Dan Stratton

Can anyone help me with some insight on which brand/model to buy? I like the look of a racing seat and I would like to try autocrossing (Since I went down to Bremberton on the weekend and saw everyone having so much fun!). Is there any brand that may be more suitable for a heavier set person (Ok overweight!!230lbs and 6 ft). This will be my first upgrade to my car and since I have been lurking around on Rennlist for a while I thought maybe I would get involved by asking for some help.

Dan...

Tommy P

Hi Dan
Don't know if you get Sparco race seats out there but I have a Sparco Evo 2 in my 911, made for the bigger frame. Check this site out, it may help (I'm no expert) <a href="http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/index.asp" target="_blank">http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/index.asp</a>
Hope it helps.
Regards
Tommy P

Ron_H

Try Stable Energies. They sell Koenig seats, and they have a Koenig CP700 which is a good all around seat with good lateral stability and it isn't so difficult to enter/exit. I have a Koenig RS4400 which is a great seat but a bit expensive. The better seats are not fiberglas shells (which suffer if not braced from the rear exernally against the roll bar), but steel framed.
I know...weight is always a factor, but the Koenig seats suffer only a small amount from weight and have a large comfort factor. The Sparco Evo is also a great fitting seat for me at 6', 190 lbs., but the Koenig is even better to me.
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lateapex911

Whatever you do, try to actually sit in one if you can. Either find a retailer in your area, or go to one of those race conventions. You can get a good seat that is light, and strong and doesn't need to be back mounted, but of course, it'll be a little more $.

Also, the real light race seats don't recline, and will be either very comfortable or UNcomfortable! Be sure to actually sit in one for awhile, because they seem fine at first!

Ron_H

I must also say that sitting in the seat for awhile before you decide is a must, and is good advice.

Another suggestion would be to make sure that your choice will fit properly into your 911 and it won't interfere with other functions while operating the car. In some cases, if it is a steel framed seat, the width of the bolsters may be adjusted by bending when they are too wide or narrow. And also make certain that you get the proper seat rail adapters for the car, and that they allow the desired fore/aft movement. <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

Tommy P

Don't know about racing rules where you are, but seat's installed for competition use here in Uk are not supposed to be adjustable (move fore or aft).

Dan Stratton

Great thankyou for all your input. I had a look on the web at the Sparco Evo it looks great. I noticed no one mentioned MOMO? Are they not really a good racing seat?

lateapex911

I have a Momo in my race car and I love it. So easy to fall asleep in! On my seat, I installed a brace to the roll bar horizontal. Which you don't have. Now, certain seats are approved for no back brace mounting, and I think there are some non-steel frame units that fit that description. I think FIA certification releases you from having to install the back brace, but don't quote me on that!!

My seat is a "Rookie", and I'm 6'3" amd 208 lbs. It is a tight fit.

dave-C2

Dan
If you are thinking about a folding seat be sure that the seat will fit in your car, the space between the center tunnel and side reinforcement box is tighter on the 964 and 993 cars than on the earlier 911 chassis. Even in the 964/993 there is sufficient room for one piece seats, however, including those with the comfort cut. Brey Krause has good seat brackets for popular one piece seats.
Don't forget to check that your seat belts will work with the new seat. BK also has brackets for those, but be careful that the lap belt crosses at your pelvis, not up higher where it can cause internal injuries.
You'll find lots of info on racing seats in the Racing Forum.
A good seat really helps in performance driving and it's worth taking the time to find the one that works for you.

Chris Blum

Dan,

You need to start by figuring out what you want your car to be...dedicated to racing or mainly to be used as a daily driver with occasional weekend rallys? Dedicated racing seats are great from a support standpoint, but comfort and padding are lacking for long commutes, they don't allow access to the back seat, and are not readily adjustible.

After you figure that out, sit in different brands. Which is comfortable for you? Sparcos are used by a lot of Rally guys. Their EVO2 is larger than the EVO, but I still thought it was tight. The America is larger still. (named after our large asses?) Bottom line (ha), it is really a personal decision.

Dan Stratton

I want to use it for occasional weekend Autocross events, but I do want to have the 5 point seatbelts. At this point I have not even tried an autocross race only went to watch one and I can see that staying securly in ones seat would be helpful!!

Chris Blum

Yeah, when cornering, you can concentrate on steering rather than hanging on to the wheel to keep yourself seated. FWIW, There are some compromise seats out there; Recaro and Sparco make a seat with a higher side bolster, but with tilt and adjustment features.

Re the 5 pt harness, you probably want to go with a clip-in mounting rather than bolted on permanently. Do you really want to harness up every time that you run to the grocers?? With a clip in system, you can use the harness on the weekends and use your regular belt during the week.

cheers, chris

buckdr1

FWIW, As mentioned you must make the effort to go sit in them! A Club Race/ Auto cross might work well as folks 'll let you try their's All in one place, or drive around to various vendors.
A note on the seat harnesses.. your wise to go for the seat/ harness as a first mod. I was
able to use a 5 pt. set-up and Still keep my stock belts for the short road trips between track time.
And finally if you don't DIY make sure the track and seat is fitted with you in it Before it's bolted up, as you may need a special lowering bracket to be low enough for you w/ your helmut on.
Good luck
Bill

Ed Bighi

Whatever you do, do check out Brey Krause's website for their various brackets. It will narrow the search a whole lot since you will know what you can mount in without an adapter (drill bit). My height is just a hair under 6 feet and I have used 2 seats succesfully with no adapters or even sliders. Just side brackets bolted straight into the original holes. No tricks there and a lower position to boot. The first was the Recaro SPG. They are not cheap and not too wide either. I weighed around 235 when I had those in and had no problems. But they could be considered tight for some people. They did break in though and became comfortable. One can also use factory sliders from the original seats if they can obtain the 964 Speedster side brackets. But I don't know how easy that is to find. Later I swapped the SPG's for Sparco Evo's. Wider and plenty comfortable. I even took long road trips with both. The Evos I again mounted with no sliders. Just the side brackets straight into the original holes. They fit me even better now since my current weight is much lower. I tend to stick to seats that don't require rigging and recommend the same. Another seat I always liked was the Recaro Pole Position. But looking at the side bracket relationship in those when you account for the greater width, I don't see how I could get a straight sliderless mount. Heck, maybe I'll go and check out the latest at Brey Krause myself.

Stuttgart951

Have you considered the factory sport seats? A great compromise.