what i want to do is a get a seat set up to use 4 pt harnesses.
-i dont race, just DE and autoX.
-i realize to mount seats i need a roll cage, but i still drive this car on the street - 1 miles to work here and there and joy rides down PCH, so id like to go with a harness bar like this in the link (one that i wont knock my head into)
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/a...m3-p-7891.html
these guys make bars too
http://www.kirkracing.com/catologue.htm
now i know this is asking alot, but is there anyway someone can take the time to help me pick a setup thats less than 2500 for everything?
-i was thinking sparco seats (fixed back) but one that you can still have decent side vision without a helmet
-a 4 pt harness (passenger seat as well)
-a harness bar. i think i like the design of that autopower set up.
-i will be removing my rear interior.
-obviously i need seat mounts. sliding ones would be awesome without loss of headroom.
-and ill admit i know i can get a horizontal bar for the harnesses, but the 'look' of having the cage thing going on is cool. i know im a poser lol.
cliff notes- help me pick a cage/seats/harnesses/mounts and websites to get em at and i will be stoked!
-i am 6 foot and 185- i pretty much fit into any seat comfortably.
- real cage is alot of money and alot of wieght. i dont need it IMO.
Last edited by hnoppenberger; 01-23-2008 at 04:41 PM.
I have a Sparco bar for a sedan for sale.
shoot me an email if you're interested.
It's a really nice piece.
Jonathan
If your getting fixed back seats, and removing your rear interior, then why not just get a rollbar...it would be safer that way with fixed back seats. Either a custom fab one or one from kirk.
A rollbar doesn't weight more then 70 lbs usually. That should be less then the weight you are going take out, so you still will be weighting less then stock. I think I would be more interested in my own safety before how much my car would weight.
Floor mounts can be bought from Vac, or used here. I think i saw some for sale in the race equipment sale section. And side mounts and slider can be bought at sparco.
just those 4 points weight 70lbs, and the autopower 6 pt. 120lbs.
a rear roll cage has to be more. but i guess i could be wrong. again i feel the stock BMW chassis is enough for what i use the car for. i think i may go with the sparco bar.
Note, check with who you plan to drive with, many chapters do not allow 4pt's.
The one exception I think is the Schroth. I am no expert but I do know that some chapters here in the NE don't allow 4pt
2 cents
im going with the sparco bar. and i test fitted sparco speeds last night.
i like them better than sprints and evo... go figure. they are the cheapest lol.
anyways if i want them to slide forward and backward, do i need only one set of sliders that mount to the seat then to the ground or do i need more than
can someone set me up with some brackets/sliderS?
I just did this setup in my car in preparation for track days. I picked everything up through Bimmerworld. Went with a pair of Racetech RT1000's, 2 pairs of VAC floor mounts, side mounts, slider for the driver side, pair of harness's, and I purchased a used roll bar. Total was just a tick under $2500 for everything.
I just did this for a 325is. It isn't as straightforward as it sounds because of the mounting for the seats. SPARCO, however, does make it easier. You can get a seat mounting frame for both sides. I only bought the driver side and assume the passenger to be a mirror image. These frames attach to the 4 mounting points for the stock seat. The SPARCO side brackets then attach to that frame and the seat. Other brands may have the same type of hardware, but SPARCO is what I used and know.
In my case I also used sliders for the driver side only in case I want to have someone else drive the car. I still drive the car on the street some, mostly to and from the track. Again, I used the SPARCO part. There is nothing, however, that matched all three parts in the stack up: The frame, the slider rails, and the seat brackets. I had to "engineer" my way through some of it. Nothing big, jut some drilling of new holes on the slider to mate the slider to the frame and also to the seat side brackets.
I tried using a VAC like plate, I actually made my own from 3/4 x 3" wide aluminum billet. They are heavy and expensive in the case of the VAC ones. (I don't doubt their value, though. There is quite a bit of engineering and it's a quality part made by CNC machining) When my car becomes a race car, I will go with a steel picture frame type set up which is what I did for the passenger side. Easier to make (if you have a friend with a welder Dr. Ken), cheaper, lighter. The SPARCO part is similar but adds some height. OK for the street, not so good for the race track.
Re: the belts and the roll bar. I went with a roll bar and stripped the back seat. My car is a track car now. To install the roll bar you have to drill the body, if that isn't an issue for you, it is the safest and probaly best way to install seat belts. The choice of belts and their instalation is critical. Follow all the mounting instructions to the letter. There is no "close enough" in this area. They are an engineered restraint system with testing to back their design. If you violate the basics of their installation, you are literally taking your life in your hands. Face it: these are race belts, not "race like" belts.
I had a set of Schroth 4 point Rally with their ASM (AntiSubMarine) feature, but I went with 6 point belts. The SPARCO fixed seats won't allow the Rally belts through the two headrest pass throughs. At least not the ones I have because they are joined into a Y and are attached at the lap belt. If the shoulder belts have individual mounting points then it's not an issue. IMO, 4 point belts that lack of an ASM feature are dangerous. If you get a belt intended to be used as a 5 or 6 point system and don't use the sub straps you are barely better off than not having anything at all in case of an impact. Shoulder belts MUST pass through the head rest, not around them.
Do realize one thing, multipoint harnesses are not at all like a 3 point with inertia reel. They are great because you don't move around while driving. Great on the track, sucks if you want to reach for a CD or something else that is beyond the reach of your arms. The Rally belts are the friendlier set.
SPARCO hardware is available from them directly or through their retailers.
Seats = $700 each +/-
Seat Frames = $140 each
Side brackets = $60-80 each set
Belts = $250-300 for Schroth race type with cam locks somewhat less for G-Force or others and for the Scroth Rally-4
$2500 ish with shipping and or tax.
thanks for the help man.
i just got set up with autobacs for 1000 bucks
2 sparco speeds
2 sliders
2 mounts
2 sets of sparco harness.
all sparco stuff... they were able to cut me a great deal becuase i gave them the shops resale number and told them its sponserd (got my boss to pay for them)
i actually liked the sparco speeds better than some of the others. i liked evo but didnt feel it was worth twice the price.
the harness bar i am getting off a guy here. if it falls through then thats another 450....
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