Slide or fixed for passenger seat
#1
Slide or fixed for passenger seat
I'm prepping an 06 for STR autocross and track days. Planning to install a hard dog double diagonal bar, Sparco Pro 2000 seats and Schroth Enduro harnesses. Last thing to decide is seat mounts. For driver's side I'm thinking PCI slide mount. Have heard good things about their quality, and I'm only 5'8, so I value the adjustability for co drivers more than getting super low. For the passenger though, I'm undecided. Options I'm considering are, PCI slide mount, PCI fixed adjustable mount, or just side brackets somehow rigged onto the stock sliders.
Slide mount is slightly heavier, higher, and more expensive than fixed, but it would allow taller passengers to have more space while still allowing shorter ones to brace their feet (and have more clearance to the roll bar). Also might make cleaning and accessing the storage easier.
The only real advantage to retaining the stock slider would be retaining the airbag, but that would only be an issue for the street, where I'll very rarely have passengers, since the car will basically only be driven to and from the track. Not much disadvantage compared to the PCI slider either though as long as it's done right.
So, what would you do?
Slide mount is slightly heavier, higher, and more expensive than fixed, but it would allow taller passengers to have more space while still allowing shorter ones to brace their feet (and have more clearance to the roll bar). Also might make cleaning and accessing the storage easier.
The only real advantage to retaining the stock slider would be retaining the airbag, but that would only be an issue for the street, where I'll very rarely have passengers, since the car will basically only be driven to and from the track. Not much disadvantage compared to the PCI slider either though as long as it's done right.
So, what would you do?
#2
The biggest issue on the passenger side is the hump in the floorboard for the exhaust to pass through. This hump dictates a non-negotiable height of the seat (read: not low). The resultant height means concerns of proximity to the roll bar. Concerns of proximity urge the seat forward towards the dash, which results in minimal leg room.
It sounds to me like you don't know what you are trying to do- are you trying to build a safe compartment for your passenger while tracking or an accommodating street seat?
My suggestion is to find the lowest option you can find (which likely means no sliders or a seat that can sit between the rails) to yield as much room for the passenger as possible. Concerns of cleaning or feet bracing go by the wayside in the interest of safety. As part of safety, which you did not mention, are the harnesses which will go a long ways to keeping the passengers in their place.
It sounds to me like you don't know what you are trying to do- are you trying to build a safe compartment for your passenger while tracking or an accommodating street seat?
My suggestion is to find the lowest option you can find (which likely means no sliders or a seat that can sit between the rails) to yield as much room for the passenger as possible. Concerns of cleaning or feet bracing go by the wayside in the interest of safety. As part of safety, which you did not mention, are the harnesses which will go a long ways to keeping the passengers in their place.
#3
Safety is absolutely the top priority - both street and track, but primarily track. I was thinking that potentially a slider could actually help with safety by allowing most passengers to sit farther forward (away from the bar) while still letting taller passengers fit properly. I see your point about height being important though.
#4
I hate figuring out seat mounts for this car, you may actually be able to get lower with some rails than you would with a fixed mount like stimpy suggested. With fixed mounts, it's the mount that gets in the way of the bottom seat not allowing it to sit any lower, with rails, you're just limited by the floor (as long as the seat is narrow enough to sit between the rails.
#6
In my opinion, you need to figure out what seats you want to put in first because that will determine the size (waist and height for the harness). The seat will also dtermine the bracket type and fitment inside your car on driver and passenger sides. Foot support can be offset by adding a support bracket in the footwell and 5/6 point harness.
Airbags may not be as effective with fix seats because using the oem 3 pt belt the angle on the hip is comprised.'
Airbags may not be as effective with fix seats because using the oem 3 pt belt the angle on the hip is comprised.'
#7
In my opinion, you need to figure out what seats you want to put in first because that will determine the size (waist and height for the harness). The seat will also dtermine the bracket type and fitment inside your car on driver and passenger sides. Foot support can be offset by adding a support bracket in the footwell and 5/6 point harness.
Airbags may not be as effective with fix seats because using the oem 3 pt belt the angle on the hip is comprised.'
Airbags may not be as effective with fix seats because using the oem 3 pt belt the angle on the hip is comprised.'
Regardless, it will primarily be track driven; street driving will essentially be limited to to and from the track.
Retaining the passenger airbag would be nice, but I will so rarely have a passenger on the street that a higher priority is safety of the mount for track driving.
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