Originally Posted by thstone (Post 612838)

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.

Originally Posted by MaxD (Post 612849)

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.

Originally Posted by maytag (Post 612851)

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

Originally Posted by thstone (Post 612838)

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Not Good Idea #1: Buy a new or used FIA racing seat that is out of date (the certification has expired).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.

Originally Posted by Quadcammer (Post 613027)

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.

Originally Posted by Quadcammer (Post 613053)

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

Originally Posted by maytag (Post 612839)

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.

Originally Posted by thstone (Post 613221)

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:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1584072513.jpg

Originally Posted by thstone (Post 613221)

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

Originally Posted by MaxD (Post 613279)

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.

Originally Posted by thstone (Post 613410)

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.