• From: New Alexandria PA
  • Registered: 2010-06-14
  • Posts: 418

Topic: What racing seat?

We are building a new car.  It is an 87 Mazda RX7.  what seats are you guys using in these cars?  How did you install it?  do you have sliders?

I am a little worried about the headroom in the car with some of our taller drivers (6').  I want to make sure the seat is as low as possible  but still on sliders (our shortest driver is around 5' 6" with short legs).

I am trying to figure this out without buying a seat that doesn't work for us.

I was thinking about a kirkey type seat (aluminum) so I could mount it directly on sliders very low in the car.

Thanks!

Rob R.

Ghetto motorsports - Car #555 1980 Mazda RX7 (3x winner of BFE GP)
Car #350 78 Chevy Malibu (Least horrible Yank Tank, Heroic Fix) (Gone)
Car # 556 1987 Mazda RX7 (6th place MMC 2013)
  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 971

Re: What racing seat?

We currently have a tube framed type Sparco in our 2nd Gen on a Sparco slider.  I have a Kirkey Intermediate I will be putting into the car but I'm not sure yet how/if it will fit.  In any case, if you go too low with your mount, your 5'6" guy is going to be driving with his hands higher than his head and vision might be an issue.  I'm 6'2" so height was a concern so we just built the cage taller.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita" 
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)
1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless)
  • From: New Alexandria PA
  • Registered: 2010-06-14
  • Posts: 418

Re: What racing seat?

Do you have any pics?

Thanks!

Rob R.

Ghetto motorsports - Car #555 1980 Mazda RX7 (3x winner of BFE GP)
Car #350 78 Chevy Malibu (Least horrible Yank Tank, Heroic Fix) (Gone)
Car # 556 1987 Mazda RX7 (6th place MMC 2013)
  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 971

Re: What racing seat?

Nothing specifically of the cage but this view shows how the rear hoop is much taller than the front hoop to clear my head.  You can also see the cage builder eff up when he built the harness bar.  There is a center bar connecting the front and rear hoops as well as diagonals from the center of the front hoop going outwards to the rear hoop.  Lots of overhead protection.  Say all you want about extra weight up high but I've got teammates with kids and wives that I happen to like.  I was thinking about them when it came time to cage the car.


http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii80/cheseroo/MazdaEbay/MiscMazda/Mazdarita.jpg

After looking at this picture from 2 years ago at the way the car looked then and comparing it to the way the car looked last weekend, Lemons sure takes a toll on these things.

BTW, that's Spank's moke in the background at it's first race and nowhere close to being ready.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita" 
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)
1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless)
  • Spank
  • Utter Madman
  • Offline
  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 3,030

Re: What racing seat?

My advice: Do NOT get a tube-framed seat, like the Sparco Junior or Corbeau Clubman or Corbeau Forza. Putting a seat back brace on it is not easy and nothing looks like a good option if you even do try. I highly suggest that you spend as much $ as you can on either a fiberglass/carbon fiber shelled seat or an aluminum Kirkey or similar. DO NOT get the Jegs aluminum seat.
http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/800/821/821-8440S.jpg

At Buttonwillow an ex-circletrack car was going/failing through tech with that Jegs economy seat and Jay just grabbed the top of it and leaned on it and bent the top over 90degrees. There is no channeling or reinforcing in that jegs (or economy) drag seat. Spend a bit more and get a Kirkey or Ultra-Shield if you want to go aluminum. Notice the difference in the channeling (grooved like a floorpan). Quality of design and construction makes all the difference:

http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/570/570-47700.jpg

Sliders are ok, but get the kind that double lock---each slider has a locking mechanism on it-- miata seats have them that are connected side to side by a cable and you can narrow or widen the width as needed.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/3242/601/8102800184_large.jpg

Most modern cars have double locking sliders now, too. OR just buy this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Seat- … vi-content


You can put a 1" box down through the floor to lower your seat mouting if you need the height. The other option is to recline the seat to get head clearance. Also, when mounting the sliders to the car, if you mount the front of the sliders higher than the rear, as you slide the seat forward the seat will also go up so shorter drivers can see over the hood, and taller drivers go lower as the seat goes back.

Just mount it securely using grade 8 or equivalent bolts. If you can tie in your seat mounting into your cage somehow, that would be ideal.

(Disclaimer: I really have no idea what the F I'm doing or talking about and, in fact, have had a car that I built fail tech because of my seat mounting.)

Spank's Website

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,469

Re: What racing seat?

E30 sliders are double lock too.

Prickstine: The killer '58 Mopar EFury30.

LTDScott's Website

  • From: New Alexandria PA
  • Registered: 2010-06-14
  • Posts: 418

Re: What racing seat?

I know the RX7 sliders are double lock (and look just like the ones in the pic).  I like the idea of the "uphill" adjustment.  This could work.

Unforunately, the car is not a vert.  The cage would be entirely different than the Saint Cheseroo car.

How did you guys mount the seat in the car?

Thanks,

Rob

Ghetto motorsports - Car #555 1980 Mazda RX7 (3x winner of BFE GP)
Car #350 78 Chevy Malibu (Least horrible Yank Tank, Heroic Fix) (Gone)
Car # 556 1987 Mazda RX7 (6th place MMC 2013)
  • From: New Alexandria PA
  • Registered: 2010-06-14
  • Posts: 418

Re: What racing seat?

I am leaning towards this seat:  Kirkey  570-36700.  It is listed as a intermediate oval track seat.  I am planning on getting the individual head and shoulder restraints.

Are teh head and shoulder restraints worth it?  Is one better than the other?  Is it dumb to use an oval type seat for road racing?  It seems the road racing type seat is bigger and may not fit as well.

All together with the cover and head and neck restraints, the seat will be about $400.00.  That is roughly what the intermediate road race seat costs with a cover.


Let me know what you guys are thinking.

Thanks!

Rob

Ghetto motorsports - Car #555 1980 Mazda RX7 (3x winner of BFE GP)
Car #350 78 Chevy Malibu (Least horrible Yank Tank, Heroic Fix) (Gone)
Car # 556 1987 Mazda RX7 (6th place MMC 2013)
  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 971

Re: What racing seat?

You'll need to check with Evil John on that Kirkey.  It seems to me I heard somewhere that he does not like the single harness hole seats for some reason.  As far as head and shoulder restraints, that seat alone has more upper body lateral support than the Sparco in the RX7.  I'd still go with the shoulder restraints as the kirkey intermediate in our other car feel a ton better and you can feel the support in the shoulder area.  If you do go with the head restraints, mirror the hell out of your car because it's a lot harder to see out with some of the seat head restraints.

Or you could call one of these guys, cut a deal on one and see if they will ship

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pts/3101738628.html

http://westmd.craigslist.org/pts/3062192914.html

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita" 
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)
1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless)
  • Registered: 2011-02-22
  • Posts: 387

Re: What racing seat?

Just a thought...hans devices don't have side hit protection but some seats do.   I believe they are called 'halo' seats.  The combination of a hans and a halo seat is a pretty good way to go if you are making a new racer.  Sparco makes a nice one but so do other makers.

http://www.saferacer.com/sparco-pro-adv … uctid=1335

  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 853

Re: What racing seat?

If you are really desperate for head room, and still want sliders, find yourself a set of perfectly flat sliders (some are curved), and a seat with side mount points. Then mount the sliders to the side and secure them to the floor in such a way that the bottom of the seat is just off the ground. it's what we did in the daytona. We used sliders out of my old Porsche 924S.

1989 Dodge Daytona Shelby, 1987 Dodge Shelby Charger (new build)
2011 Loudon Annoying - I Got Screwed; Stafford - I Got Screwed
2012 Halloween Hooptiefest - Organizer's Choice
Best Finish - 2013 Loudon Annoying - 48th with 336 laps all on one engine.

12 Reply by Scotty (edited by Scotty 2012-07-02 02:46 PM)

  • From: Northern Mexico
  • Registered: 2012-02-14
  • Posts: 716

Re: What racing seat?

I'm 6'4" and the smallest drivers we have are 5'6" and 5'7".  We run Kirkey. For the sliders we got two aftermarket locking sliders and made a parallelogram to connect the two adjustment rods. then we put the tracks at about a 15* angle so as the seat moves forward it also moves up about two inches. Then the seat back brace was designed with a pivot point at the cage mount so it articulates with the seat motion.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/flyhiflylo/2011%20Lemons%20build%20IROC%20MAIDEN/IMAG0271.jpg

_______________
#3 IROC MAIDEN
  • Mulry
  • Mulry
  • Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah
  • Offline
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 3,600

Re: What racing seat?

wvumtnbkr wrote:

I am leaning towards this seat:  Kirkey  570-36700.  It is listed as a intermediate oval track seat.  I am planning on getting the individual head and shoulder restraints.

Are teh head and shoulder restraints worth it?  Is one better than the other?  Is it dumb to use an oval type seat for road racing?  It seems the road racing type seat is bigger and may not fit as well.

All together with the cover and head and neck restraints, the seat will be about $400.00.  That is roughly what the intermediate road race seat costs with a cover.


Let me know what you guys are thinking.

Thanks!

Rob

Rob, I've driven LeMons cars both with the intermediate oval seat and the intermediate road racing seat (Series 47 seats) and I like the road racing seat a lot more. The oval seat can be really difficult to get in and out of, which is a problem in a race where you are changing drivers while the clock is running. And it's frankly just not as comfortable as the road race seat with that middle section all closed in on you. The intermediate road racing seat should fit fine, as it comes in different widths so you can order one that will fit in the car you're using -- Kirkey's website gives really good dimensions if you find the seat you're looking for and click on the "shop drawings" link.  I can't speak to the full-containment type seat but they look like a good idea to me. But I've used a Kirkey Series 47 seat since 2009 & have been plenty happy with it.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing '67 SIMCA GLS 1000
"The SIMCA 1000 rear engined saloon is not a car which is going to be remembered in years to come for any particular reason.... It is not startling for its beauty, innovating with its design or particularly fast, economic or comfortable. However, it has been successful for SIMCA, especially in France."
--SIMCA 1000 Owners Workshop Manual, J.H. Haynes, 1973