A question for Mike or Jim,

I believe Conference is allowing 2 year SFI belts to now be good for a 5 year period.

Is our Club or CACC considering this rule/expiration date change too?

  Thanks,

  CJ

ICSCC rules are different than CACC. SFI says that the harness assemblies are valid for two years after they were made. That is what the CACC rules say. I don't think there are any plans on changing this. Come to the CACC Spring meeting and find out.

FYI
I just purchased a set of SFI belts and they now have an 'expiry' date on them not a manufactured date and it's only two years not 5 like FIA.

As the old labels that indicate when the harness assemblies were made are used up, the new not valid after labels will be used.
The FIA sets are not 5 years. They are valid until the labels say .I have seen many sets that would allow 6 racing seasons.

Splitting hairs for a pass time are we ;)?

I just got through reading the self-serving nonsense that the SFI uses to justify belts expiring in just two years:

It assumes that belts will be continuously exposed to the sun for that entire timespan.

It's interesting to read it and then contrast it with an actual independent study:

http://aimss.com.au/full-story-competition-harness-life-extension/

Bloody Aussies they always have to bring common sense into a perfectly good money grab by the yanks!!!

This should be brought up at the cacc meeting. Again

SCCA is now bought in to 5 year after manufactured date...

From the latest (Nov 2017) version of the GCR:
---------------------------------------------------
Section 9.3.18
E. All driver restraint systems shall meet one of the following: SFI specification 16.1, 16.5, or FIA specification
8853/98, 8853-2016 or 8854/98.
1. Restraint systems meeting SFI 16.1 or 16.5 shall bear a dated SFI Spec label. The certification
indicated by this label shall expire on December 31st of the 5th year after the date of manufacture
as indicated by the label. If for example the manufacture date is 2014 the fifth year after the date
of manufacture is 2019.
2. Restraint systems homologated to FIA specification 8853/98 and 8854/98 will have a label
containing the type of harness designation (‘C-###.T/98 or D-###.T/98) and date of expiration
which is the last day of the year marked. All straps in this FIA restraint system will have these
labels.
3. If a restraint system has more than one type of certification label, the label with the latest expiration
may be used.

From the SCCA March 2018 GCR  SFI changes are in E.2

E. All driver restraint systems shall meet one of the following: SFI specification 16.1, 16.5, or FIA specification
8853/98, 8853-2016 or 8854/98.
1. Restraint systems meeting SFI 16.1 or 16.5 shall bear a dated SFI Spec label. The certification
indicated by this label shall expire on December 31st of the 5th year after the date of manufacture
as indicated by the label. If for example the manufacture date is 2014 the fifth year after the date
of manufacture is 2019. SFI labels, with expiration dates, expire on December 31st of the labeled expiration date.
2. Restraint systems homologated to FIA specification 8853/98 and 8854/98 will have a label
containing the type of harness designation (‘C-###.T/98 or D-###.T/98) and date of expiration
which is the last day of the year marked. All straps in this FIA restraint system will have these
labels.
3. If a restraint system has more than one type of certification label, the label with the latest expiration
may be used

E.1

Is CACC going to follow SCCA?
My new SFI belts have an expiry date so how will that work?

Harness rule is in the GCR. Need to ask the CACC executive about this.

At theCACC Spring Meeting (which you should have attended, if you didn't) the Race Director received a request from the drivers present to pursue with the CACC Executive and ASN Canada FIA information as to extending the usable life of seat belts. Gary is a very efficient Race Director, so I'm assuming that this is already in the process. Info was provided on what the Australians amateur groups are using with the approval of their ASN. This has been included with the request for further clarification.

ASN Canada FIA provide the insurance and the safety regulations (that's the GCR part of the rulebook). Until we have a further clarification or change mandated by ASN Canada FIA we have to continue as we have been.

CACC Tech Inspectors have no control over these regulations. We are asked to enforce them, period.

  Thank you

CACC reported that ASN Canada will not allow any sort of extension on belts. SFI or FIA certified. Said the insurance company would not allow it. So how did the Aussie FIA delegate (CAMC) allow a 5 year extension on FIA certified belts? Their insurance company has no issue with this. SFI says their window nets are no good after 2 years. The SFI manufacturers must really be producing crap. I'm not going to buy it anymore. 

I see your anger management courses are progressing well !!

What is amazing is when these harnesses have expired before they have been sold never left the box they are packaged in and now they are junk. This is total bs it's just another cash grab.
Why is it that the seat belts in you family car are good until the day it goes to the wrecker insurance companies are insuring these vehicles every day. I would have to say that most race cars in the NW may see a total of 60 days  of sunlight a year and if we want to be really go all out 6 months of sunlight every 2 yrs.
It's a cash grab  :'(

If you are not happy with the 2 year life or the not valid after tags of SFI restraint harness assemblies or the 2 year life of the SFI Window nets, I suggest that people look at buying FIA harness assemblies and window nets.
Check the not valid after date before you buy the restrain harness assemblies.
I saw at least 2 sets of FIA restraint harness assemblies in the 2017 season that had a not valid after 2022 tag on them. This would be 6 seasons!. You should be able to get at least 5 seasons from FIA type assemblies by checking the dates.
SFI is a consortium of companies the make the various items that they certify. Maybe a bit self serving.
FIA window nets have no expiry date according to the last set of regulations I looked at.

RSRacer wrote on Mar 1^st, 2018 at 6:39pm:

This should be brought up at the cacc meeting. Again

I want to revive this thread and work to get the extension of the life of belts moved up to 10 years as the Aussies have done.

http://aimss.com.au/full-story-competition-harness-life-extension/

Alan:

You will save yourself a whole lot of aggravation if you just buy a set of FIA belts and move on.

You're pushing a wet noodle up a hill on this.

Mike_the_Oldest wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2018 at 8:21am:

Alan: You will save yourself a whole lot of aggravation if you just buy a set of FIA belts and move on. You're pushing a wet noodle up a hill on this.

Why would you say that, Mike?

In whose interest lies expiring belts every 5 years if they'll easily last 10 years? Certainly not mine. Racing is expensive enough as it is.