how long are belts good for?
I want to go to VIR this weekend, but I'd need an annual tech, and I see that my belts are punched April 2015. I don't recall how often we have to toss perfectly good belts and replace them at significant expense, but I'm not gung-ho to tow 6 hours to find out. Anyone know the answer?
Jim
Swift DB-1
Talent usually ends up in front, but fun goes from the front of the grid all the way to the back.
End of 5th calendar year after the manufacture date (12/31/2020).Originally Posted by swiftdrivr
True for FIA belts, but not SFI (only two years from month stamped).
Caldwell D9B - Sold
Crossle' 30/32/45 Mongrel - Sold
RF94 Monoshock - here goes nothin'
Aren't SFI belts only good for three (3) years? No... ...it's worse:
SFI belts are only good for two years from the date of manufacture. FIA-certified belts are good for a full 5 years after the year in which the belts were manufactured
So belts certified with an FIA tag that are manufactured any time in 2015 (say April 12th 2015) are good until the end of 2020. SFI-certified belts with the same date of manufacture aren't valid after April 2017.
FIA belts are tagged "Not valid after <year>" and SFI belts are tagged with the month and year of manufacture (or they were in 2015; more recently they started tagging with the last valid month and year). If yours are punched April 2015, they expired after April 2017. Or at least, that's what I think is the case.
https://www.schrothracing.com/post/s...piration-dates
Maybe a reasonable Tech Inspector will let you race and make a note in the log book 'new belts by next event'....ask 'em.
Current SCCA rules:
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
Our local vintage group SOVREN uses the same rules
As a sometimes scrutineer for a vintage group, I would do that unless the belts are exceptionally worn, frayed or faded. And as long as they're not hugely out of date. We have a great vendor that attends all our races and always has belts and such for sale. Cheap protection.
They were good for last year, so I guess they may be FIA belts. Looking for a way to contact the tech people for the Goblins, but I guess I have to find the sups or something. Contacted the registrar but he hasn't got back with me yet. I'll check for an FIA tag in the morning. Many thanks, guys
Jim
Swift DB-1
Talent usually ends up in front, but fun goes from the front of the grid all the way to the back.
Lots of different rules are now in place. To be sure, check with the sanctioning organization BEFORE making the trip. SCCA vs. various Vintage organizations will give you different answers depending on their "current" rules and/or the understanding of the person you contact. If you get a verbal answer saying yours are OK, make a copy of who you talked to (or a copy of their email response or of their published rules) to tech.
Just sayin'. In-the-field tech guys could give you trouble unless you do so.
Reasonable Tech Inspectors wouldn't/shouldn't let somebody on the track with expired safety equipment. The liability exposure wouldn't be small if something catastrophic happened.
The only solution is to only purchase FIA safety equipment. If the vast majority of people did that, the manufacturers would change the standard. The people who manufacturer the SFI-rated safety equipment are the people who make the SFI standards, not some dictator at the SFI.
Last edited by Daryl DeArman; 10.05.20 at 11:09 AM.
A plug for Crow harnesses. They are one of the only SFI manufactures that put BOTH expiration date and manufacture date.. most SFI manufacturers changed to expiration date (2 years after manufacture) when SCCA allowed 5 years with SFI belts. To me, a sneaky way for most manufacturers to get more business.
get Crow or FIA and most groups will allow 5 years (I did say most..)
-John Allen
Tacoma, WA
'82 Royale RP31M
(‘72 Royale RP16 stolen in 2022)
Belts say sfi 16.5, so it looks like I’m good. Unable to find contact for tech to verify with them however
Jim
Swift DB-1
Talent usually ends up in front, but fun goes from the front of the grid all the way to the back.
So do I understand this correctly?
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.
So your SFI belts are good for 5 years from date of manufacturer UNLESS the manufacturer says otherwise?
Yes Rick, sort of.
Picking nits, or fly crap out of the pepper as some may say
The SCCA rules say "a label" however the SFI spec 16.5 now says that in order for a harness system to be "certified" it must bear a SFI label (purchased from the SFI) on each strap (5, 6 or 7 labels now per system depending on design.
So, now not only does the manufacturer have to purchase 5, 6 or 7 labels from the SFI, those manufacturers will only sell a harness system every 5 years instead of every 2. At least now the manufacturers won't have customers asking for only one strap of a system to be re-webbed.
In SCCA and several other groups that use their GCR as a guide, yes..... BUT, and this is a HUGE but), it is 5 years after THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE LISTED ON THE LABEL.. coincidentally at this very time of the rule change, most SFI manufacturers changed their labels to EXPIRATION DATE - which was 2 years from manufacture.
check your belts and verify the wording on the label.
-John Allen
Tacoma, WA
'82 Royale RP31M
(‘72 Royale RP16 stolen in 2022)
i agree, im moving my cars over to crow as the belts expire. they are 90% as nice as, say, willians, and 40% the price. plus great local support.
BT29-24 Swift DB1 Matra M530
As a former Simpson dealer, two thumbs-up for Fred Crow and Crow Enterprises.
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