I’m getting to the point where it’s getting a bit unsafe and nerve racking with the speeds I’m carrying around the track so I want to make the plunge in to some safety equipment.
The main reason why I haven’t done it yet is because I do have lower back problems. I’ve been rear ended and side hit and that has left me with 6 messed up disks in my back but most of the discomfort is in my lower back.
What I find the most comfortable is basically the opposite of what a fixed back does, that is, I recline a lot and have the lumbar support all the way out (still with my butt all the way back). I have not seen or sat on any bucket seat that is desing with even the slightest bit of recline.

But I’m sure I’m not the only one to have dealt with this so I’m hoping you guys can share how you’ve overcome back/lower back issues doing this crazy hobby…
Is there any particular seat or seats I should be looking at?

The only seats I have experience with are Sparco and Bride. Someone told me the Recaro’s are a bit more comfortable but haven’t tried one yet because I have not found a place that has them in stock to test out.

Besides that I plan on doing a roll bar or 1/2 cage (still street drive it a bit), some kind of fire system (I keep one of those hand held ones but probably safer to have a dedicated pull/push or auto system) and new harnesses.

 

Don't know which car you have, but my C7 seats are less comfortable that the Sparco Grid-Q seats are currently have installed. I've sat in them for an hour and a half going to and from work and have zero complaints. The angle of the back is just perfect in my opinion and the removable cushions allow you some customization.

 

Ah yes forgot to mention that it’s a C7 as well

 

don’t the grid-q have the same back as the QRT?
I had the qrt in my Camaro and bearable but not comfortable

 

You can/could get lumbar pad for the Sparco fixed back seats that just velcro in place so you can get them just how you want.

 

They are built using the QRT technology. I have found that your back will hurt if you don't get enough recline. Race seats need to be reclined back so that yoir kinda sitting in a bowl. If it's too upright it will hurt.

 

In the same boat as you. low back fused, 5 vertebra with rods. I wasn't going to let back discomfort get the best of me. Tried Sparco, Racetech, Recaro and Momo.

Ended up with this seat. Tillett B6 Scearmer. Amazing
If you need an easier seat to get in and out of , Tillett B2

 

Thats very surprising, I would have never thought a bare carbon seat was comfortable.
Don’t you slide around?

 

No.

 

Looking at the Tillet seats they do look like the have more recline built in then any other fixed back seat I’ve seen, at least from pictures because I’ve never seen one in real life

 

You can also tilt the seat in its mount so the back is tilted. This provides another advantage since the butt area is also tilted so the seat cups your body. I used to have an Ultrashield Aluminum Racing Seat with a 10-degree back Vs the standard 20-degree. I used it in the passenger position so I could give students or other people track rides. By tilting the complete seat backward so the back was at the same angle as the driver's 20 degree seat I was able to handle a larger variation in passenger sizes. Both Ultrashield and Kirkey make Custom Seats and may make them with a Custom layback. Kirkey even offers a standard road race containment seat that has an adjustable layback that varies from 18 to 23 degrees.

Bill

 

Note how much tilt back into the seat, then able to get more in the bracket adjustment.

 

yes that’s definitely a lot more recline then the average race seat!
where did you purchase the seat and what mounts/rails did you use?

 

Built my side and floor mounts. Bought the Tillett side mounts, they are not bent 90 degrees and did not work for me. .
Videos of what I did:

 

I can't imagine w/ your back problem going w/ any non-adjustable seat. Here is the Kirkey seat
SEAT KIT - 16" ADJUSTABLE LAYBACK ROAD RACE & BLACK COVER - Kirkey Racing Seats
In a previous car I had an Ultrashield seat. Very similar to Kirkey. WHat I liked was that I could modify it by cutting and welding. The cover is located by snaps so changing foam is super easy to do. Want more lumbar support? Cut a piece of foam and stick it in there. Drive it, adjust it, drive it, etc. Once it is perfect, a little glue or double sided tape makes it semi permanent. There are many aftermarket seats that are adjustable. They may not have the retention of an aluminum race seat but OTOH they are usually a lot easier to get in and out of.

 

The Tillett seats don't have any crash test ratings from what I remember. Something to keep in mind.

 

Look at the the above photo, you can see the FIA sticker.

 

Another update.
I ended up buying a pair of Sparco QRT-R from a local buddy for low enough price that I figured that I’d might as well give them a try.
I installed the drivers side only (I MAY use the other one in my other car if this works out) with AMT mounts and no sliders.

I had a really hard time getting enough tilt on the seat with the AMT mount and even reached out to Mark to see if anything else could be done (much appreciated Mark!) but ultimately it’s the seat problem and not the mount itself.
Sparco changed the mounting locations on the new QRT seats and moved them up in comparison to older Sparco seats, or at least this is what I could gather.
Anyway, after much fiddling and adjusting I got it to a pretty good position but again missing a bit of recline for my taste.

After driving around for a bit with the seat as it came from Sparco I was very uncomfortable, felt like I was sitting like a hunchback and my back got stiff fast.
So not wanting to give up I took some of the advice in the thread and purchased cushion memory foam in several thicknesses from Amazon and got to work on adding pieces of foam behind the seat back cushion to add way more lumbar curve and taper it as it goes up as it should. Ended up using a combination of 2” and 1” foam to make the added lumbar support.

Im happy to say that I now find the Sparco seat more comfortable then the stock seat for my back. On longer drives the shoulder pads can get annoying and in my seating position is not as comfortable to shift as the shoulder pads keep my arm from moving back. But honestly even with those complaints I’d rather the Sparco seat over the oem Comp seat.
I also changed my harness setup for a true 6 point with 2” belts and that plus the seat made a big difference on track driving. Also kept the stock seat belt and used 10” a seatbelt buckle I found on EBay (came with a whole belt system kit) for street driving.

So all in all happy with the switch but I would like to add sliders to make it easier to get in and out of the car (specially in my garage I can’t fully open the door without hitting something)and hopefully a way to add a bit more recline

 

Can anyone suggest another mount setup that can be used with these QRT seats, a 6 point harness sliders?
I wish there was a way to add them to the AMT mount.

 

Some models are FIA certified (B6), some models are not (B5).