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FIA seats expire?


skrzastek

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I have been reading over the CCR's for this up coming season and I have a question about racing seats. Do FIA seats expire? I know that harnesses do after a certain amount of time but I did not see anything about seat dating.

Thanks

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No, they don't expire, but after 5 years you must use a seat back brace.

 

15.6.22 Seat Back Support

A seatback support must be made to hold the seat from going back in the event of a

crash. A plate should be used to distribute the load. No bolts, corners, or sharp objects

should be placed in such a manner that could lead to a possible puncture of the driver in

a high impact crash. Proper design and installation is crucial to safety and it is

recommended that the driver employ the services of a professional race car builder for

this, as well as all other vehicle safety items. An exception may be made for those seats

homologated to, and mounted in accordance with, FIA 8855-1999 standards. Those

seats that qualify for the aforementioned exception must conform to the entire FIA 8855-

1999 set of regulations. This includes a mandatory seat replacement, or use of a seat

back brace, for any seat more than five (5) years old. Please reference the FIA

regulations. http://www.fia.com/

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  • 4 weeks later...
do we use the end of the year as the expiration (like on belts), or do we use the month/year (i.e. 04/04)?

 

I am pretty sure it is based off of the month and the year.

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do we use the end of the year as the expiration (like on belts), or do we use the month/year (i.e. 04/04)?

 

I am pretty sure it is based off of the month and the year.

 

Actually, I think the seat is good till Dec 31st. of the expiration year.

As a precaution, I'd run a seatback brace from the beginning, they bolt right on the harness bar and the plate can touch the back of the seat, it doesn't have to be bolted to it.

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the whole point of an FIA seat is that it *doesn't* need a seatback brace and can flex to spread out the shock of an impact - nevermind the concerns of adding what amounts to a spear to the back of it

 

If you want a rigidly mounted seat get a metal one and brace it to your heart's content

if you want a composite seat get an FIA one and keep it in-date

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to clarify an earlier comment, a seat's FIA certification does expire after 5 years, and then it is no longer FIA certified, so then you need to use a seat back brace, just like you do with any other seat that doesn't start out as FIA certified.

bruce

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  • 7 years later...

Never mind. After some searching on FIA's site, I came across the actual document that specifically states the regulation...

 

http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/regulation/file/8855-1999_Competition_seat_0.pdf

 

Section 7. Seat Life

"The usable life of an FIA homologated seat will be 5 years from the year of manufacture. For example, a seat manufactured on 1 January 2014 will be “Not valid after 2019”; likewise, a seat manufactured on 31 December 2014 will be “Not valid after 2019”.

 

An extension of up to 2 further years may be authorised where the seat has been returned to the manufacturer for re-validation. Extensions will be indicated by an additional label affixed to the seat identifying the date on which the seat eligibility ceases, and validated by the manufacturer's quality inspection stamp."

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