camlock vs latch link

i'm pretty new to the organized racing thing so please forgive me if this is a stupid question, but shopping for safety belts it appears that there is a substantial difference in price between camlock and latch link seatbelts. both appear to have the same SFI rating... so i presume they are both safe and legal for the sanctioning bodies of NHRA, SCCA etc.... so what is the big difference? is it a convenience, comfort, or preference thing? something else entirely? or is there a real, l good reason i should prefer camlocks?

convenience, comfort, or preference - that's exactly it in a nutshell. camlocks are a little quicker to latch and release. if you have the budget, spring for them. if you're on a shoestring, latches perform just as well in a crash.

Our local stock car tracks do not allow the camlock belts, because apparently if they get dirty (dirt tracks), they can jam, and not unlatch. I have zero experience with them.

I prefer camlock, but I just ordered two sets of latch type harnesses since I'm not willing to pay for camlocks when the stupid sfi says they're only good for 2 years.

Camlocks are a LOT easier to use on a daily basis, especially if you will ever have passengers in your car that are unfamiliar with racing belts - ie 99 percent of the population. They are also lighter across your body than a latch setup.

I have camlock on driver's side in my car and latch on passenger, but once their certifications run out I will definitely go camlock on both sides.

If you are unwilling to pay for 2 year SFI camlocks, then might I suggest FIA camlocks?

I've heard that about latch types being better in high-dirt situations (my Speedway circle track catalog shows foam inserts to put inside your wheels so they don't get filled with dirt!) and I can believe it. But I'll always choose camlocks when available, so much nicer to use.

thanks for all the replies. great information. it sounds like it is justa price and convenience issue and that helps me a lot towards deciding what to get and whhich to instal where!

I've had both and I will confirm the comfort and convenience aspect. Specifically, the whole assembly is so much smaller with the camlock, it's just more cozy down around your junk.

Also, I've always mounted my main camlock assembly on the driver's right, so there is less damage to the car when you slam the other end of the belt in the door.

FIA 5 year cam locks are available from G-Force and are priced quite competitively with the annoying latch locks. Latch locks suck particularly when you need to use arm restraints.

a smaller assembly near your junk certainly would have advantages. even if it is just for comparison.

what is the difference between FIA and SFI? i have only seen SFI noted as a approval authority in the manuals i have read through and the online product descriptions.

Different sanctioning bodies. The big difference here is that they require different materials for the seatbelt webbing and thus have different expiry dates.

The GRM way to do it. Buy a set of expired cam lock RJS belts on ebay for $20-30, send them to RJS (or in my case, drop them off) and they'll reweb for $50. They can change the color & ends if needed. However, they only will reweb twice.

You can also get safequip camlock FIA (5 year) harnesses for ~$160 (email me :)

Kendall