If you could buy any racing seat (other than bride) what would you get? Why? I'm in the market for a new seat and want to get a general feel for why people buy a ceartain seat over others. Sparco, Corbeau, Tenzo, etc. Did you buy it for weight? looks? bragging? comfort? colour? customer service? FIA?

 

I have a Sparco Touring in fiberglass. I bought it for the side impact protection (head). Nice high sides. Good fit for me. If I had the $'s, I would have gotten the Kevlar model.


[Modified by civicrr, 12:10 PM 9/14/2002]

 

Most of the people here who race have Kirkeys. Some have Sparcos and a few have Momos. I doubt you will find anyone in this forum who bought a seat for any reasons other than comfort and safety. It all depends on what the budget is. A $180 aluminum Kirkey is 100% adequate, it is safe and it will hold you in extremely well. Keep in mind that this is a real race seat and has zero bling factor associated with it:



The mere fact that you mentionned Bride leads me to believe that you probably won't like the Kirkey because it isn't pimpy enough but you will find that *most* racers are pure function over form.

 

I just ordered two Sparco Evo2's. I preferred the non-metal seats, and that didn't leave many choices for the larger person. A friend bought an Evo2, I sat in it and it felt comfortable so I was sold.

 

loves his Momo Cup GT

As Drew mentioned, comfort and safety were the two considerations when it came time for my purchase. The Momo does look nice too, but the "bling" factor was at the bottom of the priority list for me.


[Modified by Jason Franza, 3:05 PM 9/14/2002]

 

Drew,
That is kind of weird. Most people out here are using the european style of seat. The exception being in the Spec Miata racers. Really tight fit in there. Kirkey seems to be the seat of choice. I did actually consider the Kirkey Road Racing seat since it has shoulder supports. As mentioned above, I went with the Touring for the head side impact protection. One downside is a small loss of vision to the side. Not really an issue when racing, though. More of a paddock driving thing.

 

I'm way far from bling.. I currently have MOMO rookie and have a buyer for it. My local authorities won't let me ride on a bucket so I have to find something else to ride on. I have thought about the Kirkey but this is also my daily and I do hate to have to swap tons of parts just for a weekend race. I really don't care much for the Bride seat as it is over priced. Sorry, guess I should have mentioned this before. Thanks for the responses so far, keep em coming!

 

What kind of racing (if any) are you going to be doing? I had a Momo Rookie in an old 240sx and I hear ya on the daily driver discomfort. I just put a pair of Corbeau CR1's (Carrera) in my 2.5RS. I'll be autocrossing on them the first time tommorrow, so I'll know more about their performance then. First impressions are that they are very comfortable and very well made. More info here...

http://www.soloracer.com/imprezacr1.html

 

I have the Corbeau TRS (aka Targa RS) I got it cause I wanted better latteral support then my stock DX seat didn't have for Auto-Xing. Next for the price which was amazing, saved over $120 by going direct to Corbeau and lastly cause the color nearly matchs the OEM cloth color.

 

a friend of mine has Corbeau Targa's in his E30. I love them, very supportive, very comfy. but i dont know if they'll work in a race car because they dont me regulations or something

 

I'm going with a set of Kirkey Road Racing Intermediates - Like the full blown Kirkey Road Racing ones but lighter with a littler thinner material, and only $300 each. Since my car is soley being built for Auto-X and track days I don't need the full blown Road Racing version. If I wasn't to get the Kirkey Road Racing ones I'd get the Sparco Rev II's....


[Modified by Vracer111, 10:17 PM 9/14/2002]

 

I went to a place that sold seats & had a whole bunch in the showroom. I sat in every seat SEVERAL times to get a feel of which one I liked the best. I ended up getting the Sparco Evo 2.

Some wonder why 148 lbs of 5' 8" would choose such a seat. I liked the support it had & how it didnt crush my pelvis & hips together. I also bought some pads to put wherever I needed them for more support. The pads made the fit closer to my body & provided cushiony support. Im not going anywhere in the seat for sure w/ the pads.

Pete

 

Cobra Suzuka, check it out in subesport. real nice seat.

 

I use a Momo Rookie with custom rails (non-adjustable, close to floor). Thin padding = low seating position = more head clearance. And it cost WAY less than the Sparcos.

A lot of people have the Kirkey, howver I dislike the rib supports from a comfort perspective (and question their safety - seems they could lead to broken ribs).

 

i like the black sparcos that are in the sport compact car mag all the time, there cool

 

the seats depend on what you'll be doing... you want a full race or a street seat?

 

So how good are the Corbeau seats in safety and comfort?

 

The Corbeau Forza model has the FIA 8855 cert where it doesn't require a seatback brace (that's a whole other topic) unlike the Kirkey. Like most race seats, the Forza model is not very comfortable if used as a daily commuter, but it serves the purpose for the low-buck entry level racer. I'd stay away from reclining seats unless you're only doing solo-2.

 

Building an ITA CRX posed a question that was easily answered for me. I like the Kirkey, but the SPARCO Rev and a few others do not require a back brace attached to the cage. With that said we went to OG Racing in Manassas, VA and SAT in their selection of seats. I went from the Ultra (a bit tight for me) to the EVO (a tad loose) to the REV (Great fit and I too can add/subtract padding). Even tried it with my full race suit and helmet to be absolutely sure.
This is what I recommend that you do as it is just like buying a pair of shoes-you get them for fit and comfort-style is not as important as function in a car being used for competition. If it is your daily driver then you can go with a bit of pizzaz. Just remember that the fibreglas and kevlar shelled seats are fully FIA approved and require no additional bracing devices other than the correct mounts underneath.

 

i had a corbeau forza in my hatch that I loved for racing. very good fit and surprisingly comfortable. unfortunately, the fabric is not durable enough for a daily driver, and it sucks for any extended driving... so now, i have del sol seats, and i love them

 

Sparco Ultra (fiberglass bucket)
-LOW weight is a big plus at 12 pounds each.
-looks, nah couldnt really care less but it still looks cool.
-bragging, um no.
-comfort is a big factor, on a trackschool excursion to Pocono last year I was able to sit in over 12 different aftermarket seats and the Sparco were the best for the money and even then righ ton par with some more expensive models/makes.
-colour wasnt an issue, in fact I wish I could have had these in black, but blue is fine.
-customer service was something I needed to know was there, Sparco has been around forever so I trust them to have good service
-FIA is important at least for build credibitlity/certification/safety... my car does see tracktime.

for pics check my homepage below...

 

I my Sparco Evo....was the perfect fit for me, excellent seat.

 

How do you all have your 4/5point harnesses hooked up if you don't have a rollbar to tie it to? Do you bring it back to the shoulder harness for the rear seat?
Also, what's the deal with the back-brace for the Kirkey?

 

just spend the extra $$. Bride ownz

 

i got a corbeau forza. it's pretty supportive. I got it for $175 with rails, slightly used... that's the main reason why I went for it. I'm 5' 7" and about 170lbs and it fits rather nicely. a bit snugg if i have my wallet in my back pocket.

with my stock CRX seat, i tended to push my knee against the centre console to keep me from moving around too much... with this seat, don't do it at all.



I was looking into the kirkey, but, decided against it.