How about some seat discussion?

[kyle242gt]

Hi all - my post history will reveal me as a well-meaning, but uninformed, enthusiast.

And my experience with other marques has done little to prepare me for the pedigree and entry cost of owning an exotic.

With that self-deprecating preamble out of the way, seriously, what's with these seats?

I have an 80 SC with stock seats in a really nifty navy blue. They have roughly as much thigh and side support as my 67 Buick's bench, and a lot less shoulder support.

Prepping for track days next year, I bought a Momo seat from a fellow Pelican, in matching navy. Now, either my ass has grown (likely) since my last daily driver with a once-piece seat, or this is just suck city. On the upside, I can assure you I have no joint issues with my left shoulder, levering in and out as I do.

Surely there has to be a middle ground, at a reasonable cost. I've seen the OEM sport seats, but the price is frightful. Yes, like SSIs (still on the shopping list) I'm sure I could sell them back for purchase price (or close) but I still balk at my budget track car - slash - entry level exotic costing four digits for seats.

Are there any recommendations out there for one or two piece seats that have shoulder, side, and thigh support that will suit a track car and a daily?

[clutch-monkey]

sparco's have dropped their RRP recently. their PRO2000 seat is around $750 now, with the sprint V being a lot cheaper again (i like the looks of the sprint V but never used them).
they might be worth a look?

[Lukesportsman]

Where does your track/street line rest? Is it 50/50? Do you wanna maximize support and still survive on street OR most comfortable street seat that can still keep you located for some DE use?

Clone seats from TRE/GTS and the like could be possibilities and are often offered in gentleman sizes. I really find my Kirkey to be comfortable in the track car and it comes in ranges from driver skinny 15" to prosperous 19" widths . On the street end, the later sport seats are much more supportive than the standard early seats, though I'm not aesthetically pleased with them in early cars.

[Cajundaddy]

Real racing seats cost money. It doesn't matter if you put them in a Porsche or a Ford Focus. Different body types also have different needs so go to a track day near you and politely ask drivers of similar size how they like their seat. If you don't look like a carjacker they might even let you sit in em. At 5'10" and 175 lbs I favor Recaro and Cobra. I have a long torso and they just feel right. My car is dual purpose and getting in and out is less than graceful but keeps you planted when you need it. Call me crazy but I also prefer a seat that has been tested and meets FIA standards. I like to hang out around the ragged edge and knowing my seat meets racing safety standards is just one more safety layer so I sleep better the night before a track day. YMMV

[nineball]

i was very happy with the 74-80 sport seats i installed in my 83 at the last track event. prior to that i had been using 993 power seats and the difference was night and day. they are really comfortable for daily driving but they shine at the track. usually can get a decent set for around $1000 or so depending on condition.

[Quicksilver]

Because a more race style seat is a pretty fixed thing there is no substitute for sitting in it. So for my first recommendation:
- Sit in as many different seats as possible. Ask people with seats you haven't tried if you can hop in for "a fit".

I have a few other recommendations for a prospective seat purchase.
- Do not get a fiberglass seat unless it is metal reinforced. Fiberglass flexes WAY too much in a crash. Bolts can tear out and it fractures in a really bad accident. (Kevlar or carbon = good)
- No bottom mount seats unless you know that you are bolting into a reinforcing metal frame. Bottom mountings are in tension during a crash and can cause the seat to fail. Side mounts are in shear so any destructive deformation of the mounting points will tend to absorb energy and not pull out.

One of my favorite manufacturers is Cobra. They do not import fiberglass seats and the prices are reasonable.
... And I happen to live a couple miles from the importer. If you ever get down to Orange County the importer is Sube Sports in Huntington Beach. They have a selection of seats setup in the showroom for you to plop down in.

[Ramathorn]

i opted for corbeau trs's in black and blue to match the rest of the interior. there was no way i was going give up the recline as i usually have the baby seat in the back. Its a pretty nice compromise between civilized and track duty. The shoulder and and thigh supports are amazing.

[wayner]

Make sure you also look at outside measurements to be sure that both seats will fit between the driver and passenger doors...

[kyle242gt]

Hi guys - lots of good info here. Guess I should mention I'm 5'9" 165#.

As far as followup - have had it almost a year, have yet to get to the track. Car needs some further maintenance, and I have been distracted by another project. In a perfect world, probably five track days and 4K street miles a year. Obviously, the seat is an important part of enjoying street use... for track days, the red mist can make me pretty comfy regardless.

I ran into an issue with this seat, where the shifter was really close to the right thigh bolster, requiring the seat to be off center. Not a real big deal, but still an issue; these cars are small inside.

The seat I purchased is a Momo 1000 lakes. The bolster height at the front of the seatbottom was the issue. Particularly since I didn't use the thigh cushion, the depth of the seat was overkill (ie hard to get in and out of, a bit confining, but solid support). May also be why it felt narrow at the base - I was sitting farther in it than designed.

Part of the reason I jumped on this was the color was a close enough match for my all blue interior... and past "sight-unsat" seats have worked well in other projects.

Prior to this car, I had an E36M3 with Vader seats, and tracked it a couple times. This are pretty nice sport seats, but not a proper racing seat. Be nice to have just a bit narrower bolster and more shoulder support. That's got me thinking of a two-piece aftermarket seat.

That would bring me to the other benefit of a seat swap - preserve the OEM seat.

As it is, I'm going to work in an hour and going to be sitting on a mediocre blue German park bench. I'll look into some of the recommendations you've provided.

Thanks again!