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Seat "Wings"

To: vintage-race@autox.team.net
Subject: Seat "Wings"
From: Derek Harling <derek.lola@home.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:21:51 -0500
Henry Frye wrote:

> I like those side
> wings, they keep me right where I want to be. I've heard complaints about
> those wings from several people . . . . . . .

Can someone with medical/safety/injury knowledge please comment on "those 
wings".

To me they just seem perfectly designed to destroy a rib cage in any case of
significant impact.  In a frontal impact the shoulder belts will stretch and the
wings won't.  In a side impact the shoulders are much more capable of absorbing
the impact but most vintage race seats/cars don't have any shoulder side impact
support so, again, the wings would do their damage.  Having cracked a rib once I
don't ever want to break one, let alone several.

I believe these wings originated in roundy-round racing before those guys got
serious about proper seat belts and other safety features.  They were intended 
to
offer some body support during high left hand G's - rather than in an accident.
Look at a modern circuit racer (NASCAR etc) and you'll see a lot more than just
seat wings.

Experts please - - - - - -

Derek

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