As you modify your car and make it handle better, the speeds at which you take a corner will begin to increase. Depending on what kind of car you drive, the factory seat might not be able to support you properly during those hard turns, especially during fast transitions.
This lack of support will result in you sliding around in the seat, forcing you to brace your legs and hang on to the steering wheel to sit still. Not only does this ruin the driving experience, but it’s also dangerous.
With proper aftermarket racing seats, your hips and shoulder will be properly supported and this issue is solved, as Many enthusiasts have a lot of questions about racing seats, so we set out to answer all those questions and more with this article.
The Purpose of Aftermarket Racing Seats
As we mentioned above, the main purpose of racing seats are to hold you in place during high g-force corners. It’s also used as a safety measure and is a required part of all professional racing series. In order to keep your body from breaking or falling out of the vehicle during a crash, the seat needs to keep you firmly in place.
If the seat breaks, it will no longer be able to hold you in place which could result in injury or death depending on how bad the crash is. Medical bills are definitely going to cost more than a quality racing seat and even the best drivers in the world make mistakes, this is why we always recommend purchasing a quality seat.
Different Features of Racing Seats
Every racing seat out there is slightly different and each enthusiast has different needs. There are three main features that separate each racing seat: mounting system, recline-ability, and support.
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The Racing Seats Mounting System
There are two main ways of mounting a racing seat in your car. You can either use the traditional bottom mount system which is simple. Depending on your configuration, bottom mounting can easily allow usage of the stock sliders. A side mount system allows the seat to be mounted as low as possible and as secure as possible.
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The Racing Seat Recline-ability
Factory “racing seats” like the Recaros found in Ford performance vehicles or many other performance cars still allow you to recline back. This is a feature that makes daily driving much more pleasurable, but in terms of racing, it’s just another point where the seat can fail.
If your racing seat fails where it reclines during a hard crash your spine, neck, and head, will be completely unsupported. This is why all race cars use a fixed back seat which eliminates the reclining system for maximum weight savings and lower weight.
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The Racing Seat Support
Now the last differentiating feature is the amount of support (bolsters) the seat provides. With huge bolsters comes a massive amount of support for your legs, hips, shoulders, and head, but all that bolstering also makes it very difficult to get in or out of the seat.
This is especially true if your vehicle is something like a lifted truck, where getting in is already difficult. An aftermarket racing seat with less bolstering will still be more supportive than the factory seat and will still be easy to get in and out of.
The Different Types of Racing Seats
Along with the different features listed above, there are also quite a few different types of racing seats. Four of the most popular types of racing seats are bench seats, bucket seats, reclinable seats, and suspension seats.
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Bench Seats
Bench seats are flat seats that can hold more than one person on them. While the seat allows more people to fit into the car, they do not offer as much protection when traveling at high speeds.
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Bucket Seats
Bucket seats are seats that are rounded with a strong contour to snuggly fit the driver into the seat. A bucket seat can only fit one person and keeps the driver firmly in place on tight turns or corners.
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Reclinable Seats
As mentioned above, some racing seats are Reclinable seats. While there are undeniably some comfortable benefits to reclining, if you are serious about racing a reclinable seat can lead to problems down the road.
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Suspension Seats
Suspension seats use cutting-edge technology to provide you with the smoothest ride possible. Instead of the seat being connected to the hard surface of the ground, it is instead connected to a suspended liner that can stay stationary as the vehicle twists and turns. Suspension seats are very popular in UTVs, but some cars will use them as well.
The Best Racing Seat Brands
If you are going to buy an aftermarket racing seat, you want to make sure you only purchase a product from one of the best racing seats brands. Below are five of the top racing seat brands currently on the market.
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Recaro Racing Seats
Recaro puts the senses in driving seat, creating seats that are perfect for racing, comfort, or dynamic driving.
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Bride Racing Seats
Bride prides itself on creating racing seats that will keep you safe and secure as you drive, allowing you to push the limits while driving with peace of mind.
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Braum Racing Seats
Braum manufactures racing seats by car lovers, for car lovers. They combine impeccable design with expert engineering to make the perfect seat for your needs.
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Status Racing Seats
Status Racing creates high-end racing seats for all types of drivers, helping to create the ideal driving experience.
Purchase High-Quality Racing Seats From Vivid Racing
Vivid Racing is happy to offer our customers a huge selection of racing seats. A quality racing seat could save your life, but aside from the safety, it will also improve the driving experience dramatically and open a new world of performance driving. If you are interested in upgrading to a new aftermarket racing seat contact Vivid Racing today by calling 1 (480) 966-3040.
