Let's talk about seats for the Track

[MaxD]

Originally Posted by thstone

As you can see, I never talked about what NASA or PCA requires. I talk about what you and your wife and your family require. And they require that you come home healthy after every track weekend. Period. End of story. End of discussion. There is no leeway for them in that requirement. You HAVE to come home safe. So do it right and then you won't have to worry about whether your equipment is up to the task of protecting you.

The best advice so far!

Maytag - I ran fixed back seats (Recaro Profi SPG) in my Boxster and M3 for years on the street as they were dual purpose cars. No issues, just a little harder to get in and out of the car.

As other have said, sit in as many seats as you can to find one that works for you.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by MaxD

The best advice so far!

Maytag - I ran fixed back seats (Recaro Profi SPG) in my Boxster and M3 for years on the street as they were dual purpose cars. No issues, just a little harder to get in and out of the car.

As other have said, sit in as many seats as you can to find one that works for you.

I'ma go sit in YOUR seat.....
Maybe I'm wrong, but I sorta THINK of us as similar size?

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by maytag

I'ma go sit in YOUR seat.....
Maybe I'm wrong, but I sorta THINK of us as similar size?

For me, Recaro Profi SPG (non-XL version) was like a child seat - the shoulder belt holes were in the right location and Shoulder wings were a good fit. (vs Recaro Pole Position which was too low) but my butt could barely fit in the seat, 36" waist, 34" inseam, 6'2" 240-245 pounds. But I could fit if I jammed in there very tight. I used to have one on my passenger side but I sold it and replaced with another Profi XL. If your waist is smaller it might be a great fit for you

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by thstone

Sorry, I'm late (again) to the party!

Rule #1 is never skimp on safety equipment. And that includes your seat.

I wouldn't use an eBay knockoff seat on the track regardless of the level of event (DE, TT, or racing). They are worse than a stock seat.

Furthermore, I wouldn't use a an eBay knockoff seat on the street.

Why? Because a knock off seat has no safety testing.

Would your wife want you risking your health just save $300-$500? Impact testing is important. That is why car manufacturers (and true race component manufacturers) do it.

So where does this leave you? There are a couple of options.

First, you could buy authentic Porsche seats like the 996 GT-3 seats. But they are expensive.

Second, you could buy a racing seat from a reputable component manufacturer that is FIA certified. That means it's been safety tested.

There are two other options that might work but aren't good ideas:

Not Good Idea #1: Buy a new or used FIA racing seat that is out of date (the certification has expired). The seat is most likely perfectly good and safe to use on the track, but most officials won't be pleased if they find the certification expired. The truth is that you can probably get away with it in TT, but its not a good idea.

Not Good Idea #2: Buy a sport seat from a well known and reputable manufacturer. The problem with sport seats is that most do not have the bottom cushion cut out for the sub belt(s), aka a seat designed for a four-point harness. If you're going to use harnesses, then you need to use a 5 or 6-pt belt system to keep you in the seat.

Believe me, when I put seats and harnesses in my street Boxster to make it more of a track car, I hated spending $700 on a FIA seat, $200 on a 6-pt harness, $200 in mounts, and $250 for installation. And then I spent the exact same amount for the passenger side.

And those were the same components in the car when I had two racing incidents. I'm not saying that something will happen, but you never know. Neither of those incidents were my fault, both times someone else royally screwed up and collected me. But I sure was glad that I had really good equipment when it happened (and I walked away with no injuries except a couple of bruises both times).

As you can see, I never talked about what NASA or PCA requires. I talk about what you and your wife and your family require. And they require that you come home healthy after every track weekend. Period. End of story. End of discussion. There is no leeway for them in that requirement. You HAVE to come home safe. So do it right and then you won't have to worry about whether your equipment is up to the task of protecting you.

Tom,

What is your take on proper seat mounting, bolting to the floor or otherwise. There are some discussions below.

[Quadcammer]

proper seat mounting? Do you mean like sliders vs planted mounts or?

Maytag, for a dual purpose car, the recaro 996 "alien" seats are perfection. They are expensive, but they don't loose value, so consider them a bank account that you sit on. Plus they bolt right in.

[jmitro]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

Maytag, for a dual purpose car, the recaro 996 "alien" seats are perfection. They are expensive, but they don't loose value, so consider them a bank account that you sit on. Plus they bolt right in.

would you say they are comfortable enough to use on a daily basis but also supportive enough to be used as track seats?

do they bolt straight to the stock sliders?

[Quadcammer]

I would say yes, they are comfy for every day, but that depends on a few things. They are, like most fixed back seats, a bit tricky to get into and out of and if you are daily driving several hours, you may grow tired of them. For a 30 minute commute, no problems.

They are also supportive at the track, no issues there.

They come with sliders, so its literally a bolt in affair.

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

They come with sliders, so its literally a bolt in affair.

I almost never seen them come up for sale without the sliders and sometimes they even have seat belt receptacles too. Usually for around $3000. I have sat in several of them and they feel good to me. It was just a happenstance that I ended up with Recaro Profi XL as I was looking for these.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by maytag

Question:
When you took the plunge to put a fixed position racing seat in your street boxster, did you also do a roll cage? And did it remain your street boxster?
I'm wondering how a racing seat will get along on the street.

No, I installed racing seats and harnesses without a roll cage. I used the stock 3-pt belts when I drove on the street and the 6-pt harness when I was on the track. Otherwise the car was stock (see photo).

The only problem with a racing seat on the street is that you have to lift your butt up to get over the tall side when you get in/out. Also, it might take a little practice to get the seat belt into the stock seat belt receptacle (which is between the tall seat side and the center console. Otherwise, it worked great and was comfortable for even 6 hour drives.

This seat was installed using the stock slider and a Brey-Krause seat mount (adapter).

The harnesses hadn't been installed yet when this photo was taken:

[maytag]

Originally Posted by thstone

No, I installed racing seats and harnesses without a roll cage. I used the stock 3-pt belts when I drove on the street and the 6-pt harness when I was on the track. Otherwise the car was stock (see photo).

The only problem with a racing seat on the street is that you have to lift your butt up to get over the tall side when you get in/out. Also, it might take a little practice to get the seat belt into the stock seat belt receptacle (which is between the tall seat side and the center console. Otherwise, it worked great and was comfortable for even 6 hour drives.

This seat was installed using the stock slider and a Brey-Krause seat mount (adapter).

The harnesses hadn't been installed yet when this photo was taken:

Nice!

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[MaxD]

Originally Posted by thstone

This seat was installed using the stock slider and a Brey-Krause seat mount (adapter).

With the stock or any aftermarket slider the seat may be a bit high for some and you may not pass the "broomstick test" with the stock roll bar.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by MaxD

With the stock or any aftermarket slider the seat may be a bit high for some and you may not pass the "broomstick test" with the stock roll bar.

Yes, this can be a problem for taller drivers (I am pretty average in height at 5'10"). The easy first step is to modify the mounting holes in the BK mount to lower the seat. That can probably buy an inch or so.

Of course, there is only so much adjustment that can be gained from off the shelf components, so if you're as tall as a sasquatch, then you might need to delete the slider entirely or create a custom mounting solution.

[NewArt]

Originally Posted by thstone

Yes, this can be a problem for taller drivers (I am pretty average in height at 5'10"). The easy first step is to modify the mounting holes in the BK mount to lower the seat. That can probably buy an inch or so.

Of course, there is only so much adjustment that can be gained from off the shelf components, so if you're as tall as a sasquatch, then you might need to delete the slider entirely or create a custom mounting solution.

And, of course, there’s always the Brey-Krause roll bar extension which adds a couple of inches of clearance. The top, hard or soft, closes over it with no problem.

[McSpooney]

My seat experience:
I’m a bout 5’10”, but a very high waist. When I shopped around for seats I went to my local race shop and sat in all the seats I could. Arrived at sparco rev 2s. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the rev 2 is a super tall seat, but I got a pretty nice deal from rallymerchandise.eu.

Got second hand Brey Krause brackets and tried to mount. The width of the seat put it right against the center console. The height with sliders had it protruding above the roll bar. Brey Krause sells brackets with sub strap to replace the stock sliders... I ended up having to use them to hard mount. The adjustment range with these brackets is too far between increments... could never get the exact right distance from the pedals, but found a spot that is almost perfect.

Got a schroth profi 2x2 harness of ebay a few months later and rev 2 head and neck restraint. People don’t tell you when you get a seat for track duty, but it’s kind of a slippery slope. You get the seat. Feel awesome. Figure it’s easy to throw in a harness. Then realize to use the harness on track, you should use head and neck restraint.

If you keep track of how much this probably cost... and consider I did both seats, I’m somewhere near 2k all in. That said... absolutely love this setup. Track seats are a must. Harness helps a lot too. Rev 2s are too damn tall for me, but width wise, my 33 in waist is actually also too small... but it still grips so good and is pretty comfortable when not on track. I clip and Unclip in the harness when I get to track events, just leaving in the top straps behind my seat when I’m not at the track. Love the setup. Would recommend.

As others mentioned, it is not easy getting in and out of the car, especially with stock steering wheel, but you learn the technique. I still use my 3 pt when I’m not at the track. It’s weird though because I strap through the seat on the outboard side, over the seat on the inboard side. Velcro to keep the buckle in the right spot. Still requires a special technique to buckle properly. Anyway, hoping my experience helps someone.