CG-Lock
buckling up will never be the same!
available from
www.cg-lock.co.uk

Ever wanted a four-point harness in your Esprit? Well so do we. But the expense and work needed to fit one to an Esprit makes it only possible for the extreme Esprit modders. LEW now brings you a device that's the closest you'll get to a four-point harness without the hassle.

How does it work?
The CG-Lock is the first consumer automotive product that dramatically improves driver control conveniently and inexpensively. The ingeniously engineered device easily attaches to the tongue of a typical automotive-type seat belt to provide improved driver control and greater comfort. Buckling up will never be the same!

Typical automotive-type seat belts do not tighten. They are designed to stay loose. The CG-Lock lets your automotive seat belt work like an aircraft seat belt: when you pull the lap belt tight, it stays as tight as you want. With a CG-Lock installed, you can easily tighten the lap belt portion of your seat belt by pulling up on the shoulder harness. The CG-Lock lets you remove as much slack from the lap belt as you want. A little tightness adds comfort on long trips or during "turbulent" off road driving. A lot of tightness provides a driver with better control during spirited or aggressive driving on 'track days' or off road. The shoulder harness stays loose (just like normal) so you can still easily reach controls on the dashboard.

How does it work?
Quite simply! When sitting in a car, your hips become your Centre of Gravity. By securing your centre of gravity, you are more "at one" with your vehicle. CG-Lock simply attaches to the tongue of your existing seat belt, allowing you to secure the lap belt section of your existing seat belt.

Once installed, pulling up on the shoulder harness tightens the lap belt portion - keeping it at the desired tightness until you release it. The shoulder harness however remains unrestrained as normal for maximum arm and upper body movements. (click these links to view installation instructions and use instructions.)

By providing you with 80% of the holding power of a full racing harness, the CG-Lock prevents you from sliding around in your seat.
Less movement means you can keep your feet and hands light on the pedals and wheel resulting in better control, faster reactions and less fatigue. Becoming "one with the vehicle" helps you feel the road and the car's "balance", enhancing your driving abilities. A slight tightening of the lap belt reduces slouching and adds comfort for long trips or truck drivers. Greater amounts of tightening will increase driver and occupant control in more aggressive track, emergency or rigorous off road and military situations.

While the CG-Lock is not sold as a safety device, it has been designed and tested not to interfere with the safety of your seat belt (see the full safety disclosure and crash test videos here).

Installation Guide

This is a job that's very simple and should take no more than 10 minutes.

You will need the following parts: CG-Lock

You will need the following tools: None

Visit www.cg-lock.co.uk to see installation video's plus much more information on the CG-Lock.

  

The CG-Lock comes with everything you need to install on your Esprit. Full installation, use & safety guidelines are included, which covers everything you need to know. It is also supplied with extra cap screws for different sized seat belts and an allen key for fitting.

This guide covers the basic install and our views on the product, if you choose to purchase this product, please read the guidelines on usage supplied.

  

Sit in the seat on which you are going to install the CG-Lock. Buckle the seat belt. Make sure the belt webbing is not twisted. Turn the belt over and attach the CG-Lock to the back of the seat belt-clip. Make sure the CG-Lock is straight and tighten the cap screws. The CG-Lock comes with two sizes of cap screws. If the cap screws protrude once tighten on the belt-clip, replace with the smaller cap screws.

  

Once the CG-Lock is fixed to the belt-clip remove the slide and fold the belt over the and replace the slide over the belt. Make sure the clip goes on evenly. It may feel stiff at first, but this is normal and will free up over time.

  

Your CG-Lock is now installed in your Esprit. Now it's time to use it. Sit in the seat and attach the seat belt as normal. Slide the clip into the ON position if not already there.

  

Push your hips back into the seat, making sure the seat is position correctly and you can reach all the controls. Then pull the shoulder belt to tighten the lap belt to pin you into your seat. You are now ready to drive using your CG-Lock. To re-adjust, use the thumb lever which will release the belt. To release the belt, simple remove as normal.

Update
March 2006
The CG-Lock just earned the equivalent of the “Good Housekeeping” seal in the US.

 

Street Thunder magazine (the mag for the National Street Machine Club) just published the results of a User test (25 members of the Club who had bought a CG-Lock and agreed to fill out a test form). The results are attached. We have been told we got 25 of 25 approval - a first.

May 2006
Just to let you know that the USED CAR ROADSHOW is featuring the CG-Lock in the new series (starts 29th May on Men & Motors channel). Jason & Penny (ex Rally Champion) LOVED the CG-Lock! (http://www.usedcarroadshow.co.uk/)

Also, look out for next saturdays Daily Telegraph...they've asked to do a feature on the CG-Lock.

Finally, please see another fantastic independent review at http://videos.hspn.com/?videoid=40

More people are realising that "for drivers not wearing a harness, the CG-Lock is a MUST-HAVE" (Anthony Dunn, Professional ARDS performance driving Instructor)

...we hope to hear from you soon!

Kind Regards
Graham Cox
CG-Lock Team

PRESS RELEASE 9th November 2007 MPH07 (NEC, UK)
The Track-Day Device That Is Good For Your Back!
The CG-Lock® device was invented for the track – for performance drivers wanting the benefits of a racing harness but not the hassle… now this same device promises to give pain relief to millions of drivers and passengers on the highway.
The early feedback from back experts suggests that the device (CG=Centre of Gravity) could bring a welcomed solution to back-ache sufferers.

Back pain is the second most common reason people visits their GP (the first is the cold/flu) accounting for more than 7 million consultations every year. Many sufferers rely on pain-killers and people suffering with chronic back pain are at a higher risk of developing depression. The NHS spends more than £1 billion a year on treating back pain and in addition there are other (indirect) costs to UK businesses. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that musculoskeletal disorders, which includes back pain costs UK employers over £600 million per year and claim that we have an 80% chance of getting a lower back problem at some point in our lives.

In many cases, the pain is due to extra strain on the lower back muscles caused by bad posture from sitting in front of a TV/computer screen or ‘slouching’ on longer journeys in vehicles. Car posture is a particular problem as Emma Field, Ergonomic Specialist & Physical Therapist at Back in Action (www.backinaction.co.uk; a Company dedicated to helping peoples’ back problems) explains; “We can sort out all office and home seating problems but cars are difficult; car seat design in general is not good and posture deteriorates.” During everyday driving with relaxed posture, inertia from braking along with the constant vibration leads to the pelvis creeping forwards away from the back of the seat and the body slipping down in the seat and the hips tilting up. BackCare, the UK Charity dedicated to helping us keep healthier backs (www.backcare.org.uk) recommends; “When driving, maintain an upright posture.” By keeping the lower part of the back to follow the contours of the lumbar support, the correct upright posture is created, however, it takes constant conscious effort to maintain the correct upright position and so many people revert to spending hours in their vehicles in an un-healthy position. Prolonged ‘slouching’ causes the lower back muscles to tighten, working to protect the spine… and this can lead to muscular spasms – commonly known as ‘back ache’. Alan Raw (www.harrisandross.co.uk), top UK sports Physiotherapist to Premier League football players and other top athletes, knows the problem well. He comments: “A useful tip for maintaining good posture whilst driving is to adjust the interior rear-view mirror when sat in the correct upright position, so when the driver slumps down, they can no longer see through the back window via the mirror, thus reminding them of the correct posture.” The goal is to keep the spine in this healthy position without any conscious effort but until now, nothing has been available that can do this.

So does the CG-Lock work?
The search for a drug free solution to back problems has led experts such as Emma & Alan to test out the device. Emma comments; “We are evaluating the CG-Lock as it may well help drivers and passengers maintain correct posture. We are really encouraged by our findings so far.” Alan has also seen great results and adds “Maintaining proper posture in a vehicle is not easy… this simple device has really helped many of my clients, reducing and in some cases eliminating back pain due to slouching.”

Although more formal tests are being set up, the CG-Lock, by holding the pelvis firmly back in the seat would appear to align the spine properly and assist the maintenance of correct posture – significantly reducing back ache. It seems that this is one product at the MPH07 show that just about every driver/passenger can benefit from. Improving performance on the track and posture on the roads.
The CG-Lock fits in minutes to any standard seatbelt and is fully removable in second

Further Press Information:
Press at the MPH07 Show are invited to visit the CG-Lock® stand (MP1) and try the Centre-Gravity Simulator® at the MPH07 Show (NEC).
Read more at www.nomorebackache.net. Posture diagrams to accompany this information can be found at http://flickr.com/photos/cglock/1854283814

Thanks to Back in Action (backinaction.co.uk) & Harris & Ross (harrisandross.co.uk) for their contribution to this communication.
Lap Belt Cinch (Europe) Ltd market and sell the CG-Lock®, a unique product specifically designed to improve the stability, control and comfort of drivers and passengers in any vehicle. The CG-Lock fits in minutes to any standard seatbelt and is fully removable in seconds.

The CG-Lock is patented, and has been independently crash tested and has demonstrated that when fitted the CG-Lock does NOT interfere with the safety of the factory fitted 3-point seatbelt with or without a pre-tensioner (full details at cg-lock.co.uk). The CG-Lock is not intended to replace a racing harness and is not a safety device. Although no problems have been reported, back ache sufferers are advised check with their Doctor or Physiotherapist before using.

CG-Lock is proud sponsor of: BLOW-ME, the alcohol breath testing service for events worldwide (blow-me.co.uk) to promote responsible, safe driving; Back Care, the charity for healthier backs (backpain.org) and British Motorsport Marshals Club, without whom track days could not take place (marshals.co.uk)

Press enquiries – Contact Graham Cox on 07919 565 983 during the MPH07 Show.
Healthcare professionals wishing to contribute to the National CG-Lock Evaluation Trial please contact us at:
email: cglock@btinternet.com
website: www.cg-lock.co.uk
CG-Lock… improving stability, control & comfort in any vehicle.
hope to see you at the MPH07 Show next week at the NEC… and at AUTOSPORT in Jan '08!

Verdict

This device is unobtrusive, in expensive, reversible and very easy to fit. So perfect! Does it work? Well from our testing it does make a difference to your driving experience. LEW tested this device on our 92 SE with Sport 300 seats, so we had pretty good stability from the start. The CG-Lock made that even better and driving without it seemed very 'loose' after only using the device a few times. We also tried the device on a Lotus Elise with slightly less bucketed seats and the improvement was even better. Using this device on standard Esprit seats will make you're 'fast road' driving and 'Track Day' driving more involving

All Lotus Esprit World can say is, if you've ever wanted a four-point harness, this is a must. It's the closest you'll get without cutting into your bulkhead and having fixings mounted in your engine bay. LEW thoroughly recommends the CG-Lock for the Esprit.

Purchasing

Lotus Esprit World has secured a discount for it's Club LEW members for purchasing a CG-Lock from www.cg-lock.co.uk. Members will be able to get a CG-Lock for £38* (including p&p) which is a 15% Discount of normal prices and a small discount off www.cg-lock.co.uk prices. See the E-Shop for ordering information.

* paying via cash, cheque or balance transfer. Add 4% for Paypal orders.

This mod was performed by Lotus Esprit World on their 1992 SE

If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail me with at admin@lotusespritworld.com

UK Osteopaths Recommend Life-Saving Seat Belt Devicee
Faster lap times... and less back ache on longer trips too!!
A recent survey carried out by the top UK back-care retailer, BackInAction, found that 90% of Osteopaths using a simple seat belt add-on believed it would reduce back ache and nearly 70% thought it would improve safety in an accident.

The test
The Osteopaths each fitted a CG-Lock®, (CG = centre of gravity) seatbelt stabiliser, which the manufacturer claims enhances safety and improves posture when fitted to the standard three-point seatbelt system. The Osteopaths used the CG Lock in daily driving and completed a questionnaire at the end of extensive use.

The device
The CG-Lock®, has a recommended retail price of £49.99 per unit (including VAT, shipping and handling). It can be fitted in just a few minutes to existing inertia reel seatbelts. With the CG-Lock® fitted, when the slack is removed from the lapbelt it does not return, keeping the occupant in the safest and healthiest position, the lapbelt remaining over the hip bone and not ‘riding up’ over the stomach as usually happens. The road safety charity BRAKE recently acknowledged the safety benefits by giving it a ‘highly commended’ rating.

David Newbound, MD of Back in Action, the company that carried out the research, said, “Although we provide 1000’s of items to improve posture at home and in the office, the car is a difficult challenge…the forces of cornering and braking… one sized seats yet many sized drivers… that’s why so many people suffer back problems from driving or being a passenger.” He adds “We try to test every suppliers’ claims with experts and wanted to know what Osteopaths thought. The results are typical of what we hear from users... with 90% recommending the device to other drivers.”

Overall, Osteopaths in the trial thought that the CG-Lock® device would:

Availability and other uses
This palm-sized gadget is now available to the general public via car safety, car performance and back care specialists. Business clients including top ‘blue chip’ companies are benefitting from reduced fleet driver back problems.

The CG-Lock® is also perfect to stabilise children in booster seats, eliminating the usual ‘tipping’ on cornering and therefore significantly improving their safety (see secureyourchild.org). Those with an interest in performance driving (track day and 4x4 off road) and safety can buy direct from cglock.co.uk. Those with a need to beat back pain are encouraged to buy from Back In Action as they provide specialist advice and follow up.

Summary
With the demands of drivers ever increasing along with the performance of cars improving year on year, it’s a good job that 50 years after its introduction the seatbelt is getting even safer. See more at www.cg-lock.co.uk

Back-Healthy Ergonomic Office Furniture: www.ergostoreonline.com