911vet

I have a DAS roll bar and feel I would be safer with a seat brace added. Especially since I installed a seat elevation kit and now have longer (i.e. weaker) seat bolts.

I'd really like to see some pics of a seat brace installed (with a DAS bar if possible). And I would welcome any ideas.

I have stock seats and stock seat belt restraint. No plans to change the seats. I might install a harness later. My roll bar has the loops welded on.

My concern stems from a discussion on the Pelican boards about the risk of using a roll bar on the street. If there is a hard impact, the seat can break loose and slam into the harness bar... resulting in spinal injury.

I like my roll bar because it stiffens the chasis. I can tell the difference in the car's handling. And I feel safer with some kind of roll-over protection. But the broken spine thing sounds pretty scary!

Thanks,
Shannon

Astroman

Seat back braces are to be used only with 1-piece competition seats. You need the hard posterior shell for the brace to push against.

sjanes

Brey Krause markets this brace for factory seats (http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9019.php).

Astroman

I shoulda known B-K would come up with something...

911vet

Thanks for the link. I've seen that brace before. I was warned on another forum that using a seat brace with factory seats was dangerous - since it would "punch through the seat and gut me," as they so eloquently put it!

Have you ever seen this brace in use?

Seems like the consensus I'm getting is I'm safer without the rollbar in the car. Just trying to figure out whether to use it or not.

Thanks,
Shannon
87 Carrera Cabriolet

dsmith

All I'll add is that with stock seats/restraints and the rollbar, you better make very sure your seat is never even slightly reclined, if you care about safety. If you get rear ended or leave the road backwards and hit a ditch, tree, wall etc, your head will travel into the roll bar. Imagine being ejected out your rear window while wearing a seat belt. I've seen it happen.

That said, I drive on the street with a full cage/fixed seat/harness combo.