FIA approved seats - Help me spend my money.
 

Shopping for seats for the Spec RX7. The seats MUST be FIA APPROVED.

I'll get harnesses later (Before the start of next year's season) due to date restriction.


As far as physical specs go, I'm 6'1" tall and 160lbs. 32 inch waist. I shouldn't have much trouble with any seat out there, fixed mount.

I'm considering allowing a buddy to drive the car sometimes as well. He's a bit shorter and wider. 200ish lbs and 5'6" or so. This'd need a wider seat with FIA approved sliders

So I have two options.... Build the car just for me. He's on his own.
Or build the car adjustable so that others can drive.

Any recommendations on either?

Obviously, recline is out of the question.

For myself, I was looking into the Corbeau Forza or FX1 seats. I'm not sure if these are FIA approved.


I want decent comfort and effective racing seats, but I don't wanna break the bank on them. I'm not sure how much to budget towards the seats.

Suggestions?

Momo Start

Okay. Momo Start and Sparco Sprint seem comparable... I think I'll set at 350ish budget for a seat. Still lookin'.

Corbeau isn't held in real high regard right now. IIRC, there was an issue with them losing their FIA ratings. I am not sure of their current status, but going to www.corbeau.com, I don't see FIA certification mentioned anywhere.

At one point Cobra seats were viewed as being a pretty good bang-for-the-buck product.

I have a Kirkey Roadracing seat, but then again I needed a little more width than was commonly available in a composite shell.

Good luck,

-bill

recaro spg

Guys... I like the suggestions, but could you tell me a little more about your experience with the seat? Tell me a little more about your stature and build and such?

Would these seats work with my larger friend or is this a me only setup?

Have you had the seat for a while? Does the fabric liner (If it even has one) wear out quick or no? etc etc etc...

Perhaps the car isn't just a track only car and also sees some street time. Does the seat feel okay out there?

etc etc etc...

Picking a seat is a lot like picking a helmet. I've got a MOMO that I like, it was about $325 or so. I've had a few people sit in it and like it as well.

As for making it adjustable, its always a PITA to do right. IIRC none of the FIA seats have a procedure for adding a rear support. I had a friend call and ask a couple questions about an install on his car and they couldn't/wouldn't even give him any advice. So, just like always go with what you like and what will pass tech.

My roll cage (used) came with a tech passing rear support...

The guy added one holder arm for dumb bells that comes on weight benches. He flattened out the "U" shaped piece that the weight bar rests in and I believe he kept the pin and bar with holes in it to adjust length.

+1

175lbs, 5'11"

No complaints, best value IMO.

I've got momo cup seats in my car and have no complaints, I'm 6', 180 fwiw. I'm sitting in a corbeau forza right now and is also comfy for me. Just steer clear of the jdm seats, even their large sizes are a uncomfortably tight fit for me anyway (recaro, bride).

i run the sparco evo L i have a little give in the sides though. I'm 5'7" 140lb. the seat sits on sparco side mount brackets and no slider. i have sat in the rev and corsa and found that they fit me a lot better if any of this helps.

these are some shots of my seat in my car hope they help

The Corbeau seats I have were FIA rated, and as I understand it, the company still makes the seats the same way. They just won't be FIA approved for current years. No idea why.

I've sat in a couple cobras, namely the suzuka and imola. I liked both of them. Personally, I use a Bride Zeta 3. This seat is perfect for me, since I'm a skinny guy at 6'2" and 140. However, it is also very expensive (upper 600s I think). It was worth it to me though. Keep in mind, the zeta 3 is FIA rated, but the zeta 3 sport, which is almost identical is not.

$350 and FIA certified?
Boy, that really narrows the options down.

You really need to spend $500+ on a good seat...


-Ted

O RLY?

What does that extra $150 get me?

And earlier someone posted up the Recaro SPG, an $800+ seat.

What does that get me?

I have seen a lot of guys rockin bare aluminum seats that cost under $150.

I have a Sparco EVO2 myself, and that's a $700 seat.
I took that thing apart, and it's a fiberglass shell with metal tabs epoxied in.

Are you looking to lose some weight?
If so, most of the "cheap" seats are HEAVY.
Add brackets, and the seat + brackets will usually weigh more than the stock seats themselves.
My philosophy is that if you're going to replace something as large as a seat, might as well lose some weight?

I also believe seats are like helmets.
How much do you value your body's safety?
Racing is a very dangerous sport.
I'd spend as much as I can to get something better quality...


-Ted

I looked at the fiberglass Sparco seats and dismissed them as flimsy and weak. FIA or not, I just didn't trust them to stay in one piece in a high speed crash. Plus, none of them are approved for use in NASCAR... except the megadollar carbonfiber versions. Even though we don't race NASCAR, there must be some reason they don't like 'em. I went with the 17" Kirkey road race deluxe seat. I'm 6'1", 32" waist. Because of my height, I had to bolt the seat directly to the floor and that only gets the top of my helmet barely under the top of the roll cage. (I also welded large reinforcements to the floor so the bolts don't pull thru the wimpy stock tin. Then I bolted the seat back to the roll cage. The seat is very comfortable and I'm satisfied that it's as safe as I can go without spending a thousand dollars more. If I happen to have another driver (like at an enduro event) then they have to make do with the fixed position of the seat.

I thought the FIA rating was a safety certification.

The Spec7 class requires I ballast it till I'm at a certain weight. Still, I think 20ish lbs is lighter than stock FB seats.

Yea, I hear the same thing all the time between the $600 and the $150 SA approved helmets. They pass the same safety tests, so after that it comes down to weight, ventilation, and other things. Seats about about the same, however, basically the FIA approval is more of a minimum standard. It doesn't mean a more expensive seat cannot make theirs more safe, it just means that they all have the same requirements to fulfill FIA requirements. So it's very possible (and probable) that some of the more expensive seat do go beyond the FIA requirements to make their seats more reliable and safe.

IMO, it comes down to what type of driving you will be doing with the car. If you are just doing lapping days and auto-x, I probably wouldn't go all out on a seat. However, if you are doing real organized racing, I would pony up the money to get a real seat.

Anyone have Bride Zeta 3's in an FB?

Sparco Pro 2000 here. I have it mounted on rails and it works well. I'm 6'2" and 230 lbs.

-Trent

I would think comfort would be the #1 criteria.
If the seat isn't comfortable, it's not worth buying / installing.
I fit nicely in my EVO2 - I'm 6', 240#, 38" waist myself.


-Ted

6'2".. prob about 32" waist and i fit my sparco sprints beautifully. awesome seats and my car sees alot of road time.

great seats for on a budget

Sparco Rev with bracketry on it's way.

Thanks guys :)