Hi guys,

I am thinking of getting a RECARO SPG for the upcomming track days. However, I still drive my car daily, and have a concern.

I have heard that the head rest part of the SPG doesn't have suffifcient cushioning. Hence, in the case of an accident on the road (with no helmet on), it is possible to hurt one's head.

Can anyone shed light on this?

I have heard that the Mugen seat and the Bride zeta 3 seat don't have this problem, but they are also not FIA approved.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I feel it has more cushioning than the stock seat which has a hole there. Regardless, it takes <10 minutes to swap seats so you can have it both ways.

 

I think a race seat on the street is kinda a zero sum game. The upside is that it's actually more comfortable for long trips (I know this sounds strange, but the extra support distributes your weight across more of your legs and sides so it's not just your butt holding you up the whole time), it looks cool, and it's better for those times when you feel like driving fast on the street. The downside is it makes entry/egress far more difficult, you won't be able to valet your car (I don't anyway, but just keep in mind that fat valet attendants won't fit), and the seatbelt no longer hugs around you as tightly (the seat will space it away from your lap an inch or so).

In the end, I use my race seat on the street and don't mind. I think the pros and cons pretty much wash out.

 

Have a look at the SPG PRO if your concerned about ultimate head protection. The lateral head support will also protect you from the soft top frame. It does hinder side view a bit but I guess it all depends on your point of view. I can still see the side mirrors just fine but the blind spot is completely unaccessible. For street driving, ride is very comfortable, but as pointed out getting in and out requires quite a bit of effort.

 

100% i recently started commuting in the S and thought about taking the racing seat out, the oem felt like seating on a couch after using the bucket for a while.

 

I got the SPG Pole Position, and I got it in leather. It's a big improvement over my old stock seats, especially on long drives. The Pole Position is a little bit wider than the base SPG, which makes it easier to get into and out of. It's not so wide that you slide, though. At least I don't, at 5'11" and 160 pounds.

I've never heard anything about the top of the seat being dangerous. They put these in stock models of some Porsches, so they've got to pass German TUV and U.S. DOT tests. They couldn't do that if they weren't safe with no helmet.

 

The Bride Zeta3 is FiA approved, I was looking at getting it, but I got a great deal on a barely used SPG, so I went with that instead.

 

Do they hit the door?
Can you still open the center compartment?
Does it have a single hole in the seat bottom for crotch strap?

The Recaro Pole Position is one of the seats I'm considering.

I too have a race seat in street car story. A friend has the Spoon seats in his S. We went from Toronto to almost Chicago, and then back to toronto in one day. I guarantee you, my back felt better when we got home than if we had driven my S with the OEM seats...

Pole Position

 

The Pole Positions are pretty much identical to the regular SPG's. The only difference is about an inch of width. I can't say anything about S2K fitment, since I'm in a different car.



The key for long distance drives is to rock the seat back enough to support your thighs and distibute weight over your lower back a little. Arm rests also help. I've got temprary ones that slide into place for drives to Thunderhill and Reno.

 

I believe the SPG hits the door a tad bit.

Alright, I think I will go wither the SPG or the Zeta 3 then, since they are both FIA approved and decent for street use.