Carbon backed seats vs kids

[winshent]

Looking a getting a one size fits all car to use on both track days as well as a daily..

Primary candidates are latest and M3 and Alfa QV, ideally with carbon seats...

Question is, would these seats stand up to the abuse from kids, ie kicking them etc..

[p4cks]

If it's strong enough for F1, it's strong enough to take a kid's kick

[mmm-five]

winshent said:

Looking a getting a one size fits all car to use on both track days as well as a daily..

Primary candidates are latest and M3 and Alfa QV, ideally with carbon seats...

Question is, would these seats stand up to the abuse from kids, ie kicking them etc..

No.

But at worst you'll end up with scuffs/scratches in the lacquer, which you could probably get polished out. I suppose you could always cover them in something soft...the seats too.

[alscar]

Could always cover the seat-backs in PPF ?

[Daaaveee]

PPF is your friend to protect any gloss finished surfaces

[normalbloke]

I’d always choose carbon backed seats over kids anyday. Kids are grim!

[ChocolateFrog]

Wonder if they'd actually be better than soft backed seats at stopping kids feet digging into your back or if the noise would be more annoying.

[kuiper]

Carbon seats will resist the feet better than 'normal' ones if anything - as others have said, PPF or a good polish is your friend.

One note on the Alfa - the Carbon seats look amazing. I tried some and then went with the 'normal' ones; strangely they are more supportive than the carbon shells and far more comfortable on a longer run. The carbon ones are smaller (thinner), which helps with rear leg room, but the seat base comes down lower than the normal ones so there is very little foot space in the back... Carbon looks great but they compromised way too much practicality for me and the regular seats are a far nicer place to do wheel time.

[Alex_225]

Well they certainly won't break the back of the seats unless your kids are built like Thanos!

They will likely scratch though so you'd want to protect them as ultimately they are lacquered and will mark.

[Haltamer]

Worth having a look for something like this - https://www.civictyperparts.com/products/dream-aut...

Have them on mine; They pull over the full seat back so they keep grimy feet off - Added benefit that they keep your seats clean and reduce wear, and as they're elastic you can pull them on and off in about 30 seconds.

[winshent]

Thanks guys... Was thinking along the lines of scuffs etc being irreversible...

[Zephyr Speedshop]

alscar said:

Could always cover the seat-backs in PPF ?

Exactly this, it will stand up to day to day use / mistakes

also teach your kids to respect your car. My daughter (6) won't do a thing in my car without asking. But I've been very clear from day one with all my cars. She helps me wash and clean them and I show her how it all works and she takes pride it it with me.

[Chubbyross]

They’ll only scuff the clear coat, which is very easy to fix with a dual action polisher and some compound. I’ve sorted out carbon fibre a few times and it’s just the same as any other coated car surface. Even if the surface is severely scratched you can wet sand down and apply 2k lacquer. It’s an easy job and should only take a couple of hours to do properly. If you’re using the 2k lacquer just make sure you wear a decent protective mask. It’s nasty stuff. However, it’ll give a professional finish compared with normal rattle cans.

I recently wet sanded down a carbon bit for my Caterham, which had a nasty crack in it. YouTube is the best tutor out there. Just took a couple of vids to watch and I was away.



Wet sanded and applied clear coat and came out like this: