Ok, so I’d like to move to a more supportive and safe seat. Ideally one that has all the FIA style accreditation, not because I ‘need’ them but as really it’s a core part of safety of the car and annoyingly shit happens
So I think Lotus rebadged this:
Anyone know what the deal is regarding seat brackets? Do people just get some box section like the OE runners and weld tabs on to use the Recaro side doodads? How do seat belt archor points work then?
Ps I’m, errr, well cushioned so can’t have anything too narrow.
Lotus do their own brackets to bolt them down, you could make your own but id save the faff and just buy the lotus ones that will bolt staright in. Pretty sure they are items no. 5+6 here but id order them thtough Ady Kent at Motorsport to be sure.
Seat belts wont work with that seat. You need harness fixings to the floor using spreader plates. I have a template for drilling the holes that bolt into the two rear seat fixings to drill them in the right spot (need to be precise to make them fit nicely).
I have one in my 2-11 and its a snug fit for me. Also it has quite high sides, not a problem when you climb in through the roof of a 2-11 but not so easy going through sideways into a car with a roof…
One thing i will say is that over the last 12 years of racing and trackdays, i really cant stress how important it is to be comfortable and supported in all the right places with your seat. Its one of the most fundemantal things that people overlook or get wrong. Get the seating position right, and your free to drive the car completely uncompromised and fluidly.
What im saying is buy the seat that fits you the best wether its costs £200 or £1200. For the larger gentleman and easr of ingress i fear your looking at the most expensive oem Cup seats or Reverie…
Dont skimp Tim, put something off in the enigine bay in favour of a good seating position, its worth far more in reality.
Ha well you’re positively snake hips compared to me!
I’ve got a reverie at the moment, and tbh find it comfortable even with no pads on it (no jokes please ) but after a shunt I’ve noticed there is a crack in it.
I’ve sat in a tillett b7 fia jobby and that felt great, but it was in the race car of a midget so hard to gauge (heel was flat against the front bulkhead behind the pedals).
100% the point in changing is to get the position smack on, and any seat would need be a good fit.
In a elise chassis, they currnetly use their own carbon FIA Cup seats.
In the old exige GT3’s they used a recaro like you see in my build thread which is similar to the one you posted above.
Problem with them is the shells are bulky and dont go low and back enough for the taller/bigger guys. The one in GavT3 is what they used in GT3 but its placed in just about as far back and as low as it will go and im sat ok, not perfect but ok, id like to be lower but no chance.
You would never get in, well you would but for the use you are doing youd soon be pissed off.
Little bit differnet when youre at the race track waiting for the pitstop to change out drivers, you dont care at that point about having to scrabble across chassis beams and around rollcages to get in or out…
As i say, youd be better off with a slim type shell similar to that of oem or reverie for ease of use/positioning.
Having sat in GavT3, I can confirm it is not an easy entry/exit !
The seat for me was also too upright… and probably not easy to recline it any further because as Gav says, it probably won’t go any further back at the top rear…
Completely agree with Gav though, sitting properly makes a huge difference…
Not sure anyone has ever done one in an Elise, but a lot of racers in Caterhams use ‘bag seats’ - basically a foam seat that you mould to your own body shape… whether it’d work in an Elise chassis I don’t know - but I imagine they are supremely snug.
Muu,
I have the Tillett B6F (fia seat) in my race car (S1 Elise) using the EB F1 brackets, The brackets are made and supplied by Tillett and are not specials form ES only (BTW) the seat is really comfy even without the pads and can be put in pretty much any position using the EB F1 brackets which will bolt directly into the car in the existing holes so no drilling required. Be very careful though as in the small print on the Tillet brochure https://www.tillett.co.uk/shop/documents/downloads/TILLET_CAR_BROCHURE_2015_LOW.pdf (scroll down to the B6F section) it says the the B6F XL doesn’t fit into an Elise. I confirmed this with a man from Tillett at the Autosport show in January if it did fit i would have possibly had the XL seat. Having said that while the seat is a snug fit on my rear end its not uncomfortable at all. and as Gav has said its better to hold you in place then you can concentrate on the job of driving.
I’m based near Loughborough in the East Midlands (not sure where you are) but you are more than welcome to come and try it on for size if you like.
So for context, and no laughing ladies, I’m 182cm and 95KG
Think I sat in a vanilla B6F at Steve Williams and was surprised at how well it fit around my legs, which is where I struggle. In my C63 I’m fine up top but thighs are flattening the base bolsters.
Well if we are talking numbers I’m 5’10.5" and 105kg in my race suit with boots, gloves, helmet and Hans device. As measured on the scales at Donington a couple of weeks ago, and out of interest the car with 10 liters of fuel was 728kg.
Tim, I think you tried the B6F in my Exige rally car at Brands? To fit a pair of them I had to machine the passenger seat rail a little due to the offset. Have a look at page 1 of my rally build thread in ‘projects’
I just remember that every time we slid around a corner I got the horn…that was floor mounted in the pax footwell and my foot kept finding it as I braced myself
) but after a shunt I’ve noticed there is a crack in it.
