THSCC Forums

I'm looking at race seats. I'm leaning toward the Kirkey Road Race Intermediate. I'm also considering the Sparco EVO2 or an equivalent. It will depend on fit and price. I'm assuming these are both good and safe seats. Any comments on these?

Also, are 6 point harnesses any better than 5 for our purpose (DE/Time Trial with street cars)? I'm planning on a 5 but will get a 6 of it provides a distinct safety advantage. I've read arguments for both.

Thanks,
Mark (944 Turbo)

i used a kirkey in my itb car. found it very comfortable for that race only car. new race car is dual use and i use the forza corbeaus. they are not comfortable for very long stretches, but work better on track than i thought they would. try jeegs or summit for kirkeys. very well priced at about 200 with cover and track mount kit.

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they misunderestimated me.

IMHO, 6pt doesn't really offer much of a safety advantage over 5pt, but it does offer more flexibility for mounting. Since you are going with a race seat, mounting logistics should not be a problem for you.

I've heards lots of good comfort related feedback from others regarding the Sparco Evo.

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

Personally, I think race seats are *all* about comfort and NOTHING else. As long as you mount it properly, any seat is "safe", as near as I can tell. Obviously the big deal is mounting the *belts* properly for safety.

So go with what fits best and will mount sturdy for you.


--Donnie

not neccesarily true. an fia rated seat is safer. and the aluminum seats seem to do an excellent job in occupant protection in some of the race accidents i have seen.

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they misunderestimated me.

I guess I'm assuming most folks here are racing small sports cars at relatively low speeds. In that case I have trouble imagining a seat making much of a difference in your overall safety. Sure, it could, but to me it seemed like in comparing seats and construction there were few enough safety differences that the overriding factor turned into comfort.

It did occur to me, too, that there are differences in fiberglass and aluminum. Fiberglass won't hold up as well, but if it does get "bent' in a large way it's likely to just bust whereas I could see an aluminum seat bending *in* to your body and thus puncturing you.

In the end I chose an aluminum seat anyway. I figure if I'm crunched enough that the seat punctures me, well, I'm probably screwed anyway. Otherwise I liked the aluminum for strength against something *else* puncturing me.

Aluminum has the other advantage that if the fit isn't just right, you can *make* it just right. I liked the fit my seat had, but tweaking it make it *perfect*. It now wraps and holds me very well from movement, but it isn't so snug that it isn't comfortable still. Of course, some cutting and welding was still required, but at least we could do it.


--Donnie

Since I've been doing some research on seats, I thought I'd share the following....

First, a link to the FIA seat testing procedure (an English translation follows the French):

www.fia.com/Regle/REG_TEC/Normes/8855-1 ... n_seat.exe

I seemed to remember that Air Force/NASA testing had indicated that the human body could withstand about 16g's, but the duration of that tolerance escaped me. Here's an interesting chart, with some interesting links at the bottom:

http://hypertextbook.com/physics/mechanics/frames/

You'll note that a 100 MPH crash (Princess Diana article) into a solid object is still a 30-35 g impact for a belted body according to Renfroe Engineering. Hence all those tires in front of the guardrail at VIR and the research on flexible walls for other tracks. You want to crash slowly ...


Net-net is the FIA test, while appearing rather crude, probably ensures that the seat *and mounting* are not likely to fail before you do. At least in the vast majority of scenarios.

Frank

What about seat back braces for aluminum seats? I assume you can't use them for fiberglass. There seems to be some controversy on them.

Thanks,
Mark

mark i wondered about that when i went the fia route the 1st time. i had not had a non braced seat in a race car for a long time. corbeau said not only did the seat not need one, they highly recommended not to use one. i am no engineer, just follow their advice, so dont know why, but it passed tech for its annual logbook that way.

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they misunderestimated me.

If you buy a FIA seat, you must mount it according to the manufacturer's instructions to remain FIA certified since that is how the test was done. Obviously the mounting process is very important. If the manufacturer requires a brace - use one. If they don't then don't seems to be the rule.
My gut sort of believes that a certified floor mount would transmit fewer g forces than one that requires a back brace as you must have more "give" in the seat. Hence, I would have to believe that the sliders on a FIA certified floor mount seat are much stronger than the typical stock ones.
Frank

Mark, I have a Kirkey Intermediate in my Integra and I don't much care for it. The side bolsters are too low and stick out too far, and I rub the underside of my upper arm when I shift. Annoying.

Just my 0.02. If I had the money to do something other than go through the engine and ECU, I'd spend part of it on a better seat.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

I'm installing a Kirkey Economy 20 layback only because I'm trying to get under a miata rollbar. I expect it to be somewhat less comfortable than a Sparco, Corbeau, etc..., but much lower.

5 point harness since it has a sub harness slot.

-Jonathan Evans

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Jonathan Evans

'07 335i <commuter>
'92 Miata <CSP>
'07 TSX <wife's>

I have the Sparco Evo (not Evo2). Plenty of room for me, I'm 6'2" 190 lbs. I can sit in that seat all day and be comfortable.

Not an exageration. Let's see, longest sit so far was probably Maine Forest rally, 9am to 7pm. Comfy all day. I just can't imagine that in an aluminum seat. But, I've never tried to do it either, so I can't say.

On 5 vs 6: If you are racing in a reclined position (a formula car) then I would *really* look at 6. An upright position in a saloon car where both belts are going through the same hole in the seat? I don't think it will make a difference. Go with a 5.

Anders

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Lina Racing: As Seen On Radio

Karl, are you reffering to the new road race intermediate or the circle track intermediate? Check out www.ogracing.com. I'm headed up north in a couple of weeks and will be stopping by there in the way to try out seats. The road race intermediate has a similiar design to the road race delux seat but is much less expensive.

Mark