4-Point vs 6-Point Harnesses: Which Should You Buy?
HARNESS GUIDE
Most fast road and occasional track day drivers do not need a 6-point harness. Buying one anyway usually creates a compatibility problem instead of a safety upgrade, because the two extra straps have to anchor somewhere and on a road seat there is nowhere for them to go.
Cameron answers this one the same way every time: tell me what seat you have, and the seat will tell us which harness you are buying. Garreth comes at it from the other end. If you are spending the money today and you might ever enter something, he would put you on a 6-point, because every 6-point on our shelf is on the current FIA 8853-2016 standard and both of our FIA 4-points are on the older 8854-1998.
They are both right, and which of them you should listen to depends entirely on your seat. Here is what actually differs.
- FIA 8853-2016 is the current harness standard and the one built to work with a HANS device
- The two extra straps on a 6-point are anti-submarine straps, and they stop you sliding forward under the lap belt under hard braking
- A 6-point only works on a seat with the extra strap slots, so check the seat before you check the belt
- Both FIA 4-point belts we carry are FIA 8854-1998, the older standard, while all three 6-points are 8853-2016
- A 6-point is not the dearer option here. The three we card run £234.00 to £288.00 against £270.00 for the FIA 4-point
- A road legal, non-FIA 4-point bolt-in is a genuine answer if you will never run a scrutineered event
What the numbers actually mean
A 4-point harness has two shoulder straps and two lap straps, meeting at a single buckle. A 6-point adds two more straps that come up between your legs from the seat base to the same buckle. Both configurations are sold as FIA-approved belts (current standard FIA 8853-2016) and as non-FIA road/fast-road belts, so the point count and the approval are two separate decisions, not the same thing.
The anti-submarine straps: what they actually do
Under hard braking or a frontal impact, a lap belt alone can let your hips slide forward and down, out from under the belt, a failure mode known as submarining. The two extra straps on a 6-point run from the buckle down to the seat base and hold the lap belt in position over your pelvis rather than letting it ride up over soft tissue. They are not there to add shoulder restraint, that job is already done by the other four straps, they exist purely to stop that forward slide.
When 6-point is the right, or required, choice
6-point makes sense once you are running a proper FIA bucket seat with the matching strap slots, doing regular track days with hard braking zones, or competing under regulations that specify it. Many Motorsport UK permitted sprint, hillclimb and circuit disciplines require a 6-point once you hold a competition licence, or a 4-point with the seat’s own equivalent restraint. It is also the only sensible harness to pair with a HANS device. The fixed geometry and the lap security are part of how a HANS is designed to work, so the two go together or neither does. If your seat already has the extra strap slots and you are doing serious track time, this is the safer choice.
When 4-point is genuinely fine
If you are running a fast road car with occasional open track days, still using the standard seat or a road-legal bucket without the extra strap slots, a 4-point is not a compromise, it is the correct harness for that car. A road-legal bolt-in 4-point adds real security over factory belts without needing a cage or the extra strap routing a 6-point requires, and an FIA-approved 4-point belt gives you a scrutineerable option if you later want to enter a competition event that accepts a 4-point configuration. Do not buy a 6-point for the badge value if your seat and your use case do not call for it.
Seat compatibility: check this before you buy
This is where most harness mistakes happen. A 6-point needs a seat with the extra crotch strap slot built into the base, and a mounting point behind or below the seat for those straps to anchor to.
Bolting a 6-point to a seat that only has 4-point slots is not a compromise, it is a harness that cannot do the job the extra straps exist for. They have to run down and back to a fixed point, and if there is nowhere correct to take them, they are decoration.
Check two things before you order. Your seat’s own harness compatibility, which most FIA seat listings state as 4-point, 6-point or both. And your mounting points. Ring us with the seat model if you are not certain and we will check it against the belt.
| 4-point | 6-point | |
|---|---|---|
| What it adds over factory belts | Fixed four strap restraint on one buckle | The same, plus two anti-submarine straps |
| Suits | Fast road, the odd track day, seats without the extra slots | Regular track time, FIA seats, competition |
| Works with a HANS device | Some do, check the individual belt | Yes, this is the pairing it was designed around |
| Seat needed | Most seats, including many road legal buckets | A seat with 6-point strap slots and somewhere to anchor them |
| Standard on the belts we card | FIA 8854-1998 | FIA 8853-2016 |
| What they cost | £270.00 FIA, £95.88 road legal | £234.00 to £288.00 |
Prices are what the site charges, VAT included, for the belts carded below. The OMP 801 is listed as a pair at £362.88, so read that one as about half that a belt. Ring us on 0115 647 8650 for current lead times.
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From £270.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditAmazing valueSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £234.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditAmazing valueSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £242.40 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £288.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Can I fit a 6-point harness to my stock seat?
Almost never safely. Stock seats do not have the extra strap slots a 6-point needs, and there is usually nowhere correct to anchor the anti-submarine straps. Stick with a 4-point or a road-legal bolt-in on a stock seat.
Do I need a HANS device with a 6-point harness?
Not strictly, but a 6-point is the harness type designed to work with one. If you are already running a HANS device, a 6-point HANS-specific belt is the correct pairing over a 4-point.
Is a 4-point harness legal for a track day?
Yes, for the vast majority of open, non-competition track days. Check the specific rules of any Motorsport UK permitted event, since some competition classes specify 6-point or a particular strap configuration.
How long do FIA harnesses last?
It depends on the standard and the label date on the belt itself, not a single blanket rule. See our full breakdown at sportseats4u.co.uk/how-long-do-fia-harnesses-last for how to read your belt’s expiry.
What is the difference between a 2 inch and 3 inch harness?
That is the shoulder strap width, a separate decision from the point count. We cover it in full at sportseats4u.co.uk/3-inch-vs-2-inch-fia-harness-guide, since it depends on your seat’s shoulder slot width, not personal preference alone.
Are all 4-point harnesses built to the same FIA standard?
No, and on our own shelf they are not. Both FIA 4-point belts we carry are approved to FIA 8854-1998, the older standard, while every 6-point we carry is on the current FIA 8853-2016. If you need a particular standard for scrutineering, read the approval line on the listing before you order.
Our takeIf your seat has 6-point slots and you are doing regular track time, buy the 6-point. The anti-submarine straps are worth having, you already own the seat that supports them, and on our shelf they are no dearer than the FIA 4-point. If you are on a road seat or an occasional use bucket, a good 4-point does the job properly and there is no safety case for paying more for two straps you cannot anchor. Cameron would leave it there. Garreth would ask one more question first, which is whether you can see yourself entering anything in the next few years, because the 4-points are on the older standard and he would rather sell you the belt with the longer life in it. Ring us on 0115 647 8650 with your seat model and we will tell you straight instead of selling you up.
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