Race Seat Height

[HuskyTactics]

Greetings!
I started getting into track days last year with my 2020 GTPP2 and have a Mach 1 on order that I hope gets built and not cancelled. I went ahead and got the normal seats on my Mach 1 order which are same as my PP2 seats with plans to install a race seat that I can just swap to the Mach 1 once it arrives. The stock seats as we all know are utterly useless for keeping you in place and the Recaro's are a bit too tight for me, 6’3” with a long torso.

I ended up getting a Sparco Evo XL off a buddy who had used it once and it feels great to sit in. My only concern I have is headroom. Even on the stock seats, I have to lean the seat back a bit more on track days to avoid brushing my helmet on the roof. For the seat base, I know Sparco and Planted offer a base, but it has the stand offs that raise it a little bit off the floor and have seen people having to cut these off and weld a straight piece in place of them. If I stuck with either of these base plates and added a slider, will the headroom be any better or will I be worse off?

I have seen the Vorshlog bases (over double the price of others) that seems to be flatter along with another brand Brey Krause (they say you need to use Recaro sliders and their side mounts). Just wanted to see if some of the other turn-key options will work. I’m just looking for a decent bolt in solution so I can swap seats in and out for track days easily. And yes, I will be adding in cage along with all the other necessary safety setups.

Thanks in advance

 

[302FAM]

Greetings!
I started getting into track days last year with my 2020 GTPP2 and have a Mach 1 on order that I hope gets built and not cancelled. I went ahead and got the normal seats on my Mach 1 order which are same as my PP2 seats with plans to install a race seat that I can just swap to the Mach 1 once it arrives. The stock seats as we all know are utterly useless for keeping you in place and the Recaro's are a bit too tight for me, 6’3” with a long torso.

I ended up getting a Sparco Evo XL off a buddy who had used it once and it feels great to sit in. My only concern I have is headroom. Even on the stock seats, I have to lean the seat back a bit more on track days to avoid brushing my helmet on the roof. For the seat base, I know Sparco and Planted offer a base, but it has the stand offs that raise it a little bit off the floor and have seen people having to cut these off and weld a straight piece in place of them. If I stuck with either of these base plates and added a slider, will the headroom be any better or will I be worse off?

I have seen the Vorshlog bases (over double the price of others) that seems to be flatter along with another brand Brey Krause (they say you need to use Recaro sliders and their side mounts). Just wanted to see if some of the other turn-key options will work. I’m just looking for a decent bolt in solution so I can swap seats in and out for track days easily. And yes, I will be adding in cage along with all the other necessary safety setups.

Thanks in advance

Roll cage will likely reduce the vertical space, at least if it is a 6-point Watson type. My experience is a slider will reduce the vertical space by about an inch. And you’re right, the Planted base plate takes another inch or so away from headroom. I’m 6’0” and the Planted plate with a slider is a no go in my S197.

What comes to mind is welding a base plate to the floor, which Watson Racing might have for the 550’s (I know they do for the S197). Then you would use sliders to bolt the seat to the welded in seat plate (at least that’s what was done in the Boss 302S).

You might also find that tipping the seat back some by bolting it to the seat brackets with the front as high as it can go and the rear of the seat as low as it can go works well. I find that I’m sucked into the seat more that way, and for me it improves footwork, especially with my relatively heavy clutch pedal. With this set up you can also set the seat so that you are closer to the steering wheel, which gives you more headroom in the middle of the ceiling (between cage bars).

Best of luck, it can be tricky but once set up the way you like it’s a confidence builder on track and allows you to do more laps than you would otherwise. I’m sure others may have some ideas as well.

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

Procar innovations also called PCI makes great brackets for s550’s that are really nicely made and super low. At least without sliders (how I have mine mounted). Take a look.

 

[HuskyTactics]

Procar innovations also called PCI makes great brackets for s550’s that are really nicely made and super low. At least without sliders (how I have mine mounted). Take a look.

I tried to find the PCI Base, but could not seem to find it for the s550. Do you have any links by chance?

 

[JP X]

Greetings!
I started getting into track days last year with my 2020 GTPP2 and have a Mach 1 on order that I hope gets built and not cancelled. I went ahead and got the normal seats on my Mach 1 order which are same as my PP2 seats with plans to install a race seat that I can just swap to the Mach 1 once it arrives. The stock seats as we all know are utterly useless for keeping you in place and the Recaro's are a bit too tight for me, 6’3” with a long torso.

I ended up getting a Sparco Evo XL off a buddy who had used it once and it feels great to sit in. My only concern I have is headroom. Even on the stock seats, I have to lean the seat back a bit more on track days to avoid brushing my helmet on the roof. For the seat base, I know Sparco and Planted offer a base, but it has the stand offs that raise it a little bit off the floor and have seen people having to cut these off and weld a straight piece in place of them. If I stuck with either of these base plates and added a slider, will the headroom be any better or will I be worse off?

I have seen the Vorshlog bases (over double the price of others) that seems to be flatter along with another brand Brey Krause (they say you need to use Recaro sliders and their side mounts). Just wanted to see if some of the other turn-key options will work. I’m just looking for a decent bolt in solution so I can swap seats in and out for track days easily. And yes, I will be adding in cage along with all the other necessary safety setups.

Thanks in advance

I have Sparco Evo XL seats with no headroom issues. Sparco mounts with slider. And I am 6’5”. Plenty of room.

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

I tried to find the PCI Base, but could not seem to find it for the s550. Do you have any links by chance?

Adjustable Seat Mounts - PCI Racing

PCI ADJUSTABLE MOUNTS Wondering how to mount that new race seat? Pro Car Innovations Adjustable Seat Mounts takes the guessing game out of this install. Finding the correct seat brackets can be almost impossible where most end up with a self-fabricated mount. PCI has invested the research in...

www.pci-racing.com

 

[302FAM]

After finally “fabricating” the seat bracket so everything is set up right, I have plenty of headroom.

 

[BK77]

I have Sparco Evo XL seats with no headroom issues. Sparco mounts with slider. And I am 6’5”. Plenty of room.

I'd like to copy this setup if it's a good fit. Hopefully, this is a good option for me.