How safe are bucket seats

[CUPPER]

Im thinking about installing some bucket seats into my cup with the harnesses attached to a rear strut brace. How safe will the harnesses be if there is a rear impact to the car?? Was just thinking if the straps+strut move forward on impact they will loosen, thus making u come forward out of the seat. Would this happen???

Cheers


[Edited by CUPPER on 04 May 2005 at 12:47pm]

 

[TheCake]

Hi there Cupper,

I had a crash in my Cup last month and I have buckets and harnesses. Saved me alot more further injuries and I would strongly recommend them.

Incidentally, the harnesses bolt into the rear floor not the strut area. So unless the floor was deformed in any accident youd be fine. If the floor had gone youd be pretty ill anyway as that would be a bloody huge accident.

 

[Tom_16v]

Like CupCake says, buckets and harnesses are probably better than seatbelts.....

 

[Lunner]

Bucket seats are a f**king god send, went sideways, airbourne inot a lampost at about 30 in mine, nothing more then a brusied shoulder and whiplash, docs recon if i had been in ordinary seats i would have had broken arm/shoulder.

They bolt to the rear seatbelt mounting points in teh floor, they are designed so they dont move in the even of a rear end shunt etc.

What ever you do DONT mount it ot the strut brace, they are deisgned to take compressive forces along the length, not tensile forces laterally, it will break like a matchstick int eh even of an accident

 

[Pete]

I echo what Lunner says dont even think about using the rear strut brace to mount harnesses too, the strut tops arent strong enough and will rip clean off in an accident.

 

[CUPPER]

Thanks for the quick replys people. Im glad yous are all ok after being in them accidents. Im lucky enough to say ive never been involved in one. *touches wood*.

I think buckets are the way forward.....just gotta get some more cash together now.

 

[Daz.]

Quote: Originally posted by Lunner on 04 May 2005

Bucket seats are a f**king god send, went sideways, airbourne inot a lampost at about 30 in mine, nothing more then a brusied shoulder and whiplash, docs recon if i had been in ordinary seats i would have had broken arm/shoulder.

They bolt to the rear seatbelt mounting points in teh floor, they are designed so they dont move in the even of a rear end shunt etc.

What ever you do DONT mount it ot the strut brace, they are deisgned to take compressive forces along the length, not tensile forces laterally, it will break like a matchstick int eh even of an accident



What if you want to keep the rear seats though? where do you mount them then?

 

[ClioDude]

dont think you can???

 

[Daz.]

^^^ Thats why Im in two minds - I really want buckets but wand to keep my back seats - and whats the point of getting buckets and using a seat belt!

 

[TheCake]

On a Mk2 Clio there is an isofix child bar in the boot. If you unscrew this you can mount the harnesses in the holes left behind in the floor. The harness feeds through the gap between the back-support and the arse part of the rear seat.

Obviously this is based on you buying the most common 3point harnesses. If you want to continue to use your rear seats - you can buy harnesses that seperate so you can un clip the final 3rd part of the harness and leave it chucked on the back seat so a passenger can use it.

 

[Andy_sport]

would look pretty silly having bucket seats in the front and normal seats in the back imo

either do it proply and fit bucket seats to a stripped out car, or dont bother

 

[TheCake]

Andy - sorry but I dont agree in he slightest with that comment. Let me just say the following...

a) What if you take your girlfriend out for the night - have you ever seen a lady in a dress try and get out of bucket seats?

b) What if you need to take your mum or dad out for the day - bucket seats hardly practical for parents.

c) Why buy a 5 seater car and only use 2 seats? What happens when you take your friends out?

d) Or like me, my dad is in a wheel chair - not going to get him in a bucket seat very easily.

Theres many more reasons I could go on, but I think ive made my point.

 

[Karen]

I agree with CupCake - who cares what looks silly - most of us are adults here... Sometimes we need to take practicality into account too.

I really want bucket seats in my 182, but, as above I sometimes take my parents places hence I dont really want to lose my back seats.

 

[TheCake]

 

[Lunner]

Ive seen cars wiht bucket seats and back seats, Karen, speak to alice, he was runnign back seats and harnesses for ages, you simply mount the harnesses to the same bolts as the rear seat belts, it may be a bit of a b**ch getting in and out in a 3 dr car, but it is possible unless you have fat friends/parents

 

[Matt16v]

You have to have harnesses mounted to something secure to pass an MOT.

Most buckets are FIA aproved with is a good sign of safetly.

 

[TheCake]

Quote: Originally posted by Matt16v on 04 May 2005


You have to have harnesses mounted to something secure to pass an MOT.

Hence what I put WAY up there ^^^ TWICE....

 

[mandy007]

ive got recliners and harnesss and ive got the backseat still in cause i have children so i need the back seat and i dont think it looks silly , my back seat has been retrimmed to match the fronts so it all matches nicely

 

[Matt@Stealthsport]

Well Ive gotta couple of Sparco Star buckets with subframes all ready to go into a Williams or Valver if anyones interested?

PM me.

 

[Karen]

Quote: Originally posted by Lunner on 04 May 2005

Ive seen cars wiht bucket seats and back seats, Karen, speak to alice, he was runnign back seats and harnesses for ages, you simply mount the harnesses to the same bolts as the rear seat belts, it may be a bit of a b**ch getting in and out in a 3 dr car, but it is possible unless you have fat friends/parents

Ok will do, I didnt know he used to have it like that. My parents do find it difficult as it is, getting in and out of my car, but at least I could still take them places if I have the back seat.

Mandy - do you have photos of your interior you could post up?

Anyone else with photos of buckets, harnesses and rear seats????

 

[Rick]

I believe that Roamer was also very grateful for his bucket seats when he had an accident last year. It possible to slide out of a reguler seatbelt if the car starts flying around. Theres almost no chance of that happening with a seatbelt harness.

Im going to look into getting some bucket seats later in the year. Ill more than likely take the rear seats out, I barely use them anyway. If anyone else wants a lift thay can sit in the boot!

 

[mandy007]

Quote: Originally posted by Karen on 04 May 2005

Quote: Originally posted by Lunner on 04 May 2005

Ive seen cars wiht bucket seats and back seats, Karen, speak to alice, he was runnign back seats and harnesses for ages, you simply mount the harnesses to the same bolts as the rear seat belts, it may be a bit of a b**ch getting in and out in a 3 dr car, but it is possible unless you have fat friends/parents

Ok will do, I didnt know he used to have it like that. My parents do find it difficult as it is, getting in and out of my car, but at least I could still take them places if I have the back seat.

Mandy - do you have photos of your interior you could post up?

Anyone else with photos of buckets, harnesses and rear seats????

give me a minute and i will go and take you a couple pm me your email and i will send you the pics

 

[Andy_sport]

Quote: Originally posted by CupCake on 04 May Andy - sorry but I dont agree in he slightest with that comment. Let me just say the following...

a) What if you take your girlfriend out for the night - have you ever seen a lady in a dress try and get out of bucket seats?

b) What if you need to take your mum or dad out for the day - bucket seats hardly practical for parents.

c) Why buy a 5 seater car and only use 2 seats? What happens when you take your friends out?

d) Or like me, my dad is in a wheel chair - not going to get him in a bucket seat very easily.

Theres many more reasons I could go on, but I think ive made my point.


fitting bucket seats gives the impression you like to drive your car hard and thrash it thus the need for safer seats and more support from harnesses - but you wouldnt drive like that if you had family in the car so why are the backseats there?? just use your other car for family errands, giving lifts etc


parents have their own cars, as do girlfriends

if you want practicality why are you fitting bucket seats??

 

[Lunner]

Quote: Originally posted by Rick on 04 May 2005
I believe that Roamer was also very grateful for his bucket seats when he had an accident last year. It possible to slide out of a reguler seatbelt if the car starts flying around. Theres almost no chance of that happening with a seatbelt harness.

Im going to look into getting some bucket seats later in the year. Ill more than likely take the rear seats out, I barely use them anyway. If anyone else wants a lift thay can sit in the boot!

I believe the phrase i he used sewveral times over was that they quite literally saved his life. End of

 

[Andy_sport]

absolutely safer than normal seats n belts

 

[Karen]

Quote: Originally posted by Andy_sport on 04 May 2005

Quote: Originally posted by CupCake on 04 May Andy - sorry but I dont agree in he slightest with that comment. Let me just say the following...


a) What if you take your girlfriend out for the night - have you ever seen a lady in a dress try and get out of bucket seats?

b) What if you need to take your mum or dad out for the day - bucket seats hardly practical for parents.

c) Why buy a 5 seater car and only use 2 seats? What happens when you take your friends out?

d) Or like me, my dad is in a wheel chair - not going to get him in a bucket seat very easily.

Theres many more reasons I could go on, but I think ive made my point.

fitting bucket seats gives the impression you like to drive your car hard and thrash it thus the need for safer seats and more support from harnesses - but you wouldnt drive like that if you had family in the car so why are the backseats there?? just use your other car for family errands, giving lifts etc


parents have their own cars, as do girlfriends

if you want practicality why are you fitting bucket seats??

I want harnessess and bucket seats for safety. I also want to do track stuff, obviously I wont have my parents in the car then *rolls eyes* but as they are getting on, I do run them about if they need it.

My parents dont drive - I am taking them to the airport at the weekend for example - seeing as my dad is mid 70s it is the least I can do for them...

Dont you realise that some people have to do more with their cars than drive them hard?

 

[Andy_sport]

of course i realise that *rolls eyes*

but why fit bucket seats if you need to use the car for other things other than racing/track days??

doesnt make sense to me, unless you want the front of your car to look sporty, then have nice family seats in the back

one or the other for me

2 bucket seats in front and roll cage in the rear

 

[CUPPER]

My back seats will be coming out as my girlfriend has a 5 seater car to run people about. To be honest before the cup i wanted a two seater anyways .... mmmm V6 (i wish).

The comments on safety seem very promising. Im on the hunt now for some nice blue seats!!


[Edited by CUPPER on 04 May 2005 at 8:19pm]

 

[Karen]

As I said above, I want buckets/harnesses for safety reasons.

As I said above, I need to keep the rear seats for practical reasons.

I am not so young that it bothers me what it looks like.

 

[Andy_sport]

course they are safer, thats why they are used in motorsport

 

[stu8v]

OK for the track and racing, but a pain in the rear for everyday its the same with harnesses.

And as for safety if you drive within your limits and to the conditions you tend not to crash

 

[Karen]

Quote: Originally posted by stu8v on 04 May 2005


OK for the track and racing, but a pain in the rear for everyday its the same with harnesses.

And as for safety if you drive within your limits and to the conditions you tend not to crash

I can drive within my limits/to the conditions but it doesnt account for everyone else on the road who may crash into me...

 

[CUPPER]

The main reason i posted this message was to make sure they are safe enough to have even with the loss of the airbag coming into it. I also asked about what would happen in a rear shut....meaning some1 else crashing into me (not me driving beyond my limits). I want buckets because I think it will increase the whole trackday experience.

[Edited by CUPPER on 04 May 2005 at 8:27pm]

 

[number1]

i was thinking of using harnesses on a set of phase 2 valver standard seats could this be done to gain the best of both worlds? i dont like taking people in the back anyway tbh the whinge ant the noise of the music too much lol

 

[stu8v]

For the price of decent seats you would be able to do 2/3 trackdays, i know where my money would go.

 

[CUPPER]

Quote: Originally posted by stu8v on 04 May 2005

For the price of decent seats you would be able to do 2/3 trackdays, i know where my money would go.

At the end of the day its just what people want to spend their money on. Still wish it had proper buckets in from the start!! Even the Proton Satria GTI has recaros ffs.

 

[mudflap boy]

according to my mate, im an idiot for putting buckets and harnesses in a 1.2, his logic being its not a fast car, my logic being 70mph is still 70mph where its a 1litre or a 2.5turbo. a crash is a crash

 

[the_ferret]

i think that most "road" users who have buckets in the front dont look stupid coz you can hardly see into the rear of their vehicles due to the tints they also have...

Most people use buckets as part of styling their car..

People should be allowed to just get on with what they want to do ...

I was under the misunderstanding that this thread was about their safety, not what they looked like with back seats still located...........


[Edited by the_ferret on 04 May 2005 at 9:59pm]

 

[Fred@BTM]

HOW are the people with buckets intending on getting passenger into the back of the car???

and im guessing the rear seat passengers are gonna have to straddle the harness

tilt/recliner "not really bucket" seats????

 

[CUPPER]

Quote: Originally posted by the_ferret on 04 May 2005


i think that most "road" users who have buckets in the front dont look stupid coz you can hardly see into the rear of their vehicles due to the tints they also have...

Most people use buckets as part of styling their car..

People should be allowed to just get on with what they want to do ...

I was under the misunderstanding that this thread was about their safety, not what they looked like with back seats still located...........


[Edited by the_ferret on 04 May 2005 at 9:59pm]

well said

[Edited by CUPPER on 05 May 2005 at 6:54am]