Track seats really worth it?

[tom @ eas]

[STi_traitor]

^^^^^

[dex37]

Originally Posted by rantarM3

The only race-like seats you should even consider for a street driven M3 are the BMW Performance seats since they have airbags. I'm not aware of any other seat that has side airbags and considering the way people drive these days, you need all the protection you can get.

Yes, they are the only seats with Airbags. With all other seats you need coding. The BMW Performance seats are not worth it for me: almost the same height, almost the same hold, heavy, very expensive.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by rantarM3

The only race-like seats you should even consider for a street driven M3 are the BMW Performance seats since they have airbags. I'm not aware of any other seat that has side airbags and considering the way people drive these days, you need all the protection you can get.

If you ask me, those are a total waste. They're a little better than OEM but nowhere near as good as a fixed back seat for holding you in.

[rantarM3]

Originally Posted by dex37

Yes, they are the only seats with Airbags. With all other seats you need coding. The BMW Performance seats are not worth it for me: almost the same height, almost the same hold, heavy, very expensive.

Was not aware that they were heavy but I suppose with the airbags in there, they can't be particularly light either.

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

If you ask me, those are a total waste. They're a little better than OEM but nowhere near as good as a fixed back seat for holding you in.

I agree with both that for the price they are definitely not worth it but I was just making the point that on a street driven car giving up airbags is a risky proposition. Someone should engineer a seat fastening mechanism that allows you to swap the OEM seats for racing seats in a few minutes (not sure if feasable).

[Car54]

Why would you want the protection on the street but not on the track?

[rantarM3]

Originally Posted by Car54

Why would you want the protection on the street but not on the track?

Logically one would think that if airbags are good on the street they are good on the track. But I've not heard of a race car with airbags. Perhaps its the additional weight but I doubt it. My guess is that on a track the focus is on keeping the driver as immobilized as possible in the event of a crash, and hence the nature of a race seat & harness setup. You're also wearing a helmet on a track but not on the street. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who actually knows the reasons.

[Car54]

Weight? Well you've never seen a race car without a cage either have you? Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to seats, but it really needs to be part of a complete system. That system includes a 6 pt cage at a minimum. There are many upgrades to a basic 6pt cage so that's why I say minimum. I used to believe in 4pt roll bar, but I feel safer in a late model car with factory safety. Take an E30 or E36, then yes a roll bar is probably going to be better than nothing.

Just adding seats invalidate the "system" by directly changing how the body is handled in the car during the first AND second collision.