Choosing the right Race Seat!

Imagine that adrenaline feeling getting behind the wheel of your chosen motorsport and going full noise. No, it's not the same feeling when you're playing on your PS4!

Your heart is racing, your stomach is tightening, and you're in the zone!

Only one problem, your seat is not working for you.

Choosing the right race seat can be overwhelming at first glance. There are so many different things to look for, from the size to the shape, the manufacturer to the mounting frames.

When purchasing a race seat, it is important to check that it is approved and certified for your chosen motorsport. They must be certified and meet the requirements set out by FIA, SFI, and Snell to be deemed fit and secure for the driver.

The material on the seat must be strong enough to offer protection without adding too much weight. It is also important to choose the right material that is suitable for your sport as it can cause discomfort to your back and neck. Carbon fiber and fiberglass are the two popular materials that offer durability and support. However, durability and comfort are not the only things to ensure in race seats. Your seat should fit your body and inside your car like a glove.

The right seat should offer options to adjust and remove.

One of the main factors you must first consider when buying seats for your race car is your size constraints. All cars have their limitations concerning space. Some are narrow at the base due to the width between or height of the transmission tunnel and the sill, while others are narrow near the roof making it hard to fit the wings of the seat or the headrest.

Another thing to look for is where the shoulder harness slots are positioned to your shoulders. If your shoulders cover the hole, then this is not ideal. The shoulder straps of a harness should come horizontally through the hole and then run down the chest, as this is the ideal angle for keeping the driver securely in place. If they have to run vertically through the hole to climb over the shoulders before running down the chest, then this is neither a comfortable nor safe situation.

Once you’ve found a seat with correctly positioned harness slots it’s time to assess the freedom of movement you have in the seat. This is to ensure that you can have a positive level of control over the steering wheel.

All motorsport seats are manufactured to be side mounted, but some also include the ability to be base mounted.

It’s important to remember that seats that are not set up to be base mounted cannot be drilled to make them so, as this will affect the structural integrity of the seat as well as prevent them from passing scrutineering.

After you’ve assessed the comfort and fit of the seat, it’s time to make sure you have the correct seating angle and position whilst in the car.

If your chosen seat has a base mount option then there will not be the ability to change the recline angle of the seat, so you will have a very upright driving position. If you’re using the side mount option, there are several pre-drilled holes on each side mount to allow a degree of angle adjustment.

Remember that a good seating position is vital to ensure the correct distance to both the steering wheel and the pedals to obtain the best control with all your inputs to the car.

As not every vehicle floor is not capable of accepting side mounts directly, it may be necessary to create a level platform, on which to mount your new seat. This can be achieved by making a subframe using a steel box section order to make the floor of the car level for mounting the seat or by using a universal subframe kit that can be welded to the floor of the car. In general, it is better to over-engineer your seat mounts to ensure that you will pass through scrutineering.

It’s always worth noting that mounting the race seat as low as possible in the car will help to lower the center of gravity.

As with many aspects of preparing a race car, there are multiple options available in terms of how racing seats are fitted. The main thing to remember is to make sure the seat is safe and that the installation complies with the regulations for your chosen series.

Drivers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and finding the right seat will ensure you’re as comfortable as possible whilst driving.

There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ motorsport seat so it is best to go in-store and sit in a few.

Another point to consider is how the seat supports your body laterally, as when you are driving the car at racing speed there are higher loads exerted on the driver. With this in mind, you must look for a seat that has a good level of side and back support to help keep you firmly in place.

If you’re looking for the best quality and most functional auto race seats, Chris from Racer Products can help you find the right race seat to suit your car.

The team at Shores NZ Fabrication can create and install seat mounts to MSNZ, LVVTA, NZDRA, and IHRA standards.