Racing seats on the cheap?

[99 Boxcutter]

Are these any good?
2 x Type R Fully Reclinable Woven Upholstery Racing Seat Seats Slider Red Stitch | eBay

[ChrisZang]

usually the saying is "you get what you pay for"...

[jacabean]

total garbage . not fit for a boxster . the best ones i have seen are from Rotec .

[Johnny Danger]

I can't imagine that a pair of race seats costing less than $250 (not to mention free shipping) would have any semblance of quality.

[99 Boxcutter]

Originally Posted by jacabean

total garbage . not fit for a boxster . the best ones i have seen are from Rotec .

Yea, but those are definitely NOT on the cheap :ah:

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by jacabean

total garbage . not fit for a boxster . the best ones i have seen are from Rotec .

Even the Rotec seats are stretchy. If you want a high quality aftermarket seat - checkout Status Racing.


http://www.statusracing.com/blog/

[Perfectlap]

Those are not racing seats. Racing seats do not crumple into your sides like a Pepsi can.
Even cheap legit racing seats meet only the most minimal of racing standards. Your stock seats are substantially safer. A lower priced Momo or OMP seat is probably fine for a car that is not street driven but in a serious road accident with an SUV you'd have problems.

[Stroked & Blown]

'Cheap' and 'racing' should not be used in the same sentence unless followed by 'slow', 'broken', or 'dead'.

[Homeboy981]

At our last North Texas Boxster club meeting that was hosted at Top Speed…John had some pretty nice racing seats for around $350 for BOTH.

We all sat in them and they were snug. Material seemed like it was suitable. If you have copious amounts of cash…go for the GT3 seats. If not, these may be a better alternative than some of the ebay junk.

Although you can take corners and stay planted firmly in the seat…it IS going to make entry and exits from the vehicle much more of a chore.

Here is a pic of a friend's $1200 GT3 seats...

[Perfectlap]

Keep on eye out for used GT3 seats on the Porsche forums. They usually go for $2K in lightly used condition since most only use them on track days. some folks will spend that on wheels without a second thought and that's not really safety equipment. You should also take into account that the factory GT3 seats are "plug and play" unlike aftermarket seats you don't need to install special mounting hardware which is never cheap. The GT3 seats bolt right into the existing holes, you can swap them out in 15 minutes per side with a torx bit and socket wrench. And you'll easily get all or nearly all of your money back when you sell them since they are popular with the track guys and the folks who just want the look.

If you want a nicer look rather than going for the replica GT3 seats adding the body color painted sport seat backs with the hearest 'wings' to your OEM seats is a better way to go.

[thstone]

I'd recommend not doing anything related to safety on the cheap. Racing seats are expensive because they are engineered to keep you safe in the worst instances.

There are two things to check when buying a racing seat;

1. Safety - The best racing seats are FIA homologated. This means that the seat is safe for track use and won't come apart in an accident. Without this, you are trusting the manufacturer (often some unknown Chinese company) with your life. This was not for me.

2. Mount - Even a seat that comes with sliders will usually require a custom mount as an interface between the slider and the mounting holes in the chassis. You'd think that there would be some kind of standard but there isn't. You might get lucky and find an existing mount that works but that is more the exception than the rule.

Also, the mount can't be made from whatever spare metal stock that you might have laying around the workshop because the mount and the bolts used need to be 110% capable of handling the loads that occur in an accident. Hence, you might want to have a shop familar with racing do this work for you.

Pics: Sparco Pro2000 Plus seats and 6-pt Schroth harnesses. The stock seat belts and receptacles are retained so I don't have to use the 6-pt harness on the street. Ingress/egress is a bit more difficult in a seat like this (note where the black fabric is worn off of the drivers left side bolster from rubbing each time I get in/out) but this setup is PERFECT for track driving.

The lower pic shows the mounting system: Racing seat to Brey-Krause side mounts which attach to the slider which attaches to a custom floor mount.

Safety isn't cheap. Seats + side mounts + sliders + custom floor mount + labor = $2,400. Racing harnesses + mounting = $800.

[99 Boxcutter]

OK, safety first... But performance wise, whats the difference between some cheaps seats and the GT3's?

In reality, my stock seats have dry rot and molded and I figured it would be kinda cool to throw some racing seats in. I go to the track 2 or 3 times a year.

[Homeboy981]

It takes commitment getting in and out…once you are in, you're in! You could drink a cup of coffee in a turn with those seats.

However, you can see (from pic below) how the bolsters will wear out. And those are the expensive ones! You can call John at Top Speed and find out what he has. Please report your findings back to us.

[MConte05]

Check out Bimarco seats. They are FIA approved, and have used them in a few rally cars. My friend has them for his car, full bucket, FIA approved, with "halos" for the helmets, all for under $950 shipped for two of them. I imagine their non-halo seats are much cheaper. Plus you can get them embroidered and in any color scheme you want. Great people to work with. Just expect to have to wait about 2 weeks to get them. The quality is fantastic too. The padding isn't as good as my Sparcos, but that's something that can easily be changed out.

[aneal000]

So it looks like you can get Bimarco seats on eBay pretty cheap. $199 each for the Cobra 2. Anyone else every tried these? It seems my stock seats were a big weakness at my last track day. I think I felt the springs in the bottom!

Not really wanting to spend $2k on the GT3 seats, but $5-600 isn't out of the question if these are reputable and decent. Does anyone know what else would be needed? Custom brackets/mounts? Can you buy them for the car specific or is this something you would have to have a shop make? Also the airbag light? What is the procedure for keeping this from coming on when the seat is removed?

[steved0x]

I have sat in the Bimarco Futura (tight) and Bimarco Grip (snug) I am 6'2" 240# 36" waist and wide shoulders. Compare your measurements to mine and the Cobra to those seats. Note the Cobra is not FIA certified and is 3-4 pt harness only, not an issue if using 3 pt belt.

Easy mounting? Get a set of OEM sliders and extra seat belt receptacles from Woody and a pair of planted or sabelt universal side mounts and you should be good to go, possibly even with no drilling

[stelan]

I had a set of similar cheap "racing" seats on mk1 vw and they were way better than stock ones and looked cool, mine were vinyl and not woven and they never looked worn or bad, they were cheap and light weight.

On the Boxster I love my stock porsche seats now that I got them re-upholstered in leather but they were crappy when I bought the car.

Can't comment on racing because I do not race.

[DWBOX2000]

Anyone know what the 986 boxster seat weighs? Just curious since I am tinkering with the idea of getting the weight down.
Thanks

[thstone]

Originally Posted by DWBOX2000

Anyone know what the 986 boxster seat weighs? Just curious since I am tinkering with the idea of getting the weight down.
Thanks

The stock Boxster seat (power recliner but manual slider) weighs about 35lbs - it is surprisingly heavy! The optional full power seat is even heavier.

Sports-styled and real racing seats will be much lighter but be sure to include the mount, slider, and adapter (which might be needed). Those components will add weight that isn't quoted in the seat weight alone.