Kirkey seat for autocross

Anybody used one? Trying to shed weight from my car and need a new seat so Ive been looking at these. Just concerned I may need a back brace since I drive on the street to and from events.

I've used one, worked well. Not sure how comfortable it will be driving back and forth, but the cover they sell helps, could also add padding, but then you are adding weight.

They work great for autocross, and their covers have gotten more comfortable over the years.

I have two Pro Drag Seats mounted in a car and use their cloth slip on covers. I wouldn’t say they are real comfortable but do hold hips in place well. I think you will probably need the seat backs braced. They do have nice construction.

In a similar vein.  Look a ultrashield as well.  Tried a couple this season in other people’s cars and was surprised at the comfort level.   But they have models focused on road course cars instead of drag and oval like the Kirky’s are commonly used for.

I use a Kirkey in my EM autocross car, works great. Here's a pic without the padded cover (made the dimple died holes)

Make sure you don't buy the cheapest.  The more angles bent or welded into an aluminum seat, the better.

I have a Kirkey road race seat with the deluxe cover.  I find it far more comfortable than Sparco style tube framed seats, but I've been told I'm nuts.  I think the saying "There is an ass for every chair" applies here, but leg support seem to be the controversy in this case.

Get an aluminum seat with the right width, leg support and layback and you will be pleased, I'm sure.  I like a 10 degree layback, but Ive been told I'm wrong there, too. I think if you can't extend the steering column, a 20 degree makes pedals too close, steering wheel too far away, because you are likely sitting lower in the car.  If you can somehow sit in a few, you can tell the difference.  

Big fan of back braces, but if the seat is properly mounted to the slide, it's not absolutely necessary.

loosecannon said:

I use a Kirkey in my EM autocross car, works great. Here's a pic without the padded cover (made the dimple died holes)

There are times when removing metal is a perfectly acceptable plan. Removing structural rigidity and strength from a piece of safety gear is something you may want to re think. 

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Interesting note on the side mounts. Im currently running a corbeau forza pro and it runs bottom mounts. Assuming side mou,t is better with aluminum?

Fitzauto said:

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Interesting note on the side mounts. Im currently running a corbeau forza pro and it runs bottom mounts. Assuming side mou,t is better with aluminum?

Slide... I meant if it is properly mounted to a sturdy adjuster rail.  Having said that, Yes, I like mounting to the side of the seat.  A little careful fabrication let's you drill a series of holes that allow height adjustment too.  

I've also mounted lots using a good set of rails that both lock and a tube slide for the back brace, so you can slide the seat, then put a pin in the back brace tube to lock it.

I'm running road race seats with covers and they're super duper comfy. +1

For driving on the street i have a work type kneepad from our plumbing supplier that i sit on, my anti submarine belt comes up through the little carrying hole.  For events i remove it because tiny car with helmet to roof clearance issues otherwise.  

We have an ultrashields rally seat in our racecar.  I thought it was comfy till I sat in a sparco.  Damn.

Anyway, the ultrashields rally is much cheaper than the intermediate road race kirkey because it comes with the cover.  It is a nice seat for the money.

Don't get the cheap kirkey.  I swear it is a torture device...

I run TR7 seat sliders on all of my Kirkey seats along with an IO port or similar adjustable back support brace.  The TR7 seat sliders sit flat of the floor and are only an inch tall.  Absolutely the best sliders I have ever come across for low clearance mounting race seats.  On many apps, I have to build risers from the sliders to the seats.  My BMW 2002 is like that.  I also like to get the seats a little big and add padding if I plan on spending extended time in the seat.  If its just an autocross car and thats it, no need for extra padding.  If your doing enduros, or the car sees street duty, then the extra padding is the way to go.  I do miss the recline feature thou.

In reply to tr8todd :

Does your back brace go to the floor or a harness bar?

Patrick said:

For driving on the street i have a work type kneepad from our plumbing supplier that i sit on, my anti submarine belt comes up through the little carrying hole.  For events i remove it because tiny car with helmet to roof clearance issues otherwise.  

Funny, I used to work for Wolff Brothers back in the 1980s!

I've run lemons in the cheap kirkey for two different 2 hour stints on a bumpy track. I found them really comfortable, more so than our Corbeau but less so than our Sparco. Everybody's body geometry is so different that you just have to test them out.

We have a ProDrag seat on the OE slider in the ZX2.  I'm 6'6" and my co driver is 5'9"--it works remarkably well.

In reply to FSP_ZX2 :

Any back support?

dean1484 said:

loosecannon said:

I use a Kirkey in my EM autocross car, works great. Here's a pic without the padded cover (made the dimple died holes)

 

There are times when removing metal is a perfectly acceptable plan. Removing structural rigidity and strength from a piece of safety gear is something you may want to re think. 

Worrying about safety gear in an AutoX car where Karts run always cracks me up.

Kirkeys covers are really good. My 15" econo kirkey is fantastic. I would go to a track or AutoX and sit in one, usually someone has one.

In reply to accordionfolder :

No one local seems to have one. Wonder if the local roundy-round shop has any.

I have a Kirkey Intermediate Road Race in my current car, and a Pro Street Drag in my old Miata. I thought they were both pretty comfortable even on the way to/from Nationals (~12 hours from Detroit).

Back brace mounts to either the horizontal bar in the middle of the roll hoop or to the harness bar.  All depends on which vehicle and how much space to said bars.  On the TR8s I welded a piece of 1.75" roll cage tubing with a split in it.  Then I welded a nut and bolt set up to pinch the pipe together at the slit.  Seat brace is made from 1.5" roll cage tubing and slides inside the split 1.75" tubing.  Loosen one bolt and then seat slides fore and aft.  Once its set for new driver, tighten one bolt and go.  On the enduro car, instead of a nut and bolt, it was a nut and a bolt with a swivel handle stolen from a bicycle seat clamp.  You could loosen and tighten clamp by hand.

In reply to accordionfolder :

Yeh, I'm not the least bit concerned about the structural integrity of the seat after adding a few holes, not for what I do with it, anyways

In reply to loosecannon :

Also looks like you dimpled the holes, so that adds stiffness... People do that to Kirkey's all the time.