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What seat for track days?

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PatientZero

@restless_performance
825
865
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Kansas City, Missouri
I'm looking for opinions on a seat to replace the stock seat in my '07 before track season starts again. I'm 6'2", 218lbs, 38" waist. I'd love to go sit in a bunch of seats and pick one but living in the middle of nowhere in Missouri has it's long list of drawbacks.

I have a Sparco Evo II in the silver car. It fits me pretty well, I drove from Houston to Kansas City in that seat with no complaints. I'd like to stay on the lower end of the price spectrum because I'm likely going to sell the car next winter.

Right now a Corbeau FX1 or DFX are at the top of the list. Any reason I should not get one of those? What do you guys recommend?

**I've also considered putting the Sparco in there because I don't plan on driving the silver car this year and it's going to get a halo seat at some point.
 
1,119
1,110
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Lenoir City TN
I don't have any experience with the Corbeau seats, but I agree with Patrick. Go with what you have. You know it fits you. It is hard to pick a seat without trying them on for size. I have to drive 4 hours or so to try seats at any shop, so I sat in every seat at the track that someone would let me try. I ended up with a Cobra Imola GT. It is similar in design to the Sparco Evo, but the dimensions are different. I didn't want a halo or something with a high step over to get in and out. My car is still dual use and I need something I can live with on the street as well as hold me in place on the track.
 

PatientZero

@restless_performance
825
865
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Kansas City, Missouri
I’m a complete outsider here...but why not go with what you know if it’s comfortable to you already?

Probably the best move, I just need a different seat bracket. It just makes buying a new seat for the other car a much higher priority. I don't really want to cannibalize if I don't have to.
 
Maybe this will help. I ran a pair of Sparco Evo 2's in a track car a few years back. I'm 6' and weigh 220 with roughly the same waist size. Five years ago i switched to Cobra Suzuka pro fit seats. From my experience the Cobras and Sparcos both have advantages. With the Cobra Suzuka you'll get a kevlar shell(seat) at the same price the Sparco sells their fiberglass Evo 2's. The Suzuka seat fabric is a heavier weave and much less prone to wear and tear. The Sparco seat held my upper torso tighter than the Suzuka does at extreme G's during long high speed cornering(long fast sweepers.) From my experience with both seats i feel the Sparco has an edge in the upper torso bolstering. Running Six point Schroth harnesses rendered both seats equal in the waist and hip area. Maybe due to the lap belts and sub belt? I like the Kevlar and fabric on the Suzukas however the Sparco I felt slightly edged out the Suzuka in overall performance due to the tighter bolstered feeling in the upper torso area. Not sure if your seats are fixed or on sliders? I'm running Planted fixed seat mounts. I believe Planted makes these seat mounts for all year Mustangs. Mounting the seat to the fixed bracket took some time due to the seat needing several repositioning adjustments on the mount. I was forewarned by the race shop I purchased the seats and mounts it would be a process(they were right) but well worth it in the end. I don't know much about the Corbeaus. I was informed many years ago that the Corbeaus were more of an entry level tuner seat. I have never sat in them or spent any track time in them. My vote goes to the Sparcos only because of the upper torso bolstering edge. Both seats are great if you don't run full containment seats. For what its worth these are only my experiences with these products. Hopefully this helped a bit. Cheers!.....Grant
 

ChrisM

Mostly harmless.
1,180
1,419
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
South Carolina
I've sat in a few different ones but the thing that convinced me the most to go big was a "shake test." The Corbeaus had a ton of flex compared to the more expensive seats, which is probably why they're cheaper. I just didn't feel comfortable with how much they could flex around and knowing that would probably work against me on track.
 
531
364
sfo
I just didn't feel comfortable with how much they could flex around and knowing that would probably work against me on track.

The seat is the foundation to the safety system. When I build racecars my custom seat goes in the driving position 1st and the cage is built around the seat. The seat should be as solidly mounted as possible. The only acceptable flex is that design for the 5 or 10 year lifespan that the FIA designated for that seat. If you do not go FIA then all bets are off. If you don't go FIA then you do things like go Aluminum mounted at 6-8 positions around the seat for rigid mounting. Buy or install the most containment you can stand. That can be quite a compromise for dual use. Safety increases as containment increases. I won't race in a car without a full containment seat.
 

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