simpson race belt expiry?

[Lumpyguy]

I have a brand new simpson 16.1 belt it has on the tag date of manufacturer Feb 2015? is this the date it was made(since we are not in Feb?!? or is this the expiry date?

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[gwarden]

They should be good for three years from date of purchase or install date

[flynntuna]

Hope this helps...

http://simpsonraceproducts.com/faq

[Plebeian]

The belts expire 2 years from that date stamp on that tag.

[FFRSpec72]

Belts don't expire, different leagues/orgs put time limits and condition limits on the belts, some have a 2 year policy some have a 6 year policy, some make you replace if you were involved in an race accident.

[Plebeian]

Tony, funny that the racing tech inspector told me my belts were expired. I guess I should have corrected him, "they aren't expired, the time limit is up", lol.

[Lumpyguy]

thanks guys

[gwarden]

Why purchase an SFI-rated belt system versus. a FIA-rated system?

SFI-rated belts can be a better value. SFI-rated harnesses are required to be replaced every 2 years. FIA-rated belts expire after 5 years. Aren't the FIA belts a better deal? The FIA-rated belts are more expensive because they are imported from Europe. They cannot realistically be re-webbed, so after 5-years, throw them away. If you get into a major accident, throw them away. Burn them with the welder by accident, throw them away. With the Autopower SFI-rated belts, you can get them re-webbed usually for a cost of about $65. This way you get a brand new set of webbing every 2 years. You pay less up front and about the same in the long run, but you get fresher belts along the way. This is why I say SFI-rated belts are a better value.

Copy and pasted but the FIA harness is good for 5 years in SCCA events

[CHOTIS BILL]

I always thought it was very strange that in SCCA I race for around 40 years and the safety belts never had an exploration date and no one I know ever knew had their belts braking in an accident and no one I ever talked to knew of anyone’s belts braking in an accident. AFAIK daily drivers and aircraft never replace their seat belts and that isn’t a problem. Then SCCA hires a risk assessment expert who asked SFI how often we should replace our belts and they come up with the magic number of 2 years based on tests of belts left in direct sunlight and harsh conditions for 24 hours a day. And at that the belts only lost a small percent of their strength. I don’t know any race car that endure those conditions. This seems like a conflict of interest because SFI gets $15 for each SFI sticker used or at least that is what I was charged for the one on my drivers suit. But I don’t race anymore so it doesn’t affect me.

There is more to a set of safety belts than costs. I found that the material the FIA belts are made from didn’t loosen up during a race where as the SFI belts would be loose after every race and sometimes slip off the HANS device. It may have been the hardware used but they looked the same to me.

JMO

Bill Lomenick