Seats -suspension or not?

[racer56]

If you put the back injury in hard shell vs. suspension seat debate aside for a moment think about this.

For a five point safety harness to work properly in a crash, they need to be as tight as possible. Suspension seats by design do not allow for the safety harness to stay tight during the course of a race.

For this reason alone, FIA/SFI hard shell approved seats should be mandatory.

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[Dirt_Nyx]

Let's attack a company and an individual who has done more for offroad than any of these other companies combined, without letting the science of his company's testing speak more than the uneducated opinions of keyboard racers. Really makes people and companies want to support this sport. Good job guys!

[racer56]

Let's attack a company and an individual who has done more for offroad than any of these other companies combined, without letting the science of his compan
y's testing speak more than the uneducated opinions of keyboard racers. Really makes people and companies want to support this sport. Good job guys!

I don't think anyone is trying to denigrate Masrercraft, but rather bring to light the inherent safety risks in using a suspension seat in racing.

[pdailey]

I don't think anyone is trying to denigrate Masrercraft, but rather bring to light the inherent safety risks in using a suspension seat in racing.

Which are?

How about bringing to light how they are not properly installed??

[CRAIG_HALL]

Not sure that it's available yet (I've yet to see one myself) but I do know MAstercraft was building a carbon "tub" style seat.

[racer56]

Which are?

How about bringing to light how they are not properly installed??

Having you safety harness stay sufficiently tight to prevent injury.

[Scott_AZ]

The fact this turned into an argument is silly. In the end, you have to comply with the safety regulations of your sanctioning body. If it's a prerunner or play rig, you could bolt a barstool to the cage if you wanted. To add, I don't see much info supporting suspension seats other than listen to the show and a couple opinions.

I agree with Gunnslinger's comment:
"the science behind not using a suspension seat just makes sense to me"

If you take these 2 laws:

A body in motion tends to stay in motion
Mass * Velocity = Momentum

What happens to a passenger's body when the springs in a suspension seat bottom out? I have no idea. I am not a doctor, physicist, or structural/mechanical engineer.

[pdailey]

The fact this turned into an argument is silly. In the end, you have to comply with the safety regulations of your sanctioning body. If it's a prerunner or play rig, you could bolt a barstool to the cage if you wanted. To add, I don't see much info supporting suspension seats other than listen to the show and a couple opinions.

I agree with Gunnslinger's comment:
"the science behind not using a suspension seat just makes sense to me"

If you take these 2 laws:

A body in motion tends to stay in motion
Mass * Velocity = Momentum

What happens to a passenger's body when the springs in a suspension seat bottom out? I have no idea. I am not a doctor, physicist, or structural/mechanical engineer.

They only "bottom out" when you hit the bottom of the floorpan. Hence my "improper" installation argument. A shock works better when dampening force. But then when it runs out of travel, guess what happens.

Again, proper installation is key. Get where I'm coming from?

[Jimmy8]

Yes, Mastercraft is building a hardshell seat. As Robbie Pierce said on my show, they have one in development, it will be better than any other hardshell seat on the market, but in his opinion, which is based on testing and facts, a suspension seat like the 3G is still the best seat for off-road. The reason why you will see Mastercraft building a hardshell seat is not because it is better for the off-road application, it's because regardless of how hard you try to educate people on what is the safest, some are still going to use a hardshell. This seat is aimed at these people, and out of all of the hardshell seats available, it will be the safest. Let's put it this way, I've seen the testing Mastercraft does, and the hard numbers. I believe in their product, and I will continue to do so. When Robbie Pierce decides to run a hardshell seat because he has seen it is the safest in Mastercraft's testing, I will run a hardshell seat again. Keep in mind, I have experience in both, and have had hard hits in both. I will continue to rely on Mastercraft for my safety. It's a personal choice, but one in which I take very seriously, and one in which I honestly believe that I have put myself in the best possible position to survive a high speed rollover. I posted the link before and the hard numbers and testing info you guys are looking for are in my interview, it's your choice to educate yourselves or not.

[CRAIG_HALL]

Take my own experience for what you will..

I've raced in class 1 with Mastercraft seats in HMS/Jefferies cars. I was typically a bit sore after each race, not my back but my shoulders from the harness's and what I could only conclude to be the constant movement of my body in the seat. This was in 06' and I haven't been in 1 car since.
Beginning in 2010 I've ridden in the Camburg TT with all 3 drivers (Whelchel too, so no crap about being a slow vehicle) and it has always had Sparco's, I've never had any shoulder pain from the belts ever. (yes i wear them) I've never had any back pain either, and we've hit G-out's plenty of times, fairly hard.

The Vehicle differences may contribute greatly, as I'd descibe the 1 car ride as violent at times, as the TT is only jarring.