Racing Seats? Need Advice!

[transio]

I've been considering tearing out all 4 stock seats and putting in racing seats. Here is a pair of nice Corbeaus that I'm considering:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7909558875

The guy is local, so I can go check them out. Problem is, I doubt I'll find a racing seat with a yellow that closely matches Proton Yellow. Any advice as to what I should do? Should I consider getting custom upholstery instead of the cheapie route?

Thanks!

[MZ-N10]

uh....r u sure the brackets will fit on the seat?
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[Hotsauce]

As a former SCCA tech inspector I offer the following points.

Those seats have cutouts for the dual shoulder straps of a 4 point harness. If you are going to use that you need a sutable mounting point for the straps. Those seats will be ruined by the crotch strap of a 5 point. 5 point is actually more comfortable than 4 point, because the 5th belt keeps the lap belt from riding up as shoulder harness is tightened

It MUST be higher than the holes in the seat back.

If you mount the straps to something lower, and you hit something, the straps will compress your spine as you move forward.

You will probably need a crossbar to mount the straps to. You may be able to fabricate a harness bar to span between the current shoulder harness hardpoints.

It is also illegal to drive a car with the original seat belts removed, even if you have a superior 5 point harness installed.

You will probably not be able to reach the radio with the belts tight.

John C.

[transio]

uh....r u sure the brackets will fit on the seat? Most racing seats have adjustable rails so they can fit just about any car. If not, I'll have to play with them to get them to fit.

[transio]

Hotsauce, Awesome info, man! Thanks! I'm having my posting problem again, so I'm gonna have to post my reply in chunks. Here goes:

[transio]

Re: 4 pt. vs. 5 pt. harnesses - great info! I've only ever used a 4 pt before, and I know what you're talking about with the "riding up". I'll be on the lookout for a seat made for a 5pt. harness. I'll probably wind up having to buy it at full price, though :(

[transio]

Re: the stereo - I'm not so concerned about that. I'm looking to swap out my head unit eventually for an in-dash GPS / DVD / MP3 thingie w/ a remote. I will just mount the remote on the armrest and I'll be set!

[transio]

Re: the crossbar - that should be no problem at all, since it's my intention to remove the back seat anyway. Good point about weld points. I was thinking the same thing as I read it!

[transio]

Re: original seatbelts - I don't have a problem keeping them in, I guess, as long as I can move them around so they don't stick out so much. Question: if I'm wearing a racing harness instead of a seatbelt, can a cop ticket me for not wearing a seatbelt?

Thanks again!

[Dallas4u]

Transio - Just wondering why you want to get rid of the OEM Recaros? Are you think of getting more active in the rallyX scene? Are you considering using the VX more for sport than commuting?

[MZ-N10]

Originally posted by transio
Re: original seatbelts - I don't have a problem keeping them in, I guess, as long as I can move them around so they don't stick out so much. Question: if I'm wearing a racing harness instead of a seatbelt, can a cop ticket me for not wearing a seatbelt?

Thanks again!

i dont think tat isnt a very good idea...say ur vx rolls, the harness will only keep u in place in the seat, so u wont be able to move and maybe get out of the way of the collapsing roof.....
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[xdfarrx]

Do they do a red/black color way?? And the weight? Is it much lighter, the only reason is the weight, why I would want to get them. The stock seats are pretty heavy as I just pulled them out

[transio]

Dallas,

I'm going to be heavily involved in autox once my Elise arrives. I'd love to complement it with a rallyx-tuned VX. While I don't have immediate plans for HEAVY involvement, I still want to mod the VX to what I think it should have been to begin with.