curious what kind of real FIA seats people have installed. i had a sparco evo 2 in my SpecMiata (before it was broken into and stolen). i now have a kirkey in that car, which i greatly prefer to the sparco. the primary reason is that the kirkey is much stiffer - the sparco's flex always bothered me.

i'm looking to put some form of roll protection in (i just wish the kirkey's bar between the b-pillars was lower, better locating the shoulder straps), seats, and harnesses. the problem i have with using the kirkey in this car is just how uncomfortable and, well, its less-finished appearance. the car is primarily a track car, but does see some street use, and i'd like something that was both a little more padded, as well as look a little nicer.

i have considered buying a pair of the kirkey aluminum shells, then bring the cover from my SM into a tailor and having a custom set of covers made with more padding. my other primary option right now is Cobra's Imola or (more likely) Suzuka. i need what Cobra calls 'GT' width - ie, wide-a$$ sized. i have not seen / sat in the Cobra seats, but may take a ride down to CDOC which I called and confirmed they regularly have these seats in stock to test-fit.

has anyone used these Cobra seats (in any car)? what other seats do you think i should look at? i'd like to stay less than $700/ea, seeing as how i'm going to need the mounts and sliders as well (pushing each side up another ~$200). other thoughts or considerations?

ahm

 

Racetech - www.racetechseatsna.com

 

vendors / prices?

they look nice (the RT 4009 W looks similar to the Suzuka GT) and are FIA - do you use them in your T2 car?

sorry - have to ask - are you sponsored by them?

ahm

 

well, found one dealer with pricing, and it looks comparable, if not slightly cheaper.

http://www.apexperformance.net/cartg...t.asp?scat=297

i've emailed them to see if they have a dealer anywhere close enough for me to give a test fitting.

thanks for the option!

ahm

 

HI there.. I'm not sure if I am looking at the right thing but it says on there that the Racetech is a "club level, non-FIA approved seat". I'm also interested to know more about the Racetech.

For non-FIA club level seats, I was very happy with mine (now for sale in my sig) until I decided to fund other projects. So now I am selling them.

They are not FIA certified but they are ok for autocross and track days, and are probably the lightest seat you can buy.. they weight 11 pounds each and are true dry carbon fiber shells. I am actually debating whether I should sell them or not but I want to be able to fund my turbo project this spring so they are up for sale.

 

They make some that are, and some that aren't. Each is marked whether it is 'FIA homologated to 8855-1999 standards'. The one that I'm looking at (RT 4009 W) is. Its marginally cheaper given the one Racetech vendor I've found so far - approximately $715/ea (plus mounts/sliders) with shipping vs $750 (plus mounts/sliders) with shipping (for Suzuka GT). However, if I can't find a dealer close enough to test fit, I won't seriously consider them. They look good, but without being able to actually sit in one, it just doesn't make sense. CDOC is far away from me (although close to I believe VIR), but close enough to take a ride to and check out the Cobra's, especially if I combine it into a track weekend.

ahm

 

amalover... what kind of Kirkey do you have? Their deluxe Road Racing seat would seem to fit your needs perfectly (provided its FIA, which I'm not sure of)...

www.kirkeyracing.com - click on seats, then road race, then deluxe - I've sat in some and seem very comfortable for a quality race seat like they are

 

I've been tempted to try the MemoryFab seats. They have an FIA certed one too.

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ight=memoryfab

 

my bud nick use race tech..........seen couple of Sparco EVO IIs

 

amolaver,

If you plan on buying that seat from apex performance, use this code to get 12% off. There are exclusions, like brake fluid, but it doesn't hurt to try the code for the seat purchase: APEX-XMAS-05

I have no affiliation with them, I just found their discount code on another forum while I was looking into buying some brake fluid and glooves.

Don

 

my SM has the intermediate road race seat. None, AFAIK, of Kirkey's are FIA certified (therefore would require a seat-back brace for competition). When Piper mounted mine, they built the brace. however, i don't intend on the Z being an actual race car, just a track dog.

they (the kirkey's) are comfortable, and it does feel better (both more durable and more comfortable) to me than the fibreglass sparco's.

my only real issue with them is that, well, they're ugly maybe if I have custom padding / covers made to go with them (the kirkey cover has no back, so the entire back is exposed aluminum), but of course that makes it more expensive than the fibreglass/kevlar units. i've never seriously considered the CF seats since they are all in the >$1500 range.

ahm

 

I use Racetech seats in our race car. RT 4009 WHRV for the driver's side, and the RT 4000 W for the passenger side when applicable. Been very pleased with them. Call Racetech at 775 351 2250, ask for Brian, and ask him to refer you to a dealer with 350Z experiences...

 

You can get the Bride ZETA III's($650/each) they're FIA approved

 

thanks for the reference - i'll give them a ring and see if they have anyone local whom i can have a sit-in with

ahm

 

I'll vouch for the Cobra's... I run them in 3 cars (Suzuka and Imola 2) They feel much stiffer than any other fiberglass shell seat since they use kevlar and have much stronger side impact resistance as well. The kevlar ones are actually stiffer than the carbon ones... you can feel the sides bow out on the carbon.

 

Race tech seats rule............partically the Comp Coupe specail seat