ddg Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 My deal: 5 years of HPDE, FWD Audi (similar to Scirocco) lot's of suspension, brake and some engine work. I drive my car at most once a week through a canyon to work, the rest of the time I drive the "tow vehicle" (Astro van). I run a 5 point harness for the track, used to run an XL Corbeau forza tube framed bucket, Not FIA or SFI rated Looking to install rool hoop with harness bar Need a good seat for track days, I'm 6.0", 40" waist, 50" chest 290lbs (yeah, yeah, I know, loose some weight!) I've tried a Sparco evo-3, it fits perfectly, but it's over $850 with brackets I've looked at Kirkey and I'm really interested in the Ultrashield "Road Race VS", it's half the price of the Sparco. The only problem is, aluminum seats are not SFI or FIA rated... I'm not racing but what's the deal with these seats?? They make a TON of different sizes so one should fit me. Can I only use them if I'm a redneck and only turn left (and usualy in the dirt)??? I'd also like to now NASA's official opinion on these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundguydave Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 I'm not an "official," but I run the Ultrashield Road Race Pro in my Mustang (both sides), and they are actually a lot more comfortable than the look. Never had a comment about "left-turn redneck" either! Extremely supportive, they will lock you in place and let you concentrate on driving... To the best of my knowlege, there is no SFI spec for seats, just FIA and non-FIA. All non-FIA (and expired FIA) seats will need to be installed with a back-brace connecting to the roll bar to pass tech, but that's no big deal. The nice thing about the aluminum seats is that since you drill your own mount points, you can get the seat EXACTLY where you want it in relation to the pedals and wheel. It took me probably 8 man-hours playing with different mounting positions, and another 2 hours of fabrication and installation, but the end result is seat-position-perfection: Drivers side is set up perfectly for me, and the passenger side is low and rear-mounted, so I still retain great side visibility, and there is plenty of room on the right side for all manner of passenger shape/size. Measure yourself the easy way: Sit down on a coffee table, and push a stack of phone books up against each hip, so that they're snug, but not rammed in, then stand up and measure the distance between the stacks, then order that size. Round up, particularly if you wear a driver's suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laze1 Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Agreed, the custom made Aluminum seat is only way to go for a "odd sized person" I needed higher shoulder belt holes for a tall guy using a HANS...and Kirkley made mine to fit for chump change...and I use a back brace and all is good. I add padding as needed per track...i.e., when I change sizes..loose weight/add blubber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legends21 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 One other piece of advice regarding a custom aluminum seat: If you get a full containment seat, make sure that you have sufficient room to exit your car with all of your safety gear on. I ended up with an additional cost to modifiy the left side shoulder / head rest to give me some additional room. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddg Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 Guys, Thanks so much for the info! This weekend I sat in a couple of Ultrashield seats, I really liked they way they felt. I'm pricing out a "Road race VS" in 18" size, it looks like the one to go with! I like the "VS" version because it has the C channel stiffeners in it, it was rock solid even with my "John Goodman" sized ass in it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra4B Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I'm 6'4" 230 with wide shoulders so your normal run of the mill racing seats don't fit too well. I had a 17" Ultrashield Pro Roadrace (I think it's the VS now) in my old Z06 that now resides in my father's Panoz. This go around I looked at the Sparco Evo 2 Plus (supposedly for taller drivers), but the harness holes are only 1" higher and the hips/thigh areas are actually narrower than the standard Evo L (used to be called the Evo 2, not sure why Sparco didn't call the taller on the Evo L Plus for consistency). Shops will tell you the Evo 2 Plus is the same as the L but taller, but they're wrong.... when you take Sparco's spec sheet and actually look you'll see. So seeing as the Evo 2 was out I looked back at the Ultrashield and went with a fully custom road race seat to my exact specs. It only costs an additional $100, but it was so worth it... The seat just plain fits and being my size nothing off the shelf from Sparco or Cobra etc. etc. would ever work. Here's the seat awaiting install in my TTA build... it ended up being a 16" seat that is 2" taller in the back with wider shoulder wings. Me -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddg Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 I'm 6'4" 230 with wide shoulders so your normal run of the mill racing seats don't fit too well. I had a 17" Ultrashield Pro Roadrace (I think it's the VS now) in my old Z06 that now resides in my father's Panoz. This go around I looked at the Sparco Evo 2 Plus (supposedly for taller drivers), but the harness holes are only 1" higher and the hips/thigh areas are actually narrower than the standard Evo L (used to be called the Evo 2, not sure why Sparco didn't call the taller on the Evo L Plus for consistency). Shops will tell you the Evo 2 Plus is the same as the L but taller, but they're wrong.... when you take Sparco's spec sheet and actually look you'll see. So seeing as the Evo 2 was out I looked back at the Ultrashield and went with a fully custom road race seat to my exact specs. It only costs an additional $100, but it was so worth it... The seat just plain fits and being my size nothing off the shelf from Sparco or Cobra etc. etc. would ever work. Here's the seat awaiting install in my TTA build... it ended up being a 16" seat that is 2" taller in the back with wider shoulder wings. -Brian Very cool! thanks! How did you manage to fit your head under the roof at 6'4"?? You must have the seat bolted directly to the floor! BTW, what seat brackets are those in the pic? That's my next purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra4B Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 C5 Corvettes actually have tons of room... I have a 2003 Vert that I nearly daily and recently sold my old yellow 2001 Z06 that I converted to a targa. With the race seat setup I can make it really low which I like, but honestly I can heel-toe fine in my vert in the stock sport seat. The seat rail kit you see is mfg by Gary Hoffman of Hardbar USA. Theyre made for Corvettes, but I retrofitted my old set to go in my Fathers Panoz.... I just measured and drilled new holes in the proper spots to bolt it in. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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