Pe7e Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Any recommendations? Has anyone experienced Kirkey and/or Tillet B6F seats in a 7? I'm comparing the Tillet B6F, which has a 30 degree layback and head-rest positioned for helmet clearance, with Kirkey, ButlerBuilt, or Ultra Shield aluminum seats, which have less layback (18-25 degrees) and no apparent "helmet hunch" accommodation (it's tough to imagine they don't have that right, but...) The metal seats have what looks like much better rib and shoulder support, also options for a helmet halo. I've ridden helmeted in the Caterham seats (equivalent, I'm told, of Tillet B6, not B6F) and found the head-rest pushed my helmet forward a bit, making for a slightly vulturish driving posture. The seat is for a trackday and, optimistically, race car. I currently spec out at 6'1, 170lbs, 33inch inseam (185 cm, 77Kg, 84 cm, 12.1429 stone, according to google). Has anyone tried a halo seat? Annoying or innocuous? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Pe7e, Here are a few shots of my Ultra Shields (taken during the last two weeks). My car is a Brunton Stalker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I am very happy with the OMP Pista in my Ultralite. I prefer composite seats over metal ones for their out-of-the-box comfort as well as the certification. http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4039/4475515576_1ff20ee34a.jpg You can see more about my seat setup at http://www.rahulnair.net/blog/2010/04/01/setting-up-a-seven-safety/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 You have to really try the seat to find out if it fits you. Tillets normally do not work for me except the B2. For my next seat I would do a bead/resin seat. This is the type where you mix resin and polystyrene beads in a plastic bag, sit in it to squish it to the right shape and then stay seated while you suck all the air out with a vacuum. Give it 45 mins while staying seated so it can cure then you have your seat. To finish it off you can trim the rough edges and cover it in nomex fabric. In a Caterham you can do it two ways - lift off the seat base on the existing road seat and just have a resin bead pad, or you can take out the whole seat and get a really big bag of beads and resin and form the whole seat (squab and backrest) within the space. If it were me I would do the second of these options. Yellowss7 has one in his seven and I have been borrowing a seat pad version at Spa this weekend for the Caterham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rss Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 pe7e, i have the B7's and really like them. you can see them here: http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6337 my head is pushed forward a tiny bit with a helmet but not so much that it's bothersome. with the momo seat in the car before the tilletts the head push was awful. compared to an r500 seat, tillett says the headrest on the B7 has been moved back to accommodate a helmet. i haven't been in an r500 seat myself. obviously seat comfort is very subjective, but the B7's are very comfortable for me. I'm 5'9" and 150 lbs. my nephew is 5'10" and 180 lbs and they are comfortable to him too. one note about the B7's: they are supposed to be 42 cm wide, but the examples i received were a bit over 43 cm, which necessitated trimming the sides of the passenger seat to make it fit. it was easy to trim though, and i'm glad i didn't order the 40 cm wide version with the rolled edges removed, as now i have "half rolled" edges on the passenger side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 For my next seat I would do a bead/resin seat. One thing to consider with this is driving attire. Wear what you will be driving in. If you need extra layers for cold weather that will add to the space you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westy turbo Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Got the B6F like 2 months back,and all i can say its awesome and very rigid. http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o217/tigraturbo/PC080068.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o217/tigraturbo/PC080065.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o217/tigraturbo/PC080069.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaNostra Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I have two of this seats which i bought it from England. When I got it, it does not fit in my Westfield. They said it will (before I bought it). It puzzles me... the seat fits in the right side but not in the left side. I measured the left side opening which is much narrower by 1 1/4" than the right side opening. The only think I can think of, they drive on the right in the UK, they favored the right hand side space. Really odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hi Pete, I made the seat bottom with foam beads, a space saver vacuum bag and a two part epoxy mix, then coverd it in nomex fabric. Easy, cheap and fits great I have a box of beads left over that you can use. You'll just need to buy a large space saver vacuum bag, about 10 bucks or so for 2. And a quart of the epoxy which will be enough for two trys. I can walk you though the process. Just don't do it in shorts:willy_nilly: as the epoxy cures it gets pretty warm/hot. Make that real hot for what seemed alot longer than the minute or two that it actually took. :jester: Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pe7e Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Thanks for all the posts, guys. Having spent too much time reading about the subject over the weekend, I'm waffling back and forth between just a foam seat and using foam in a seat, which has the advantage of a HALO structure. xcarguy (I assume this name was part of a Cars Anonymous 10 step program that didn't quite do the trick?) Do you happen to know your shoulder width and do you have any interference from the soulder wings? rnr do you have any pics of you in the car with helmet? Could I trouble you for a seat-to-eye measurement, when you get a chance? Tom, thanks for the offer, I'll pm you when I need the beads. If anyone is looking into foam seats for racing, my research has indicated that the system provided by baldspotsports http://www.baldspotsports.com/products/ or the bsci energy impact systems product, http://www.rollbarpadding.com/downloads/seat.pdf are superior offerings. Polyurethane foam should be avoided becase its rebound characteristics can cause or increase injury in the event of an impact. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 (edited) xcarguy (I assume this name was part of a Cars Anonymous 10 step program that didn't quite do the trick?) Do you happen to know your shoulder width and do you have any interference from the soulder wings?/quote] Pete, xcarguy; the resultant nickname from a cursed 12-step program that I failed at miserably. Still a car owner . . . and still spending my children's college fund to support my habit. At the end of the progaram, I ended up with a 289 FIA Cobra, and my Stalker. I did manage to sell the Cobra, but could not give up the Stalker. :banghead: On a more serious note: as for the shoulder harnesses, no interference issues whatsoever. In fact, these are the best fitting and most comfortable (and safest, installation-wise) restraints I've ever had in any specialty car to date. The mounting points of the shoulder harnesses are aligned with the openings in the Ultra Shield seats and are spaced approximately 4" apart per the G-Force installation instructions (see photo below). The shoulder wings are great for keeping the shoulder harnesses out of the way while getting in and out of the seats; just place them over the wings and they stay. As for driver-to-harness compliment, all restraints were installed in accordance with the following sfi specs: http://www.sfifoundation.com/SeatbeltGuide06-05-12.pdf Later this evening, I'll take photos of the shoulder harness mounting points from behind the seat, displaying the belt alignment as well as the actual distance between the two mounting points. A picture is worth a whole bunch'a words. :seeya: Shane Edited March 26, 2013 by xcarguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Pete, Here are the photos of the Shoulder harness mounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westy turbo Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Deffo dont go off the cage if you referring to me but will take a pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 rnr do you have any pics of you in the car with helmet? Could I trouble you for a seat-to-eye measurement, when you get a chance? Pics below - I am 6'1" myself. I'm not sure what you mean by seat-to eye measurement but you can find the data seat for sheet here: http://www.hrpworld.com/client_images/ecommerce/client_39/cat_header/1007_1.pdf If there is something in particular you need just let me know. http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4019/4678678203_4b28b610f7.jpg http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4031/4678667123_f3cb76a7c6.jpg http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4042/4678661309_d90267d2c1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pe7e Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Thanks, Shane! Is there any reason you chose the Ultra Shield over a Kirkey or ButlerBuilt? rnr, heh, heh, heh, the Ultralight looks so *alien* contrasted with the other cars. Nice effect. I should have said, "seat of pants to eye distance". I was trying to gauge the impact the HALO has on peripheral vision. Do you notice it? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 rnr, heh, heh, heh, the Ultralight looks so *alien* contrasted with the other cars. Nice effect. I should have said, "seat of pants to eye distance". I was trying to gauge the impact the HALO has on peripheral vision. Do you notice it? No vision issues at all - you'd have to turn you head 90+ degrees to have it affect you and a HANS will not let you do that. I havent had any issues on the street either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Thanks, Shane! Is there any reason you chose the Ultra Shield over a Kirkey or ButlerBuilt? Pete Pete, When I purchased my car (for the second time), Mike Sharkey had put the Ultra Shield seat in (driver side only). I later purchased a new-in-the-box matching Ultra Shield from another Stalker owner who had custom low-back seats built for his car. I got the second seat at a very good discount so I pretty much have Ultra Shield seats by default. I will say the The Ultra Shield seats are comfortable and work well for me, but it's simply a matter of what seat you want in your car and how much you want to spend. However, I will say this, since I changed the harness mounting points to SFI specs, it has made a world of difference in how the seat/harness combination compliments me once belted in. Several folks I have known, including myself, are guilty, or have been guilty, of mounting harnesses using the most convenient mounting points rather than the correct ones. (If I offend anyone on this forum with this statement, my apologies as this is not my intention). Long story short, regardless of what brand seat you go with, pay particular attention to harness mounting points. Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevengines Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 +1 for the ultrasheild rally sport, I have a matched set in my car as well(like xcarguys but in grey, cause black is hot in the summer). besides being able to actually fit the seat in the car, which is key. I find the seats very comfortable. And they were significantly cheaper then all the other manufacturers comparable seats. My wife was kind enough to let me get the set for my birthday last year. The prior seats were a buggy style fiberglass shell that never fit my wide hips at all. The shoulder wings are very comfy, I wear a 44L-46L jacket for a chest reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackal Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Pete, Here are the photos of the Shoulder harness mounts. How are you keeping all the leftover shoulder strap rolled up while using the car? I have tonnes of extra shoulder strap and was debating if I was going to cut it all off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 How are you keeping all the leftover shoulder strap rolled up while using the car? I have tonnes of extra shoulder strap and was debating if I was going to cut it all off. Duane, Zip ties; they work great. I'm not a big fan of cutting off the excess strap; I've been on the receiving end of having too short a harness. I like to option of additional adjustment, if needed. In fact, I've made some adjustments to the shoulder straps since those pics were taken (moved the shoulder harness three-bar slide to an area immediately behind the seat. Here's a couple of photos that shows the relocated three-bar slide as well as the zip-tied excess strap. Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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