Race Seats

[Jim Smolka]

Has anyone installed the Corbeau "Forza" seat into their 914? If so, what do you think of the seat and how easy to install?

Thanks in advance

[campbellcj]

Hi Jim,

I have the Forza's in my 914. They fit very well. (I do have the backpad out though.) A bunch of pics and some commentary of the installation are here:
http://www.nosubstitute.org/914/seats

Although they seem decently well made, lightweight (16lbs) and good looking and are probably the best bet at this price point (~$220/ea), they are not terribly comfortable. Not brutal, but not exactly like a $1000 Recaro or Sparco either.

They fit my body extremely well - I'm about 5'10" and 190lbs, fairly thick build. Under high-g loads they hold you in place wonderfully. The issue is that this seat, and a lot of the other 'entry level' ones like the Sparco Sprint, are steel tube frame seats, which translates to mean that they are a tubular frame (duh) simply covered by elastic webbing and cloth. There is no bottom or back to speak of. It's not that far off from those old folding lawn/pool chairs, if you think about it.

Next time around, I'd spend a few extra bones to get a comparable size/design in a fiberglass or kevlar shell seat. The support and strength are much better. There are Momo and Cobra fiberglass seats around $300-350 that are almost identical designs to the Forza but have a full shell, or at least a shell back (and a webbed bottom).

The Kirkey aluminum race seats also have a huge fan base, but AFAIK they are not really streetable -- they have really huge and high bolsters -- and are also not FIA approved. There are rumors of SCCA and maybe even PCA/POC/etc requiring FIA approved seats in the near future.

HTH,


------------------
Chris C.
73 914 2.0
70 911E Targa
campbell.chris@gte.net

[John Rogers]

I had the same Corbeau mounting as mentioned for the driver's seat in my race car but went to an aluminum seat as it can be wider inside with the same outside dimensions. I used an Ultra Shield seat and it works great. I did away with the adjustable track since the vintage organizations and the San Diego SCCA scruteneers both require the seat to be mounted "solidly". They take that to mean if it can be moved or shook in any way, it fails. I would be concerned too, about a rear end hit as the seat would probably fly backwards. The big issue with the SCCA GCRs is the seat back brace since the FIA no longer requires it and the carbon and other composit seats that are FIA approved are not supposed to have a rigid back brace as they are meant to flex, upwards of 50Gs! According to our tech folks, the seat back brace will be dropped for FIA approved seats next year and required for all others. This is really only a concern for wheel to wheel racing and is not a factor for an auto-x or time trial car. If you were in the SD area I would let you try the one I just took out with the adapter and rails to see how you like it. Good luck.

[Jim Smolka]

Thanks for the information.

Next question,

PCA requires some type of seat support to be added. Can this be added to a tube frame type seat???

Thanks

[John Rogers]

The Corbeau seat I just took out has a metal plate in the back that goes between the side tubes for a brace to fit against. You just have to line everything up.

[Brant]

Jim,
I also have the same seat in my club race car. I also have the back pad removed but this took place prior on account of the rollbar installation.

I remounted the seat about 4 times to get it just as I wanted. I certainly was a pain, but will fit in there just fine if your willing to go through all of the fabrication work. I now have mine on the floor with no sliders in order to create more headroom. I'm using a homemade front mount to give the seat some rake. I tried it flat on the floor first and found it a poor match for my sight lines and comfort.

For a seat brace, I also have a home fabricated unit. It's adjustable by going through the firewall, but this is unnecessary as my seat is now fixed. At the meeting point of the seat and the brace, I have a 16 inch wide plate that wraps around the edges of the seat. Thus it is spanning both of the seat frame tubes and will not stab me in the back if I should ever need to use it.

I also did some modifications to the floor of the car that were probably unnecessary in my final version so I won't bore you with them.

brant

[Jim Smolka]

I am also looking @ the Ultra Shield (www.ultrashieldrace.com) seat called "Pro Road Race Seat" It has .125 Alum construction, and foam on the sides and bottom. I assume a 16" base for a standard 5'10" Frame person is ok.

Has anyone tried this seat in a 914???

Q. Would one chose the 10 degrees or 20 degree layback???

[John Rogers]

Well, well, well, that is the seat I bought to replace the Corbeau I just took out. My daughter is bigger than I am and you can get the Ultra Shield seat 18 inches wide inside and it will still fit with the emergency brake and shifter clearing on both sides. Price is pretty good too and it seems really well made. I used some 1 1/2 x 1/4 steel to make a mount that bolts to the floor and uses three bolts on each side to secure the seat to the mount. The cross box keeps it from getting right on the floor, but we now have plenty of room for both of us. Dave Turner Motorsports in San Diego has used them for years and he recommends them. Some will say get a fiberglass or carbon seat, but a 914 is not going to be doing 180 MPH plus and I think a well mounted aluminum seat will work fine. I'll get some pictures and an article together when I am done. Good luck.

[Howard R]

Does anyone know whether a Sparco Ultra seat will fit using the standard seat rails and with the backpadding in place? I have modified the backpadding by removing the padding, fibreglassing the whole thing together and covering it in stretchy carpet. This allows a bit more room.

Howard
71 914/6