944*b*bad

hey guys....well here's the deal.....i am doing a full interior swap and i am going to be putting in a set of race seats....i want seats that are classey and good for race such as the sparco torino's. i was wondering ya'lls suggestions on seats as well as where is the best place to buy them for the best price? thanks guys

~Brett

Skip

While the Torino is not considered a race seat, it is classy and works very well for autocross and track day events. I installed some in a 964 and the owner was quite happy with them - so much that he'll be adding them to his forthcoming 996. If you are looking to actually race, you'll be wanting a fixed back bucket like the Evo or Corsa (very popular Sparco race seats). Even fancier than the Torino is the Milano which comes with Alcantra cloth or optional leather. There is little difference between the two, except the price.

Here's the illustrated installation procedure (subject car is 964, but is very similar to the 944):
http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index..._v2&id=93&c=48



Good Luck!

M758

I use a sparco pro2000 in my 944-spec car.


Nice and comfortable seat for me. This is a proper racing seat as it has a fixed seat back and is 1 piece design. It also has lots of lateral support. Adjusting of the side mounts allows up/down and seat angle adjustment to make it comfortable. Obviously these are not quick adjustments, but you can get sliders which allow for easy fwd/back movement.

Racing seats are very person specific however. I sat ina few Momo seats and they did not feel right to me. I sat in this one and loved it.

Lumbergs Lackey....MmmmKay

I thought you were going with the koenigs?

944*b*bad

ya i really want the koenigs, but i just want to keep my options open. i haven't been able to find a good price on them either. i'm kind of starting to like those pro 2000's

Skip

Pro2000 is very popular as well, and allows either side or bottom mounting.

Here a pic and procedure for the Sparco Evo(2) mounting in my 944... the interior has since been removed:



http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index..._v2&id=92&c=48

fabrotz

Sorry to go off topic but is that an autopower cage? If so how was the fit/install?

hacker-pschorr

Hey Skip -

With the mounting bracket mounted on the seats shown in the above tech session you posted. How much lower are the Sparco seats? I plan on replacing the seats in the 944S and 928 this winter and I would like to get more head room in each car. Just an inch would be nice. I do not want a fixed back seat since I don't know if each car will be getting a roll cage. If I understand the rules, if you have a fixed back seat you have to have that back support connected to a roll cage, correct?

Skip

Unfortunately, you won't gain much from any seat in the 944 unless you bolt it to the floor - there's just no more room in there. Some of our taller customer run with it bolted to the floor (sans rails) and/or pull the lower cushions out (all Sparco race seats have removable cushions). The 964 gained just about 1" of headroom with the Torino installed, but it is nearly the same lost cause as the 944. No experience with seats in the 928, sorry. FYI, if you have a sunroof, you can get some more clearance by gutting it.

Good Luck!

M758

Fabrotz:
It was a custom weld in job. Unfortuantly I reciently noticed some problems with its construction. To make long story short I had to have it cut out and new one install cause it was crap! Poorly welded and wrong material (.095 ERW vs .095 DOM). I was very happy I never need to test it out That company went out of business so there is nothing I can do. I did have a new custom one installed and love it. Very nicely done (design & flawless welding) and even more roomy that the first.

Personally I don't care for autopower cages. I don't like that they mount to relativly soft sheet metal in the body vs the stronger points weld in does. Saftey Devices cages are nice since the mount the stronger door sils vs floorpan. Only problem is the plates need to be welded in first. The only good thing about my original crap cage was that it was mounted to the right places. Also the autopower cages are quite restictive with respect to interior space.


My Pro2000 has in fact allowed me to sit much lower than a stock seat. I am not large person (160lbs & 5-7) with my seat rails mounted to the floor with no sliders and seat on the lowest adjustment holes on the side rails I can just see over the slighly smaller diamter steering wheel. In fact I run with out wipers and when I do install them I have to be careful to keep them low to ensure I can see over the top of them. If I pull the cushion I can't see over the steering wheel.

In my 84 daily driver my line of sight is at least 2" over the top of the steering wheel so there is huge difference to my spec car. In my Turbo with stock sport seats I also sit very low. Lower that my 84 but not quite at the level of my spec car. I do however sit believe I sit lower than any of the other 944-spec racers. Not sure why they don't sit lower?


Here is pic of me in my car #94 vs paul bloomberg in his spec car. Note that my white helmet is barely above the steering wheel. Paul and I are about the same height.

Paul B

Skip

Joe, I think you may be putting too much emphasis into that lowered Cg theory...

This is the proper driving position:

M758

Skip
Check out the 944-spec race results. You will find that something is working....

Sami951

I've got a set of Recaro Pole Positions. They (or damned similar ones) were used by the factory in the 968 club sport... race car look, super comfortable, not overly hard to get into / out of, and provide excellent hold for fat-*** guys like me. Here's a pic of them installed in my previous car..

M758

Well no you don't.

Some racing organizations require seat back braces in race cars. Some require it all race cars with any seats. Some require it only for aluminum racing seats. FIA approved seats like most sparco, recaro, momo don't need braces and in fact are designed without them. So say the SHOULD NOT be use at all.



To me

1) Basic Saftey
Stock type seat with 3pt belts
2) More safe
Fixed Race seat, harness, & roll bar (no brace)
3) required by most all racing orgs
Fixed Race seat, harness, & Roll Cage (brace for aluminim seats none for FIA)
4) Required by some
Fixed seat, harness, Roll cage & seat back brace (all seats)

Skip

Yeah, trust me - I watch the results with great interest... Congrats!