Switch to Racing Seats?

[krisk]

I'm looking for some advice on whether to switch to racing seats in my 2024 Mustang. I'm just doing HPDE events, but I have the leather (non-Recaro) seats in the car and am using the factory three point harness. I had been looking at swapping over to the Schroth Quick Fit Pro to help reduce the sliding around and need to brace myself with my knees in the car because of its ability to use the factory seats and be taken in and out of the car. I've read many threads on those belts, and the general comments I've seen are they are better than stock seatbelts for holding you in place, but definitely not a race seat.

That has led me to consider actually swapping over to a race seat in my car and I would like some feedback. My current consideration is to install a Watson four point roll cage, swap out the driver's seat for a racing seat and install a true racing 6 point harness for the driver. I figure I would leave the factory passenger seat and possibly install the Schroth Quick Fit Pro on that side in the event I have a passenger.

Here are my concerns, which I can't find much feedback on.
1. Is it safe to run the racing seats, 4 point cage, and 6 point harness (with HANS) with the factory airbags?
2. Is it feasible to swap the racing seat and factory seat back and forth on occasion if I am not going to be doing HPDE for several months, and just want to use the factory seat for weekend cruising? How big of a pain is it to swap?
3. Are there any issues with leaving the passenger seat stock while running a driver's racing seat?
4. I know the 6 point shoulder straps mount to the roll bar. Do the lap belts mount to the factory seat belt location? I've seen there are adapters for the sub straps that can mount to the stock seat mounts. Any issues with that? I'm trying to avoid drilling to mount the straps.

I appreciate any other feedback or recommendations people can provide as I am new to this. Thank you!

 

[Ewheels]

1. Probably not but plenty of people do it (myself included.)
2. Yes. There are only 4 bolts holding the seat to the floor. It doesn't take long at all to swap seats in and out.
3. Nope. This is exactly what I'm doing. The passenger can hold on while on track so no concern of them sliding around.
4. I use a PCI seat mount and they sell a sub strap bar attachment. So the shoulder belts go to roll bar behind you, then the lap belts and sub belts both get bolted to the seat base/mount.


You will love a true racing seat. Holding yourself in place in corners takes away significantly from your actual driving focus.
Let me know if you have any other questions as I was in your exact situation not long ago.

 

[krisk]

1. Probably not but plenty of people do it (myself included.)
2. Yes. There are only 4 bolts holding the seat to the floor. It doesn't take long at all to swap seats in and out.
3. Nope. This is exactly what I'm doing. The passenger can hold on while on track so no concern of them sliding around.
4. I use a PCI seat mount and they sell a sub strap bar attachment. So the shoulder belts go to roll bar behind you, then the lap belts and sub belts both get bolted to the seat base/mount.


You will love a true racing seat. Holding yourself in place in corners takes away significantly from your actual driving focus.
Let me know if you have any other questions as I was in your exact situation not long ago.

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Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for, so thank you!

I guess the next step is to try to find somewhere I can try out seats to find one that fits me.

 

[Ewheels]

Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for, so thank you!

I guess the next step is to try to find somewhere I can try out seats to find one that fits me.

No problem.

Yes, definitely try to find a place where you can test fit some seats. You might like a certain brand better than others. I thought I would need a Circuit 1 but turned out the shoulder strap openings were too low for me so I had to size-up for the Circuit 2.

 

[EF1]

Remember that some organizations require equivalent restraints for driver and passenger especially if an instructor will be in the car.

Sit in as many seats as you can before buying. They are all different. Also m as ke sure the seat fits in the car with interior in place. Some containment seats contact the door/window.

 

[krisk]

Remember that some organizations require equivalent restraints for driver and passenger especially if an instructor will be in the car.

Sit in as many seats as you can before buying. They are all different. Also m as ke sure the seat fits in the car with interior in place. Some containment seats contact the door/window.

Good information. Thank you!

 

[EF1]

Here is a pic of mine.

 

[biggsy]

So I also have the Circuit II like @Ewheels and PCI mount. Also recommend going to try them in person. I was set on a Sabelt seat but ended up liking how the Circuit II hugged my sides. I put in the stock seat whenever I take the car to my mechanic so he isn’t fighting to get in the car otherwise I drive around in it even though it’s not the safest lol.

I bought a Evo QRT L as my passenger seat. Hoping PCI has a BF deal so I can get a slider mount for it. That way I can have passengers.

If you don’t want to go full roll bar, Schroth has approved Recaro Pole Position ABE and Cobra Nogaro fixed back seats to be used with the quick Fit. Maybe you can fit those seats

 

[krisk]

So I also have the Circuit II like @Ewheels and PCI mount. Also recommend going to try them in person. I was set on a Sabelt seat but ended up liking how the Circuit II hugged my sides. I put in the stock seat whenever I take the car to my mechanic so he isn’t fighting to get in the car otherwise I drive around in it even though it’s not the safest lol.

I bought a Evo QRT L as my passenger seat. Hoping PCI has a BF deal so I can get a slider mount for it. That way I can have passengers.

If you don’t want to go full roll bar, Schroth has approved Recaro Pole Position ABE and Cobra Nogaro fixed back seats to be used with the quick Fit. Maybe you can fit those seats

Thank you! I’ve thought about trying the seats approved with the Quick Fit as you suggested. Now to try to find somewhere I can try them out.

 

[Opolis]

I have the Cobra Nogaro Circuit seat approved for use with Quick Fit Pro harnesses and that combo works pretty well for the occasional track day. I mainly drive my car on the street, so having low sides and being able to use the 3 point belt makes it easy for daily use. You are not held in there quite as well as with a full race seat and harness but that is the compromise. It's far better than the stock seats (non-recaro). I'm 6'2" and the Nogaro seat is comfortable, even on long drives I don't have any issues.

 

[mavisky]

Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for, so thank you!

I guess the next step is to try to find somewhere I can try out seats to find one that fits me.

If you can get to AMP, then Discovery Parts has a number of seats you can try.

 

[krisk]

I have the Cobra Nogaro Circuit seat approved for use with Quick Fit Pro harnesses and that combo works pretty well for the occasional track day. I mainly drive my car on the street, so having low sides and being able to use the 3 point belt makes it easy for daily use. You are not held in there quite as well as with a full race seat and harness but that is the compromise. It's far better than the stock seats (non-recaro). I'm 6'2" and the Nogaro seat is comfortable, even on long drives I don't have any issues.

I am looking at the Cobra Nogaro Circuit as well since a couple people have mentioned the option of using them or the Recaro Pole Position with the Quick Fit. I would actually prefer that option, but of course I'm hesitant to drop $1,200 on a seat without sitting in it to see the fit. I'm 6'1" 235lbs with a 36" waist and about 31" inseam, so I have a fairly long torso. I was able to sit in a Corbeau FX1 yesterday that Steeda has in their Silver Bullet drag car, and the seat width was good, but the holes for the shoulder straps were about 3-4" below my shoulders.

 

[krisk]

If you can get to AMP, then Discovery Parts has a number of seats you can try.

I was up at AMP back in September, and unfortunately at that time I wasn't thinking about getting racing seats. I'm about 4 1/2 hours away from AMP, so it's not somewhere I can just run by. I spoke with HMS Motorsports about the Cobra Nogaro, and they did say they accept returns for a full refund; I will just be responsible for return shipping if I don't keep the seat. I'll probably wait until Thanksgiving week to see if they run any sales and take a shot on the Nogaro since I could run that with the Quick Fit and not have to add the roll cage. That would make the switch between track and street much easier.

 

[biggsy]

I was up at AMP back in September, and unfortunately at that time I wasn't thinking about getting racing seats. I'm about 4 1/2 hours away from AMP, so it's not somewhere I can just run by. I spoke with HMS Motorsports about the Cobra Nogaro, and they did say they accept returns for a full refund; I will just be responsible for return shipping if I don't keep the seat. I'll probably wait until Thanksgiving week to see if they run any sales and take a shot on the Nogaro since I could run that with the Quick Fit and not have to add the roll cage. That would make the switch between track and street much easier.

If you are on Facebook it might be worth hitting up the local track groups and see if someone local has one you can sit in. I’m about the same as you. 6’1” (6’2” on a good day lol) 235lb wide shoulders athletic build. Sparco EVO L fits me perfect. I personally like how it hugs my lats. You can use those measurements and see how they compare to the cobra and the recaro. Process of elimination

 

[byronj]

If you’re going to run a race seat or even a harness just unplug the air bags. I do it every time I’m on the track.

 

[noldevin]

I made the swap to racing seats and wish I did it sooner. So much better than trying to keep inputs smooth while holding yourself in the seat. I left the stock belts in for driving to/from the track because you shouldn't drive with harnesses and no HANS.

As others have said, many orgs require the passenger to have equal safety equipment, so if you're bringing passengers or want an instructor, you'll have to take that into account.

 

[krisk]

Update: So after much debating and research, this is the direction I went. I bought the Cobra Nogaro Circuit seats for both driver and passenger, PCI slider mount and Schroth Quick Fit Pro with sub harness (makes it a 6 point harness). I decided to go this route because while my car is primarily a track car now, I didn't want to modify it in such a way that it really wouldn't be good to drive on the street. The Schroth Quick Fit Pro is approved for use with the Cobra Nogaro, does not require a roll bar for mounting, and the harness can be removed easily when not on the track. Further, the Quick Fit Pro can be used with or without a HANS. I intend to purchase a HANS once I can visit a shop which has some in stock that I can try on.

If you’re going to run a race seat or even a harness just unplug the air bags. I do it every time I’m on the track.

I do have a question for those of you who have swapped out seats and newer Mustangs. Do I need to manually disable any airbags or other systems when using the aftermarket seat, or will simply not having the oem seat installed disable anything I shouldn't be using? Any other things I should do when running race seats and a harness?

 

[byronj]

Update: So after much debating and research, this is the direction I went. I bought the Cobra Nogaro Circuit seats for both driver and passenger, PCI slider mount and Schroth Quick Fit Pro with sub harness (makes it a 6 point harness). I decided to go this route because while my car is primarily a track car now, I didn't want to modify it in such a way that it really wouldn't be good to drive on the street. The Schroth Quick Fit Pro is approved for use with the Cobra Nogaro, does not require a roll bar for mounting, and the harness can be removed easily when not on the track. Further, the Quick Fit Pro can be used with or without a HANS. I intend to purchase a HANS once I can visit a shop which has some in stock that I can try on.


I do have a question for those of you who have swapped out seats and newer Mustangs. Do I need to manually disable any airbags or other systems when using the aftermarket seat, or will simply not having the oem seat installed disable anything I shouldn't be using? Any other things I should do when running race seats and a harness?

AFAIK - you need to manually disable them. There are two connectors on the front radiator support.