When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have some bride seats that came with the car. They're really worn and I don't know too much about the seats so I was wondering if they were genuine or not. I tried comparing online between real and fake but again, these are pretty worn seats so I could not tell. I can provide more pictures if needed looking for specific parts to provide authenticity as I am trying to sell the seats. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Last edited by unejamzezak; Mar 16, 2018 at 02:50 AM.
If you have a proper harness you’re going to be held in place even in the event of a crash. Seats literally hold you upright. They do not hold you in place like seat belts or a harnass. Tho they aid in you staying in place sure they assist in safety but they are not a safety device.
I will agree I wouldn’t prefer to have a bogus seat when the time comes. But I’m not going to refuse to drive a car that has a replica or OEM seats instead of a full FIA 5 star seat. There are thousands of crashes with people on fake seats who have walked away perfectly fine. Same as in replica wheels people say they wouldn’t drive on the street some cars have gone over 200mph on... even tho there is links posted of those failing once or twice as well.
Also there is no judgement of build quality just because it’s not authentic. Not all seats or knock offs are the same. Who knows these could hold up just as well as a true Sparco. No one will know until it’s crashed on.
But to blanket statement these are a hazard is dramatic FUD.
Why would safety be a concern?
Seats aren't life devices like seat belts or air bags. Worst case he's going to have a sore back and slide around with the probably crap blustering.
If he has a quality harness he won't be in any more danger than being in a OEM or other cheaper after market seat.
Originally Posted by CK_32
Seat failed and he still had no self injury.
If you have a proper harness you’re going to be held in place even in the event of a crash. Seats literally hold you upright. They do not hold you in place like seat belts or a harnass. Tho they aid in you staying in place sure they assist in safety but they are not a safety device.
Also there is no judgement of build quality just because it’s not authentic. Not all seats or knock offs are the same. Who knows these could hold up just as well as a true Sparco. No one will know until it’s crashed on.
But to blanket statement these are a hazard is dramatic FUD.
Sorry, I can't disagree more.
Seats are a safety item, as much as any other safety item such as belts, bags, etc.
Yes, a rep "racing seat" is probably fine for street driving (meaning, "sane and slow") just like rep wheels are OK for same; but out on a track or even pushing in the canyons and hills, you bet you want a seat that's going to hold you in place and can withstand the abuse.
More specifically, you want to be relatively assured (or as much as one can be) - through certification as one measure - that your seat is going to protect you in impacts and isn't going to BREAK, allowing your head, neck, or entire body to slop around like a rag doll inside the car in the event of multiple impacts and multi-directional ones at that, which ALL racing and high speed shunts are or end up being.
I have been in an accident at modest speeds as a passenger and suffered injuries - albeit minor - because the OEM seat broke and I impacted the side window and knees into dash in a street car. The seat belts were a side detail that did help to prevent MORE damage; but had the seat NOT broken, I might not have moved around much at all.
On the other side of the coin, I backed my racer off the course and had a shunt with the tire barrier and hillside behind it, totaling the car (and leading me to retire from production car racing) ; but my seat remained intact, my harnesses did their jobs, arm and sub straps all worked and I walked away. Is that definitively attributed to my racing seat? NO, not at all. But the proper use of the safety *SYSTEM* all contributes to the effectiveness of same.
So, again, am I condemning replica seats and proffering blanket condemnation on their use? Nope, not at all. All I'm saying is that it IS wrong to think that a seat is NOT part of the overall safety system and that they play NO part in the safety of the cars' occupants.
To use the same example that you did with the replica wheels, I'd say that I would far more trust my safety to the design and build quality of a genuine Recaro than a $300 copy much in the same manner as I'd trust a forged Rays wheel over a gravity cast $150 POS wheel for the stupid lapse of judgement that I WILL (or someone else will on me) make at some point.
Recaro or Bride or any of the big seat companies have far more to lose in reputation, revenues, liabilities than the ripoff rep seat companies if something were to happen to someone using one of their products as well. So, yes, I tend to believe there's better engineering and materials built into their products.... IOW, you get what you pay for.
I get the arguement of wanting a solid seat. What I’m disputing is the instant thought of because it’s a rep it’s instantly going to be the same quality as the one linked that broke in the other forum.
The “it’s it’s not a Sparco race seat I’m not touching the car” mentality. Just like some people have about rep wheels. MILLIONS of people drive on rep wheels but because there is a couple that snapped on people, people swear all and any reps are a hazard to ones health and spread the mindset of it.
When pro racers drive on reps for rep companies to speeds and limits none of us would imagine of doing in our cars.
Yes when possible I would choose a Sparco or Bride over and POS or OEM. But again just because it’s a rep doesn’t mean the OP can and will die in the event of a crash because a rep seat linked in another thread did.
But I still stand by it not being a safety item like a car door or chassis is. It’s built and meant to keep you in place and comfortable. The car door and chassis is meant to close and hold the car. But they happen to bring safety when impacted but that is not their job. Like a harnass or air bags. Which are strictly and only for life safety.
Hopefully you can see and get the point I’m trying to get across there.
Real or fake bride seats
; but my seat remained intact, my harnesses did their jobs, arm and sub straps all worked and I walked away. Is that definitively attributed to my racing seat? NO, not at all. But the proper use of the safety *SYSTEM* all contributes to the effectiveness of same.
