Z06_BluByU

Does anyone know of the specific hazards of using fixed back seats in road going cars?!? from my readings it seems euro spec cars allow it and US cars dont.. I couldnt find any SAE papers on it.. just curious more than anything..

wallyman424

i believe the theory is that in the event of a flip, a road car doesnt have as solid of a roll structure. thus the fixed back seat will not give you any "flex" when the roof collapses onto your head/neck.

gkmccready

Wouldn't you just lean to the side? Sounds more like the 3-pt vs 4+ point harness arguement.

wallyman424

i just assumed that if you were using a race seat, you'd be using harnesses. Most race seats have very substantial bolsters for your thighs and torso, making a 3pt seatbelt useless.

Z06_BluByU

I the reason I'm asking is that I just read the the new Prosche GT3 will offer fixed back seats for its european spec road cars (along with a half cage). However, this isnt available for the US spec.. Just wondering what is precluding its introduction here.

BTW: the euro spec car looks like its fitted with the std. 3 point belts.

Wouldnt the new rollover standards and strengthening mitigate the need to the seat to fold? Also, its seems like the little bit of movement, say our corvette seats provide, appears to be in the wrong direction (folding forward). how would that help when most people driving are slightly angled back?

wallyman424

I would think that regulations are made on a universal basis for all cars, not specifically for one make/model. Thus while a fixed back seat may be just fine in a vette or a porsche, it probably would not in a hyundai or kia.

NewFoundPower

Does this mean I should remove my seat back brace when I drive to and from the track, or any time I'm driving around on the street with my race seat in?



I never thought there would be a law covering such a thing as a fixed-back seat. I understand the reason for not allowing race harnesses to be worn on the road, but why would a seat that is considered safe on the track be considered unsafe on the street, where speeds are half or less? That doesn't make sense.

Lancer033

the BMW M3 CSL had a fixed back seat in europe, pretty sure none of those were imported and the 911 GT3 has had fixed back racing seats for years in Europe. At least I thought those were imported to the US like that.

I would almost bet that the reason they don't import them is because most americans wouldn't fit in a tight seat and the ones that really need it (i.e. track guys) wouldn't have any trouble putting in an aftermarket seat. I know the seats in the Audi RS4 are different in the euro model for that reason.

Bill Dearborn

It may be more of a consumer acceptance issue than a law. Until recently a large number of 4 door cars had fixed backs in the front but consumers demanded reclining seats. I don't know of any cars that don't have fixed back rear seats unless you count the fold forward feature some cars have to increase cargo capacity. The only seat requirement I know of is the one stating the seat cannot collapse backwards when the vehicle is hit in the rear at a certain speed.

As far as people leaning sideways in a rollover that is laughable. If the rollover is slow you might get away with it. However, if it is fast I doubt you could do that. Can you imagine trying to lean sideways in the seat as your car flips in the air thus causing your body to stretch outward. In most cases if you had the upper body strength to do that you wouldn't have time to react.

A person I know well flipped her 1980 Pontiac Phoenix into a creek bed one night. The car dropped 8 foot onto its roof. The roof height was reduced about 4 inches the complete length of the roof although a couple of the doors still opened. She unfastened her seat belt and crawled out the windshield space. She remembers sliding sideways and hitting a small tree at the edge of the creek before the car tipped over into the creek. It was a slow rollover as the tree put up a fight before its roots tore out of the ground.

Bill

fatbillybob

My WAG is that P-bugs will sell only a few GT3 in the USA and it costs too much to get the fixed seat DOT approved and fat old Americans want to be able to hinge the seat forward to get junk out of the back of the car. To Americans a hinged seat is an expected luxury.

EvilBoffin

Actually, the Porsche 'Build your Own' configurator website shows that fixed-back leather Sports Bucket Seats can now be ordered for even the normal Boxster S at the lovely extra cost of $3055. They have an interesting 'pass through' attachment method for the standard 3-point seatbelts.

Take a peek here - click on 'Build your Porsche', select 'Boxster' and then select 'Interior' - last seat on the right :

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/boxster/

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Z06_BluByU

those seats "the sport seats" are folding. (not fixed back). go to the german website and select the GT3 to see the fixed back carbon fiber seats..

here is a picture of the sport seats for the usa.. notice the side curtian air bag and hinge on the side.

EvilBoffin

Ah HA !! It's not very obvious from the US Porsche site that those seats have some folding/adjustability and airbags, but I see what you mean now. Even so, that seat is certainly designed with those bolsters and pass-throughs to be nothing more then a 'civilized' racing seat. I like it...

Still, I agree with some of the posters above that there doesn't seem to really be any specific US safety 'rules' that dictate that a seat must have a folding capability. It's more about general convenience, while offering some adjustability for different-sized drivers.

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Joe_Knesek

The Lotus Exige S240 is available in the U.S. with fixed back ProBax seats.

Z06_BluByU

those seats are terrifically comfortable (if your the right size to fit in them.. (less than say 44+")


Didnt know about the lotus.. have to check that out!