racing style seat

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liverider2003

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I am looking for a racing style seat for the kart I am building. Does anyone know if xxxl size seats in this style exist at a price less than $150? I have found plenty of double x seats...but I will need at least one more size up. Something like 17 or 18 inches wide at mid-back area and about 20 inches at the thigh area. I'm a big dude...lol. I don't wanna pay $300 for a seat though...or $200 for that matter. I don't want to go higher than $150.

Any insight would be great!
 
anderkart

anderkart

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I just realised kartbay is in Oz...

Are you in the USA?

If so, this seat might fit ya: http://www.seventh-gear.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=14798

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I've made race seats wider by placing a hydraulic jack and wood 4"x 4"s in-between the seat sides,
and then heating 1 whole side with a couple large hair dryers or an Industrial heat gun.

After I got 1 whole side really hot, I slowly/gradually spread the sides further and further outward with the jack while continuing to heat with the hair dryers.

Then I simply left the jack in place until that side completely cooled so it would retain the new wider shape.

Then I simply did the same thing to the the other side of the seat.

I've successfully made my race seat sides spread a couple inches further apart this way so they dont squeeze ya so tight. (i'm a pretty big dude too)

You may have to get inventive and devise some method to keep the jack and 4x4's from popping out of the seat while spreading. (like tying the jack to the seat with a rope and using C-clamps to hold the 4x4's in place against the sides ...

I didn't invent this method, Its just a little trick that kart racers (that gained weight) have been doing for quite awhile.

You'll want your race seat to fit very snugly to hold you in. It's normal for the sides to feel just a little uncomfortably tight when you first sit down, but then after riding a short while your body will conform a bit and you'll be glad the seats a little on the snug side to help hold you in around those fast corners... :thumbsup:
 
karl

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You can use plywood, foam, staples, nails, and some tough fabric to make a seat. Its pretty easy making a good one for a fraction of a new one. And you could special make it for your dimensions. Besides, I can make a running decent go kart for $150
 
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liverider2003

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anderkart said:
I just realised kartbay is in Oz...

Are you in the USA?

If so, this seat might fit ya: http://www.seventh-gear.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=14798

__________________


I've made race seats wider by placing a hydraulic jack and wood 4"x 4"s in-between the seat sides,
and then heating 1 whole side with a couple large hair dryers or an Industrial heat gun.

After I got 1 whole side really hot, I slowly/gradually spread the sides further and further outward with the jack while continuing to heat with the hair dryers.

Then I simply left the jack in place until that side completely cooled so it would retain the new wider shape.

Then I simply did the same thing to the the other side of the seat.

I've successfully made my race seat sides spread a couple inches further apart this way so they dont squeeze ya so tight. (i'm a pretty big dude too)

You may have to get inventive and devise some method to keep the jack and 4x4's from popping out of the seat while spreading. (like tying the jack to the seat with a rope and using C-clamps to hold the 4x4's in place against the sides ...

I didn't invent this method, Its just a little trick that kart racers (that gained weight) have been doing for quite awhile.

You'll want your race seat to fit very snugly to hold you in. It's normal for the sides to feel just a little uncomfortably tight when you first sit down, but then after riding a short while your body will conform a bit and you'll be glad the seats a little on the snug side to help hold you in around those fast corners... :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I am in the USA...Florida. Thank you for the links. I will check them out. And the tip for widening a seat seems to make plenty of sense. Simple but I wouldn't have thought of it. I usually don't think about modifying newly bought gear...lol.

And Karl...thank you. But I would rather buy a race seat...partly for its features of holding the driver in place where he should be...and parlty(a big part for me anyway) for asthetics. I think they look cool and can give the kart a meaner and more professional look. If I had more experience with laying fiberglass, I would make a mold and hand lay a seat...but I have a busy work schedule and I would rather not get to in depth with things I am not so familiar with...on this build anyway. Fabricating the frame work is enough for me for now...lol.



Thanks fellas!
 
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liverider2003

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anderkart said:
Are you in the USA?

If so, this seat might fit ya: http://www.seventh-gear.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=14798
Click to expand...

This will work just fine. Just ordered it.

Appreciate it!

Oh...I ended up ordering that clone BSP from ARC...had it overnighted I was so excited...lol. UPS just dropped it off along with the header(not the 3 stage...firgured I would get the regular one and save 10 bux) and rlv muffler, clutch, chain, fuel tank.
All the rest of my stuffis coming from BMI to finish the kart. Should be here next week.

Anyway...thanks.
 
anderkart

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Cool, when I bought my Beisse kart it came with an xxl seat kinda like that one at 7th gear. That sucker was so freakin huge my whole torso had a full 2 or 3 inches to spare. I was flopping around in the seat like a rag doll around corners and it didn't hold me in at all. I'm 6'-6" 235lb and wear size 38 pants just for comparison...

You can kinda get an idea how wide my XXL seat was from this pic:

 
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liverider2003

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Nice looking kart! Yeah I am the same height...320lbs...42 waist. That seat oughta fit perfect. It does look pretty big in the pic. where can I find the padding? Is it just any old padding or is it made specific for that seat? Looks like it is made for it.
 
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liverider2003

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Anderkart...I just got the seat by FedEx. It is exactly perfect...for me...the wife not so much...lol. Oh well...haha.

Thanks for the link!
 
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SPElectronics

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Bummer, the seat linked at seventh-gear is gone. I too am a large guy, and have been looking for a reasonably priced XXXL seat for my TAG kart. I need something with similar dimensions to what liverider2003 was looking for. I'm not as tall, but I weigh 280 and wear a size 40 pant.

I have a nice Tillett XL, and was going to cut it into 3 sections and widen it with fiberglass, but I really hate cutting up a perfectly good Tillett seat. I already stripped the carpet off of it in preparation, and hated doing that too. I guess I could order one of the other closeout seats from seventh-gear and cut that one up instead, but would prefer to just buy something ready to go.

Any other sources you guys know of for a XXXL seat would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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SPElectronics

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I can find Tillett seats through lots of sources, but XXXL is somewhat harder to come by. I see they do have the XXXL on that site, but at $420. That's the biggest problem with Tillett seats, they are just way too expensive, especially not knowing if the largest seat will fit me. I have tried a XXL Tillett on another Kart at the local track, but it was still too small, and I'm afraid a XXXL may still be just a little too tight. That is why I'm trying to find a less costly seat, in the largest size available (usually XXXL seems to be the largest out there, which is 18 at hips, and 15 or so at the thighs). Then if it still doesn't fit, I won't feel bad cutting it apart and widening it to fit. I just really don't want to cut up my $250 Tillett seat.

What I might end up doing is take some clay and press it on the back of my XL Tillett seat, and build it out a few extra inches, then lay fiberglass over that. I was just hoping to find something already done for a reasonable price. Those budget seats on seventh-gear are nice and cheap, and would fit the bill perfectly, if only they had the right size. I'm still considering buying the biggest one on there, and cutting it into 3 sections, and then widen it to custom fit me, and then make a mold so I can build a couple more as backup.
 
anderkart

anderkart

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10-4, Yeah I hear ya man, I'm 6'-6" and wear size 13 shoes, so I usually cant find what I want to wear that fits me right either.

I got a buddy that needs a XXXL seat, he's been thinking about modding an Old XL Tillett kinda like your plan. Should work just fine, its just fiberglass. Let us know how it works out :thumbsup:

That's a rip off Tillott charges so much, It prolly just cost them like $5 more in materials to make it...
 
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