Lets talk racing seats
 

Im looking to find a pair of seats that i can use this season on the track. I had an amazing deal fall through so im on the hunt again. Im curious on what people use as well as what seats will fit.

I saw this on craigslist today and was wondering if these would be a good choice as well as fit in my miaters.

2 MOMO SRL RS 2 GT BLACK RACING SEATS

figured i'd add on to the original post, i have the same basic questions, but also what types of stores or shops are there to actually test fit seats, as comfort is important to me as well.

Corbeau Forza Seat / Corbeau Camlock Harness Package

i saw this and thought it was a good deal. 2 brand new seats and 2 brand new harness. 739 shipped.....

Hey Stan, I'm heading up to Speedware today to sit in a few seats if you are interested?

I'm having a similar problem, get a set of Elise seats for daily use with 2 cheap races seats for track use or just spend the money on a couple nice track seats and leave them in permanently.

You want fixed back if you ever plan to put it on the track. I use TDR/Ultrasheild seats wtih a 15" front and 16" passenger seat and I had to bend the in the leg area for my massive quads. However they are light and fairly comfy when you add more padding. I wish I sat lower but oh whale...

If you daily drive it...I'll sway you away from the Corbeau Forza.

Mine's not bad for short trips, but I drive 75miles each way daily, and it starts to suck.

What sucks specifically about them for longer trips? I do have some drives that go all around washington so i want to be somewhat comfy.

No lumbar support at all, and very thin cushioning.

It's great in the twisties, but honestly what starts to hurt first is my neck from sitting in a generally cuved-spine position.

I've been meaning to make an insert that gives me a little more under the butt and some lower back cushioning.

EDIT: I did buy mine used.

I've drive 4 hours straight in my Corbeau Forza and Willans 5-point, no problems.

I had a lumbar pad in my sparco sprint and it was very comfortable...just had no nutrstap holes so I had to ax it.

The Corbeau Forza I had in my last rx7 started to suck after about an hour. The padding would pack down and you could start to feel the steel frame. YMMV.

Those seats would most likely be far too large for the miata. Adjustable race seats in the miata are usually much too wide.

Momo starts are cheap, have all the holes for a 6 pt, FIA rated, fiberglass shell. But there is no off the shelf mounting option for them if that is an issue.

Id fab up some brackets so they could hard mount at least on the drivers side. Jason and I are gonna head to speedware and sit in a few seats.

I've seen a few people use the PRO2000s as well.

that's what I have and I love them... I'm tradding them for a hard top tho :(

What size guy are you? That makes a huge difference in what seats to recommend.

I have never heard a good word said about Corbeau Forza until Oscar's comment. Going to speedware to sit in a bunch of seats is the best thing you can do. See if you can find another race shop that might have some other brands though. Would be nice if you could sit in Ultrashield or Kirkey aluminum seats for comparison. The Kirkey pro-street drag seat is pretty comfy and not too bad getting in and out of for the street. Doesn't have the shoulder wings like a road race seat so it fits our cars great.

Momo T-Clubs will fit, but its pretty tight. I like them because its a deep bucket, really keeps you from shifting side to side, but at the same time it makes it a little hard to get in and out of the car, haha

Attachment 200644

Not to poop on TDR, but iirc, can't you find Ultrashields cheaper elsewhere? Are the TDR Ultrashields any different than the run of the mill Ultrashields, other than the logo stitching? Also, how are yours mounted? If you are on sliders and want to get lower, you always have the option of floor mounting them.

anyone else have experience with the momo t-clubs in an NA?

Well speedware had high end stuff. No entry level stuff. Jason and I liked the recaro poles but way out of my price range. Btw I'm 140 5'8". I'm gonna look for some for somewhere with forzas.

With that small of a build you would like the momo starts. Savington ran them in his daily before it turned into a full time track car. He never cared about comfort though.

You may also like the Forzas, as my 150lb brother doesn't complain.

I weigh 220lb though, and feel like I'm sitting on a frame with a sheet on it.

Forzas blow.

i'm 220 and sit in a sparco sprint. little tight, but i don't move at all. i've done ~10hr of driving one day and was perfectly fine cept for the last hour or so.

I think the forzas which are meant for a little bigger than the sprint is would be fine.

They should have had some Sparco Speeds/Sprints at Speedware. They aren't that much. Like I said, look for racing shops that might have Kirkey's. There have to be some Seattle area shops that cater to the SCCA guys.

All they had was high end stuff. Ill just have to hunt around more.

I don't know if they have anything at the store but look up Armadillo Racing in Bremerton. They are listed as a Kirkey dealer.

Just out of curiosity has anyone ever sat in the Sparco TEC seats. They are cheap and FIA homogated and look more a little wider for those of us who are not svelte. The dimensions look like they would fit.

Define "high-end" - the number of sub-$400 fiberglass race seats can pretty much be counted on your fingers. I've sat in a bunch of seats, and the only ones that are really comfortable are $550-$800 each. You can spend $2000 on a race seat very, very easily.

The seats on my comfort shortlist are the Recaro Pole Positions, the Cobra Suzuka, and I'd be willing to bet the Sparco Corsa is pretty damn comfy too. My Circuit Pro is the top of the list, but it's got wings and isn't really an option for a street car.

Reclinable race seats are a joke, BTW.

After sitting in the Recaro Pole Positions today, I'm pretty much sold on them.

I bought my Sparco Sprints from Speedware a couple years ago... they're about as cheap as a race seat gets. I'm 5'10" and 150 lbs and they fit me pretty much perfectly, plus I think they're more comfortable than the stock seats.

I have a pair of these. Drove down to Eureka Springs with them, Figured I'd be okay. Ended up buying a pillow at walmart, folded it in half and placed between my lower back and the seat. After that they're not bad.

Absolutely no lower back support at all, literally your spine bends into some fucked up shape that really isn't great feeling. Neck starts to hurt, then my upper back, arms.. Plus sitting in them for ~4 hours REALLY sucks.

I'm using a Sparco Sprint 5. It fits with no rubbing, and it's cheap (and cheap quality). I picked mine up for $100.

Do you guys with deep buckets have issues steering? I bolted my seat to the floor and lowered my steering wheel accordingly. I've only driven in for about 2 hours so far, and I find my elbows are hitting the side of the seat a lot. I can't see how I will be able to perform any ninja-like evasive manoeuvers on the track with this interference.

I have an ultrasheild 17", its super light and bolts to the floor. It's great for the track ie its a track only car. The best reviews were from guys that covered them in memory foam, they basically said they rocked. Savington is correct, reclining seats are a joke. Also the seat you pick should have a crotch hole for your 5/6 belt. No sense in getting a race seat and not a 5/6 point belt. I bought mine @ soloperformance.com...cheapest price around.

I was very surprised at how comfortable bundy's sparco roadster was the couple times i've sat in it. Was in it for a whole 20-30 minute session at a track day and it was great. It has the hole for the sub belt(s). No idea on the price though.

Does anyone here track/autox with their girlfriends that has a good solution for seat mounting? I think i'm completely screwed because i'm almost a foot taller than my girlfriend so bolting a set to the floor isn't really an option because she'll never get to drive the car again. For this reason i've been seriously considering de-turboing the miata to make it a spec miata and getting an E30 for us to share for autox/casual track days.

Being 6'2" I have not found a race seat that will work for me. Most are not recessed on the bottom like the factory seats and due to the fixed position the recline wastes a lot of leg room behind the seat.

Some alternatives I have thought about are foam inserts that fit the contour of the floor and bulkhead of the car and covered like a seat. Velcro to hold it in place and five point belts. This would allow the lowest seating possible, maximum padding, and easy swaping of the seats left to right. Make one for me and one for the misses.

Another thought is to strip the factory seat, cut the dish in the bottom and lower it, form some sheet aluminum and rivit it to the frame for the hip and leg supports, drill lightening holes to reduce weight and for the harness, then have them recovered.

All I have is a cg lock its alright for right now. I might just steal my brothers sparco, I think its an evo.

Just got this:

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs200...._4502915_n.jpg

15" w/ 20* layback.

Ultra-Shield Lightweight Road Race Halo 2

Damn dude I didn't know that piece cost you $1000! Hope you got a deal.

This had better not be your car, BTW. I see shoulder straps connected down to the lapbelt mounts. That is basically the biggest no-no you can commit when installing safety equipment, short of just not bolting it down at all.

Hopefully it came with a free inversion table.

Probably just a bowl of soup.

http://blog.rifftrax.com/wp-content/...ted_knight.jpg

/semi-obscure Caddyshack reference

Anyone sat in the corbeau fx-1 pro?

Attachment 200627
recaro spg

even my dad approves!
Attachment 200628


im 5'10" about 175.... and my dad is 5'9", 200 and fits him well too.

^that looks like a comfy seat

btw, idk if you were aware but somone put your steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. :giggle:

its ok, canada approves.

Jdm yo

[QUOTE=shlammed;519204]Attachment 200618

[QUOTE]


saved. nice car

I will be running a Sparco Circuit in my track car... I don't suggest this seat to anyone over 145lbs. I'm 5'6" at 145lbs and it is tight on me, but that is what I wanted as I won't be doing long drives on the streets and short sessions on the track.

Awaiting completion of rollcage for permanent install...
Attachment 200617

Anyone have an opinion on Memory Fab?

Google Image Result for http://www.weaksauceparts.com/store/images/t_19365.jpg

I heard them sick. That is all. They look good too.
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I think I'm about to throw down on the 16" spec miata seat by ultra-shield. I want like aviator style harnesses too. This guy had a good write up and pictures that helped me visualize my plan.
http://www.johnkimballracing.com/wor...e-DSCN5801.jpg

I have the s68. Very comfortable, very nice looking. The carbon fiber looks amazing to say the least. I've driven 6+ hours in it. Going to be doing 10+ in a few weeks.

I am 32 waist, 5'11 and 170lbs, it is a little tight.

Also light.. I can hold it straight out in front of me with one hand and almost no effort. The rails actually weighed a lot more.

Attractive price, but to be honest i need to sit in something first before i buy it.

Maybe. Ultrashields price increase every quarter. Website prices are always updated appropriately.
Slightly different in the shape and angle of the "wings".

Yes, they do.

Savington's right. I went to the Sparco booth at PRI in 2008 and sat in every sparco seat they had. I looked at the prices for the seats and you really can't expect to pay less than $650 for a good race seat.

reclinable race seat doesn't exist in racing vocabulary.

okay seat for the price. thinly padded. very light. zero lumbar. The shape of the seat doesn't support good posture. long trips sucked due to lack of lumbar. If you get the memory fab bracket, you can bolt the seat into a reclined position and they make a miata specific bracket.

sparco roadsters are great street/track seats, but can't be found for less than $600 a piece.

What's wrong with the gf not driving the car?

I've been seriously looking at the fake bride vios lately. $400 for a pair shipped is pretty good. $50 for sliders and side mounts for both sounds reasonable. I'd like to know how they work on a miata though.

Also you can a get a single carbon-kevlar one for like $300. Even if they're fake, that should be safe enough. Though I heard they're made to similar standards than the originals, but in taiwan. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with them.

Also you can get them without the logos for cheaper and hide your knock off shame at the same time.

You're joking, right?

edit: Let's talk more about fake seats that are safe enough.

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n/DSCN0927.jpg

No, not at all. Why wouldn't they be? As far as I understand they are pretty quality fakes, definitely have some sort of quality control. Plus I think it'd be pretty easy to spot some material defects before installing. Otherwise I don't think why they wouldn't be safe. They are made to the exact same specs as the real brides, so if those are safe, these should be ok too, unless you know something I don't.

Seriously I'm all ears. I wanna know as much as I can about these before I decide to take the plunge.

To whom it may concern:

Has anyone actually bought psuedo-race seats, installed them, violently crashed, and been able to report back? I always see them getting bashed, but I have never seen evidence to prove that they are garbage.

Btw, fertile males sit on the fuel tank, with a sheet of foam for paddding.

Prove it. Did you hear this from a friend, or did you read it on their eBay ad, or did one of their sales reps tell you?

If you think for one moment that knockoff seats go through the same testing regiment that a real name-brand seat goes through, you're delusional. For the same reason I'd never buy a knockoff helmet without a SNELL cert, I wouldn't buy a knockoff seat without an FIA cert. There is far more to the construction of a race seat than just buying one, making a couple of molds, and going at it with some fiberglass. It's quality of materials, it's design, it's construction methods.

Seats are safety items. You don't buy knockoff seatbelts, and you shouldn't buy knockoff seats. If you're buying them for your street car because they look cool, that's one thing, but to think that they will protect you like the real thing will is foolish, in my opinion. Maybe they will, but I'm not about to risk my life to find out.

There is a lot of cheap-bastard stuff on my car. There's a $85 plywood splitter, there's a $25 eBay BOV, and there is a piece of cut-up plexiglass holding five mismatched gauges where the stock cluster used to be, but there's some stuff I will not skimp on, because when I hit a little slick patch of coolant doing 159mph through the apex of turn 2 at Calspeed and go backwards into the wall, I don't want the last thought I have to be the $400 I saved by buying a knock-off race seat, or the $200 I saved by buying knockoff harnesses.

It's not hard to find cheap, name-brand safety gear, either. G-Force belts are cheap and easy to adjust as well. The MOMO Start I still have on the passenger side of my car cost me $312.50 shipped when it was brand new. My helmet is still the same $330 Bell Sport I've been using for the last 5 years (although it's due for replacement this year, once the SNELL2010 certs come out). You don't have to spend obscene amounts of money to get high-quality safety gear into your car, but don't think for a second that the knock-off stuff is just as good.