So, fitting bucket seats

[nsm3]

Recaro do FIA approved seats from 480 pounds, up to 2.6k for full head restraint Hans jobs - no need to pay 5k for a pair of the Porsche ones, which are probably equivalent to a 1.5k Recaro?

[kingstondc5]

Has anyone actually asked the companies selling them if the seats are approved or have been through any sort of crash testing?

[MrC986]

A good manufacturer has production dates & full traceability on their seats (some even have micro chips hidden in them) & should openly state if they have safety testing approvals & to what standards.

^ it should be interesting to see what responses come back from the retailers concerned.

[Slippydiff]

nsm3 said:

Recaro do FIA approved seats from 480 pounds, up to 2.6k for full head restraint Hans jobs - no need to pay 5k for a pair of the Porsche ones, which are probably equivalent to a 1.5k Recaro?

Exactly, a pair of FIA approved Pole Positions :

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Product.do?method=vi...

Or the FIA approved Cobra Racer Pro :

http://www.cobraseats.com/Racer-Pro

would be the pragmatic choice, and in the big scheme of things, aren't that much more expensive than the Porsche replicas.

[MrC986]

If you also buy an approved seat/s & look after them, there is always a resale market in the future as l found out when l had some FIA approved fixed back seats (they were also trimmed btw in matching Porsche black leather) with 996/Boxster fitments.

[sleep envy]

Slippydiff said:

The above are self explanatory . . .

Bloody hell!

In which direction were you travelling?

[Slippydiff]

I was travelling towards the position the bottom photo was taken from. So I was exiting the left hand bend that can be seen in that same photo.

As I did so I appeared to spook a deer that had been standing on the opposite side of the road on the verge. As a result, it turned and cantered (do deer canter ?) across the road towards the N/S. It was both dark, raining and thus wet (and yes, I admit was going waaaay too quickly)

I estimated that by the time I was level with the deer, it would be between the centerline of the road and the middle of the lane I was in.

I then committed three cardinal sins. I came off the power whilst the back of the car was heavily loaded in third gear, I also braked and attempted to steer the car onto the N/S verge to avoid an impact with the deer.
As a result of lifting off, steering to the left and braking, the car spun 180 degrees (in what felt like it's own length, but in reality wasn't)

As I mentioned earlier, it left the road backwards at unabated speed, I heard what I thought were branches scraping the underneath of the car (it wasn't, it was the front of the car being ripped apart as it dragged down the embankment) Then silence as the car "flew" backwards through the air.

That silence was rudely broken when I hit the tree.

I was lucky, twelve months previously this had happened :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-is...

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/two-d...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-279789978.html

The Police, faced with no evidence to the contrary, believed the couple found themselves in the same scenario I'd encountered, tragically though, they both perished.

Twelve months previously, the girl involved in the accident had been a waitress at the B&B we stayed in on the night of my accident.

When we drove back along the A830 the following day, we saw the scene of their accident marked by a cairn and flowers. Since their untimely deaths, Armco has been installed along the roadside.

Edited to add further links.

Edited by Slippydiff on Wednesday 13th February 08:01

[mez3]

I have just removed and sold my gt2 buckets(replica) after reading all this info.

The original sports seats feel nice a soft by comparison, forgot how comfy they were.

Thanks Slippy for the info as I had never thought about the safety aspect of fitting replica seats before., crazy really.

Glad you are ok, all the best

[kingstondc5]

Well i made some enquiries into the 997 replica seats concerning crash testing (as i actually like them and would consider fitting them), anyway, D911 couldnt answer if they have been crash tested and that the seats originate from Taiwan.

I could do some further digging i guess but i cant be arsed

[STiG911]

Just a question - if the standard seats were in place at the time of your impact Slippydiff, wouldn't the side airbags have helped cushion the blow, rather than slamming into the side of a seat without?

I know it's all armchair analysis, but thought I'd ask...

[mez3]

I don't think my 996 turbo sports seats have airbags in them( I could be wrong).

Gt3 seats maybe different though?

[Slippydiff]

STiG911 said:

Just a question - if the standard seats were in place at the time of your impact Slippydiff, wouldn't the side airbags have helped cushion the blow, rather than slamming into the side of a seat without?

I know it's all armchair analysis, but thought I'd ask...

The airbag in the N/S door deployed (and left the car full of what I thought was smoke) it turned out to be the powder from the airbag, but it made me exit the car pronto all the same. However sitting in the drivers seat left me outside the airbags sphere of influence !

I'm pretty sure that had I been wearing harnesses rather than a seat belt, I'd have walked away unscathed.
However, that would've meant having a cage (be that the Tequipment or the Clubsport version) fitted. I'm of the opinion that the car deformed reasonably well, and in the process a considerable amount of the energy was absorbed before being transferred into me.

Had there been a cage in the rear of the car (especially the Clubsport cage I have in my current car) I wonder whether more energy would've been transferred to me due to the increase in strength in that area of the car.

Edited by Slippydiff on Thursday 14th February 16:55

[STiG911]

Slippydiff said:

Had there been a cage in the rear of the car (especially the Clubsport cage I have in my current car) I wonder whether more energy would've been transferred to me due to the increase in strength in that area of the car.

Given the extra strength a cage provides to the shell, I'm pretty sure youd've got a more severe beating if you'd had a cage. Ouch.

[widow maker]

dont get me wrong and im glad slippy is ok after the off but this thread is a joke
whats the point in going on about replica seats when you dont have a clue how they are made im sure from the seats ive seen they are pretty safe, and whats more likley to get you killed fitting replica seats or driving to fast in the dark in the wet in the countryside on a road that has history ????

[mollytherocker]

widow maker said:

dont get me wrong and im glad slippy is ok after the off but this thread is a joke
whats the point in going on about replica seats when you dont have a clue how they are made im sure from the seats ive seen they are pretty safe, and whats more likley to get you killed fitting replica seats or driving to fast in the dark in the wet in the countryside on a road that has history ????

How are you pretty sure that they are safe from looking at them? That lasagne looked like it had beef in it too!

[FarQue]

Get orf yer high horse Moll' ;-)

[widow maker]

Because i spent 20 years building concept cars for motor shows all around the world .
Most bucket seats look much the same when you remove the trim, grp or carbon the shell is just laid up in a mould. Its how the 4 fixing points are bonded into the shell thats important normaly a some sort of big head nut.
buckets will offer more support than normal comfort seats in the event of a side impact like in slippys off ,original or not i think he would of had more injurys than he did in comfort seats ie head through side glass ??
sorry i cant help you with the cooking question

[Slippydiff]

widow maker said:

i think he would of had more injurys than he did in comfort seats ie head through side glass ??

Yep, no doubt whatsoever that if I'd been in a comfort seat the end result would've been very different.

As you've said, it's all about the attachment points. One UK seat manufacturer uses laser cut blanks to form the attachment points in its seats. They have to be laid into the mould prior to the seat being formed to enable the seat shell to be formed around them. The end result is a seat that passes all the FIA tests (most of which apply huge G forces) The replica seats I saw had a nut and bolt to secure the seat shell to the side mounts. One can only hope the shell had something moulded into it to spread the load in the event of an accident, but even if it did, I'd rather the fastener had a threaded insert to screw into rather than relying on a nut and washer on the surface of the shell.

But whilst the attachment points are crucial to the seat's integrity in an accident, so too is the shells stiffness. A thin, poorly supported but well anchored seat can be just as dangerous as one with weak attachment points.

[drpep]

Wow, glad you got away relatively unscathed. Really brings the reality home that this can happen to anyone. Those fun blasts on country lanes at night; getting carried away for a moment or two and... It's the one thing that the IAM lessons taught me but I still find myself testing it's limits - 'being able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear'. Takes incredible discipline in fast, capable metal but it's a good mantra. I find it also forces you to read the road and conditions a little more proactively. I'm no angel though and could easily have found myself in similar situations a few times out in Wales at night.

Reminds me of a 3am drive back from Dorset when a deer decided to have a poo in the middle of a dual carriageway. Thankfully the roads were dry. Turns out an M3 CSL corners rather well at 65mph.

Edited by drpep on Thursday 14th February 23:42