Interesting thread... I personally would never use an aluminum seat in a race car, nor would I use a seat brace on an FIA approved seating system (seat and mounts). US motorsports seat safety is somewhat antiquated in comparison to FIA according to my friends at Northstar Motorsports. SFI (standard used in SCCA iirc) treats the seat structure as a rigid unit- hence the seat bracing unit needed for fiberglass/carbon fiber seats. FIA treats the seat structure as a deformable, energy absorbing unit- to which the seats are tested without bracing on the back. Thus, like harnesses, seats are date stamped since they have a finite lifespan that the manufacturer is liable for (belts and seats older than three years from the date stamp are not considered usable and need to be replaced which is why you always look for the freshest dates when purchasing). From what I understand SCCA is going to incorporate FIA standards in the near future. I know which ones I would rather be in- not an aluminum seat...
GTRPower, Agreed, it is a debate between strict and ultimate stiffness or allowing some "controlled" give and take (yet of course not breaking apart). My preference is to have some controlled give and take as this slows down the final stopping motion, thereby causing less injury. Just my humble 2 Yen.
While on the subject of sport seats, Those of you that have done this in a 308, did you use seats that were side mount or bottom mount? Thanks!
Dave, Am going side mounting and it all seem to line up perfectly. Do not care for using bottom sliding brackets as once the seat angle/height is set for me there never really needs to be any adjustment. FYI: Sparco Roadster with OMP HC730 low-rise side brackets.
Steve, I show the Sparco Roadster as being a bottom mount seat. Can you mount one of these seats either way?
Dave, The Roadster is kinda unique as it has BOTH side AND bottom mounting holes. Their website says bottom only (it lies). Has NOTHING to do with brackets, but that there are proper mounting holes/hardware for side or bottom mounting within the seat itself.
OK sports fans, a stock 308 seat weighs in at just over 30 lbs... So 61 lbs for the pair. and a couple of 17 lb racing seats weigh in at 35 lbs with brackets. A savings of 26 lbs. Removal of Mastiff, a savings of 223 lbs...
Anyone want to sell their factory M/L 360 carbon-fiber black leather racing seats? If so, please contact me
Dave, CONGRATS on the new seat! Did you go side or bottom mount? Was it hard? Anything i should look out for when i do mine next week? And which seats DID you get??? ALL help is ALWAYS appreciated.
Might want to try out the roadster first hand if possible. It depends on how big of a guy you are, and also how tall you are too. I've had a roadster in my car for ~2 years, and that includes daily driving. It's comfy, but non-adjustable which you already knew. Holds me quite well, but not as well as say... a kirkey or SPG. The upper bolsters don't hold your back too well, but much better than OEM seats. Getting in and out of the seats on a daily basis - well... just a PITA at times. But once I'm in the car... I can feel what it is doing much more than any OEM seat out there. The black/black seats are difficult to locate. The black/gray-backing seat is easy to obtain. Wait for what you want.
Schatten, Have the black/black Sparco Speedster seats here and as for bolstering, OMP sells additional cushions that easily Velcro on i desire more padding. In fact odds are if i feel the need... i will make my own pads from whatever material i desire (probably that aerospace fancy bed foam stuff) and stick it behind the Roadster's fabric cover. As for the size of the seat and comfort, am a trim 5' 10.5" (32" waist, 170 lbs.) so i have no worries there. As far as getting in and out, the Roadster is MUCH easier than full race seats with high sides. From my basic NOT IN CAR testing, i like the feel/comfort of the Roadster MUCH MORE SO than the stock 308 seats.
