racing seats pricing

[terry5357]

I went to ebay and did a search for racing seats. Everything I have seen led me to believe that each seat would be $500-$800. What I saw were a bunch of seats that were priced from $150-$400. Whats the deal.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

A quicdk primer on "race seats"...

Reclining seats are NOT race seats, despite what the manufacturers call them, and they will not pass tech for any true racing class. They are, however, great for the "race look" in a street car.

Fixed back seats essentially come in two flavors: FIA certified and not. The FIA seats, at least in road-race applications, do not require a seat-back brace for mounting, for the first five years after construcion (date code on the seat), but the non-FIA seats will require a brace tied into the roll bar.

Construction is the other major factor. There is a tube-style, which is the same way stock seats are built. These usually have foam pads that are upholstered as part of the seat, and are entry level, being hard to find mount points. Next you have injection-molded seats, with an attached upholstry that may or may not be padded. The material may be glass-reinforced, and these are fairly strong and lightweight. Aluminum is another popular construction, also with an attached upholstry. Very simple to mount, as you just drill holes for the bolts, and you're done. The last, which is the priciest, is the carbon-fiber molded seat. Weighs virtually nothing, but costs a ton.

Best source of info on what you need is the rule book for the series you are planning on running. I've seen a LOT of junk on Ebay, and you really want to sit in the seat before you buy. Make sure the seat fits you well, and that it will be comfortable and will hold you firmly in position. I've also seen a lot of knock-off junk on Ebay. Bride seats are a perfect example. The REAL ones are made in Japan, and are extremely fine seats, but there are at least a dozen vendors selling Bride seats that are made elsewhere in southeast Asia, and are not even close to the same thing...

Last thing to consider is that most race series will require you to change to a five- or six-point harness if you do race seats, and that in turn requires a rollbar to mount the shoulder harnesses to.

I went with Ultrashield seats, but if you really want no-compromise protection, check out "The Joie of Seating..." Just let your wallet whimper a little bit before you log on to their website...

 

[terry5357]

thanks for the info

 

[aeraceranthony]

Also, when looking at hanesses, make sure they are SFI approved.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Or FIA. SFI belts are good for two years, but the FIA cert belts are good for seven, IIRC.

 

[terry5357]

A quicdk primer on "race seats"...

Reclining seats are NOT race seats, despite what the manufacturers call them, and they will not pass tech for any true racing class. They are, however, great for the "race look" in a street car.

Fixed back seats essentially come in two flavors: FIA certified and not. The FIA seats, at least in road-race applications, do not require a seat-back brace for mounting, for the first five years after construcion (date code on the seat), but the non-FIA seats will require a brace tied into the roll bar.

Construction is the other major factor. There is a tube-style, which is the same way stock seats are built. These usually have foam pads that are upholstered as part of the seat, and are entry level, being hard to find mount points. Next you have injection-molded seats, with an attached upholstry that may or may not be padded. The material may be glass-reinforced, and these are fairly strong and lightweight. Aluminum is another popular construction, also with an attached upholstry. Very simple to mount, as you just drill holes for the bolts, and you're done. The last, which is the priciest, is the carbon-fiber molded seat. Weighs virtually nothing, but costs a ton.

Best source of info on what you need is the rule book for the series you are planning on running. I've seen a LOT of junk on Ebay, and you really want to sit in the seat before you buy. Make sure the seat fits you well, and that it will be comfortable and will hold you firmly in position. I've also seen a lot of knock-off junk on Ebay. Bride seats are a perfect example. The REAL ones are made in Japan, and are extremely fine seats, but there are at least a dozen vendors selling Bride seats that are made elsewhere in southeast Asia, and are not even close to the same thing...

Last thing to consider is that most race series will require you to change to a five- or six-point harness if you do race seats, and that in turn requires a rollbar to mount the shoulder harnesses to.
I went with Ultrashield seats, but if you really want no-compromise protection, check out "The Joie of Seating..." Just let your wallet whimper a little bit before you log on to their website...

great more money before I can spend more money.........good thing I love my hobby......no matter what it costs.........lol

 

[302]

Also want to consider what you want out of the seat(s)... By switching you will save a lot of weight regardless to what you get. Also like the above posters said you want to sit in one before you buy them and get the general feel.

You getting these for looks, feel, general 1 peice performance or do you want one that reclines? What brands are you looking into i can help you out with it. I sat in many different seats before i made my purchase way back when. FYI i have recaro seats in my Cobra...

 

[terry5357]

Also want to consider what you want out of the seat(s)... By switching you will save a lot of weight regardless to what you get. Also like the above posters said you want to sit in one before you buy them and get the general feel.

You getting these for looks, feel, general 1 peice performance or do you want one that reclines? What brands are you looking into i can help you out with it. I sat in many different seats before i made my purchase way back when. FYI i have recaro seats in my Cobra...

Weight reduction, but still just thinking. After reading what all is involved in doing the passenger seat........I will have to "study on it"........lol.

still have a few mods that I want more, but you know, research, research, research.......lol

 

[302]

Weight reduction, but still just thinking. After reading what all is involved in doing the passenger seat........I will have to "study on it"........lol.

still have a few mods that I want more, but you know, research, research, research.......lol

Yea, any seat you get(when you delete the power seat options) is going to be a big improvement in that department. Even though my recaro seats recline they still weight a lot less then the stock cobra seats. Never put a set of scales to them, but nutts sucked up in my stomach when i lifted the driver side out... LOL

But if you drive your car on a daily basis i would get the reclining seats because of comfort. The ones that dont recline are not comfortable on the backside after a while... Just fyi.

But i dunno what all is detailed on changing out seats in the s197, its a easy in and out in an Sn95 if you have the right bracketry...

 

[marcspaz]

I went to ebay and did a search for racing seats. Everything I have seen led me to believe that each seat would be $500-$800. What I saw were a bunch of seats that were priced from $150-$400. Whats the deal.

Did you ever get any racing seats? I have been thinking about a set of the race-like seats until it is no longer a DD, then switching out the driver's seat for a full blow race seat.

I am also wondering if any companies would make a custom seat for me with a requested back angle and seat width? I don't care if it is fixed angle as long as it is comfortable. At 6'2", 375, I think I need a custom seat.