Buddy Club Racing Spec Seat: Initial Review
I just installed a Buddy Club racing spec seat for my s13. The first thing I can say is that I never would have believed how much difference a racing seat can make had I not gotten a chance to sit in one myself. The first corner I took, I braced myself as usual so as not to fly out the drivers side door, and an amazing thing happened. I didn’t move at all. The second corner I hit, I realized what the difference was. The third corner all I could do was grin.
The good:
- Obviously, the holding capability
- The cost — At $600.00 shipped with rails, it’s very economical for a racing seat.
- The look (I got black to match my black interior).
- The weight (It feels about 2/3rds the weight of the stock seat, including the rails).
The questionable:
- The width: I got the normal seat instead of the wide and I’m a little worried about comfort. I’m a size 32 waist, but it’s still very tight on the rib cage. I’m hoping this is something I will get used to, but I’m also braced to spend the money on a wider model. I still have the rails, so I wouldn’t be paying the full price again
- The height: It definitely sits higher than stock, but somehow this doesn’t seem to be a problem. The way I have it mounted is with the rear angled down a bit, so my head doesn’t come any closer to the ceiling. Also, I actually seem to be in a bit better driving position. My left knee used to hit the steering wheel from time to time when clutching, but that’s not happening now.
The bad:
- It comes with absolutely no instructions. I’m not looking for a detailed walkthrough, but best practices for mounting, or at least the size of the bolts (not included) should be documented. (M8 1.25, by the way)
- The rails scratch up the seat. This is really unavoidable given the materials used. I guess you could put some sort of rubber mat in-between, but that doesn’t seem like a great option given the way the weight is transmitted to the rails.
- The automatic seat belts in an s13 don’t like the seat very much. The lap belt just barely fits and the shoulder belt snags on the seat, making it hard to move sometimes. This isn’t necessarily the seat’s fault, though, just a conflict with the s13’s auto belts. I’m guessing it would happen with any decent racing seat.
All in all, I’ll have to give it a while to see how the fitment goes, but I’m very happy that I can pay attention to driving, now, instead of holding myself in place. I’ll try to get some pics up when I can, but I promise nothing.