[Vhp04]

Has anyone trying the kirkey seat on the ZL1? Or any other reading seat out there. Trying to reduce much weight as possible. Does your air bad light turns on or is there something we can buy to keep the light off?

[Rodan]

Do you have at least a four point rollbar with harness bar?

Aluminum seats require a back brace that needs to attach to roll cage/ roll bar structure. Also, just about any decent race seat is likely to be incompatible with stock belts.

Most fiberglass/carbon seats will remove significant weight, but will probably require a harness.

I don't have an answer for the airbag bypass.

[Snowblind]

Originally Posted by Vhp04

Has anyone trying the kirkey seat on the ZL1? Or any other reading seat out there. Trying to reduce much weight as possible. Does your air bad light turns on or is there something we can buy to keep the light off?

You'll save about 25lbs going with a Kirkey and Planted seat base, the airbag light will come on and I don't think anyone has made a plug n play to bypass it yet. You can use the factory seat belts with that setup.

[Vhp04]

Oh ok so it’s not much of a weight difference, and the air bag light well I don’t want it to be on so best stay with my original seats. Thanks

[SFV1LE]

Another big advantage, perhaps more than weight, is that the racing seat keeps you more firmly in place than stock seats. This directly translates to better lap times due to improved ability to concentrate, stay balanced and move hands and feet more efficiently. Many fast drivers I know claim it's worth 1-2 seconds.

[Rodan]

They are dangerous, if installed incorrectly.

Proper installation requires a back brace for the seat, tied into roll bar/roll cage structure. If you don't have a rollbar/cage, you shouldn't be using an aluminum seat.

[most-wanted]

Originally Posted by Vtor_ZL1

Wrong


https://www.kirkeyracing.com/product...TAINMENT-COVER


These same type of seats run in Nascar at 200mph++.

lol at you my friend. Here is a pic of my nascar truck be careful who you try to outsmart on the intraweb. I was assuming he meant the cheap aluminum kirkey. Didn't even know kirkey was making a containment. He worded it as kirkey aluminum and most know what seat they would assume. That kirkey containment is not the lightest option either. Oh btw-That seat isn't legal in nascar.

[most-wanted]

Originally Posted by Rodan

They are dangerous, if installed incorrectly.

Proper installation requires a back brace for the seat, tied into roll bar/roll cage structure. If you don't have a rollbar/cage, you shouldn't be using an aluminum seat.

this is what I was saying and agree with you. Anyways, exactly. Need a roll cage and braced. When someone says I want to add a super light aluminum seat in a street car you start to think no cage or proper safety gear. Thanks for posting what I meant a little more clearly for the trolls to understand. I use Butler braces on all my nascar trucks regardless of seat brand. They are massive and thick.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by most-wanted

this is what I was saying and agree with you. Anyways, exactly. Need a roll cage and braced. When someone says I want to add a super light aluminum seat in a street car you start to think no cage or proper safety gear. Thanks for posting what I meant a little more clearly for the trolls to understand. I use Butler braces on all my nascar trucks regardless of seat brand. They are massive and thick.

That’s the same brand of seat in run in my land speed 2010 SS Camaro... I have the bracing across the back to the 10 point cage... I must say, the Butler Brace looks hella robust... I used the I/O Port brace on my seat.

These photos were taken during the initial fitting and installation of the seat...



I had to do some clearancing to fit the swing out bar. This probably would disqualify it for some sanctioning bodies, but I visited extensively with the tech folks in the bodies I run. No walls, no turns, straight line runs with no others Vehicles on the track.




Five point harness, HANS device, and window netting. Gloves were put on after I showed my drivers ID wrist band at the burnout box...





Fully installed seat with five point cam lock Platinum Simpson harness.


And Yes, I was chasing records....




For a long enough period of time and effort, along with a trail of broken parts, friends awarded me a few gifts...

[crab]

Id love to see some pictures of the car!!

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by crab

Id love to see some pictures of the car!!

My car, I have a few....

I want to see pics of the NASCAR truck....

[most-wanted]

Thats awesome congrats. Yeah if installed right its a nice set up like yours. Nicely done. I dont remember actual thickness but I used the nascar truck spec one and man is it thick. Im sure they are all similar. Cant justify the Butler seat for price and oddly I have a hard time finding one to fit second hand so Id have to buy new. The Ultrashield worked well. I use aluminum in most everything except for my street cars I will use carbon just for fit and finish. Thanks for the pics and congrats

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

That’s the same brand of seat in run in my land speed 2010 SS Camaro... I have the bracing across the back to the 10 point cage... I must say, the Butler Brace looks hella robust... I used the I/O Port brace on my seat.

These photos were taken during the initial fitting and installation of the seat...

Attachment 1016766

I had to do some clearancing to fit the swing out bar. This probably would disqualify it for some sanctioning bodies, but I visited extensively with the tech folks in the bodies I run. No walls, no turns, straight line runs with no others Vehicles on the track.

Attachment 1016765


Five point harness, HANS device, and window netting. Gloves were put on after I showed my drivers ID wrist band at the burnout box...
Attachment 1016767

Attachment 1016771


Fully installed seat with five point cam lock Platinum Simpson harness.
Attachment 1016768

And Yes, I was chasing records....

Attachment 1016769


For a long enough period of time and effort, along with a trail of broken parts, friends awarded me a few gifts...
Attachment 1016770

[most-wanted]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

My car, I have a few....

I want to see pics of the NASCAR truck....

Here are a few. I was building them from bare chassis and restoring them, drive them and do charities, then sell. Ive had 5. Some even bought by teams to reinstate. My black Kyle Busch Speedway truck was the most complete restoration and nicest. To respect the OP I can talk shop all day shoot me a message any time. Don't want to derail the post as there is good subject matter. My point initially was aluminum is dangerous if not installed properly. A lot of guys and not assuming OP but in general like to throw light weight seats in where there are better safer options. And that's why I was asking for more details. Lowering rotating weight is far more rewarding than a seat. Im doing a zl1 right now and a cage is going in with carbon seats. It is not a full blown car so trying to keep it a happy medium. Again dollar vs risk vs reward. I am a true believer in safety... All I'm trying to help with as Ive seen way too many people hurt when they could've been fine.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Just about to go on an early shakedown pass...



Warming up the rear shoes to attempt to improve traction.... This racing is on DOT tires on a non prepped track. It's held on old runways... This particular track is the old Chase Naval Airstation in Beeville Texas. It's a standing mile event on an 8000 foot runway.... Stopping is always interesting in a 4000 lb car from in excess of 200 mph....



Another image of warming the tires, this one from about the 1/4 mile mark.... A lot of guys knock the dust off of their tires, I generally like to really warm them up and consequently make more smoke than most....


Applying the nylon brake at the big end of the track.... While the 14 foot cross form chute hits very very hard, its a comfortable feeling when it inflates.... I at that point don't even have to touch my brakes...



This is one of my very best friends, who lost his brother to a car crash months before this event... I had the window tribute to him made and installed, and Sean brought his brother Partricks Urn, and AOPA hat.



Interesting story.... We had this tribute run... A year later, while working on an a drillship off of Trinidad, I suffered a massive heart attack and multiple strokes... along with myriad other system failures... I died multiple times.... I was flown on an air medical evacuation jet, from the same company, and the same aircraft that Partick had flown as a command pilot.... Reva Air out of Florida.... three weeks later they flew me here to Texas....



There are some very expensive cars that I ran against.... and none in this picture that could hang.... Nice cars though....



A full car close up of warming the tires...



About to turn into the burnout box for a pass.... Note, in most of these images, we still had the mirrors on.... These were usually the shakedown passes... Once everything felt good and the logs were verified, the mirrors came off and we got serious....


I'll also happily discuss any safety items with the OP, and I apologize if this is too far off topic.... I can remove this post if desired.

If you have followed along this far, and are completely bored, here is a compilation video of my record pass... Note the side to side motion of the sky in the front view, and the happy sashaying of the back end looking out the back... I missed two gears (long story) 3rd and 5th, and figured it was a throw away pass.... I still decided to stay in it for data logging, and lo and behold still set the 5th Gen Camaro World record at 225.8 mph in a standing mile.... This was not a full boost pass, we were at 20 lbs if memory serves, and yes we still had the mirrors on, as it was still supposed to be a shakedown pass.... As for the missing shifts, the clutch tends to hang up overriding the synchros in the transmission as we are shifting at 9000 rpm.... We were still working on resolving that issue.... thinking that the PPG transmission, might have been the solution... Had it not been for the heart attack, I would have had one by now and pushed the record way out beyond 225.8. It's actually 240.x owned by a friend of mine... There have only been 5 of us ths far to hold the record for a 5th Gen.... MTI out of Atlanta, Michael Kiesling, Myself, Clark Rosenstengel, and Toby Whitehead... If it was easy, everyone would do it....