Racing Seats - which are good/bad?

[Revs]

I'm hoping to get some better seats in the near future since the stock seats in the MP3 are just not holding me in the corners, I find myself having to strain so hard to not be thrown about. So I've done some research, but really can't find any solid answers.
I would really like to get a set of Corbeau A4's, but they are pricey at $600/pair
http://www.corbeau.com/products/a4/a4.shtml

But then I see plently of lower prices models such as Matrix Racing, Nex-Tech, Ractive and others (non-ebay) for $400 or so a pair.
http://www.roadrageperformance.ca/ractive.php
http://www.shophyperformance.com/store/001297.html
They look great, but they are not known names to me so I'm not sure about their safety. I personally think the Ractives are the best of the less brands, but in an accident will any of these seats be as safe as the Corbeau's?
I really have no idea how a seat is constructed so I don't know if something is cheaply built or not.

Any feeback would be appreciated.

 

[apexlater]

Why not get a Schroth harness (it is DOT approved, but I have no idea what the laws are in Canadia)? I'm assuming you are talking about Autocross. And you will get both sides of the story about using it for track days (with or without a roll cage).

You may also be able to try out a CG-Lock that works with the factory belt. And you can use that on a daily basis if you really wanted to.

 

[atticus1398]

the actual seat isnt what protects you, its the harness

 

[ChopstickHero]

i would get a safety certified seat. those ricer seats like matrix, ractive, etc are prob not safety certified. look into corbeau, sparco, recaro, momo.

the actual seat isnt what protects you, its the harness

well, if a seat is cheap quality and cheaply made, then no matter what harness you have, it'll probably injure you.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Sparco, Corbeau, Recaro, Bride, Cobra, Momo.

I personally love my Sparco Torino seat. Very comfy, holds me well and feels great.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

the actual seat isnt what protects you, its the harness

Yes but you still don't want the seat to crumble or fall apart in an accident.

 

[Revs]

The schroth harness looks nice, but I need to have the ability to use the factory belts as I need the rear seats to be usable to passengers.

I'm talking strictly the seat itself, I need to know if there is any PROOF that the Matrix, Ractive, etc seats are safe or not safe. Anyone can assume based on the name that they are s***, but are they really? perhaps they are made by reputable names like Corbeau, they have to be made by a company that makes seats. Companies like Ractive or Toucan Industries don't make all their own stuff, they likely outsource it from other names, just like you see other goods out there under a no-name brand, they are almost always made by the same high end brand.

I know that Corbeau, Sparco, Momo, etc are the best names to go with and if I had the cash I would go with them, but they are way over my budget.

 

[low_psi]

If by corners you mean twisty streets, keep your stock seats.

Want a cheap seat, don't expect it to save you in a crash. The reason Sparco, Momo, Cobra, Racetech etc seats are "expensive" is because they are tested and certified seats. Corbeau has only one FIA certified seat, the Forza.

If your life/spine isn't worth the money for good seats, I don't suggest replacing OEM, crash tested seats. Most people don't think about the fact they are altering the SAFETY system of their car when they replace OEM seats. The airbags, seats and harnesses are designed to work together, as one system.

Buy a CG lock.

 

[lasermp5]

If you're going to make the investment in seats, go with a trusted brand right off the line. Take it from me... I fooled around with some knockoffs for awhile and ended up selling two seats to finance my single BRIDE driver seat. Best decision I could have made. Sparcos and corbeaus are great, but IMO BRIDE makes a kick ass seat. Very JDM if you're into that thing.

 

[122 Vega]

now that I have spent the money on a good FIA seat - the Sparco Evo, i won't ever go back to a seat like the Forza. it's tube steel, and not comfortable att all for any extended periods of time (>15 minutes.) In fact, I've got a set of Forzas in my office I'd let go for $100, they need to be cleaned, but they are in decent shape. Prefer to have a pickup though, shipping could be expensive.

Britt

 

[brokemp3]

i have a set of corbeau fx1 in my honda delsol . they are kickass seats but they wrap around you and are one piece wich means they only go forward and backwards but they definitely hold you in place. they were 600 for the set not including brackets and harness

 

[SuperProtege5]

Sparco, Corbeau, Recaro, Bride, Cobra, Momo.

I personally love my Sparco Torino seat. Very comfy, holds me well and feels great.

What brackets are you using to hold the seats in? If they aren't custom, could you tell me where to get them?

 

[Revs]

So it looks like if I do get a seat it will be just one so that I can get a good brand. Looks like the Corbeau CR1 http://www.corbeau.com/products/cr1/cr1.shtml
is the one to buy or perhaps the A4. The Sparco's and Recarco's are nice, but way too much money, at least Corbeau is a good name. What I am still trying to find out is which seats are certified since there is no info on Corbeau or Recaro's saying they are certified, etc. I have email Corbeau questionning this.

...so next decision is to save up for seat or a wedding...

 

[dmitrik4]

Scroth has a disconnect feature on its harness that allows you to continue using the rear seat belts:

http://www.soloracer.com/rallye4.html

another low-cost, quality seat you could look into is the Momo Start:

http://www.shopmomo.com/momstarseatb.html

you can often find them for ~$400/pair. i've sat in one, and it's very comfortable. stay away from the corbeau clubman; it's incredibly uncomfortable, even for short autoX runs.

i wouldn't recommend a harness on the street, and i personally wouldn't remove an airbag-equipped seat in favor of a non-airbag race seat...but it's your head, not mine. a CG lock is probably the best (and cheapest) solution for you if your main concern is twisty-road driving.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?deptid=4546&parentid=0&stocknumber=21-16300

 

[FunkyBuddha]

What brackets are you using to hold the seats in? If they aren't custom, could you tell me where to get them?

Sparco makes brackets, sliders and adapters for the Protege. Look them up or call them.


but ya..anything dealing with safety you should go with some tested and known brands. high quality s***. The Torinos are great since they can be tilted forward and backward. They are more of a street application. I don't think you would want one piece seats for the street as they are not as comfortable.

As for Bride seat...watch out for knockoffs on ebay and such. Bride seats also have a lower maximum weight limit of around 220lbs I think. They are made for small asian men/women LOL.

 

[Revs]

The Torinos are great since they can be tilted forward and backward. They are more of a street application. I don't think you would want one piece seats for the street as they are not as comfortable.

All the seats I have mentioned are reclinable, there is no way I'm puting a one-piece seat in a street car so there is no need to worry about that, I decided that a long time ago when I sat in a Forza that I would never go with a 1 piece.

 

[low_psi]

"Corbeau has only one FIA certified seat, the Forza."

 

[Revs]

Ok, here is what I have found in my searches. Only 1 piece race seats are going to be FIA cert as they are used for actual racing, whereas reclinable's are not used for racing so there is no need to have them certified. An FIA certified reclinable street/race seat would be kind of pointless in the eyes of manufacturers since they are going to be used in street cars.
Also a have seen on some vendors sites that sell just seats that they highly recommend against FIA cert seats for street cars, no explaination given, but one would have to use common sense to assume that these seats are built to handle high speed crashes, something that a street car was not designed to do.
Also the Forza is no longer FIA cert as they have decided not to pay for the certification anymore, but they are still the same seat.

 

[mp3moose]

Look for a TUV certified seat (like a torino) thats reclinable. You don't want to die because you bought ricer seats that snapped your back in two.

 

[Metal MP5]

you can also look into racespex