JeremyGSU

I'm an instructor with Chin and I have an '04 Z06 and I was curious to see if anyone just kept their stock passenger seat in with the seatbelts for track days for students or friends?

I currently have two Corbeau FX1's with 6 pts and no seat belts but my car is also a street car and a lot of people always want to ride on the street so I want to put the passenger stock seat back in with seatbelts. I'm going to get mine back in too before anyone jumps on me but with a different seat. I just don't like taking people around with 6 pts.

So I was thinking of just slapping my stock seat back in and buy those wing seat things you can get. Yeah, you'll still get thrown around a little but at least I don't have to worry about them not having HANS or having the harnesses tight enough, proper angles, etc.

I know my other track friends will frown upon this but I wanted to get the general consensus.

Opinions? Isn't this safer overall for people of different heights, etc?

froggy47

andy3101

Check with the groups you run with. Sometimes they require passenger to have same safety equipment as driver.

Bill Dearborn

All the groups that I know of require equal restraints. Problem is how much the passenger is thrown around in the seat while you are pushing hard in the corners. My first time at speed on a road course was in a 911 with a full cage where the driver had a full race seat and harnesses and I was in a stock seat with a 3 point harness that had no cinch capability like the Vette belts have. With the 3 point belt so loose I was thrown all around in the seat and finally had to wrap the belt around my hand to get it tight. I really believe the passenger deserves equal restraints since the driver is able to push the car harder when the seat holds them in the car and the harness holds them in the seat.

Bill

JeremyGSU

Ah you guys are right. I rode in a Z06 one time where he had a race seat and I was in the stock seat and I was thrown around like a rag doll.

I will say this, Chin does not require equal setups. At least if they do they don't enforce it.

CGZO6

Hey Jeremy, I put my stock seats back in when not tracking. Don't like the thought of being strapped in w/6 point without a Hans. But I'm sure swapping seats would get tedious if you're tracking more than every few months (like me).

Hope to see ya at RA next time, Bryan

JeremyGSU

What's up Brian? I thought about doing that but my friend who builds race cars discouraged me from doing that as he said if you start to strip the studs from taking the seats in/out all the time you're screwed as you can't just replace the stud welded into the chassis. I had originally thought about doing that.

I think I'm just going to look for some race seats that work with the seat belts.

Jason

Compromises always suck.

travisnd

I have a Corbeau Forza and spare harnesses for passengers. However, I took the seat out because being the only guy with a passenger seat in my race car I was the go-to ride guy. Don't get me wrong, I live giving rides and getting people amazed at what our hobby is like and what a Corvette can do on track (lots of novices still think Vettes are only fast in a straight line), but people always seemed to ask when I had my good A6s on Instructing, TTing and giving rides makes for a busy weekend.

PA Z06

I agree, I have not been with a group that did not enforce this rule

waddisme

I also dd mine. I just switch my seats out for track days. Takes all of 20 mins to do both. Once I cut the tab off of the electrical connector to unplug the power to the driver seat it was no big deal. Sometimes that took longer to disconnect than changing seat. Also it gives me a good chance to clean seats and carpet easily.

shakedown067

This has been a big reason why I haven't gotten seats yet, but I'm in the reverse...I'd need it for an instructor. :P

I'm looking at the Sparco Chrono Sport Seat to do split duty of track/street/autocross. But i'm only planning on one, maybe two, track days a year with 11+ autocross events.

95jersey

I think you are on to it here. I went with a stock passenger seat. Initally I did this for cost, but after a while I realized I don't want to be responsible for properly connecting a passenger with no HANS into a race seat with 6 point harness. The stock seat is OK, for 20 minutes they can hold on to the door handle and brace themselves in my opinion. Also, I don't shut off air bags, so with the OEM set up the passenger can take full advantage of the OEM air bag system. If they are in a 5/6 point, most likely they will not reach the airbag and they could potentially snap their neck...no way!!!

Regarding the equal seat rule, while most organizations I run with have this rule, none have enforced them and that is because I am an advanced student/instructor. What this means is that I don't need an instructor to run with me to sign off for solo, and therefore most orgs don't care about equal restraints when you are at that level, now if you were in Novice or Intermediate, you would probably need equal restraints as you are carrying an instructor.

I say stay with OEM, your passengers will be better protected as most of them will not have a HANS.

boltvette

Stock seat with Angel Pads. If your passenger is not using a Hans device, he/she should not be wearing a harness. With a harness, the neck becomes the weak link.

The Angel Pads only come in a driver side version right now, but turn them upside down (what my wife does when she rides along) and viola! they work fine. Angelwings Tech will have a passenger version available soon.