heavy85 Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 This is a generic question as to what are the benefits of one type vs the other not specifically one brand vs another but ultimately I'll need to pick a brand. Looking at a Kirkey aluminum for example and they recommend four mounts at the bottom and two at the back just below the shoulders. This complicates things a bit with my current set-up (no rollbar yet). Other thing I seem to notice is that the aluminum ones are NOT FIA approved for whatever reason. Is this really a big deal I'm not sure. For now it will mostly be autox and HPDE but may eventually want to hillclimb or similar ... eventually. The tubular seats tend to be FIA approved but also are at the bottom of the price spectrum. Price does not really tell me anything in terms of performance though. They seems to be a good bargain but the only one I've ever sat in was a Sparco Sprint I think and it was horribly uncomfortable. Other than price not sure what the benefits or penalties are for the tubular seats other than being FIA approved. Moving up the price spectrum are the composite seats. Not sure if this reflects manufacturing costs or do you really get a 'better' seat for the more money you pay. Obviously the $2k seats are 'better' but I'm not talking about those. I live in BFE relative to any speed shops for trying out seats so I'm forced to buy from other's experience. I dont care about looks or if it rubs the door panels or any of that crap. All I'm looking for is good support, safety, and reasonable comfort on potential ~2 hours drives to the track but mostly limited to ~1 hour at a time. I would like to stay under $500 if possible but may be willing to up that some if I can see some real value in spending more. So after all that babble I would like to ask those with direct personal experience with racing seats used for racing if you could help shed some light on the various pros and cons of the different types of seats. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I'm not sure this will help or not. I used to have an FIA approved recaro or sparco (I can't recall) and it was composite of some form, probably a high end fiberglass. I can't say the seat was very comfortable at all but looked cool. I think the deal with FIA tests is that it's gone through a specific level of testing and from what I can gleam FIA doesn't like seat back braces. So a lot of the FIA seats are intended for bottom mount only. I currently have a kirkey aluminum seat and I like it much better. I can mount it lower and farther back into the car than the previous seat. There are a number of expensive upgrades that you can buy for these to get halo and additional thigh support. Or if you're handy at fabricating you should be able to do it yourself and save a lot. I don't think this seat has any certification that I can tell. Maybe some of the newer seats do but you'll pay for it. It's comfortable enough with the padded insert but can easily be customized to fit you if you use a pour in bead liner (preferred over the foam). This would you give you a form fitting seat and excellent absorption. This is very commonly done in the formula car and sports racer arenas. Hope that helps, Cary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 FIA certified seats are designed to move around a little bit in an impact to reduce the loads on the occupant. That's why they specifically disallow seat back mounting and why SCCA, NASA, and others allow those sets to be installed without a seat back mount. The main differences between tubular and full composite FIA certified seats are cost and weight. Both do their jobs up to (and often beyond) the level of FIA certification. Aluminum racing seats are generally designed not to deform or move around and rely more on the safety crush zones on the vehicle to reduce the loads transmitted to the occupants. In general they are just as safe as the FIA rated seats. Some people have issues with the heat transfer abilities of aluminum and complain that aluminum seats are hotter then composite seats. Any of these seats, properly designed, built and installed, will protect occupants well in 99% of the accidents we as non-pro racers are likely to be involved in on a race track. The key is to sit in the seat before purchasing it. If you can, sit in for a an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted February 26, 2008 Author Share Posted February 26, 2008 Thanks guys that helps a lot. The aluminum ones look more comfy like Cary says I would just need to add a back brace down to the SFC or something since I dont have a rollbar to tie it to but that shouldn't be too hard. I was kind of stuck on the FIA thing but it seems that's maybe not as important as I thought. Also like the small profile to maximize leg and headroom. Cary - any Kirkey size recommendation for 6"2" w/ 36" waist and what specific model are you running? Also, do they require a detachable steering wheel to get in and out of? Unfortunately even with the 60-80 cars we get per autox most of the it is stock or modded street cars. Only thing I've been able to tryout was a ricer Sparco that was terrible and we have NO race shops nearby so will have to go by others experience. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 When you order a Kirkey you give them 5 or 6 measurements and they build it to fit you. Another option for a seat back brace would be the LR rear strut tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I have several different FIA approved seats... The two different Kirkey Seats I have were generic off the shelf units, both I took measurements for and measured my body so I could insure I'd fit properly in. I currently have these in the Porsche 996TT: http://www.instaitems.com/products.asp?stid=7481&cat=Motors&product_id=330214617704 These: http://store.cdoc.com/detail.asp?id=12617&str=0142-0359&name=OMP Are the seats I'm thinking about putting in my 996Turbo, even though I've got some high end Recarro GT3s in it now. I want something that is HANS specific and will likely go this route over the coming season. If possible, sit in a lot of seats. Honestly the Kirky roadrace aluminum intermediate seat in size 16 fits me perfectly and is as good as those $2000 (each) GT3s in the Porsche. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Mike, what makes a seat "hans specific"? jt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I expect that the HANS would require more room behind your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 It's the overall design around the halo, and as jon said, the depth of the "pocket" in the headrest area. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'm really leaning heavy towards the Kirkey Intermediate. Do you need a detachable wheel though to get in and out? Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 In my opinion yes. The side bolsters on the Intermediate are HUGE. If you don't want a removable wheel, take a look at the Ultra Shield Rally Sport. I think the lateral support is at least as good as the intermediate because it has shoulder bolsters in addition to side bolsters, but the sides aren't nearly so big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The Kirkey Roadrace intermediate has shoulder bolsters... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Right, but the Intermediate does not, instead it has much larger side bolsters: http://www.racepartsusa.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=17344 The Roadrace Intermediate is pretty close in design to the Rally Sport, looks like the Kirkey still has a bit more bolster sticking out: Kirkey: http://www.jegs.com/p/Kirkey/760654/10002/-1 Ultra Shield: http://www.vickracing.us/cgi-bin/store/84-62.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'm talking the roadrace one ... like in the Jeg's add you posted. So would something like that require detachable wheel? Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I would think you could get in and out of the roadrace intermediate without detaching the wheel. Mike might be able to give you a better idea since he has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Cameron, If you go to my project thread and look at my seat setup, with the wheel in place, my guess is that you can get in and out with it in place, but it's pretty tight. That is the same seat as the one in the jegs ad. I'm thinking of removing my seat, removing the seat mounting/welded braces and lowering the seat in the chassis. I'd like it to be much closer to the floorboard. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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