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Hi,

What do you guys use as a seat in your car?

Like most I guess I seat against my fuel cell, which is pretty short and creates a steep angle on the higher part of my back. The top of my back then ends up straight against the firewall (->pain). I molded an insert that mostly fills the void between my shoulders and the top of the fuel cell, reducing this sharp angle. I used 2 part expanding foam for this.

This solution worked I guess, I'm not sure this is the best way to fill that gap, in the event of a crash. There's been quite a few posts on Apexspeed about bead seat vs expanding foam vs styrofoam carving (this is one of the posts: http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14713)

Others are using fiberglass seats which -according to the forums-seems to be the worst solution considering they may totally break.

Could some of you post pictures of what your seat/seat inserts look like? I'm really looking at something safe yet comfortable. I'm already a bit too tall for my frame and I can't really afford to add too much padding to my seat/firewall/fuel cell.

Jean

I am half way through the construction of my first bead seat. The energy absorbsion of a bead seat is definitely better than foam. The bead seats are expensive though. If you do decide to make one, make sure you have twio people. Without a doubt it is a two person job.

Yes they are quite expensive, they range from $125 to $380 on the Pegasus website. What size did you get?

Do you mind posting a picture once you're done molding your seat?

smsazzy wrote:I am half way through the construction of my first bead seat. The energy absorbsion of a bead seat is definitely better than foam. The bead seats are expensive though. If you do decide to make one, make sure you have twio people. Without a doubt it is a two person job.

Small is more than adequate for a vee. I used about 2/3's of the small kit.

You also need to run your shop vac for about 5 hours straight. I got a garden hose Y valve, and a couple hose barbs to put in the plastic tubing. It let me control the vac pressure during forming. It also let me havev some air bleed into the vacuum while it ran for 5 hours. That air, plus the fact that I ran the hose out into the 40 degree weather kept the motor nice and cool.

I then put three layers of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the seat and two layers on the back. I'm awaiting the hot knife I ordered to trim it.

If you're going to make a seat, call me and i can walk you through what I did. Again, I highly recommend 2 people minimum to make this.

Hum I find the small kit expensive considering I'm still working on finding a replacement car-and the seat might be useless in a different car.

I might just try the styrofoam carving method these guys were discussing on apexspeed.

smsazzy wrote:Small is more than adequate for a vee. I used about 2/3's of the small kit.

You also need to run your shop vac for about 5 hours straight. I got a garden hose Y valve, and a couple hose barbs to put in the plastic tubing. It let me control the vac pressure during forming. It also let me havev some air bleed into the vacuum while it ran for 5 hours. That air, plus the fact that I ran the hose out into the 40 degree weather kept the motor nice and cool.

I then put three layers of fiberglass cloth on the bottom of the seat and two layers on the back. I'm awaiting the hot knife I ordered to trim it.

If you're going to make a seat, call me and i can walk you through what I did. Again, I highly recommend 2 people minimum to make this.

[quote="jstoezel"]Hum I find the small kit expensive considering I'm still working on finding a replacement car-and the seat might be useless in a different car.

I might just try the styrofoam carving method these guys were discussing on apexspeed.


A foam seat will be useless in another car unless it has the same frame. Making a seat is a likely step for any new car purchased.

If your seat will be completely supported by the tank or frame, the two part liquid foam will work fine. It has no inherent strength so spanning a void can be an issue. When pouring the seat, you must prevent voids and air pockets. You can buy the two part liquid at most craft and fiberglass stores. We have Tap Plastics in Ca. Side protection on either type of seat is marginal at best if there isn't a supporting structure behind it.

Hi Brian:

The current "seat" or filler I use was made with 2 part foam. Since I'm the only one at the track to use this, (other people either directly seat on the tank or fold a yoga mat) I wanted to check what you guys have been using.

Anyways, looks like either creafoam, 2 part foam or even polysterene carving is used interchangeably.

brian wrote:If your seat will be completely supported by the tank or frame, the two part liquid foam will work fine. It has no inherent strength so spanning a void can be an issue. When pouring the seat, you must prevent voids and air pockets. You can buy the two part liquid at most craft and fiberglass stores. We have Tap Plastics in Ca. Side protection on either type of seat is marginal at best if there isn't a supporting structure behind it.

2 part foam will support you fine. However, it has almost no energy absorbsion qualities, which is why most have moved to the bead seat in other formulas. Backing into a wall would allow you to feel the difference. As with anything, you must waste the cost vs. benefit for yourself.

Your mileage may vary.

I used the Pennon bead seat kit for my Citation, was fairly easy to use but don't even think about doing it without help, definetly a two person job. I ran the vacum only about an hour and this was quite sufficient. After it cured I trimmed it then covered the entire seat with black gaffers tape, helps make it more flexible yet sturdy for taking it in and out of the car, then used a spray adhesive to hold on the nomex valour type fabric on the front. Looks good, quite light and very comfy with enough thickness in most places to be able to absorb energy in case of a sudden stop.


Hal
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I bought a large bead kit that someone posted on apexspeed for a good price and used less than half of it. I'm very skinny (130lbs) so needed to fill quite a bit of space, but I could still get away with a small kit for sure. I haven't trimmed it yet (my plan for today if I don't get sidetracked!). I think I could do it by myself if I had to do it again (although I'd still prefer to have some help!), but definitely needed a helper the first time.

Good luck

The Pennon bead seat kit I got was the small, and I probably have enough materials left over to make another seat, the only think I would need would be a new bag but one could likley be fabricated from possibly a dry cleaning sleave or garbage bag. Your results may vary, of course.

Hal
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