEIGHT BOLT-IN BRACKETS

A. These brackets are commonly used for 50 mm [2”] and for a fold in 75 mm [3”] sewn in assembly, or
with D-Ring 50mm webbing (2”) wrap mount.
B. Bolts and washers are not supplied by SPARCO.

C. Use bolts with grade 8.8 or higher only.

D. Make sure the bend of the bracket aligns to the direction of pull deviating not more than plus or minus
25°.
E. Before fully tightening position the bracket to align with direction of pull.
F. Use e.g. “Loctite 243” to secure bolt.
G. Tighten the bolt.
H. The bracket has not turned out of direction of pull. If it has, repeat the procedure as described.

3.6 STD BOLT-IN BRACKET

A. These brackets are used for sewn in or 75mm (3”) webbing 3-bar wrap mount and 50 mm [2”] D-Ring
wrap assemblies.
7/16” shoulder bolt

Profiled washer

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B. 7/16” 20 UNF shoulder bolts are standard
C. Bushing sleeves for 8mm / 5/16” bolts are supplied for formula harness anti-sub straps. Bolts will not
be supplied by SPARCO. Choose from bolts with grade 8.8 or up only. Make sure the bend of the bracket
aligns to the direction of pull deviating not more than plus or minus 25°.
D. Use e.g. “Loctite 243” to secure bolt.
E. Tighten the bolt.
F. Make sure the bracket can swivel after bolt is tightened.

3.7 HOW TO OPERATE TILT LOCK ADJUSTERS

A. To lengthen a strap, tilt (lift) the adjuster up to 90 degree relative to the strap and pull in direction as
indicated.
B. To tighten a strap, pull at the protruding strap end as indicated.
C. If tilt lock adjusters are equipped with a release strap, simply loosen the harness belt by pulling on the
strap to lift the adjuster.

3.8 TIGHTENING TORQUES BY BOLT DIMENSION

Each bolt diameter and type of thread requires an individual torque for proper tightening.
For any installation use e.g. “Loctite 243” or spring washers where recommended to secure bolt fastening.
7/16”
M8 5/16” M 10 3/8” 15/32” 1/2”
20 UNF
Torque in Nm 25 25 50 50 40 87 113
Torque in lb / inch 18,5 18,5 37 37 30 64,5 83,5

3.9 GENERAL WARNING

A safety harness must be used in its homologation configuration without any modifications or removal of
parts, and in conformity with the manufacturer’s instructions. The effectiveness and longevity of safety
belts are directly related to the manner in which they are installed, used and maintained. The belts must
be replaced after every severe collision, and whenever the webbing is cut, frayed or weakened due to the
actions of chemicals or sunlight. They must also be replaced if metal parts or buckles are bent, deformed
or rusted. Any harness which does not function perfectly must be replaced.

To help reduce the risk of serious injury in an accident:

• Never use the harness belt system for persons which weigh less than 40 kg (88 lbs.) or those who are
less than 150 cm (4‘11“) tall, regardless of age.
• Never strap more than one person in place with each harness belt.
• Never use the lap belt portion of the harness belt without the shoulder belts and the crotch strap (if a
5- or 6 point belt is installed).
• All straps must permanently run through the slots of the bucket seat
• Always make sure that no strap is twisted when worn.
• Always wear the lap belt portion of the harness system low and tight across the pelvis.
• Pressure of shoulder belts on your shoulder and chest must be equal.
• Never wear the belts over heavy clothing as it can interfere with proper positioning and adjustment of the
belts.

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• Never wear the belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your clothing, such as eye glasses, pens,
jewellery, keys etc. as these may cause injury.
• Never allow straps to rub against sharp objects.
• Never allow the belts to be damaged by becoming caught in door or car hardware.

WARNING: Improper use of any harness belt can cause serious personal injury or
death.

4 USE
• 5-POINT MODELS AND 6-POINT T-BAR MODELS

5-Point 6-Point
Harness T-Bar
Harness

A. Loosen the shoulder belts to allow for proper positioning of the lap belts and rotary buckle.
B. Engage lap belt and tighten securely. If the race car is equipped with a sliding seat track, it is recommend
that the seat be slid rearwards by one or two detents. After tightening the lap belt, slide the seat forward
again into the correct seating position. This will optimally tighten the lap belt.
C. Make sure the rotary buckle is well centred to your body.
D. Engage the crotch strap in the downward pointing slot. Make sure the T-bar ends of the 6-Point models
point away from your body.
E. Tighten crotch strap securely.
F. Hook in shoulder belt latches.
G. Tighten shoulder belts securely.

• FORMULA MODELS
A. Loosen the shoulder belts so they will not pull on the rotary buckle when engaged.
B. Engage lap belt and tighten securely.
C. Make sure the rotary buckle is well centred to the occupant’s body, run crotch straps flat over upper
thighs, thread end loop straps from underneath through D-rings on lap belts.
D. Hook end loop straps accordingly into left and right shoulder belt latches and secure shoulder belt latches
in rotary buckle.
E. Make sure left and right shoulder belts are not interchanged
Tighten crotch straps (if adjusters are available).
Tighten shoulder belts securely.

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4.1 HOW TO RELEASE YOUR RACING HARNESS
A. Loosen shoulder belts [not necessary in case of an emergency]
B. Turn rotary buckle by approx. 90° into either direction
C. All latches except one will release from the buckle.

5 HANS® DEVICE USE

If an Hans device is used it is recommended to follow the instruction below.
The shoulder strap anchorage points on the car shall be symmetrical about the centre line of the driver’s
seat. When viewed from above, the angle between the belts shall be approximately 20°-25° as shown in
Figure 2.

Position fo shoulder belt anchorage points to achieve desired belt angle (plan view)
2

This can be achieved with reference to the values in Tables 1 to 4 which have been calculated based on
75mm wide belts (values for 50mm wide belts are shown in brackets) and four HANS® collar sizes: 120mm,
140mm, 160mm and 180mm.

Negative values indicate that the belts are crossed. These values should be closely respected, but a tolerance
of +/-20 mm would be acceptable.

Belt movement in the anchorages should be taken into account. The values in red (underlined) denote that
theoretical separation is less than belt width. In this case it is recommended that the belts are installed side
by side to avoid any overlap; hence the actual separation shall be equal to the belt width.

If the value is negative, the belts should be crossed.

NB: shoulder straps over 200mm long are permitted but not recommended.

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 Table 1: Reference values for 120 mm Hans collar
Z Hans collar width (mm) 120
X Hans to belt anchorage (mm) 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
135 95 55 15 -25 -65 -105 -145
Y Belt anchorage to separation (mm) (110) (30) (-10) (-50) (-90) (-130) (-170)
(70)
Table 1: Reference values for 140 mm Hans collar
Z Hans collar width (mm) 140
X Hans to belt anchorage (mm) 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Y Belt anchorage to separation (mm) (130)155 115 75 35 -5 -45 -85 -125
(90) (50) (10) (-30) (-70) (-110) (-150)
Table 1: Reference values for 160 mm Hans collar
Z Hans collar width (mm) 160
X Hans to belt anchorage (mm) 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Y Belt anchorage to separation (mm) (150)175 135 95 55 15 -25 -65 -105
(110) (70) (30) (-10) (-50) (-90) (-130)
Table 1: Reference values for 180 mm Hans collar
Z Hans collar width (mm) 180
X Hans to belt anchorage (mm) 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Y Belt anchorage to separation (mm) 195 155 115 75 35 -5 -45 -85
(170) (130) (90) (50) (10) (-30) (-70) (-110)

Definitions for the reference values:

• dimension Z (mm) = width of the HANS® collar
• dimension X (mm) = distance from the rear edge of the HANS®-belt-bearing-surface to the car
attachment point
• dimension Y (mm) = separation of the centres of the two shoulder straps at the car attachment points

Measurement of Hans® collar width 3

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 Side view to show
recommended belt angles

The rear section of the shoulder strap should slope downwards from the uppermost point of contact with the
HANS® belt-bearing-surface to the anchorage point on the car, preferably at about 20° below the horizontal,
angles between 0° and 20° being acceptable as shown in Figure 4.

In accordance with Article 253-6 of Appendix J to the International Sporting Code it is particularly important
to prevent any lateral movement of the belt anchorage points by the application of adequate provisions.
Screw inserts in conformity with Article 253-6 of Appendix J are recommended.

5.1 HANS® DOUBLE SHOULDER BELT SYSTEM

Body belt

Hans belt

Double belt shoulder system

5
A safety harness system with two straps on each shoulder is homologated by the FIA and may be used.
It provides one body-belt that is positioned on the driver’s shoulders (beneath the HANS®) and a second
HANS® belt that is positioned on the HANS® yokes (as for standard HANS® use).

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It is important that the HANS®-belt is at least as tight as the body-belt. A drawing of the double belt system
is shown in Figure 5.

For Formula Cars and other cars where the shoulder belt anchorage is less than 200mm behind the rear
edge of the HANS®-belt-bearing-surface (ie X < 200 mm), the body-belt anchorage points should be
positioned 60mm +/- 15mm below the HANS®-belt anchorage points (see Figure 6).

Installation of Hans double belts in cars where X =< 200 mm

6

For closed cars and other cars where the shoulder belt anchorage is more than 200mm behind the rear edge
of the HANS®-belt-bearing-surface (ie X > 200 mm), the body-belt anchorage points should be the same
height as the HANS®-belt anchorage points (see Figure 7).

Installation of Hans double belts in cars where X => 200 mm 7

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If the HANS®-belts and body-belts are installed on the same roll cage tube, the HANS®-belts shall respect
the dimensions in Tables 1 to 4 and should be attached to the tube inboard of the body belts, as shown in
Figure 7.

The body-belts may, exceptionally, be installed with a greater dimension Y if necessary to accommodate
this, up to the point of being parallel to each other, but not divergent.

When using double shoulder belts, there MUST be a minimum distance B between the lower edge of the
HANS®-yokes and the merging of the two belts where the HANS®-belt is sewn to the body belt (see figure 8).

Minimum distance
between Hans yokes
and double-shoulder belt merge point

8
The minimum distance B shall be determined as follows:
• the driver shall be seated in the car in the normal driving position, wearing the HANS® and helmet and
with the safety harness fastened;
• the driver should lean his/her body and head forward as far as possible - in this position the horizontal
distance from the front surface of the HANS®-collar to the rearmost point of the helmet shall be
measured (distance A);
• minimum distance B = 100mm – distance A.

6 MAINTENANCE
INSPECTION
• Inspect the harness belt thoroughly for damage before each use.
• Make sure that the inspection of the belt is included with regular checkups of the race car and its
equipment.
• Regularly check correct torque of bolts.
• Check for expiration date of the racing harness as it applies to the regulation of your sanctioning body
and/or the FIA, SFI or NASCAR tag, prior to each use.
• Never use any belt that is cut, torn or damaged in any way! Replace it immediately, cut the old belt in
half, and discard the old belt so that it cannot be used again. Cuts, tears and other damage to the belt
will greatly reduce its effectiveness, may cause it to fail, and may result in severe injuries or death.

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CLEANING
• To clean the harness belt, use only mild soap and warm water.
• Never use solvents or other cleaning solutions, they can weaken the webbing or stitch pattern.
• Never use chemical solvents or cleaning solutions to clean the rotary buckle. The high impact resistant
polycarbonate [PC] material is sensitive to any kind of hydrocarbons, also to spray cleaners containing
hydrocarbons.
• Do not dry the belt in the sun or near a radiator, in a clothes dryer or with a hair dryer or with any other
mechanical or electrical heating device. Heating webbing may make the material shrink and the precisely
designed elongation rate will be changed.
• Always allows a cleaned belt to air dry naturally.
• Always have damaged sub-assemblies of the harness belt replaced before using the harness belt again.
• Never modify, disassemble or repair the belt by yourself.
Never clean your racing harness with chemical solvents or spray cleaner.
Webbing or buckle housings weakened by solvents or chemicals may fail during an accident and severe
injuries or death may occur.

• Any harness belt which was used during an accident is unfit for further use and must be replaced.
• Never continue to use a harness belt which was in use during an accident. Replace it immediately.
• FIA and other sanctioning bodies require that inspectors cut the racing harness, or cut the labels off the
racing harness, after an accident.
• Always inspect all anchorages for damages such as deformations or cracks, after an accident.
• Strictly follow the recommendations of the vehicle or roll cage manufacturer if a repair should be
necessary.
• Never re-use a harness belt that has been in an accident of any type. The belt can fail in a subsequent
accident causing serious injuries or death.

7 VALIDITY
Racing harnesses manufactured for motor sport in countries, or for racing series that fall under the FIA
regulation, must carry the appropriate FIA labels. FIA-labelled belts are valid for five [5] years from last day
of the year of manufacture unless regulated differently by the sanctioning body of the motor sport in which
you are participating. The last year of FIA validity is indicated on the label. Each separate strap assembly
is labelled.

8 WARRANTY
SPARCO s.p.a. seat belts are warranted without modification defects for a period of 24 months on delivery,
which is in compliance with EEC directive 99/44. It may occur that in a few countries, the warranty time
span is different. In this case the time span will be applied according to local laws.
Warranty envisage the substitution or free repair of the belt, if manufacturing defects become apparent
within the above mentioned time span.
We wish to remind users that this warranty lapses, if the seat belt are mounted or used improperly, or if
they have been subjected to maintenance interventions that were not in compliance with this handbook’s
instructions.
The warranty is granted to users by the Dealer where you have bought your seat belt. Please refer to your
dealer in case of need.
On buying the seat belt, both the buyer and the dealer shall fill in and sign the Delivery Certificate attached
to this handbook. (IMPORTANT)

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