Racing/Kirkey seats
 

I'm looking at picking up some seats for my weekend warrior (FC). I'll be driving it to/from events, but it's not a daily driver. I'd like something somewhat comfortable that holds well.

I've looked at Kirkey seats and they're priced very well, but how comfortable are they?

There's also the normal Corbeau, Sparco, etc. They all seem like they're more for looks than performance, unless I want to drop $1000+/seat. Maybe I'm missing something?

What clubs will you be driving with? The reason I ask is that some clubs are stricter than others. Some clubs will force you to conform to their "race tech" if you are using "racing equipment". A seat like Kirkey's would be considered "racing equipment" and you'd be subject to their mounting/safety requirements which will involved a lot more than just the seat.

Do you have a rollbar? Are you planning on removing your stock seat belts?

Good questions.

I plan on doing track days (e.g. Tracks Unlimited) and AutoX so I don't think they would require FIA certification or anything. I do not have a rollbar or a harness, but plan on doing that at some point. It's been a slow transformation from a DD into a weekend fun/track car. I'd preferably like something that I can use now and keep for down the road.

Mahjik's points are still valid. If you know you're only going to run with one organization then you can check their rules specifically, but many will still require that an aluminum seat have a back brace which needs to be mounted to a roll bar, so if you're not planning on doing both, then an aluminum seat may not be for you.

I run Ultra Shield aluminum race seats in my FD and like them, but mostly because they get me as low as possible. With the cover on, they're not bad to drive around in for an hour or so, but on longer trips like 3 hours they can be pretty uncomfortable.

You are going to need ^^^ before you get a racing seat, otherwise what are you going to attach the shoulder belts to? A stock seat belt isn't going to work on a real racing seat, especially something like a Kirkey. Sparco makes "tuner" type seats that are for looks and they also make FIA racing seats. I've had both Kirkey and FIA Sparco and prefer the Sparco.

To be safe, you can't really do it in stages. You either go all out race seat, rollbar, harness, etc or just keep it street based. My suggestion would be a street seat which will keep your stock seat belts but you can get one more race inspired to hold you in the seat better.

F1 Spec R1:
R1 Fiberglass

Corbeau CR1:
Corbeau: CR1

Sparco R100:
SPARCO R100


If you need a little more support to keep you from moving, you can check out the Schroth street Legal harnesses which are used quite a bit in Autox. They use the the OEM seat belt tensioners so it's not as intrusive as a full race setup for a dual purpose car.

Great info, thanks guys. I'm just delving into this racing seat (and even track day) thing. I have stock N/A seats right now which do little to keep me planted. I'm also glad to see some reasonably priced options that are recommended. There's such a huge variety out there and I'm hesitant to get something to trust my life with that could turn out to be a piece of crap.

Skip the seat until you can do at least a good rollbar and 5-6pt harness.

Just get a 4-point harness with a breakaway shoulder strap like the SCHROTH version if you are not ready to go for the full safety equipment upgrade. That way if you flip the roof wont crush you.

The harness will do wonders to keep you planted but the stock seat will allow your body to move around in a rollover if the roof collapses you have a better chance of avoiding serious injury or death by getting folded towards the passenger seat.

If you want a supportive seat without breaking the bank, get a pair of Miata seats and carve the foam. Google Foamectomy and you'll see what I mean. It makes a massive difference and the seats are still comfortable.

So a sporty seat (e.g. Corbeau CR1) really isn't that safe?

The sport seats are fine. I have recaro speeds in my street/track car with the 4-point schroth harness. It at least allows your torso to move side to side in a rollover.

You should think of safety systems as a system.

A good racing seat works great, if you have a roll cage, a good 5 or 6 pt harness, and i also recomend a hans device. They all work together.

So yes a good racing seat is safe in the situation it was designed for.

The stock safety systems (including the seat) are designed to restrain you in an impact but actually allow the upper body to move in other types of accidents, like rollovers. Specifically allow the upper torso to move down and towards the passenger seat. The 4-point schroth harness system is designed to do the same thing. Yet, keep you stationary while driving like a racing harness. Notice I delineate between a racing harness and a 4pt harness. The Schroth 4-pt harness is not designed to be used with a hans device...and is not meant for racing. It's a great autocross/trackday system though. Further, racing seats do not allow the torso to move side to side, on purpose...

I do not recommend getting any kind of tuning belt. You will notice this harness is listed in Schroth's competition section of thier website, NOT the tuning section.

http://www.schrothracing.com/competi...m/profi-II-asm

More great info, thanks. So if I'm getting this correct, tuner seats (e.g. Corbeau CR1) are good for the street/track if I use a 3 point stock or Schroth harness. Or I have to get real racing seats with a full harness and roll bar. There's not really an in between.

Exactly. Either remain stock or effectively stock in the way the system should work. Or upgrade all components at once to a full race setup.

Talk about the most useful forum section yet... The 2nd Gen section is usually rife with terrible and unknowledgeable posts. Thanks again. Time to save up money for some seats and Schroth harnesses (and/or check into a roll bar cost).

+1 for installing a rollbar and properly mounted harness first

I have an FC as well with a Kirkey, half cage, and harness. It's a tight fit to be sure especially on the head clearance side I'm 5'10" and will still hit my helmet on the roof. Also read the SCCA & NASA rules for race seat. They require that the seat within 6" of the rollbar.

I'm going with the roll bar first too! They do make a waist belt to help hold your torso in place with stock seats.
Kirkey roadrace seats are just as comfy as sparco and cobra's. In fact I like mine better then the other two. No one holds a candel to Recaro. They fit very very nice and the price tag shows this.

But all seats should have a top brace to the cage and Alumunum seats have too. So get the cage first.

That's My .02$

Once you do the harness an are ready... I love my kirkey. Great bang or the buck. Just no homologation.