Seats -suspension or not?

[speedfun]

.
My .02---
30 + years with the motto if you’re not flipping you’re not going fast enough. With that said – I would not be 54yrs old and still racing if it were not for master craft seats. At 17yrs old racing moto-cross I crushed – made pie shaped – 3 vertebrae in the middle of my back. I was paralyzed for 3 months from the shoulders down. Well one morning I woke up and my bottom half was back in action! With that said I still have three pie shaped vertebrae’s and never have any back issues racing off road and I owe it to the suspension seat. Also I have been a heavy equipment operator all my life sitting on spring loaded suspension seats, so it’s safe to say my butt has sat on just about everything.

If the seat is like a rock the force is going into your body. Try sitting on a hard bucket seat all day operating a loader? How long would you last? Not 40+ years.
No matter what seat you use IF you mount the seat so you are sitting up strait – you’re going to break or hurt your back.
You have to lay the seat back to distribute the weight equally across your butt and back.
That old saying driving from the seat of your pants? Well the late Great Dale Earnhardt laid his seats back like a lounge chair. He said he could feel the cars movement better from the small of his back. and it was comfortable for 500 miles like a lazy boy recliner he said--
I have always laid my seats back like a lounge chair. IMO it is the right way to install a seat in a off road car. I will say when I had my pro2 the seat was mounted so I sat up strait- One race at Crandon and I legged her out and sailed off the rancho jump landed out on the flat –landed -chin in my chest and my back was sore to say the least Remounted the seat before the next race.
Problem solved.
I see you guys in NASCAR seats and feel sorry for you all –
I hope not --but one day a hard bucket style seat will bite you if you use one in off road.
a simple way to prove a suspension seat is the best ?
Install that hard bucket seat in you street ride for a month.

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[CANIDAERACING]

Broke my back at v2r 2 years ago in a suspension seat. We now have sparcos and have never looked back. Just the reduction in driver rider fatigue and seat belts staying the same tightness all race should be enough to convince anyone imo.. What other racing series allow or use suspension seats out of curiosity?

[fishd00d]

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.

This is a great point. How are your belts suppose to stay tight when the seat is moving? Tub seats are what I prefer. They help you feel the vehicle better too.

[speedfun]

What other racing series allow or use suspension seats out of curiosity?

What other series do you fly 150 feet off jumps lap after lap? How did you sit in the seat? Strait up or laid back?
I think the guys that have had problems were sitting strait up in the seat with all their weight on their butts. IMO

[racer56]

Have you tried a Sparco or Cobra style seat in any of your off road cars?

.
My .02---
30 + years with the motto if you’re not flipping you’re not going fast enough. With that said – I would not be 54yrs old and still racing if it were not for master craft seats. At 17yrs old racing moto-cross I crushed – made pie shaped – 3 vertebrae in the middle of my back. I was paralyzed for 3 months from the shoulders down. Well one morning I woke up and my bottom half was back in action! With that said I still have three pie shaped vertebrae’s and never have any back issues racing off road and I owe it to the suspension seat. Also I have been a heavy equipment operator all my life sitting on spring loaded suspension seats, so it’s safe to say my butt has sat on just about everything.

If the seat is like a rock the force is going into your body. Try sitting on a hard bucket seat all day operating a loader? How long would you last? Not 40+ years.
No matter what seat you use IF you mount the seat so you are sitting up strait – you’re going to break or hurt your back.
You have to lay the seat back to distribute the weight equally across your butt and back.
That old saying driving from the seat of your pants? Well the late Great Dale Earnhardt laid his seats back like a lounge chair. He said he could feel the cars movement better from the small of his back. and it was comfortable for 500 miles like a lazy boy recliner he said--
I have always laid my seats back like a lounge chair. IMO it is the right way to install a seat in a off road car. I will say when I had my pro2 the seat was mounted so I sat up strait- One race at Crandon and I legged her out and sailed off the rancho jump landed out on the flat –landed -chin in my chest and my back was sore to say the least Remounted the seat before the next race.
Problem solved.
I see you guys in NASCAR seats and feel sorry for you all –
I hope not --but one day a hard bucket style seat will bite you if you use one in off road.
a simple way to prove a suspension seat is the best ?
Install that hard bucket seat in you street ride for a month.

[pdailey]

Have you tried a Sparco or Cobra style seat in any of your off road cars?

I have. Was never so sore after 100 miles of racing. Different strokes for different folks....

[racer56]

I have. Was never so sore after 100 miles of racing. Different strokes for different folks....

Did the seat actually fit you? You are a pretty big boy to fit in a standard size seat and be comfortable.

[pdailey]

Did the seat actually fit you? You are a pretty big boy to fit in a standard size seat and be comfortable.

It was pretty good. I can' remember what brand it was though.

[speedfun]

I have sat in cars and some trucks with seats like that and it felt solid and all my weight was on my butt. Some of my early cars had POS fiberglass and plastic seats- so one time after a race I was hurting for days after a race – I looked around for anything to help and that’s when I switched over. I only use 2 inches of foam on the bottom and I never have the loose belt problem.I do think too much foam is the belt problum--- But I lay back and distribute the pressure evenly around my lower back to my butt.
I will say if I was crashing at 185mph I would want to be held in like a “butler built seat” or if all I did was turn left ? I can see that style seat working.
But we are like a 30 min plane crash – the bouncing and G-Forces we endure are nonstop.
And we don’t go 185MPH !! if we did I’m sure we would have seats like snow ski boots clamping us in and 2 joy sticks for your hands to drive with.

[CR29]

Check out Ross Hoek's crash from redbud two weeks ago. Watch how he stays put in the seat and not tossed around. A crash like this would have resulted in broken collar bones at the very least like other drivers have experienced in the last couple of years in a suspension seat. Ross was the first to use an ISP seat in off-road and has a few pretty good crashes, all very different types of crash's and forces on his body and has walked away from every one barely even sore.