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Affordable race spec halo seat


imissedtheapex

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I'm wanting to upgrade my race seat (E36 Sedan for PT or Spec3) to a Halo seat, but don't have 2 grand lying around. Are there any that you guys would recommend for less than 1000 dollars? My current is a Corbeau Sprint FIA which is made to fit size 34 waist which is perfect in terms of size...

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If you're getting a head containment seat, then you also must get one with shoulder containment. A friend was pretty seriously injured after a hard side impact when his fairly cheap seat (Sparco Daytona, IIRC) held his lower torso and head in place, but allowed his shoulders to move sideways, out of the seat. A broken C4 vertebra was the result.

 

A few years ago, I started looking at $800 aluminum containment seats to replace the absolutely scary $350 aluminum seat I was using. Then, I talked myself into looking at a $1200 Kirkey aluminum containment seat. Eventually, I went with a $1600 LaJoie aluminum containment seat because, if I found myself jacked up in a cheap seat, a few hundred dollars is a check I would gladly write to get out of a hospital. Of course, I could have spent more...but, where do you stop? You can go all the way up to a $10K Hendrick carbon fiber NASCAR tub seat, but that isn't realistic for most drivers. Hopefully, I spent enough.

 

This is an old video that I found and uploaded a few years ago. The body moves around quite a bit in what appears to be a light impact:

 

 

I would brace any seat back to the harness crossbar of the cage. All of the FIA-approved seats and seat brackets in the world become useless when you bolt them to a 20 gauge sheetmetal floorpan, and the floorpan fails (Google for photos of the silver Evo that tumbled off-course at Pike's Peak a few years ago).

 

IMO, spend the money. There is probably a grand worth of speed parts that the car doesn't need just yet.

 

Mark

 

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I am still baffled by the seat mounting requirements in sports car racing. Having come from an oval track background (like Scott) their rules for seat mounting IMO is head and shoulders (no pun intended) above ANY sports car organization.

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I am still baffled by the seat mounting requirements in sports car racing. Having come from an oval track background (like Scott) their rules for seat mounting IMO is head and shoulders (no pun intended) above ANY sports car organization.

Agreed...and exactly why I ditched my bolt-in sliding seat rail years ago and had my cage guy build me a fixed seat mount.

 

Anywho: Cobra Evo Pro (~$1000) containment seat. I would recommend that.

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I am still baffled by the seat mounting requirements in sports car racing. Having come from an oval track background (like Scott) their rules for seat mounting IMO is head and shoulders (no pun intended) above ANY sports car organization.

Hard concrete walls no matter where you impact, as compared to tire walls and gravel traps at most road course's would be my guess

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Sparco Circuit, Circuit II, or Pro ADV. With the current holiday and end of season sales, they are $800-850. I have a Circuit II in my car and have used one in a Spec3. Very comfortable, supportive, and still easy to get in and out of an E36 for somebody 6'2" 205lb.

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