fennerhillpro

Just finished VIR in the blue group with NCM. I was told my skills are ready for the Black Group. I have upgraded suspension, brakes now it's time for slicks and a racing seat with a harness. I am 5'9 230 lbs and losing. I have a 39" waist and pretty broad shoulders. My goal is 200lbs and about 36" on the waist but would rather have a little room.

I am planning on taking the racing seat in and out. Looking for some recommendations. I am not rich so I would either be looking for a used seat or a less expensive seat. What would you all recommend?

Zpeedstr

The stiffness of your seat and harness must match the stiffness of your suspension.
The resonant frequency must match or your will be bounced all over.

I've got 3X springs, Koni yellows at max and rock hard Sparco seat and 5 point belts.
Feels great. Works great.

If you have stock suspension, then maybe add a little padding?

MJM

I'll say it again, there is no easy "in and out" solution for a proper, safe, race seat and harness. Once you go through the initial process of installation and fast-paced laps followed by adjustments (no slider) it would still probably take you an hour or so to do the swap each way. Additionally, at some point you will cross thread a fastener or two.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but I tried it and finally settled on a dedicated track car with a full containment seat on fixed rails and a six point FIA harness. The most important measurement is not your waist but your sitting hip width.

The only other option I can think of to keep you from sliding around is the "angel wings" seat bolster that a forum member is selling. It is essentially two pads that fit between your left hip and the door and your right hip and the center tunnel. They have a flat piece of fabric between them that you sit on to keep them in place.

Bill Dearborn

Go with a Sharkbar or BK Harness bar, Kirkey or Ultrashield Aluminum Race seat on Hard Bar rails. You will need matching seats so plan on buying and installing two of everything. Schroth Clubman harnesses at $199 are one of the best deals you can get. They are FIA rated so can be used for 5 years. The aluminum race seats can be purchased in the $300 range from several suppliers. You don't need the fanciest versions which are more costly and don't provide any more support. As mentioned in the above post the distance across your hips when sitting is what determines those seat sizes. You will also need a seat back brace for each seat. To mount the Hardbar rails you will need to pull the carpet up and route wiring harnesses forward so they don't go under the rails and it is a good idea to remove the jute backing in the areas that will be under the rails.

Figuring shipping costs in you will be about $500 for the Sharkbar and about $1000 per seat installed for a total of about $2500. If you go with seats like a Sparco Evo figure another $700 to $1000.

The seat keeps you in place inside the car and the harness keeps you in the seat.

Bill

Sgt.Gator

I swap out my stock seat for my race seat in 10 minutes. It's easy because my race seat, a Sparco Evo 2 Plus, is mounted on the Arizen slider.

Unbolt 4 bolts that hold the stock seat/tracks, unplug three electrical connectors, pull the seat out , put the race seat on the Arizen track in, slide it forward bolt down rear bolts, slide backwards and bolt down front bolts...done.

Without a slider it's much harder to reach the rear bolts.

fennerhillpro

So the evo2 with sliders comes in and out. I like that anyone have success in modifying current seats?

AU N EGL

remember harness must pass through seat HOLES, not wrap around the seat back.

Some ppl have adapted the stock seats, but there really is not a good side or thigh bolster on the stock seats

use a 6 point not a 5 point. The ONE sub belt of a 5 point tends to squeeze the family jewels

Jason

Truth. After one LIGHT impact with a 5pt, I now use a 6pt.

Scooter70

I have a Cobra Suzuka Pro GT in my C5Z. I'm 5'9", 200# and it's nice and snug. I do have wide hips though. (The GT model is 1" wider than the regular version.) My friend, who's a bit heavier, sat in the seat and fit but he's more of a "beer gut" body type. My seat is mounted on Hardbar rails and where I have it set I can get to all 4 attachments with a ratchet. Taller people with the seat mounted farther back have issues getting to the rear two nuts. (As Sgt.Gator alluded to above.) Here's where being short is actually a benefit. It really is a 10 minute job to swap seats. The lower straps of the harness are attached to the seat rails so they come out with the seat. My shoulder harnesses are on a Hardbar harness bar so they stay in the car all the time.

Liquid1

I came to the same conclusion. There is no good middle ground. Also you should know that this is a fairly large expense and you should factor in a decent chunk of change for installation because you're dealing with a totally custom setup with each part most likely from a different manufacturer. Putting it all together did not turn out to be easy and I had to buy a second set of harnesses because I did not realize Sparco harnesses only have a clip end option and I needed a bolt type attachment.

One other problem in Massachusetts (not sure about RI) is for the annual vehicle inspection I need to put the stock seats back to pass inspection. This is because I have an airbag warning light on the dash when the seats are replaced (I have a '08 3LZ with side airbags) and all of the manufacturer safety equipment must be functional to pass inspection here in Massachusetts.

I am fairly close by to you (near 495/90) if you want to check out the setup I went to, some of the things to consider/be forewarned about, and I can also tell you what I spent on it. It was more than I anticipated. If you decide to go ahead, I'd suggest heading up to HMS motorsport and sitting in a bunch of different types of seats. Like helmets (or perhaps even moreso), you want to make sure you get one that fits you perfectly.

Sharkbar
Schroth Profi HANS Harnesses
Recaro Profi SPG seats
Hardbar Mounts

Jason

Fast, safe,cheap/easy. Pick two.

Dan@Assaultech

We sell/stock Recaro and Sparco. Please give us a call or shoot us a PM if you want some pricing. Recaro Profi SPG & Sparco Evo 2 seem to be the heavy favorites. They are both comfortable and offer superior quality and hold.

Charley Hoyt

I have a setup that is working very well. I have a Cobra Suzuka Pro GT with Arizen sliders and a Scroth Profi 6 point harness. I had to do a little customization to facilitate installation, but now changing seats doesn't take too long. There are Pro's and Cons to using sliders. On the positive side they make installation easier and you can easily experiment with seat locations. On the negitive side most people are looking to gain headroom and sliders don't give you much if any more head room. For me that wasnt an issue because my car is a convertable (with ulimited headroom). If I were going to do it again I think I would try and find a stock manual slider and add brackets to hold the seat. I am still working on finding a way to simulate the airbags....I believe I am close.

Charley Hoyt

With all of the questions about seat installation lately I decided to time how long it takes to remove my stock seat and install my racing seat...It took a about 7 minutes. Here are some pictures of my seat.

Cobra Suzuka Pro GT on Arizen slider and Scroth Profi 6 point harness.


Here is the seat in the car (The sholder harnesses go on with the roll bar at the track


Looking down on the seat with the door closed

vms4evr

Installing in a ragtop is cheating... Try it in a Z06. Show me 7 minutes in that... lol....

While making a car be a quasi track/street is difficult and time consuming don't let these other guys rain on your parade. Start with a slider (double locking) and a mount kit that puts the sub strap and both lap belt sides on the rails. Swapping in and out will not be a big deal, but it'll take more than 7 minutes... With a Corbeau on their rails I could swap out in my 02 Z06 in 30 minutes, no problem.

It'll take you more time swapping out track pads than the seat.

At some point you'll get tired of it though. I just leave the race seat in my car now and track pads etc.. It just stays track ready and I don't street drive it much. It's technically illegal on the street with a race seat and harnesses but I have never been harassed about it.

Charley Hoyt

Your right having unlimited head room definitely helps... With the roof up it would probably take a couple of extra minutes. I actually thought it would take longer than it did. I wasn't even rushing.

You are also right about this being a relatively small part of track preparation. Before every event I also change the clutch and brake fluid, change to race brake pads, and change the wheels/tires, and install my roll bar....

At some point I will get a dedicated track car....until then, this is working pretty well

63Corvette

I concur

Webz

If your not in a rush I will be removing my sharkbar, 2 vetteworks lapbelt bars, 2 teamtech 6 pt harnesses and 2 Kirkey seats, in the next few weeks and selling them. The Kirkey's are both 17" road race seats. One is a fixed mount the other is mounted to a C5/C6 manual slider.

I will also have the B-pillar panels w holes, alum. camera mount and alum. G2X mount for the sharkbar that will be available as well. I also have 2 vetteworks C6 air bag simulators and 1 Pfadt cable for drivers side used to maintain telescoping wheel function.

Image from when I assembled seat to manual slider.

MJM

Yep, I never like to add up the costs but here is a parts list so you can do just that.

Kirkey 45 series containment seat
Hardbar rails
Hardbar harness bar
Vetteworks/Hardbar lap belt bar
Teamtech 6 point harness
HANS device
back brace

This setup gets me an extra 2-3 inches of headroom, helps my odds in the case of a frontal impact (HANS + harness), and helps my odds in the case of a side, roll-over, or multiple impact situation (containment seat).

have fun!

Matt

fatbillybob

NO Aluminum seats unless fully supported by the cage. Metal bends on impact and deforms. FIA plastic seats are designed to be installed with FIA brackets to seat bottom and tested as such. The back brace is an untested idea that people think will make an expired FIA seat safe to continue using.