I recently purchased inertial reel 3-point front seat-belts for my 2+2. The brand is Securon.
The model number is SB514/30. I purchased them through one of the usual suppliers and not direct from Securon.
I noticed that the Securon site differentiates between FHC and 2+2 in terms of which system/part number they recommend, but that the usual’s site did not. I don’t remember for OTS.
Overall, I am satisfied with the purchase and it has improved my experience driving the car and certainly makes it easier for passengers who baulk at manually adjustable belts.
However, there are some things to know which may affect your decision if you are considering them.
Pros:
- The inertial-reel action enables greater movement while driving compared to fixed shoulder belts. This is the basic point and motivator for such a system in any car.
- They are easy to use once installed
- They are straight-forward to install, but see notes below
- The inertia mechanism works well. They lock when they should and unlock again easily enough. (Fingers crossed. I have not needed them to save me yet.)
- Plenty of lengths of anchor bolts are supplied (but I ended up buying some SS spring washers and flat washers to get the distances right at the shoulder/reel attachment. See note below for 2+2 rear seat movement)
Cons:
- The buckle (the part of the system that bolts to the transmission tunnel and which has the press-button release) is a little long and sits slightly higher against my body than I’d like. I believe that in the model designation SB514/30, the 30 means 30cm and refers to the length of this part. It would be better 10cm shorter and lower on the hips in an XKE
- The round chrome trim and spacer on the original XKE shoulder anchor cannot be re-used on a 2+2. You need to do without this, or the new reel will stick out too far and make it impossible to move the rear seat between its two positions. Clearly not an issue for a FHC installation.
- There is no distinction between left/right (driver/passenger). It is the same part and therefore the same reel, without symmetry. This means the reel adjustment knobs (for levelling the pendulum mechanism) point up on one side of the car and down on the other. No big deal, but it would look neater if they were mirrored. Unlikely anyone but you will notice.
General Notes:
- They are not hard to install. Setting the pendulum mechanism may take patience.
- The diagram explaining how to use the adjustment knobs to set the pendulum mechanism were not self-explanatory to me. I ended up mostly ignoring it and eventually figured out how to adjust them so they locked and unlocked. I found it was the “b” knob that mattered.
- When installing, you may find the reel keeps locking the belt and slowly but surely swallowing all the belt length, making it hard to get the anchor bolt in. I pulled the belt out to its maximum, and then put a clamp on it to stop it getting swallowed up, until I was done
Photo 1: The box. One seat belt per box
Photo 2: The kit. The buckle part could be shorter. A good selection of bolts/washers included.
Photo 3: The Reel. The pendulum adjustment knobs are on the right. One large know, visible here, and a smaller one nested within it, but not visible in this shot.
Photo 4: The other adjustment knob, from another angle
Photo 5: The reel installed. On the driver’s side (LHD), the adjustment knobs face down. On passenger side, upward.
Photo 6: Use a clamp to hold the belt out while installing. The orange color is the clamp, not the kit.
Photo 7: These two original trim pieces /spacer cannot be re-used or the reel will stick out too far and foul the rear seat when moving it between front and rear positions.
Photo 8: The buckle sits a little high, but OK
