PeteC7

Over the last year I've seen a couple threads pop up on this topic but I'm still pondering what to do. I have a C7 GS with the GT seats. I wanted the competition seats but they were hard to find on dealer lots. I wouldn't say the GT seats are bad but I can tell I'm using a lot of leg muscles to hold myself in place by how sore they are the next day.

So I'm curious what people think about the roughly $2k cost to do the comp seat conversion for HPDE? Another twist to add is I'm currently using an open face helmet and would like to upgrade to a full face with a hans system (I know very little about these and that will be my next research project). A second twist would be a shark bar type arrangement and harness. I've actually seen some people run a shark bar and harness with the GT seats but I think the comp seat holes would make for a better harness arrangement. So to summarize I'm looking for input on:

1) Competition seat conversion?
2) Comp seat with hans and stock 3 point seatbelt?
3) Comp seat with hands and a shark bar type arrangement plus harness?
4) Better option that I don't know about

I'm trying to look a couple steps a head before doing a mod that I might regret. For reference I'm 6'2", 34 waist, and did the Ron Fellows school in the comp seats and thought they felt comfortable. Thanks.

rocsvette

I have a C7GS with the competition seats and they are very comfortable for us for travel and an immense improvement over those in my 06Z06. I was on the fence until I found out they could be done in the seeded material and are cooled as well as heated. Not sure if I will do the harness bar for this car but like having the option. If you have the stock seats you would need to put the pass-throughs in and I’ve seen pictures where that’s been done.

fleming23

Don't waste 2k on competition seats. You can spend less money than that on a good race seat (preferrably a halo) and swap it in when you want to go to the track. You mentioned neck restraints/hans, so presumably harnesses unless you buy the Simpson Hybrid, and the stock seat will never be good with 5 or 6 point belts. I used my competition seat for a while with the BK lap belt mounts and sat on the crotch belts to get the 6 point. It works but is not the best choice. If I had GT seats and wanted to upgrade I would absolutely buy a safer, fixed back seat and just swap it in and out as needed. If you pop the top, you can get the seat out and the new seat in, in roughly 30 minutes, maybe 45 if you take your time.

Poor-sha

My 2015 C7Z came with GT seats, sometime in year 2 I did the comp seat conversion, and now my 2017 C7Z came with comp seats (I bought it off the lot). I'm a big guy and in general I find them both about equally comfortable. My biggest gripe about the C7 seats in general is that the lower side bolster tends to dig in to my left thigh.

On track, I really didn't notice a difference in how well they hold me in place. I still end up using my knee against the door and my elbow against the door panel to hold myself upright. I don't run harnesses and just use the stock seatbelt cinch to get them tight.

If you're going to run a harness you have to make sure the angles are right for the belts. As I recall, you have to be fairly short for either stock seat option to put the harnesses at the correct angle.

Fleming23 - what mount are you using for the HTE-R? How much lower does it let you sit? I had those in my caged C6 Z06.

boltvette

The problem with the comp seats is the seat bottoms are just as flat as the base seats. So if you're bracing yourself around corners, the comps won't help. Your hips will still want to slide, no matter how tightly you cinch the belts down. That includes a harness.

You have two choices. You can go with an aftermarket seat and all of the brackets, mounts, etc. Do your research and test fit before you buy.

OR you can get a set of Angel Pads from Angelwings Tech for a heck of a lot less. They're not the equivalent of a full race seat, but unless you're planning on using your car for the track only, they're a great compromise. They'll work with either the stock 3-point or a harness. And they come with a money-back guarantee.

PeteC7

Fleming23: The dedicated race seat would be heaven but most organizations require the same arrangement for the passenger so now I'm buying two, swapping two, having to find somewhere to store two. I'd be more tempted if their was a C7 kit with the seat, mounting brackets/adapters, belts, etc instead of the a la carte way this seems to be handled.

Poor-sha: I did a ride along in a C7 with a shark bar and harness utilizing the GT seats and it did feel a bit strange in my shoulder area so I didn't like that option. But I figured the harness holes in the comp seats were large enough and located correctly since they appear to be designed to be used with a harness. http://www.vetteworksonline.net/cata...roducts_id=199

boltvette: I looked into the angel pads but couldn't get anyone over there to respond to me when I inquired on what size to get (I think they had two different thicknesses?). That was a few months ago and I may try again since that is definitely an inexpensive option.

fleming23

I'm using Marrad rails but if I were to buy today, I would buy AMT rails from Mark as they are basically the same thing. I'm definitely lower by a decent margin and I still have the cushion in the bottom of my OMP seat so could go lower if needed. When I swap the stock seat back in it feels like I am sitting on top of a booster seat, but I've never tried to measure the difference. I can attempt to give you a bottom of seat cushion to ceiling distance with a laser tape if you would like. PM me.

Mark@AMT Motorsport

Padron me sir! They're not there same thing!

Well ok maybe they are. They are the same in that they both mount a side mount seat low to the floor. Key differences are however:


Ours flush mount hex screws through the side brackets which eliminates a wrench at install (which is a pretty big deal when you're trying to install seats in a caged car) and means there is nothing to stop the seat from going all the way to the floor. I believe Marrad uses flat head screws which are fine, but the captured hex makes the whole thing a bit easier.



Here's the seat all the way down.


Our side brackets can be flipped 90 degrees so you can actually mount the seat higher if you want, or have an extreme lean angle. Point is you have tons of mounting options with ours that you don't have with others. Do you need them all? Perhaps not, but you have them all.


Lastly the side brackets are machined with a radius so they actually lock in with bottom mounts. Any other mount I've seen has the side brackets just sitting on the bolts but ours actually lock in with a mechanical interface. Again, overkill, but that's the way we prefer to do it. Take a little extra machine time to make the best and strongest product we can make.

I think we have two sets left if anyone wants to scoop them up today at 15% off. Just use o
Coupon code "Thanksgiving" at checkout.

fleming23

Okay, "basically the same thing, only better!"

Mark@AMT Motorsport

Now THAT I'll take!

UrbanKnight

Mark,
Any chance you guys make or would make a version with a bolt/stud in the rear? Im a tall guy (6'5") and have a custom seat mount now. We knocked the studs out of the rear seat holes, and welded the bolt into m currently bracketry so that I don;t have to fight the seat or drill it to get to the two rear bolts.

Not sure any bracket could make me any lower or further back, but I always look at options

Mark@AMT Motorsport

Can you send me a picture of your setup? I think I know what you're saying. I could rather easily make a bolt with a flat head that mounts through the floor for you super tall guys who don't mind ripping out your stock seat studs, but I'm not positive if that's what you're talking about.

PeteC7

I see trunkmonkey has the comp seat conversion on sale for $1600 which is very tempting. I wish someone would chime in with experience with the comp seats and a sharkbar & harness arrangement.

Mu$cle

I have the Competition seats and am a fan based on styling, fit and comfort; however, they are not the best solution for me on the track.

As Sean mentions in post #4, before you invest in a comp seat conversion, be sure the comp seats will allow proper shoulder harness alignment for your shoulder height. The shoulder harness needs to come straight through the comp seat openings and across your shoulders. In my case (6'3") the comp seat openings were well below the top of my shoulders. If I were to use a harness with the comp seat, the shoulder harness would pass through the seat openings and have to go up and over my shoulders. A collision would guarantee spine compression - not good!

My solution was based on significant help from Fleming23 and Mark at AMT Motorsport. I use the OMP HTE-R 400 seats (see picture in Fleming23's first post) on AMT Ultra Low Seat Mounts and a Brey Krause (BK) harness bar.

If you were to use the OMP HTE-R seat (halo design, which I would recommend) be sure to get the 400 model as this is the one that will fit in the C7Z with windows up. The difference between the HTE-R and HTE-R 400 is the 400 halo is slightly narrower and not as thick so the outer dimension is less than the non-400.

The AMT seat mounts are very well designed and manufactured, including how they attach to the stock seat studs. I now have significant additional helmet clearance. Be sure to include the optional sub-belt bar.

I'll admit that getting in and out of the race seats is a bit of a challenge at 6'3" 220, but once I'm in, this arrangement holds me in place significantly better than the comp seat with seat belt. I have ridden with a friend who uses the Shark bar, harness and comp seat arrangement which is an improvemnt over the seat belts, but nothing like the OMP seat. If your shoulder height allows the appropriate harness alignment with the comp seat and harness, this is an effective and cost efficient alternative.

I really like the Brey Krause bar because of its substantial structural design and how it attaches to the B-pillar. The BK bar also provides a higher harness location than the Shark bar with a second, higher, attachment point if needed. I use the lower attachment point.

Swapping the OMP seats with the Comp seats during off season, or even between track events, is not a big deal, especially if you have a helper. You will be surprised how much heavier the comp seats are compared to the OMP seat with AMT mount.

I hope this information is helpful, and good luck with your decisions.

FAUEE

Who do you run with that they' let you run 4 point, or improperly routed 5/6 points on a stock seat? Most places will not allow the anti sub belts run around the seat front as it prevents them from working.

I'd go full aftermarket. It will be better in the long run.

Bill Dearborn

There is little difference in construction between the two seats. They use the same frame. The seat back bolsters on the comp seat are no higher than the bolsters on the GT seat but they have a different contour which carries the depth a little further up the seat. If you are using the stock 3 point belt with it fastened tightly in cinch mode there is very little difference in lateral support. With the side bolsters inflated to the max the seat back should hold your upper body in place fairly well. The problem with both seats is the seat bottom doesn't provide lateral support for the legs.

As for using race harnesses and a harness bar with the GT seat don't do it. The hole in the GT seat back is too small for proper use of race harness shoulder belts. If you have 3 inch belts they take up all the room and then have to go around your neck when they come out of the seat. That twists the belt and deflects the belt around the edges of the hole. Twisting the belt weakens it (fold a belt in half and you cut its strength in half). Deflections in the belt path from the mounting point on the bar to the point it goes over you shoulders make what ever deflects the belt part of the harness system and it will have impact forces applied to it when something happens. That means that part of the seat could fail which would increase the forward movement of your body as you would gain a few inches of slack.

Now for the Comp Seat. The seat belt pass through holes are about 4 inches too low for a normally mounted harness bar. The Shark Bar is mounted low and rearward so if you are about 5'11" you can get a proper angle off your shoulders to the mounting point and the belt path will not be deflected by the pass through edges. If you are above 6'0" it is questionable you can use the comp seat for race harnesses as the belt will deflect downward from the mounting point to go through the hole and then back up to go over your shoulder. The following picture shows a friend sitting in my seat with the Schroth Harnesses over his shoulder.



He is several inches taller than I am and you can see he can't use a race harness when in a Comp Seat. The top edges of the belt pass throughs are below his shoulders and significantly deflect the belt path. This was a test fit and he now has race seat in his Z06 since my installation won't work for him. As an instructor if I took him for a ride in my car I would tell him to use the 3 point belts and I would have to use them as well (equal restraint and seat rule).

Now for the BK bar. It has two levels to mount the race shoulder harnesses. It has a level that would work with a proper race seat and it has a level that is about the same height as the Shark Bar so it can work with the Comp Seat.

Which harness should you use. If you have a race seat you can use a normal 6 point harness (don't even think about 5 point they have been outmoded for at least 20 years). I use the Comp Seat in my car and I use the Schroth Profi II ASM 4 point that has the ability to be used as a 6 point if you buy the antisub belt. I have the antisub belts but only use them if I am attending an NCM event since for some reason they don't approve of the ASM belt which is not the typical 4 point tuner belt. They ignore Schroth crash test data and look at your crotch Vs looking at the mounting point for your shoulder harnesses which are the important things to look at. I use the BK lap belt mounts for mounting the lap belts and and antisub straps if I use them. The lap and sub belts are clip in while the shoulder harnesses are wrapped on the harness bar. When using the anti sub belt the belts are mounted at the same point the lap belts are mounted and I sit on the anti sub belt (you will find this is an acceptable configuration in the Schroth Competition Instructions). The reason you don't need the anti sub belt with the Schroth belts is one of the shoulder harnesses has a loop sewn in it that releases in an impact and lets one side of your upper body pivot forward and around the other shoulder harness. This makes the system act like the time honored 3 point system works in a crash. It lets the body move slightly upward which reduces the possibility of it sliding under the lap belt. All you have to do to benefit from this design is fasten the lap belt tightly and properly across the pelvic girdle. It shouldn't be riding on top of a beer belly. Lift the beer belly and place the belt across the hips and then let the blubber drop.

One other thing about the race harness. In a Corvette you need to have a pull up installation. Pull down belts are almost impossible to tighten. You can't pull them down on the inside by the console and you don't have a long enough arm to reach out of the door side to tighten them. However, when using pull up belts you have to ensure the adjustment slides are not mounted in the lap belt pass throughs on a race seat. If they are located in the pass through when your body moves forward in an impact and stretches the belt the slide release may catch on the pass through and release the lap belt.

One thing you don't want to do is to locate the lap belt and sub belt mounts behind the seat. This violates the installation guidelines for the lap belts since it changes the angle at which the lap belt comes across your hips. The available mounts aren't wide enough so you also end up with the lap belt wrapping around the back side of the seat. As for the antisub belt it can be damaged coming through the gap between the seat back and the seat base. I can place my hand in there and feel some sharp edges. A marketing picture shown on one web site actually shows a damaged anti sub belt.

I have been using the Comp Seat with the Shark Bar and the Schroth Profi II ASM belts for two seasons now and am happy with them. I believe they will support me if I am involved in an incident.

Here is a link to the Schroth Competition Instructions:
https://www.schrothracing.com/docs/C...structions.pdf They are the most detailed instructions available at this time showing the different approved installations and the NON Approved installations.

I have been using a HANS for almost 10 years. I paid $50 to get it recertified when its certification expired. It works well and isn't too uncomfortable but one thing you need to remember is it doesn't do a damned bit of good if you don't hook the straps to your helmet.

One of the issues with the stock seats is the lack of lateral support for the legs. I resolved that problem this last season by using some high density fire resistant foam to build a 2 inch thick door cushion that velcros to the door, fits over the seat bottom bolster and runs along my thigh which keeps my leg in line with the seat. I still push against the cushion and the center console with my legs but it is more like the way I used to push against the seat bottom bolsters in the Ultrashield race seat that I used in my C5Z and C6Z. I have a bad knee and when using the clutch if it is at a bad angle the knee can be painful. The cushion keeps my knee straight.

Bill

ncstingray

What would you guys recommended for a dedicated C7 track car for seats, harness bar and harnesses?

PeteC7

Thanks Bill. I've officially removed the comp seat conversion off of my list. Being tall I see the problem I'm going to have with the belts and I'm thinking it's not going to be a drastic improvement. I'm glad I checked in here before doing it!

I'm going to check out that OMP seat but before I go that far I think I'm going to give a set of those Anglewing pads a try.

Mu$cle

My recommendation is: OMP HTE-R 400 seats (see picture in Fleming23's first post) on AMT Motorsport's Ultra Low Seat Mounts, Brey Krause harness bar and Schroth Profi II-6 harness. I also use the Schroth SHR FLEX neck protector.

vicomel

I just picked up my new C7 GS two days ago. This will be a dedicated track car. The car has the GT seats and I had planned to do the Comp seat conversion and put in a harness bar for my HANS. I sat in a C7 Comp seat and the bottom of the bolster was about 1 inch above the top of my shoulder, so I figured the Comp seat conversion would work. I am just over 6 ft tall with a 31 inch inseam. Now I am thinking I better make sure the retrofit will work before I order it, or if I should even go this route. Are the bolster locations the same for the GM Comp seats and the conversion kits? Part of the reason that I was not going with new race seats was that I thought there would be issues with air bag codes/etc. if the GT seats were removed. Based on the thread, it sounds like switching out the GT seats for race seats should not be a big deal. Is this correct?