23 replies to this topic

[larsonracing]

I am composing this post becasue I am very stuck on what seats to get for me SM. I want fixed back seats that are around $800 for the pair, plus or minus the mounting brackets. I have looked at Sparco, Momo, Kirkey, NRG, Corbeau, and OMP. I am currenty leaning towards the Corbeau FX1 seat. I dont know if this will fit in a miata, or if some of these other seats will. If you could leave the seat you currenlty have in the comments below as well as your thoughts on it, that would be appreciated.

[Steve Scheifler]

I'm in the midst of yet another round of seat selection myself. Perhaps the most critical issue is cage design, particularly whether the main hoop sits on the "package shelf" or extends to the floor behind the seat, and potentially how the back and door bars tie into that. Hopefully you have not installed the cage yet or even bought a kit.

[larsonracing]

I'm in the midst of yet another round of seat selection myself. Perhaps the most critical issue is cage design, particularly whether the main hoop sits on the "package shelf" or extends to the floor behind the seat, and potentially how the back and door bars tie into that. Hopefully you have not installed the cage yet or even bought a kit.

I have not yet bought or installed a cage. I just dont know where to start when it comes to seats.

[Steve Scheifler]

Good. I recently bought the Sparco Ergo and have done a few races with it, but it is outside your price range new. Overall I like it but was unable to get it installed quite to my liking due to the cage, so I may be changing. The medium is a little loose so if I kept it I would probably add some side padding. I do like the removable head wings, which is what drew me to it originally. I kept the right one, in lieu of a right side net, but ran without the left one since the cage padding and net won't let me go far that direction and I want rapid egress.

Before that I ran mostly simple aluminum 20 degree buckets from Kirkey and similar. They can be made to fit with most cages and if you get the right size and padding they work very well. I've spread the thigh restraints a bit as needed to get the necessary movement while still being held firmly in the seat. I'd like more shoulder wing than the basic ones have, but then the cage becomes an issue again.

Best advice of course is to try and find people with similar cars who will let you sit in them. Even on the showroom floor of SafeRacer it was really hard to judge.

[cam]

If you are considering an aluminum seat, then I recommend the Ultrashield with Halo.  I bolt it straight to the floor board with a small spacer in front to get the seat the rank I like.  I have used several seats in the past and like this one the most, it is comfortable, supports my body well, and feel very safe it.  Ultrashield will custom make a seat for you if needed  but mine is off the shelf.  YMMV

[Mark]

I strongly recommend that whatever seat you choose make sure it has side head restraints aka as a halo seat. I would not race a car without one. These seats aren't really practical for a street car but I think they are nearly mandatory imo in w2w race cars these days.

 

 

I am composing this post becasue I am very stuck on what seats to get for me SM. I want fixed back seats that are around $800 for the pair, plus or minus the mounting brackets. I have looked at Sparco, Momo, Kirkey, NRG, Corbeau, and OMP. I am currenty leaning towards the Corbeau FX1 seat. I dont know if this will fit in a miata, or if some of these other seats will. If you could leave the seat you currenlty have in the comments below as well as your thoughts on it, that would be appreciated.

[mhiggins10]

If you are considering an aluminum seat, then I recommend the Ultrashield with Halo.  I bolt it straight to the floor board with a small spacer in front to get the seat the rank I like.  I have used several seats in the past and like this one the most, it is comfortable, supports my body well, and feel very safe it.  Ultrashield will custom make a seat for you if needed  but mine is off the shelf.  YMMV

I have one of these as well, bolted to the floor, and really like it.

[Alberto]

When I was looking my first seat when I was building my car,  I asked my cage builder for a recommendation.  He recommended a short list of a couple that he knew fit the Miata well and that he had installed and provided good safety.  He even suggested a couple of retailers so I went to one and sat in a few more and bought one.

 

I brought the seat with the car so he could position me in the car and build the cage around the seat and my proportions.  Perfect fit.

[Tom Hampton]

I have one of these as well, bolted to the floor, and really like it.

I'll third the vote for an ultrashield, VS halo seat.  I also like the Halo 3 design which uses a C-channel for reinforcement of the halo instead of a wide flat plate.  This design would be easier to fit into a pre-built cage or any situation where the seat would be located close to or within the main-hoop.

 

I haven't tested the full strength of the halo this year (thank goodness), but even in one minor collision and a big off into a drainage hole, I was glad to have the wings there to keep the strain off my neck as my head bounced around side to side.  Without it, and its all neck muscle to keep things in place.

[Tom Scheifler]

Got my first halo seat this year -- Momo Daytona Evo. Very happy with it. I'm 6'2" 190 lbs
Plan to modify the transmission tunnel.

[mhiggins10]

I'll third the vote for an ultrashield, VS halo seat.  I also like the Halo 3 design which uses a C-channel for reinforcement of the halo instead of a wide flat plate.  This design would be easier to fit into a pre-built cage or any situation where the seat would be located close to or within the main-hoop.

 

I haven't tested the full strength of the halo this year (thank goodness), but even in one minor collision and a big off into a drainage hole, I was glad to have the wings there to keep the strain off my neck as my head bounced around side to side.  Without it, and its all neck muscle to keep things in place.

 

Didn't happen to be between T3-T4 at TWS did it?  I had a similar off/oops and was glad to have the support as I banged over things, narrowly missing the massive culvert that would've probably ripped the car apart...

[Tom Hampton]

Yes, exactly there.  I dropped LR tire on the exit of 3.  Spun down to track-right, and went nose first into that giant hole at 53 mph.  Lower radiator and subframe dug into dirt on backside, pulling the radiator off its lower mounts and twisting (but, not damaging the core).  Also bent the LR LCA long bolt, and knuckle. 

 

The head  bounced pretty violently off the wings as I went through that. 

 

Didn't see the culvert, in real time nor the video.  Probably just as well. 

[mhiggins10]

Yes, exactly there.  I dropped LR tire on the exit of 3.  Spun down to track-right, and went nose first into that giant hole at 53 mph.  Lower radiator and subframe dug into dirt on backside, pulling the radiator off its lower mounts and twisting (but, not damaging the core).  Also bent the LR LCA long bolt, and knuckle. 

 

The head  bounced pretty violently off the wings as I went through that. 

 

Didn't see the culvert, in real time nor the video.  Probably just as well. 

Ouch!  I went off the other side- ran wide on the exit (turned in too early).  There's a big culvert that runs underneath the 3-4 chute that I BARELY missed.  Saw the stakes with pink flags marking where it gets nasty and just barely missed them to the right as I headed back on track.  

 

I'll have a net setup on the car before it goes out again- I'm pretty positive I knocked everything out of whack.  No damage though, thankfully- aside from some shot nerves.  

[Steve Scheifler]

Got my first halo seat this year -- Momo Daytona Evo. Very happy with it...

I didn't like this one because halo is too narrow for an average size helmet without noticeable friction on both sides.

[Tom Hampton]

Ouch!  I went off the other side- ran wide on the exit (turned in too early).  There's a big culvert that runs underneath the 3-4 chute that I BARELY missed.  Saw the stakes with pink flags marking where it gets nasty and just barely missed them to the right as I headed back on track.  
 
I'll have a net setup on the car before it goes out again- I'm pretty positive I knocked everything out of whack.  No damage though, thankfully- aside from some shot nerves.

Must be the opposite side of the same culvert. Its hard to tell on google earth.  It was surprising the car wasn't more damaged than it was.  The radiator wasn't punctured, it was resting in a new location wedged against the front sway-bar.  The belly pan was ripped to shreds.  The aforementioned long bolt was bent, but it was bent at the joint nearest the head.  So, a few inches of pounding and it came out without the usual cursing, and eventual sawzall usage. 

 

After the long bolt was replaced the LR camber was still 4+ degrees.  So, the rear knuckle is probably bent, also.  But, we were able to adjust it out and zero toe.  Cross got a little messed up so something probably moved a small amount.  But, we couldn't find any wrinkles in the frame and all the body panels still lined up.  So, a minor adjustment to a spring perch and the car was square with zero toe, and 50/50 cross,  and normal camber. 

 

So, zip ties, duck tape, a new long bolt, and an hour on the scales and she was "good as new". 

 

As hard as the hit felt, I was really expecting something to have been more badly bent. 

 

Anyway, back to the topic.  The head rattled between the padding of my halo when I hit...well halo on the right and cage padding on the left.  Nothing that risked a concussion or anything.  But, as I said above, I was glad my neck didn't have to decelerate my helmet and head.  I'm sure my neck muscles would have been sore for the rest of the weekend without the support. 

 

There was a video that someone posted on specmiata.com back when I was just getting started building my car.  I think it was of a guy whose steering wheel came off and he lost control of the car.  veered off the track and hit something, don't remember what.  Anyway, he didn't have a side net or a halo seat and his whole upper torso, head and neck whipped sideways so far he disappeared from view for a split second before springing back upright.  I knew right then I didn't want to deal with sideways whiplash like that.  At 40+, I'd be sore for weeks.  I don't recover like I used to. 

 

Hence the seat. 

[av8tor]

 The seat manufacturers have tremendously informative youtube videos and PDFs on line..  They are very quick to share their millions in testing.  What I have gained from the manufacturers is that the safest set up is a containment seat with a back brace that prevents the seat from moving sideways.  (includes FIA seats that don't require a seat brace).   Lots of testing shows that an inexpensive Ultra Shield with a back mount and a center net is pretty darn effective at preventing injuries.  I have an Ultra Shield (no halo) on Sparco sliders with an I.O. Port back mount and a center net on my endurance car and a Kirkey full containment in my SM.   The aluminum seats fit very well in the small confines of a Miata.  I would go to the track and ask to sit in other folk's cars.  The halo is a great safety feature, but can make ingress and egress difficult if you are not lithe.  Watch the OMP videos and read about their new support of back braces and your love affair with fiberglass FIA seats with no back brace may be ended.

[Tom Scheifler]

I didn't like this one because halo is too narrow for an average size helmet without noticeable friction on both sides.

I thought it might be an issue but it's one of those things I don't notice once I'm actually on track.

[Danny Steyn]

IMO one of the most dangerous seats out there is an aluminum seat with hip bolsters but no shoulder restraint. We have had several Spec Miata drivers with broken ribs from side (lateral impacts) where, during the impact, the hips have been contained and heavy torso has continued to move laterally - normally toward the passenger side. No center net can stop this movement. At severe impacts the body bends over the right aluminum hip restraint and can result in broken rib/ribs or worse. 

 

Some of you are OK with this, I am not. I suggest installing seats that have hip, shoulder restraints as well as a halo. 

 

Back in the 70's Bell Helmets had a wonderful marketing slogan - "if you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet!"

Never skimp on safety

[davew]

Let me start by saying I am one of the larger Ultrashield road race dealers in the country. I sell Ultrashield because I like dealing with the people there. No issue with any other aluminum seat company, Other than they are hard to deal with on a small wholesale program. I also sell Sparco, MOMO, Sabelt and OMP composite seats. So no bias.

 

The best seat will only work if it is properly mounted. I have seen very expensive seats mounted with no backup washers under the floor board! You may stay in the seat, but the seat may not stay in the car.

 

Never use a circle track or drag race seat for road racing.

 

Seat support starts at the bottom (actually your bottom) and works upward as seat price increases. You need good hip support at a minimum. Then go up to the shoulders, as Danny stated, you want to support the upper body. Those little supports really do work well during high cornering forces also. Then you get into the halo style seats which keep your head from moving sideways.

 

Before buying a high dollar seat, make sure it will fit with your roll cage design. I have had a few people come into the shop thinking we could mount their composite halo seat with a generic roll cage. The cage and the halo tried to occupy the same space. We ended up recaging the car. Often door bars interfere with the shoulder bolsters. This requires modifying either the seat (easier on aluminum seats) or cutting out the existing door bars.

 

I consider the seat, the cage and all other safety equipment as a package. they need to work together to keep us safe. Sometimes they make us faster, but they need to keep us safe.

 

Dave

[Jim Drago]

I don't sell this seat, but it is what I use and most of the cars we build are using. IMO, it is the best seat on the market. I have had many far more expensive seats and this one is built better, fits the car very well and it is very sturdy and very safe. Honestly no idea how they build this seat at this price. I have ultra shields and most all of them bent or twisted in time and not nearly as sturdy and bordering on flimsy IMO. Granted I stress the seat more than most

Jim

https://www.kirkeyra...limit/60/page/1