Need help with racing seats

[black954]

I was looking for some insight. I am getting ready to order PRP competition seats for my 1981 sand dune bronco build. I'm going with 2" wider but i'm not sure if I need to go taller? I can add 2" or 4" in height and im not sure what would be best in a FSB. Any insight would be helpful, thank you!

[Polarcub]

How tall are you? I am assuming you are talking about the height of the seat back. I have been in a few PRP seats and the standard height was comfortable for me I am 5' 10 and the car owner was about 6'1'' and he never complained. That was in an ultra 4 car. Personally an extra tall seat in the bronco would be a pita. When I had my beards I was glad I didn't go taller. Hope it helps.
Jeremy

[ChaseTruck754]

Which specific model of seat comes in to play as well. On the vast majority of seats they are a bit short & the headrest will hit guys 5'-9" & over about the middle of the neck = bad if you get rear ended.

[black954]

I am 6'4" 270lbs. I am looking at the PRP Comp Elite. I had standard height Mastercraft Rubicons in my CJ7 and they were fine I think. That is a good thought about them being too tall in the truck and getting in the way. I have to get my kids in the back seat and I will have a full length center console as well. I also will not be wearing a helmet most of the time if that's any consideration.

[Wrightracing.net]

Coming from a guy with a fat butt like me, you sit higher in the seat and a higher back is better. Also take into account the location of the shoulder strap bar behind the seat. My bar is at the same height as my shoulders and my seat is about that same height. My cage was build with the seat in mind and specific to me being a big guy. With a helmet, the head rest goes to the middle of my head. I was thinking of putting a half moon pad like we used on short back seats above the head rest on a bar to the cage. I am not sure if I will need to, I'm not racing and mine are +4" wide Mastercraft seats.

David...

[ChaseTruck754]

The best bet would be to go to Kartek or similar & sit in the model of seat you want to buy if you can find one on the floor there. The comp elite SHOULD have a bit of an overall larger shoulder/headreast than their "standard" type seat = something like the premier series. Still it's best if you're spending that kind of $$ to get what you want the 1st time around. Been there/done that. The only way to tell is to sit in the seat you want & decide for yourself if the headrest is high enough, etc.

[black954]

I agree, but being in Chicago it's difficult to test them out before I buy. I just missed going to SEMA this year cause I was in the ER the day I was going to fly out. I called and talked to PRP and Corbeau. I was also considering the Corbeau LG1 wide, but they haven't come up with a way to keep the fabric from turning purple. They tried to sell me seat covers. I told them I wasn't buying $1000 worth of 2 seats only to need $75 covers to keep them from turning purple. I know B&L Motosports in Michigan has a bunch of test race seats so I might give them a try too. I was trying to get a good deal on cyber monday ordering the seats, but I didn't rush into it just to save $100.

[ChaseTruck754]

Ah, that does make things tougher! At 6'-4" tall I think I'd go with the +4" in height if you can't make it to a place to test fit/sit.

[biggiek]

I have bought seats recently and determined I needed the plus four with the plus two on the width. 6 ft 5 and about 275-280 lead me to that conclusion. I initially bought fixed back seats but had the most difficult time getting them to be in the correct position due to having to sit so far back and the b pillar constantly being in the way. I just bought a set of PRP recliners after having the daily drivers until now. Chassis unlimited had the best pricing after shipping was factored in FYI. Reach out to me if you have more questions.

[black954]

I appreciate the info, since we are essentially the same size. I went back and forth on the recliners or fixed back seats. My wife is only 5'4" so it would help her adjust the seats so she can drive it. BUT, i'm planning a pretty extreme build with eventually high HP and long travel and for those reasons, I think a fixed back seat will ultimately be the safest route. I will mount them on sliders for adjustment and I'm sure I can find a good mounting compromise that will work for me and the wife. I had Mastercraft Rubicon's in my dune CJ7 build and we were both able to drive it.

[black954]

It will wind up being a jungle gym for the kids to try and get to the back seats, but I don't want to compromise safety. Plus it will have a soft top with the side windows removed most the time so they can easily climb into the back from outside behind the B pillar.

[S00TLYFE]

im about the same height at you (6'5) I used stock seat sliders but without a removable steering wheel it sucks getting in and out of, but comfortable once youre in the seat. I am currently working on a little bit shorter seat mounts, adapting corbeau to prp universal sliders as my seats are fixed PRPs as well.

[black954]

What kind of PRP seats are you running? Did you go with the extra height or width options?

[biggiek]

I am a 38-40 waist and initially just went with a tall seat. As I drove more and more it became apparent the width was needed for comfort. They were the daily drivers and besides not being able to get the angle right they were comfortable hence the change to recliners.

[black954]

Ok, makes sense. I appreciate the info

[dtbback]

FWIW, I'm a on the heftier side as well, 5'10" 38 -40 waist. I'm running a pair of reclining Sparcos in mine. They are the Chrono Road. The widest Sparco makes. I love them. Very comfy and bolted to my stock sliders with very simple adapter brackets. The sliders function as they did before the swap.

Screenshot_2016-04-15-02-35-42.png (725.13 KiB) Viewed 454 times

[S00TLYFE]

What kind of PRP seats are you running? Did you go with the extra height or width options?

Mine are just standard width, I'm also about a 38" waist, I haven't taken the truck on a long trip yet so I can't speak on comfort long term, but they do keep me on my seat well.

[black954]

Those Sparco Chrono Road seats are nice and they are recliners which is good too. I will check into them, HOPEFULLY they are made in the US or it's kind of a deal breaker.