Seat snugness???

C

CJW

Member
How snug do you guys like the seat to be around your hips and ribs? I just received an Xl T9.5 and it pretty much hugs me snug from top to bottom. I can get fingers slipped between the seat and my ribs but around my hips it's even tighter.

Is that good for a kart seat or should I search for more room?
 
CJW said:
How snug do you guys like the seat to be around your hips and ribs? I just received an Xl T9.5 and it pretty much hugs me snug from top to bottom. I can get fingers slipped between the seat and my ribs but around my hips it's even tighter.

Is that good for a kart seat or should I search for more room?
Click to expand...
I don't like it to be that snug makes you uncomfortable and increases weight transfer
 
first priority is comfort. I was told there is speed in comfort. the seat is designed to hold you in place around corners. if you are not being supported you will get tired fighting to hold yourself in the kart. especially if you run multiple classes. it should not hurt to be in the kart with a seat that is too tight. do not hesitate to try different seats. chavous new style vs pro vs knoph seat. phantom etc. pick a seat that works for you do not pick a seat because so and so uses it.
 
If you're only turning left the seat can be looser. Asphalt sprint track you want to be a little snug.
 
CJW said:
How snug do you guys like the seat to be around your hips and ribs? I just received an Xl T9.5 and it pretty much hugs me snug from top to bottom. I can get fingers slipped between the seat and my ribs but around my hips it's even tighter.

Is that good for a kart seat or should I search for more room?
Click to expand...

A lot of times you have to sit in a seat before buying if you want a good fit. I sit in an XL in some and L in others. They all shape and fit differently.
 
In fact the tighter you can be the better. Any move of the driver while racing is changing your basic setup. Tight is not rong. The purpose of the seat is exactly that one, to transfer your weight to the chassis. If the conditions do not require so much weight transfer you play with seat struts, loosen nuts and bolts, etc, but the seat is supposed to be as tight as it is comfortable for you. Just check how they custom made seats for pro drivers at top level racing.
 
OP mentioned he has a T9.5 seat so I'm assuming it's a sprint seat and being used for sprint racing...

For sprint racing, I've found the snugger the better - as long as it doesn't hurt to sit in it, I typically don't want much if any movement of me in the seat, looseness in the sprint seat seems to result in more pain after the racing for me. If the seat is a bit looser than you want, the sticky back foam padding can be used to fill it in; also, the rib / chest protector vests, if not already in use, will take up some of the play.

On dirt ovel racing, with seats intended for that purpose, I don't mind a little play between me and the seat, but still prefer it to be snug enough that I don't catch myself needing to hold myself in the seat while on track.

Overall, I do agree, driver comfort is most important - do that bit first and then figure out how to adjust around to accommodate for the seat not being ideal or ideally mounted for the situation.
 
You should read a book from the great Alain Prost about setups and racing. He was not the best F1 driver on his time, you might not like him, but he was certinly very very smart, for good or bad. He explains very well why even padding is not very good since other than weight transfer issues it doesn't allow you to feel the frame as it should. Added to this if you are running dirt ovals not being loose and moving while driving can be even more important than at sprint tracks, since you rarely scale a kart on sprint tracks once setup but you do weekly for dirt ovals, which means any move of your body is changing your precentages, like cross, left, etc, something you don't use as much for asphalt on regular sprint tracks unless the tracks has a clear dominance of turns that are left or right or includes banking.
 
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