Aftermarket seats

I've had these corbeau FX1 wide in my car for several months now along with rear seat delete. I love these seats so much, im using the corbeau brackets and sliders with them and they sit much lower than stock and are super comfortable with better seating position.

NightParade said:

I've had these corbeau FX1 wide in my car for several months now along with rear seat delete. I love these seats so much, im using the corbeau brackets and sliders with them and they sit much lower than stock and are super comfortable with better seating position.

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I'm a believer that fixed back seats without a 5 or 6 pt harness/rollbar is pretty dangerous in a roll over or crash.

But you can take your chances.

If your willing to spend the extra $$$ I would always suggest Recaro. Personally.

Lee@BKauto said:

If your willing to spend the extra $$$ I would always suggest Recaro. Personally.

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wow! looks great, how much did the set run you if you dont mind me asking?

LeanBean_S550 said:

wow! looks great, how much did the set run you if you dont mind me asking?

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They are the Recaro Profi XL and they are around $1000 each if I recall correctly. Theres alot of fakes out there though so be cafeful and make sure you get them from a reputable source.

Fixed back seats without a proper roll bar and harness are not really safe in an accident.

If you can afford it, use a proper FIA seat like a Sparco or Recaro. I personally prefer Cobra seats as they are premium and have better value. Cobra is made of composite (carbon/kevlar) material and is the same price as Recaro/Sparco (which is made of fiberglass unless you get high end models). Cobras have better fit and are more comfortable for long drives as well (IMO).

Either way, use proper safety when using fixed back seats.

Have fun and be safe!

:amen:

bluestang50 said:

Are those the "evo II" or "evo II us". I am a 38" waist and the us version is a little wider than the standard evo II. I only ask because I have heard the us version doesn't fit against the center console. Whoch version do you have? Did you have any fitment problems?

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Mine are the US version, and I fabricated my own floor brackets using the sparco side mounts with them flush against the console, which has about 2" clearance on outside.

Seceda91 said:

BEAUTIFUL! Why does your Evo 2 have the white lining and some don't?

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Don't know, the Sparco website shows them all with the white lining

Lee@BKauto said:

If your willing to spend the extra $$$ I would always suggest Recaro. Personally.

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Nice doggie, my favorite breed.

hulk_smash said:

Fixed back seats without a proper roll bar and harness are not really safe in an accident.

If you can afford it, use a proper FIA seat like a Sparco or Recaro. I personally prefer Cobra seats as they are premium and have better value. Cobra is made of composite (carbon/kevlar) material and is the same price as Recaro/Sparco (which is made of fiberglass unless you get high end models). Cobras have better fit and are more comfortable for long drives as well (IMO).

Either way, use proper safety when using fixed back seats.

Have fun and be safe!

:amen:

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More dangerous than running a 4 or 6 point roll bar on the street? In my experience I have seen more injuries caused by aftermarket roll bars on the street and even the track than I have injuries by actual rollover over accidents. Unless you are talking about a car specific custom cage on a car that’s only tracked.
Cars these days have very good roll over protection from the factory, and airbags that work with the roll over protect all these things can be obstructed and not function properly when a aftermarket roll bar is installed. Personally I trust Fords engineers. Good resource for this is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, most cars these days can handle up to 4X the weight of the car on its roof.
(http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/ford/mustang-2-door-coupe).

All that being said performance driving is not a safe activity.

Here's what the steps are for a safe setup.

For a person that doesn't want a roll bar and to keep airbags I highly recommend the schroth quick fit. It has asm technology so that it in an accident you don't slide underneath the belt strap.

With that setup that's all you need.


Now when you get a fixed back seat this is what you need for a proper setup.
HANS device
Removal or deactivate airbags
Fixed back seat and brackets
4 point roll bar minimum
6 point hans complaint harness


In an accident with the oem recaro while using the oem belts or schroth. The seat will collapse backwards in a roll over.


In an accident with a fixed back seat and no roll bar you run the risk of getting crushed in a rollover.

This is why harness bars are useless because they offer no rollover protection and prevent your seat from going backwards in a rollover.


I've done both on multiple cars, one actually ending up in an accident on the track.

Doing it right saved my life.

xXANCHORMONXx said:

Here's what the steps are for a safe setup.

For a person that doesn't want a roll bar and to keep airbags I highly recommend the schroth quick fit. It has asm technology so that it in an accident you don't slide underneath the belt strap.

With that setup that's all you need.


Now when you get a fixed back seat this is what you need for a proper setup.
HANS device
Removal or deactivate airbags
Fixed back seat and brackets
4 point roll bar minimum
6 point hans complaint harness


In an accident with the oem recaro while using the oem belts or schroth. The seat will collapse backwards in a roll over.


In an accident with a fixed back seat and no roll bar you run the risk of getting crushed in a rollover.

This is why harness bars are useless because they offer no rollover protection and prevent your seat from going backwards in a rollover.


I've done both on multiple cars, one actually ending up in an accident on the track.

Doing it right saved my life.

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I’m very sorry to hear you had an incident on track. That’s never a fun experience, and unfortunately can happen to the best of us.
I don’t want to hijack this thread with the age old aftermarket roll bar vs. no roll bar or a debate about safety. So this is all I will say, and if anyone is interested in what I have to say or wants a good debate PM me hahah.

You have a right to your opinion. I have done countless hours of research and have seen many incidents over the years that prove otherwise. Vehicle safety is not as simple as 1,2,3 it takes looking at the structure of the vehicle and using its strengths. Not just slapping what one may think are “safety products” together. You are right in that when you are driving on the street and track the safest form of your vehicle is 100% stock. Personally I am not a fan of the quick fit systems, the 3 point stock belts are much better and functions with the rest of the factory safety system. Unless you are going for a racey look.
If your are tracking your car but mostly using as a street car. You should look for products that can be easily removed to return the car to stock. Other than stock the only other “safest” form of a vehicle is a custom fully caged track prepped car, unfortunately those can’t be driven on the street.
I keep my track equipment in the car mainly because I like the feel of aftermarket fixed back seats and it is easier for a taller driver. However I never use my harnesses on the street I stick with the 3 point stock seat belt. It is important to understand and accept there are hazards of using aftermarket equipment on the street. Mainly they are not designed to function with the factory safety system.


I do find it comical that you think the seat collapsing in a roll over is a good thing. Seat belts going slack (seat collapsing backwards) in the event of a roll over would be catastrophic! The roof in most roll over cases does not collapse to the point of "crushing you", unless of coarse in a extreme cases. I am sure you all have seen the picture of the blue mustang with the roof that was crushed flat and the roll cage legs punched through the floor. (they were strapped in with fixed back seat and walked away)
I am of coarse talking about modern cars. In 2009 the NHTSA created its roof-crush standard for vehicles under 6000lbs. to withstand up to 3 times the vehicles weight (2016 Mustang 4.43X). However many premium car manufactures started doing this a few year before. The standard has been increased since.

People do your research and use your head and come up with a safety system that works with your car and how you use your car!

Also want to make it clear I am not saying aftermarket roll bars are unsafe. I am just saying in most cases aftermarket roll bars are not necessary and provide hazards of their own. Anyone interested in using them should look in depth into if they are right for your application. There are many good manufactures that engineer products instead of just making them to spec.

P.S. The Harness Mount Bars my company makes have not been used by manufacture proving grounds, motorsports teams, and driving schools because they are “useless” products.

In a roll over a 6 point harness will keep you pinned. There is no way you can move out of the way of a caving in roof.

With the oem setup the 3 point belt will allow your body to roll out of the way.

I've had harness bars in the past.

Typically there are two reasons why someone would install a harness bar instead of a roll bar.

1. Cost
2. Install difficulty

When choosing a roll bar for a street car you want to look for ones that sit further back behind you.

You won't catch any race car driver dead with a harness bar instead of a roll bar at a minimum.

I'm unaware of any racing event that would allow someone to pass tech with a harness bar, fixed back seat and 6 pt harness

If you're going to do a fixed back seat with a 6 point harness a roll bar at a minimum is the way to go.

xXANCHORMONXx said:

In a roll over a 6 point harness will keep you pinned. There is no way you can move out of the way of a caving in roof.

With the oem setup the 3 point belt will allow your body to roll out of the way.

I've had harness bars in the past.

Typically there are two reasons why someone would install a harness bar instead of a roll bar.

1. Cost
2. Install difficulty

When choosing a roll bar for a street car you want to look for ones that sit further back behind you.

You won't catch any race car driver dead with a harness bar instead of a roll bar at a minimum.

I'm unaware of any racing event that would allow someone to pass tech with a harness bar, fixed back seat and 6 pt harness

If you're going to do a fixed back seat with a 6 point harness a roll bar at a minimum is the way to go.

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I agree with XXANCHORMANXX.

Most people try to justify their reasoning due to cost. Do it right or don't do it all.

If you understand how seat belts work, 3/4/5/6 pt harness works, then it should be pretty clear why having a fixed back seat sans roll bar is not safe.

But hey its your life.

hulk_smash said:

I agree with XXANCHORMANXX.

Most people try to justify their reasoning due to cost. Do it right or don't do it all.

If you understand how seat belts work, 3/4/5/6 pt harness works, then it should be pretty clear why having a fixed back seat sans roll bar is not safe.

But hey its your life.

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I absolutely agree with doing it right, we have built our business off that motto. However don’t be mistaken an aftermarket bolt in roll bar is no where near doing it right no matter how many points it has. A full custom cage is doing it right. That’s why we built this car. This is the car we use when we go to the push driver and product limits or race if we choose.





more pic's here


Anything in between a track dedicated car and a stock vehicle there are compromises. Though some may disagree, I like the way my head and limbs are configured, so I will never use a roll bar because I dont want to compromise the safety of my vehicle when I drive on the street. A roll bar should NEVER be used on the street.

At the end of the day there is nothing safe about pushing the limits in a 400+ HP car.

XXANCHORMANXX
Not making a sales pitch here. I would never recommend using a harness bar that is not ours. There is a reason why ours looks so beefy and it because that is what is required to mount harnesses. Anything that uses a single tube to mount harnesses is a bad idea. We are the only aftermarket manufacture of harness mounting equipment that tests our products in house with tensile tests, finite stress analysis in CAD, and is tested by an independent lab.

Never said anyone should or could use a Harness Bar in any racing series, but never met driver in a professional series that would use an aftermarket bolt in roll bar either.

People that buy our Harness Mount Bars are people like me who are at the track every other weekend for fun, and don’t want to lose the usability or safety of their vehicle on the street. With my Harness Mount Bar I car fit a set of tires tool box and my helmet & hans and anything else I need at the track. I drive my track car to beautiful tracks all over the east coast and have fun doing so. Then drive it home and drive it to work everyday. I don’t want to have to trailer my vehicle to the track. To me one of the coolest things about what Mustang is doing is they have finally made a vehicle that can be driven on the track stock and then also are a daily driver you can take the kids to school in. Without compromise. They are also half the price of the cars that ruled that market previously. But you are correct Harness Bars are less expensive and much easier to install that a roll bar.

You should never use a roll bar that mounts in the rear crumple zone of the car. This means if the roll bar that sits further back you are making the angles of the support tubes more acute. This make the roll bar more prone to bending forward if an extreme situation were to ever occur. Again it takes an extreme situation to get a roof to collapse completely. Over 16,000lbs. of pressure test by the IIHS show. I have seen roll bars that aren’t even attached to structural parts of the car, and the mounting points definitely are not reinforced (unless you guys are doing that). Pressure exceeding what it takes to crush a roof flat, I’m not even convinced roll bar would do anything. Roll cage yes, bolt in roll bar no.

My bad couldent help but respond :shrug::lol:.
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For those looking to install seats I highly recommend making this your first step in building your cars safety system for the track. As has been mention, I would suggest using a FIA seat. The biggest reason being fiberglass and carbon fiber can be very strong however if not molded correctly or if they have imperfections they can be incredibly week. Seats move around alot more than you may think when under heavy g's.
Once you have seats with proper harness routings then you can go to the next step of installing harness (attaching them to which ever is preferred:lol. Make sure when you are installing your seat the seat base has all the proper harness mounting locations. It will save you time money and headaches later on.

If you look at the reinforced structure of the s550 you will see that it's beneficial to have the roll bar mounted further back.

Watson (which is used by ford performance) and Cooltech mount the uprights above a high strength steel beam which is behind the rear seat passenger knees and the down tubes go into a high strength steel boxed area forward of the trunk.

As opposed to some of the cheaper designs which put the up rights on the passenger footwell pan and the rear wheel tubs.

I will give you props for your harness bar that it actually looks well belt as opposed to ones where it's simply a bar with two bends and two bolts holding it behind you.