Fast Yellow

I do HPDE track events and have a 6 point harness and harness bar. With the stock seats I'm not able to really pull down and get the shoulder harnesses tight.
Has anyone put in race seats in their C6 Z06?
If so what brand and model? Can the stock seat rails be used?
Can it be easily removed and stock seat put back in or is it put the race seat in and use it for everyday driving?
Has anyone taken a C5 Sport Seat (with the harness belt pass through) and put in a C6? Does it fit on the stock seat rails?

Thanks

jrz1

BTT. I know this question has been answered in various forms etc. but I too have been considering. Really wonder how easy it would be to swap race seats in/out as they're a pain on the street.

Fast Yellow

I did a Search (Treads) for Race Seats and got lots of hits. Probably should have tried that first

RAFTRACER

Sparco Evo or Evo2,3,L and the Hardbar seat rail kit. Don't skimp on seats and by something FIA approved. If used with Hardbars seat kit, you can easily swap back and forth between street OEM seat and race seat (4 bolts). I have put several in C6 Z06's and when I am fortunate enough to be able afford my own, this will be one of the things that I do first. You will no longer be using your seatbelts to hold you into position.
I have been also known to put these on the stock 6-way power memory seat frames, but you wont be switching back and forth very quickly unless you obtain another very expensive lower seat frame assy. It would be no where near as rigid as the Hardbar mouting though.

Fast Yellow

I did a Search (Treads) for Race Seats and got lots of hits. Probably should have tried that first

jrz1

Just had a thought. Perhaps Chevy will get smart and equip the upcoming Blue Devil with a proper set of sport seats with pass throughs etc. that would be direct bolt-in replacement for the crappy stock Z06 seats. Anyone know someone on the inside that might know.......?

Z11409

Every seat design has to be tested,tested and validated.Just cost to much in RD for a VERY small number of seats to be manufactured.This very same questions was asked of the Corvette Chief Engineer.

Fast Yellow

Thanks, for your reply. Some questions. If I use the hardbar seat rail, does the driver air bag still work or does the air bag alarm go off? I assume that Sparco Evo Evo 2, 3, l are different sizes of the seat.

Fast Yellow

I know that the majority of owners of Z06's don't take the car to the track (don't understand why the buy it if they don't race it), but if GM is going to put out a car they advertise as a race car then they should at the minium provide options that allow the car to be run at the track (road course and drag). Non drilled brake rotors (drilled ones crack), bigger lines on the transmission and rear end oil cooler lines, non run flat tires, etc.

I'm going to the VIR HPDE in July, and I'll discuss this with the Corvette engineers that will be there.

Lancer033

no seat comfortable enough for street use is ever going to be good enough for racing, and GM figures that the people (small %) who do race the cars will replace them anyways, so they focus on making the seats confortable for street use. Unfortunately, that means something that the constantly expanding rear end of the average american will fit in.

Airbags still work in a C5, don't know about a C6

Evo = small
Evo 2/Evo L (same thing different name) = medium
Evo 3/Evo XL = Large

This PDF has the deminsions of them all.
http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/26.pdf

jrz1

I'm sure there are some suitable existing designs out there they could put in there. Don't need pure race seat but something with better support that would also work with harnesses would be good. I've sat in better, more supportive seats in far less expensive cars. These seats are made for only one purpose and that is comfort. It's a shame in a car with this kind of performance envelope.

John Shiels

Face it the populations A$$ is bigger in general than it was 20 years ago so how tight do you make a race seat? If you want a seat to hold you it has to be deep. Deep seats are hard to get in and out of.

Swapping a seat it no big deal if it set up right. Four bolts and it is out and plug the electric in. PITA is getting the seat out by one person it is awkward and you risk scratching the car sill and other areas without protecting them. Popping the roof out helps if you can do it on your vehicle. Then it depends if you are using air tools or hand tool do do it in a small garage.

There is a huge difference in a deep seat like a Kirkey and even a Evo. Stock seats with slicks don't cut it. I broke 3 dead pedals even with a six point harness. Good think is they are 10 bucks each and I always carry a spare. After the Kirkey they haven't broken.

jrz1

hear you on difference between race seat and street but they COULD make the stock seats more supportive with adj side bolsters and or thigh bolsters. At least could take an aftermarket seat, get it approved and make it an option. That way they could worry about all the integration issues.

kentz06

Recaro Pole Position seats, Schroth harnesses and SharkBar.








Car has an airbag alarm and the steering wheel will not move in/out. I am trying to find a solution to these issues. Any help would be appreciated!

BTW the seats are great and can't wait for the track to open!

jrz1

There has to be a fix for this...... anyone? I'm ready to pull trigger on seats etc. but would like to find a fix for this first.

ghoffman

Dan at Vetteworks is working on it. Bug him to get it done, I will supply it with all of our seat rail kits.

jrz1

Do the EVO 3/L fit in a C6?

ghoffman

Yes, if you are not that tall. The width prevents it from going really low. Our rails can do it, but it requires a $25 additional charge for a spacer and longer bolts for it. It is a shoehorn job, and may require a trimming of the fiberglass part of the seat.

jrz1

Guess it won't work. Almost 6'4". Need something for wide & tall! I'm a 38-40" waist. Closer to 38" right now.

C6RAPTOR

I am working with Aaron Pfadt of PFADT Racing www.pfadtracing.com on mounts and Cobra seats for my C6.
He has the answer to the air bad & steering wheel wire harness problem. He also has mounting hardware for larger Sparco Evo L and Cobra GT seats that are made for us drivers with bigger behinds.
I also have a PFADT Roll Bar for my C6. Your Recaro seats look real nice.