So our team needs to purchase a head-n-neck restraint that we will all share. I’m looking for suggestions in general and specifically on the new(er) Z-series 4a.
We have a lot to f different body types on the team, so it seems well suited to the task due to its width and shoulder angle adjustability.
I'm not 100% sure if mine is the "4a" series, but I use this device for LeMons. I got it less than 2 years ago, so it's still fairly new. I like it just fine...thankfully I've never had to test its' effectiveness, but it's comfortable and easy to use. One of the LeMons judges cautioned me about making sure the clip is fully engaged on the helmet, as he had seen it not be.
I don't share mine with anyone, but it seems like it wouldn't be super easy to adjust quickly.
I have an older one, the helmet clips can jiggle loose (which they do, since I'm using it in a rally car). Zamp is aware of this and told me I can buy upgraded clips from them, and that otherwise they do not plan to fix the issue and will not recall devices with the original clips- so, my take on it is don't give Zamp your money. I use rubberbands on the latch thingy to keep mine from coming loose.
Hmmm, the clips on the 4a do look different. They appear to have a locking mechanism and possibly less flexibility when "open", but it's hard to tell under that plastic cover.
This is the older 1a
Newer 4a
Mine have never come loose. I really like how I could adjust it to my shoulders and have it fit perfectly.
Just one note.....for Lemons/chump/etc.....when you're changing drivers, having to change HANS seems like a big pain in the ass, especially if you have to adjust it. If a clip isn't coming off easily (which happens on occasion), you have drivers standing around dealing with it and wasting time. If you guys are spending the money on enduro racing, Tell your drivers to get their own HANS to go with their own helmet that fits them right, easy as that. HANS are not that expensive if you do a bit of looking/asking around. I think I got my HANS Sport II for like $120 used 4-5 years ago when we started doing Chump/Lemons, and I still use it for stage rally. Race people sell their gear all the time (we all know that racers always run out of money and move on to other hobbies, lol) and FIA-certed HANS are basically good forever as long as the strap is replaced ($25) every 5 years.
Just a thought. I have no input on the one you're asking about, though can't say I love that clip design, personally.
We run the Zamp in LeMons, too. We have 1 for all our drivers. The clips are a bit funky to get used to but seem to work.
Swapping it on driver change is definitely not the 1% we're missing to get the class win.
EDIT: Sort of related, we switched to cam-lock belts last race and, holy man, what a difference. Saves us a bunch of time previously lost fiddling with belts, but more importantly than that, the old belts we had would actually come apart WHILE RACING if not done up properly. This would result in a whole lot of freaking out and an unscheduled pit stop. More than once this happened. Cam Locks just work. For the minimal extra coin they were well worth it. Ours our purple- you can't miss them.
My experience with the clips is less typical than I thought, apparently- that's a good thing!
On belts- YES, cam-locks are the best. The only reason to use the latch and link junk is if the environment you race is is literally too nasty for the cam-lock to survive (open desert racing buggy, for example).
I vote get more than one. Even if you buy two, that's enough to speed up driver changes. The device that I find most comfortable is a Schroth SHR flex, but when I went to buy it I found a used & recertified Simpson R1 for less money. It's nowhere near as comfy, but since I instruct at HPDEs, I figured it's peace of mind in a student's car with 3 point belts.
I actually prefer latch and link, but my first harness was that style, and I don't have to mess with driver changes in my own car.
+1 for getting more than one. Just swapping HANS between people who it fits takes a decent amount of time, doing adjustments on top of that will take forever. At the very least, get two adjustable ones so that the next driver can set his up ahead of time.
volvoclearinghouse said:We run the Zamp in LeMons, too. We have 1 for all our drivers. The clips are a bit funky to get used to but seem to work.
Swapping it on driver change is definitely not the 1% we're missing to get the class win.
EDIT: Sort of related, we switched to cam-lock belts last race and, holy man, what a difference. Saves us a bunch of time previously lost fiddling with belts, but more importantly than that, the old belts we had would actually come apart WHILE RACING if not done up properly. This would result in a whole lot of freaking out and an unscheduled pit stop. More than once this happened. Cam Locks just work. For the minimal extra coin they were well worth it. Ours our purple- you can't miss them.
Glad you fixed those belts, that was a really scary lap.
In reply to tuna55 :
It happened to me, too. And McCall. Agreed on the scariness.
Having to not only swap but potentially adjust a HANS device during a driver change seems to me like a recipe for improperly installed or adjusted safety gear. Would it be possible to group the drivers into two basic sizes so that you could use two non-adjustable units? As far as that goes, have you tried a Sport II in medium? They fit a pretty wide range of drivers as is.
Lots of good info and suggestions in here. As the team matures we’ll likely follow the multi-device method, but we’re not really concerned with being competitive for the first couple of weekends. We’ll be doing great if we’re still running Sunday afternoon.
That said, where are you guys buying your used/discounted gear? I’m hitting up eBay and the Lemons forum already.
I tried the 1st gen and returned it as I couldn't find an adjustment that fit me well.
The adjusting screws are very tight and have to be removed completely to adjust.
Was a long way from speedy to do and I wasn't under pressure to get the car back on track.
I replaced it with a HANS sport II,I'd suggest a pair of them for your team.
Yeah the first gen Zamp is supposed to take a lot longer to adjust than the newer one. I'm not sure how much faster the updated model is, but that's one of the selling points.
That said, I'll keep an eye out for some used non-adjustable units. Unfortunately, time and money are an issue and the Zamp is an easy button. Our first race is Sept 15th at CMP so everything is backed up against that.
Speaking of, anyone want to arrive-n-drive with a brand spanking new team? The car is almost finished even! E36! Six cylinders! Probably tons of penalty laps! 
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