Need Some Racing Seat Advise

[martialmedia]

I have a 2003 Speed Yellow Boxster S and recently participated in a DE event. If you haven't done it, you gotta try it. These cars are pretty amazing. The stock seats aren't that great for racing. You tend to want to slide out of them in hard corners. I am planning on doing more events, so I am considering purchasing racing seats. I know nothing about this. I want an adjustable seat, something I can use everyday as well. Are there any racers out there that can offer any advise or input? I am looking at these. I think they would look great in the yellow car. They aren't leather though. http://www.andysautosport.com/porsche/1997_2004_boxster/interior/seats/racing_seats/silk_automotive/silk00143856.html

Anyone have any advise?

[Topless]

Ok, a couple questions first: How serious do you want to get? How big are you? What safety requirements does your track day sanctioning organization have?

If your near term goal is doing a few DEs a year I suggest to my students to stay with the stock seats and run quality street tires. If Time Trials or other forms of racing are in your near future but you want to stay street legal I suggest a quality FIA tested/approved seat from Sparco, Recaro, Cobra, Momo, or others. Why FIA tested? Because safety is very important in a seat. A stock seat or FIA seat are unlikely to fail in an accident resulting in you being ejected from your car. Choose wisely and avoid the cheapies with low prices and zero safety testing. Before buying do a meet and greet with other drivers at the track next time. Ask them about their racing seats. If you find someone near your size ask if it would be ok to sit in it. Most will share a great deal if you ask politely. For reference I am 5'10 and 175lbs with long torso. The Cobra Imola Pro is mounted in my car and I am very satisfied. It was about $900 each including seat, mounting hardware and tax. Good luck.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Topless

[martialmedia]

Ok, a couple questions first: How serious do you want to get? How big are you? What safety requirements does your track day sanctioning organization have?

If your near term goal is doing a few DEs a year I suggest to my students to stay with the stock seats and run quality street tires. If Time Trials or other forms of racing are in your near future but you want to stay street legal I suggest a quality FIA tested/approved seat from Sparco, Recaro, Cobra, Momo, or others. Why FIA tested? Because safety is very important in a seat. A stock seat or FIA seat are unlikely to fail in an accident resulting in you being ejected from your car. Choose wisely and avoid the cheapies with low prices and zero safety testing. Before buying do a meet and greet with other drivers at the track next time. Ask them about their racing seats. If you find someone near your size ask if it would be ok to sit in it. Most will share a great deal if you ask politely. For reference I am 5'10 and 175lbs with long torso. The Cobra Imola Pro is mounted in my car and I am very satisfied. It was about $900 each including seat, mounting hardware and tax. Good luck.

Thanks for your response. That is what I suspected. Maybe I will just invest in the ROW suspension kit instead.

[Wayne R. Dempsey]

The "Gold Standard" in seats are the GT3 seats that are similar to the ones used in the Carrera GT. Very cool, and pretty comfy too! Relatively easy to bolt in, there's a tech article on the Pelican site with an overview. I've attached a photo for your reference...

-Wayne

Edited May 16, 2010 by Wayne R. Dempsey

[jibbles44]

What kind of car are those seats in? It looks like a Boxster, but the top down cover and headrest roll bars look very "off"?

[Loren]

What kind of car are those seats in? It looks like a Boxster, but the top down cover and headrest roll bars look very "off"?

Tonneau cover and backing on roll bars removed.

[martialmedia]

Those are nice seats, but for the money, maybe the ROW suspension would be a better purchase for now. Not to hijack my own thread, but what are your opinions on that? I've never really liked the fact that the Boxster looks like it sits slightly lower in the rear. Maybe it is just an illusion. The ROW kit should take care of that. Any input?

[phillipj]

Do a search on the ROW set-up. You will find many threads...