Seats?

[Packer fan]

I ordered my kit during the new year sale.

Originally I ordered with the Kirkey high back race seats,
But then I went to the original leather seats because I was concerned
about the narrower width of the race seats. I like the high back because
if I was ever rear ended it might not be fun without a head rest.

My questions are. How comfortable are the Kirkeys? How wide of a
Person will they fit?

I could also probably put a headrests on the roll bars. I will have a
passenger side roll bar.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

[edwardb]

Can't help you with the Kirkeys. Haven't used them. Lots have though so you should get some good feedback.

Also haven't used headrests on the roll bars. But based on looking at the completed car and pictures I've seen of the roll bar headrests, I'm not sure how much protection they would really provide. They end up pretty far back IMO.

We've got the low back leather seats in our #8674 Roadster and like them very much. But also worry some about the limited protection. I've toyed with the idea of adding these headrests. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdk-ss-hr-bk. Not an original idea. Saw a post from someone on the other forum who used them. Looked decent and if installed properly would definitely add protection. Another option maybe.

[Packer fan]

That looks very interesting.
And they can be secured on very well to these seats?

Jim

[edwardb]

That looks very interesting.
And they can be secured on very well to these seats?

Jim

I haven't pursued the idea in detail. There is a steel frame in the back of the standard Roadster seats and the covering can be removed pretty easily. So seems like something could be made to work.

[wareaglescott]

I find the Kirkeys very comfortable. In my past I fell through my ceiling and broke my back so I have some back issues and am very picky about my seats. I have zero complaints with the Kirkeys. If you are worried about the width I would look at the 17" width from Summit. FFR only sells the 16" width. Summit is the same seat just a little wider and the 17" will fit fine in the roadster.

[Ian G]

I really like the Kirkeys. I too have some back problems and 200 mile day trips are no problem for me (considering the type of car this is). Also, with all the side support they have you feel very secure when belted in.

[Jeff Kleiner]

As Scott said FFR supplies 16" Kirkeys but 17" and 18" are available for bigger guys. I built a car for a customer with 18s...some minor challenges fitting them but not insurmountable and certainly not enough to discourage you from using them if that's your preference.

Jeff

[John4337]

We've got the low back leather seats in our #8674 Roadster and like them very much. But also worry some about the limited protection. I've toyed with the idea of adding these headrests. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdk-ss-hr-bk. Not an original idea. Saw a post from someone on the other forum who used them. Looked decent and if installed properly would definitely add protection. Another option maybe.

I used them, worked great. Here’s the thread on the install
http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/413801-another-seat-thread.html

John

[Venom61]

We ordered our roadster kit with the "Tall" leather seats. Our car is far from complete, but my 6'4' sons' knees hit the bottom of the dash brace. We ordered the Kirkey Vintage Class Bucket from Summit and Justin's knees clear the brace now. Not sure if FFR gives you an option for the width, but Kirkey does offer different widths (ours were available in 15", 16", 17" and 18" from Summit). We have a long way to go before we can let you know about the comfort though...

[edwardb]

I used them, worked great. Here’s the thread on the install
http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/413801-another-seat-thread.html

John

Credit where credit is due! Thanks for posting the link. On my short list of possible mods for #8674.

[totem]

FFR Kirkey high back seats are custom: 16in wide and 18deg angle. Off the shelf from Kirkey are 15, 16, 17 or 18in and 15 deg angle.

I don’t think the angle matter. You can adjust the angle of the whole seat. I do have FFR Kirkey and ended up putting a shim between the seat and bottom cushion, under my thight, so that my bottom does slide forward under hard braking during track event. A 15deg seat with a shim under the front of the seat would done it.

[totem]

I should add, yes they are very confortables. However, with their high side, you really need to learn to sit the go kart way: Stand up in front of the seat and then sit down. Passengers tend to put their butt in the seat first and get stuck, their legs hanging out the door!

[mike223]

I prefer the Kirkey 41 series seats - plenty of side support for me.

The vintage lowback race seats appear to be identical design (except low back).


https://www.summitracing.com/itemgroup/kirkey-41-series-aluminum-pro-street-drag-seats/?ar=1

[CraigS]

I have an Ultrashiled which is very similar to the Kirkeys. One big advantage I found is that, due to the design of the cover and it's attachment, it is easy to adjust/modify the foam cushion. I have an extra inch under my butt, and an extra piece to give me some lumbar support. The extra under my butt was to help when I extend my left leg to push in the clutch. W/o it, the front edge of the seat bottom was cutting into the underside of my thigh.

[DaveS53]

There are probably dozens of seats from several manufacturers that would fit in this car. My '37 is so narrow with the 4" wide console in place that it took a lot of searching to find any seat that would fit. I tried a Cobra brand Imola racing seat and found it to be so narrow that any average size adult would find it too narrow to sit in. Sube Sports convinced me that the Cobra Clubman seat would fit, because the had put them in some FFR cars. The are reasonably comfortable, but I found them to be too upright, so I put a 3 degree wedge under the mounting rails. Recently, they added a leather version that more than doubles the price.

https://www.subesports.com/cobra/clubman/cob-1000

https://www.subesports.com/cobra/clubman-l/cob-1025

[Gumball]

Jim,

I have Kirkey low-backs in my car (they're 17") and you're welcome to try them out when we get together once the weather turns nice. I'm 6' and 220 lbs or so and still have room in them, but I went with very thin padding when my local upholsterer covered them - just a bare minimum of high-density foam and some medium-density to give them shape.

If you like the look of the old-school leather ones, you'll like how he did my Kirkey's. Also, they have inflatable lumbar support and seat heaters - lots you can do when not ordering off the menu.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/Graduation/IMG_20150614_172937464_zpsspanwjzx.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/Graduation/IMG_20150614_172937464_zpsspanwjzx.jpg.html)

[nkw8181]

Jim,

I have Kirkey low-backs in my car (they're 17") and you're welcome to try them out when we get together once the weather turns nice. I'm 6' and 220 lbs or so and still have room in them, but I went with very thin padding when my local upholsterer covered them - just a bare minimum of high-density foam and some medium-density to give them shape.

If you like the look of the old-school leather ones, you'll like how he did my Kirkey's. Also, they have inflatable lumbar support and seat heaters - lots you can do when not ordering off the menu.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/Graduation/IMG_20150614_172937464_zpsspanwjzx.jpg (http://s845.photobucket.com/user/CCRsAC/media/Graduation/IMG_20150614_172937464_zpsspanwjzx.jpg.html)

I never thought of having a local vendor cover them. I bought heated seat add ins of Amazon but find you would have to remove the foam.