How many guys are rocking Racing seats?

[betterthansx]

I have been contemplating lately about installing racing seats. I plan for the car to see some decent track duty this year, and the stock seats just are not comfortable/supportive. I have been looking at the Sparco Evo2 and Recaro Profi XL. I am not terribly font of installing a harness as of RIGHT now. Possibly in the future. I just want to see other peoples set ups and what they think of it. Pros/Cons?

[Mr Wilson]

Tanspeed, Celestspeed, breakfasteatre and fack_dude were running seats. Not sure who else is.

cons:
- airbag light being on
- depending on your rails, the seats may not slide - makes switching drivers difficult if they are talller/shorter
- loss of seat adjustability
- long drives, not a comfortable as stock
- can be awkward to get into depending on the side bolster size
- added 'heat' potential from police/mto/insurance
- injury depending on accident

pros:
- keeps you in the seat, less effort on keeping yourself in the seat = more focus on the track
- appearance

[loki]

At the same time, a lot of guys track their car without a racing seat

The Gen2's were more problematic due to the material of the seats, so people complained of sliding around

At the end of the day your car is a daily driven car not a dedicated track car, so I personally would not install a racing seat.

And if you do, install 2 seats. 1 racing seat looks incredibly stupid

[jwoods_24]

If you want a nice track/DD seat, seriously consider the Canadian Evo X MR, heated leather/suede seats. Rear GT seats to match. Sell MS3 seats. Rails from Wedge.

http://wedgebrackets.com/mazda-3-spe...-brackets.html

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/diy-mods...lled-pics.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jademo...7642213797314/

[loki]

don't sell your stock MS3 seats

[loki]

you can also look into installing a harness with your current seats

[betterthansx]

I can see the stock MS3 seats being better when they were new, but the bolsters are just old and soft and worn down now, they do not offer much for stability, but Loki is right, the material is better than that of the Gen2.

For the airbag light, I see it is as easy as using a resistor to turn the light off, so I have no problem doing that. I know they are kind of a pain in the ass to live with, but how much lower they get you in the car is great. I am not worried about other people driving my car. My girlfriend is afraid of it, so she never wants to drive it. Once I get the seat set, I never touch it. I know for comfort, it is just getting the proper fitting seat. I will probably go to JRP sometime to sit in them all and get an idea for fit.

I just wanted to know if there were any weird nuances with this car and racing seats. I guess if someone has them, and can comment on how well the stock seatbelt works with them too that would be helpful. Any pictures would be welcome as well. I was reading up on MSF last night and there were some good threads, but everyone seems to install them differently.

[loki]

dude, it's really the harness that's going to keep you locked into place

[betterthansx]

dude, it's really the harness that's going to keep you locked into place

In a stock seat yes. In a seat like the Sparco Evo2, I do not think you would need much else because they are such a deep fitting seat. A 4pt harness will always be better, but at the expense of taking 5 minutes to do up your seatbelt every time you get in and out of the car. I know the racing seat isn't going to be ideal anyways, I just want to know what you can and cant get away with. If someone made a quick release harness that I could take out for DD, then clip it in for the track, that would be great.

[loki]

In a stock seat yes. In a seat like the Sparco Evo2, I do not think you would need much else because they are such a deep fitting seat. A 4pt harness will always be better, but at the expense of taking 5 minutes to do up your seatbelt every time you get in and out of the car. I know the racing seat isn't going to be ideal anyways, I just want to know what you can and cant get away with. If someone made a quick release harness that I could take out for DD, then clip it in for the track, that would be great.

harness will still stop you from moving around, regardless of which racing seat you go with. There's the side to side motion and there's also the forward motion of heavy braking that your seatbelt won't prevent

It doesn't take 5 minutes to do up a racing harness, all the points clip into 1 quick release

[loki]

If it takes you 5 minutes to figure this out, you're doing it wrong

[loki]

plus you just said that no one else drives the car, you set it for you and go from there

[betterthansx]

plus you just said that no one else drives the car, you set it for you and go from there

I agree with your points, and I was exaggerating about doing them up. It is just more of a pain. I see Sparco has a normal seatbelt buckle rather than the camlock, but I do not think I would trust my life with something like that over the proven camlock.

I think this proposition is an either all or nothing type deal by the looks of it.

I can see this getting more expensive by the minute haha I love cars.....

[loki]

I agree with your points, and I was exaggerating about doing them up. It is just more of a pain. I see Sparco has a normal seatbelt buckle rather than the camlock, but I do not think I would trust my life with something like that over the proven camlock.

I think this proposition is an either all or nothing type deal by the looks of it.

I can see this getting more expensive by the minute haha I love cars.....

for sure racing seats are all or nothing

For the track days, I think you would get more enjoyment/reward out of a good set of brake pads and tires

[betterthansx]

for sure racing seats are all or nothing

For the track days, I think you would get more enjoyment/reward out of a good set of brake pads and tires

Exactly. I have a new set of Michelin PSS on the way and i will be doing new rotors/pads/lines/fluid before I hit the track this year.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

The Schroth Rallye 4 (with stock seat) has been the best addition for keeping me in place at the track.

I unclip it and tuck the tail end into the back seat, the front portion into the front seat and use the stock seat belt when driving on the street.

[betterthansx]

The Schroth Rallye 4 (with stock seat) has been the best addition for keeping me in place at the track.

I unclip it and tuck the tail end into the back seat, the front portion into the front seat and use the stock seat belt when driving on the street.

I actually just looked this up. This seems like an awesome alternative. Where did you get yours?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

I actually just looked this up. This seems like an awesome alternative. Where did you get yours?

I got mine from SportsCarBoutique a couple years ago.

[Fack_Dude]

**** race seats. Their a pain in the ass to get in/out. They also cost $$$$ Go stock and get a harness.

[betterthansx]

**** race seats. Their a pain in the ass to get in/out. They also cost $$$$ Go stock and get a harness.

I realize this, but if you have ever driven at the track, or even just spirited driving, you realize why they are such a big deal. You aren't worried about bracing your knee against the door or center console. You can use your finger tips to steer the car, and you feel EVERYTHING because you aren't sloshing around.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

I realize this, but if you have ever driven at the track, or even just spirited driving, you realize why they are such a big deal. You aren't worried about bracing your knee against the door or center console. You can use your finger tips to steer the car, and you feel EVERYTHING because you aren't sloshing around.

a harness will alleviate those conditions moreso than a seat. you're still subject to longitudinal Gs with a racing seat and stock seat belts... at which point you're pressing hard against the dead pedal and steering wheel to keep you upright.

[Zuluwun]

I know MBNTO already mentioned the Schroth harness, but I just wanna give a +1 to that. I've been using it with the gen 1 seats (leather, no less) for autocross and once I'm strapped in, I don't move. Period. I feel everything the car is doing and I still have (somewhat) comfortable seats for the 90% of the time that I'm not driving at 9/10ths.
Harness bolts in/out in 10 min with a socket and even then, I'm lazy and just leave it in but use my stock seat belt on the road.

[Gizzmo_jr]

CG-Lock was popular when I was auto-crossing, but I (like already mentioned) ended up on the Rallye4 harness.


Huge help when tossing the car around, betterthansx mentioned the best part is the driver pocket on the backside holds the front section perfectly!

[betterthansx]

How much are you guys paying for the Rallye4?