sperkins

Which ones are you guys using and where did you buy it? I don't want to cut up the carpet to install one in my C5Z (I'm using a Kirkey aluminum seat with a R&D Crossbar). What's the best way around this? I've seen some guys attach a home made type brace to the tub/floor area right behind the seat.

Rob Willis

I just installed two IO Port ones with my sharkbar and Kirkey deluxe seats into my C6.

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant...tegory_Code=IH

AU N EGL

made my own.



some box steel, L-brackets cut as needed, U-bolts, screws with nylon inserted nuts.
( all from Lowe's, about $50 and three hours )

gkmccready

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant...tegory_Code=IH

I like this one, but with the Crossbar you'd have to figure out how to clamp it to the square tube. For the Hardbar you need to cut off one of the shaft collars and weld on one that fits the bar...

trackboss

I made my own and installed it in the rear bulkhead. The harness bars are all too high for attachment in my opinion. Bracing the head area of the seat is not a good idea. Best to brace the shoulder area where there is more mass.

gkmccready

I just mount the one I suggested under the bar, instead of over it...

(from my RX7)

trackboss

That works on that car, but on the C5 the harness bars are quite a bit higher. I would have loved to make my brace attach to the harness bar. Would have been far easier than installing threaded inserts in the bulkhead. I even bought clamps to do it, but just way too high. In the photo below you can see where my seat back brace is located vs. where the harness bar is above. My kirkey is mounted pretty low. Any of the composite seats cannot be mounted that low, but I still think they would be well under the harness bar.

ZO6NTHEWIND

Which Kirkey seat is that?

Later,

fatbillybob

GKM,

Please loop the tag end of your harness strap back through the 3 bar adjuster so that your harness straps do not slide in a crash.

gkmccready

Yeah. That car hasn't been on track in years... the harness is just there so I know where it is, not for use right now. :-(

Jason

Have any close up pice? Looks like something i might be able to use since my car sees different height drivers.

gkmccready

Another advantage of the dual shaft collars and the hinged plate... back off the pinch bolt and slide the seat to new location... tighten shaft collar again... done.

RedLS1GTO

I/O Port with a Kirkey aluminum seat. This is in my C4, but you get the point. It really is a pretty good setup. To adjust the seat, all you have to do is drill a new hole, move the brace, and put the pin in the other hole.

ghoffman

Yes, he needs another loop around, but this is a nice setup for the brace.

sperkins

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

fatbillybob

I know the two pictures show are common ways to do back braces but I do not understand how this is safe. Think about this for a minute. The reason for a back brace is because someone thinks the seat is going to fold, bend or not support you in a crash right? Metal seats deform and do not spring back like FIA legal seats but some clubs won't approve a FIA seat after 5 years so if you use an FIA seat you still need a brace. So imagine if your aluminum seat bent everywhere except the back brace. Would you not now have a spear in your spine? I'm thinking quadraplegic. So I personally am pretty paranoid and think a seat should be supported at the shoulders firmly like a seat functions to craddle you. I also believe in cage mounted seats but that's for another thread. Anyway Here is a picture during my build of what i did but I have a welded cage and my seat is supported at 7 places to the cage. I am sure you could come up with something bolt-in to the harness bar/that hump right behind the seat like that the trackboss picture above that is mounted that way.

trackboss

You bring up a good point, but I really think that the stout aluminum seats would take a whole lot of force to deform that much. In any case, leaving that to chance is why I would never mount the back brace near the head. The solid aluminum seats are double layer and gusseted in many places. Actually, they are pretty heavy. That being said I've made all my seat back braces out of sheet aluminum so that it will yield at some point before the seat would.

ZO6NTHEWIND

Thanks for the link>

Later,

NewFoundPower

My Corbeau Forza FX1 Pro came with a single bolt for a back brace installation, and I've got the I/O Port brace, but it doesn't look nearly as stout as these installations on aluminum seats. Does anyone know if one bolt in the center of a composite seat is sufficient, or do I need to use the factory mounting bolt and add two on either side? That would require me drilling through the seat and probably having to add extra padding where the new bolts would go through..


Sorry about the hijack, this is the best thread I've found on the seat back braces!

sperkins

I don't see that brace actually working properly in a hard rear end collision. The angle of the brace bar would simply rotate the clamp IMO.