Im getting sparco seats and i was told i can use my stock seat belts, but if i wanted to use a harness what do they bolt up to? how do they attach if you dont have a cage?

you can buy a harness bar (sparco, brey-krause, etc) or a bolt in roll bar. Both are somewhere in the range of $400-$500 so might as well get the roll bar. Or you can bolt them to where the stock belts in the rear bolt to if you get 4 point harnesses. And the last option is get the Schroth quick fit harnesses which latch into the stock belts in the rear.

you can buy a harness bar (sparco, brey-krause, etc) or a bolt in roll bar. Both are somewhere in the range of $400-$500 so might as well get the roll bar. Or you can bolt them to where the stock belts in the rear bolt to if you get 4 point harnesses. And the last option is get the Schroth quick fit harnesses which latch into the stock belts in the rear.

oooooo ok i understand now.. thanks alot!

Installing 5,6, or 7pt harnesses without at least a rollbar (not talking about a harness bar) is a no-no. What's going to happen if you roll the car and your harnesses are holding you upright in the seat?

Schroth also makes some harnesses the bolt to the factory mounting spots on the front and rear seats.

Are your Sparco seats going to be fixed back models or reclining like std seats?? If they are fixed back, your 3 pt. belts will not work with them because the lap belt latch is attached to the OEM seat. I'm not as familiar with the reclining 'race type' seats, so I'm not sure if they have a belt latch either.

I'll second the recommendation above...

If the seats are fixed back, you do NOT want to use them without a roll bar to protect you from a roll-over. A harness bar will do nothing to keep the roof up. I really think harness bars should not even be sold for cars like M3's... it's just a bad idea. :evil2

How well do the Schroth Quick Fit harnesses work, safety-wise? I'm thinking about these, but I'm worried about the safety aspect of having harnesses without a rollbar/rollcage. In addition, the angle of the harness going to the rear seat attachment points seems like a steep angle which could cause problems in a severe accident.

Finally, what would happen if these belts were used with the stock E36 M3 seat, and they slid off the sides?

--michael

As far as safty goes the schroth harnesses are DOT approved and I was in a wreck with them with a roll over and everthing turned out just fine. (previous car) Now with the M3 I used the schroth harnesses with the stock seats and they worked great. I also use them now with the sparco evo 2 seats I have now and just use them when i am at an event. Kinda fold them off to the side when not in use. I use my stock seatbelt for DD. You can buy female seatbelt buckles that will attach to most seat applications.

Installing 5,6, or 7pt harnesses without at least a rollbar (not talking about a harness bar) is a no-no. What's going to happen if you roll the car and your harnesses are holding you upright in the seat?I think we've beat that subject to death, but in case you missed it, here are a few threads on the subject. (short version=much debate, but there is no consensus)

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=718632

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=516297

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=744676

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=683635

More threads exist, this is just a sampler