JDM_rolex

I have searched for a similar thread like this however the sad thing is that threads like this are from 2010 and earlier. I understand that the technology for the seats and manufactures change the design for more up to date safety standards in that case this is the reason for this thread. Locally there are no shops that have racing seats that I can go and sit in so I would like to get your opinion on this matter.

I own a 88 Civic wagon and I am in search of a full bucket seat for the wagon. The plan is to autox and road race the car. I have yet to dial in the suspension setup for the car however the stock seat that I currently have is torn up and beat up. Driving fast in the stock seat is brutal when you are getting tossed around. I am looking for something that I can track in and drive long distances and still be comfortable; I know something’s gotta give and for that matter this car would be more of a track/weekend type of car as I barely put any miles on it. I am 5’9 and with a 36 inch waist.

Some questions that I have for you:

Where did you buy it from?

Price?

Specs on your seat? Height and waist size please?

LASTLY, Thank you for taking the time to read this thread and thank you for your suggestions!

lub

http://www.sparcousa.com/product/speed-2

These are great value and awesome seats. I'm sure the website lists some vendors, but I'm confident there are tons of other vendors on this website that carry speed's as well (probably for less). They are pretty awesome seats for what you need.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Good: Nice and inexpensive for just auto x or ocasional track days.
Bad: can't put in a 5 or 6 pt harness. Thats where it fails for me.
No FIA certification so id pass on this one for one that has it it... just my .02
OP... find a budget you can live with, and start looking for the best seat you can get for what you would like to spend.

JDM_rolex

My budget is no more than $500 for the seat. I would like to have a 5or 6 point harness as well.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Locate a seat that has a provisions for a sub belt.
Decent harness with FIA certs would be Crow Racing or G Force.
You dont need any of the name brands unless you are into the bling factor.
Im betting you can find a seat and harness for that much if not a little more.

JDM_rolex

What seat do you have?

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

One of these.
http://www.subesports.com/products/c...ra/prodID/1956

But its in a racing car.
Expensive, and yes its a drag having to replace it every 5 years.
Or you can get one of these...http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant...tegory_Code=IH

and extend its life a season or two more.

Matt_EH3

I am also currently in the market for a seat for my track car, so I will subscribe to this thread.

These are the questions I came up with so far:
Is it worth it to go for the lightweight models or is the weight difference not that much anyway?
Is it better to have the seat with side protection around the head or is it not worth the additional investment?
Are there seats out there that will fit a 5-pt harness but not a 6-pt (maybe a noob question, but I don't know)?
Some websites say "HANS compatible seat". What would make a seat non-HANS compatible?

By the way, do not forget that you will also need to buy rails and mounts for your seat. You should keep that in mind for your budget.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

When it comes to weight i would toss that question out the door. Most seats.. and id base this one or two things (type and size) all pretty much weigh the same.

The head protection or halo seats offer more protection around your head but decrease your side vision. Its something you have to get used to, and also learn to use your mirrors more.
The cost is generally higher.

The sparco evo type seats are great seats.. I have owned a few.
In running honda challenge, seats with out halos require a center safety net.
Mostly it is preference whatever feels comfortable for you and fits in your budget.
Hans compatible.. lots out there about it but, nothing id say is concrete or a definitive answer.
Read whats written and take from it what you will.
Some say its how the belt holes are spaced or sized....
Most belts like Schroth or Sparco have hans particular belts.
The shoulder belts start off as 3 inches and taper to 2 inches.
This allows the belt to sit on top of the hans device and not roll off according to hans and the belt manufacturers.
I have used 3 inch before and it has never rolled off my hans but im just one of millions who it didnt happen to.
5 or 6 pt ... if the seat has a hole in the front of the seat pan you can put either type in there.
The difference is one comes straight up in to the center of your crotch, the 6 pt will separate and go around your thighs. Much more nicer id imagine.

Bottom line is find out what your sanctioning body you run with requires,(CCR) and buy the best for your budget, keeping in mind you dont need the top of the line to be safe.
There is a seat thread about a seat that has a halo and i believe is a sparco knock off.
BiMarco is what its called.. it has a FIA rating so it had to be built to a certatin spec.
Price was nice too.

StatGSR

I'm planning on going with the OMP TRS for myself and my passenger/instructor seats for my DC2, price can't really be beat, and i have heard good things about their comfort, just have to wait and see for myself.

http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp?prod=HA%2F741

10cjennings

iTrader: (1)

The budget, tubular FIA seats run small, with a 36'' waist, definitely sit in them before buyng. Between the 2 sparco offerings (speed and Sprint) and the Momo (forgot what it's called), the OMP TRS to fit me best with a 33-34'' waist but was way to short and narrow in the shoulders. The others were too small in the waist as well. There's also a TRS XL, which would probably fit a 34+ inch waist well, while the other options only came in one size.

Buy a BiMarco seat so we know if they are any good. There's a recent thread about them in here.

Start sitting in peoples seats at events.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Plus one for that last comment! cant get no better feedback from your behind in the seat.

Matt_EH3

Great info. Thanks!

Sccacivic1997

iTrader: (2)

Love my sparco sprint

JDM_rolex

Yeah, I completely agree. The rails will need to be custom. I will forsure be getting some Sparco Universal Sliders and then fab a bracket so that the seats can be bolted down.


I have yet to read that thread. However I will also have to attend some events and try this out.

JDM_rolex

A another question to add to this thread...

Does it matter to have the seat side mounted or bottom mounted or is this just a personal preference? Which is more safe?

I know that I may get flamed for this but does anyone own the F1Spec seats? Is so how do you like them?

Xian

Yup, excellent info here ^^^.

But, I'll say that quite a bit depends on who you run with. My additional $0.02:

SCCA doesn't require seat replacement every 5 years *but* they require a seat back brace with older FIA seats. You pick your poison on which is the worse option.

Having a Halo is "nice" from a side impact/safety standpoint but not absolutely necessary. If you're running a Hans, I'd suggest a Halo. If you're running a DefNder, NecksGen, or Hybrid Rage/R3 then a right side net is probably plenty. Regardless of Halo/no-halo, you'll still want a right side net (the net is there on a halo seat to keep your helmeted head on the "correct" side of the halo wing in a crash).

2" belts aren't needed for any H&N. They're "better" for the HANS but 3" works ok on them as well but you have to pay attention getting the belts routed correctly. I've also seen 3" belts slip off a HANS but not the competing H&N's.

IIRC, 6pt belts should be routed through the center, sub-hole in non-formula car applications? Could be wrong on this but I've certainly seen it done (and done it myself).

Absolutely go sit in some seats if possible... that's the only way you'll know how they fit you. FWIW, all the guys in my sig are folks that I've worked with extensively on race car parts and who also sell seats. Be careful ordering something that you've never sat in as I think everyone charges at least a re-stocking fee and heft return shipping fee.

Christian

miamirice

I have a question for you guys. The horrible crash in the Rolex left the slow moving Ferrari driver with 2 fractures to limbs, and an unstable spine injury. I have not read about his prognosis yet but unstable spine is likely paralysis. I am wondering if the seat was without a back brace and his seat/seat mount failed. So much of our safety stuff is to prevent forward motion of our head/body if we have a frontal impact. This is just theory of mine.

So- do you guys run seat back braces on your composite seats? Seems like a very long lever arm to put a 200 lbs guy in these seats and essentially just bolt them to the floor if you think about getting rear ended.

Xian

Isn't Memo Gidley (driving the DP), the one with a spinal injury? IIRC, the Ferrari driver was already on an airplane headed home. And as far as seat back bracing... yeah, it's a bit redundant in a DP.

My $0.02 on FIA seat back bracing is that it's not a "good thing" as the seats are designed to give/flex in a crash and help to absorb the impact energy. This is also a good reason not to re-use FIA seats after a hard hit from the rear.

miamirice

Gotcha. Yes I was stuck in a place this weekend with no race coverage so I ASSUMED the pineal injury was on the Ferrari driver. Thanks for setting me straight. I also know the flex design and agree with it, I worry more about the mounting failing. I wonder how much the seat is designed to flex in that impact also.

Xian

Yeah, I only know because my wife was reading the news and mentioned the spinal injury to me yesterday. My initial response was the same (assuming it was the Ferrari driver).

I *think* someone managed to crack their FIA seat in a really hard rearward hit... can't remember who it was but, IIRC, it was backwards into a wall at ~100-ish. The seat didn't "fail" but did develop a crack on one side "up" from one of the lap belt holes. I don't recall every seeing/hearing about failures around the mounting holes. They've got a decent amount of flex built into them... especially if you grab the top wings/halo and twist. You can see some deformation/movement which, I'd assume, is much more pronounced in a shunt.

boost ben

http://www.ompracing.it/detail.html?productcode=HA/772

This is my seat of choice. Comfortable, supportive, FIA approved, 5 point belt compatible, Hans compatible, and surprisingly affordable.

The regular size fits on the small size I find. It squishes my legs together a bit to much for anything more than a 20 min sprint. The XL fits more like a 'regular' sized seat; I'm 5'10 170lbs for reference. I was in the HTE XL tuning last fall for 4 hours and never had to get out. Both our chump cars have HTE's, one's a carbon and one's fibre glass, no complaints from any drivers.

JDM_rolex

What is a determining factor for how much flex is a good thing in a seat?

Xian

I doubt that anyone on here can say with authority how much flex is a "good thing". In my unprofessional opinion, have some "give" to the seat should help to attenuate the severity of the impact. You're left to assume that the seat designers did their job right as the seats we're talking about all meet FIA's load testing...

Matt_EH3

That's a hard one, I agree.

A little flex, I guess, would be ok for shock absorption, but then again, too much of it will just end up both causing you to hit the harness bar and to catapult you back into the harness.

Xian, do we know if the FIA's load testing that you were referring to measures seat movement/flex as well? Not alarmed at all here, just curious.