Jump to content
SAU Community

Racing Seat Recommendations


Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a new seat for my 180sx. The car is registered but will rarely be driven except from Melbourne to Winton, Shepp, etc. This means the seat needs to be somewhat comfortable for the long drives.

The seat also needs to be fixed back, low mount, have high sides and be able to accomodate a 5-6 point harness.

Only other issue is I'm quite skinny (183cm 68kg with a 30-32 waist), so I need the seat to be quite small.

The current options I have in mind are:

The Cobra Suzuka: Cheap, I've sat in it, it fits me pretty well and is fairly comfortable.

http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/index.php?PCID=10422&PSO=245&PSID=4663115_20&PSV=Primary&CDO=

Velo Podium II: Expensive but I've only heard great things about this seat. Never actually sat in one though.

http://www.velo.com.au/itemdetailspage/31934

Bride Zeta III: This seat is fairly cheap, but needs to be imported from Japan (works out to be similar to the Velo). Again I've only read fantastic reviews online, and its apparently a very tight seat which would suit someone slim like myself.

http://www.nengun.com/bride/zeta-iii-frp

Do any of you have any experience with the above mentioned seats?

Of course I'm open to any other suggestions you guys might have. I'm also willing to buy second hand, but I don't want to buy without sitting in the seat first which means it must be located in Victoria.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If your using it for motorsport the bride is the worst choice.

Buy FIA certified seats only.

I never recommend buying second hand for motorsport. You just don't know the history of the seat, accident damage? Etc etc.

Buy new and have confidence what you've bought is safe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do like the Velo seats, I found them comfy but havent done any long trips in them.

Done Melb to PI and Melb to Winton in my sparco seat and its fantastic. Bought it 2nd hand but unused from an abandoned build and saved a bit of cash. I think there was an ad on SAU or JDMST of a guy with a brand new sparco Pro2000 seat for $780 + postage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a red Cobra Suzuka seat for sale, it has been installed in the car and used for one club event (four laps at that, as I split a hose and couldn't run anymore), but I am replacing it due to fitment issues in the car with that seat and the cage. Other than some marks around the mounting holes, it is clean.

$500 picked up from Lilydale in Melb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the podium 2 and I'm a similar size/weight to you. it's pretty comfortable to drive to/from the track and I've also done some longer drives in it (great ocean rd, about 8hrs in the car that day).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If its not comfortable for a long drive then it doesnt fit you . I regularly drive to Sydney from Melb in my Momo seat. I droive to PI on teh weekend and the new Racetech seat is even more comfortable...but isnt as supportive as the Momo seat it replaced

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They might be lighter, and they are probably strong enough....but I hate the way most carbon fibre and fibreglass seats flex, especially in long, high g corners.

I always runs steel frame seats - the ability to check and if necessary repair them, as well as the options for mounting points is important to me. I've seen too many seats or mounts break in big hits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I have been playing with seats for a bit over 20 years. Lately I have made a few bead seats for single seat sportcars. I'm thinking about making a bead insert for the seat that has been in my 33 for a quite a few years now. Its an expensive option to add to a new seat, but I agree with Roy, if it isn't comfortable over a long stint, it doesn't or isn't fitted to you or your setup.

Making the bead insert could help with the rigidity issues Duncan mentioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I would go cut bellhousing over that monstrosity of a flywheel all day, every day. It puts a lot more mass further from the last main bearing. I've had nothing but problems with Collins in the past and refuse to ever buy their products again. I would not trust anything they tell you. He's playing his salesman card.  I'm currently at 640whp on a mustang dyno (~770bhp) with the intentions of running E85 and a lot more power this upcoming spring. Cheers, 
    • Nah, it's not the reduced knock margin. It is a direct mechanical effect of having to initiate the combustion earlier, while the piston is still rising, which starts to exert combustion pressure on the rising piston earlier, making the rest of the engine work harder to finish driving the piston up to TDC where the combustion pressure stops being a negative and starts being a positive. Your modern engine that only needs ~10° to make MBT doesn't waste the other 10 or so degrees of crank rotation. That's almost all of it. The difference in knock margin might go either way. Remember that modern engines to which you are currently comparing the long tractor engine (the RB) are now running super high compression, direct injection, tricky cam control and maybe even cylinder pressure sensors. You're not comparing apples with other fruit. It's apples and sea weed, or some other evolutionarily primitive vegetation. And remember, squish only really comes into play at the very end of the stroke. It certainly does good things, but it is not the biggest contributor to what's going on. It is quite possibly much less important in 4 valve head than 2 valvers also, because there is so much less squish available to a 4 valve anyway.
    • Food for thought, a longer stroke motor would need less ignition timing vs. a shorter stroke motor requiring more ignition timing.
    • Thanks Duncan, HART is only 10 mins from me (I did my bike license there), it'd be awesome if it ran these types of things.  Sutton Road does look good and they take fewer cars than SMSP which is good.  Surely you have enough land to lay a few million tonnes of concrete and some sprinklers D? 
    • I thought an engine that needs more ignition timing to make power is going to result in less power due to reduced knock margin? More time for the combustion to propagate -> more time for it to heat up the rest of the mix to detonation.
×
×
  • Create New...