Race Seats or Leather?

[The Boy]

Just trying to spec a car and finding lots of useful tip, thanks to all. Could anyone help with seat choice. I'm looking at a Superlight and can't decide if the race seats or leather would be more practical / comfortable?

Any advice is welcome.

 

Thank you all for some great tips. I tried the Tillets at the weekend at Caterham South on a new car. I however didn't drive the car with S types in only sat in it - I felt the Tillets were better, I'm small to average in size so would guess that rib trouble should not be a problem.

 

It also appears that the seat could be adjusted to avoid helmet interference.

 

Clive and Casbar thanks for the offers of rides, I may take you up on the offer before finally specing the car - that very kind of you both. Casbar would the car I drove at the weekend have Tillets B3's?

 

Edited by - The Boy on 22 Nov 2006 22:22:34

[Mark Gregory]

I find Tillets are very good at holding you in place. Also, surprisingly comfortable, despite their lack of padding.

[Richard Price]

"The Boy",

It's entirely up to you!

 

Personally, I don't like Tillets, but for each one of me, I'm sure there are many who love them!

The Tillets can be tricky to get in and out of, and a little cold in the winter. I find the head restraint part uncomfortable when wearing a helmet - it pushes my head forward. But apart from that, I find them comfortable, if a little difficult to get in and out of!

Leather seats are easier to get in and out of, and suit most sizes of people (Tilets are only the right shape for average people).

I now use a moulded foam seat on track, that I find more comfortable than either Tillets or my leather seats.

 

I'd say that you are best trying both types of seat before commiting yourself.

Have you been to your local area meeting, or contacted your local Area Orgainser? I'm sure he'd be able to put you in touch with fellow members that could demonstrate both to you. Look for contact deatils in the back of "Low Flying".

 

 

 

 

[Cliff Richard]

i see you are on the edge of salisbury plain ,you can always pop roud and try mine.(tillets)

 

 

 

Clive the Blade here

 

This is what my car sounds like!

 

 

[GTD]

We chose tillets for the reason that the leather seats pushed the head forward too much with a crash helmet on. I chose the carbon version 'cos I'm a tart! Best thing is go and sit in a few! And remember that with spacers various adjustments are possible anyway, so maybe the headrest thing was just an excuse!

 

Heading back to Blighty!

[Mike Biddle]

Have used both tillets and leather seats on very long drives and can assure you that tillets are FAR more comfortable than the S type.

[7 wonders of the world]

Tillets *thumbup*

 

Snug comfortable secure rain proof just sepnd a little time with the shim pack to get the perfect individual position for you

 

Good weight saving over 'S' type too 😬

[Frying Pan]

Tilletts again *thumbup* *thumbup*

 

See some pictures of the build here. 11000 miles completed!

[Tony Whitley]

I did 2,800 miles round Europe in Tillets this year and I bruised my coccyx on the second day - never felt any discomfort except for a slight numbness after about an hour's non-stop driving

 

Drawbacks:

* *eek*ing cold in winter - I just sit on a scarf

* *mad*ing hot if wearing shorts and they've been in the sun

* It's easy to sit on the harness buckle if you're in a hurry and there's no give in the seat so you end up with a bruised coccyx 🙆🏻

* The lower harness belts are impossible to adjust in mine - I can pull them tighter but loosening them would involve removing the seats. I think you can get extensions to solve that.

* Some people struggle to fit Tillets

* Some people struggle to fit into Tillets

* They're waterproof 😬

 

Another advantage is fitness - you have to push your body weight up with your arms every time you get out

 

And they look

 

Edited by - Tony Whitley on 22 Nov 2006 08:00:44

[Casbar]

What type of body is the car, if its an SV, then it will have Tillets new type seat, which are very good. If its a narrow body, you could not buy the seats off of Caterham and get the new Tillet B3, which Tillet sell direct. I fitted two of these to my car, and they are really good, they are more of a laid back seating posn, so no problems when wearing a helmet and they are really comfortable, slightly more room around the hips . I used to have S Type seats, but moved around in them too much on the track.

 

I am in Salisbury, so if you want to have a sit in one, blatmail me

[Gasmaninaseven]

I have had both and really could not get on with Tillets- too short in the leg with not enough support under the thigh and uncomfortable around the ribs. I know I'm not alone on this. I've tried other race seats ( not for a long distance though.......) and found the Mog seats for example much better. Tillet do a different seat which fits the Seven- I intend trying that before I spec my new car( as Casbar says above).

 

I've always found the leather seats v. comfortable- its a personal thing ( no doubt based partly on body shape!)and I would strongly recommend that you try before you buy.

 

Neil

 

Formerly driving a Guantanamo Bay Orange SUPERLIGHT R300.

Waiting for the R400........

 

 

Edited by - Neil.Williams on 22 Nov 2006 11:25:53

[Billyboy]

If you have any back problems you need to test them all out!

 

S Type leather for me 😬 very nice suits you Sir

[paul jacobs]

Why not go for the grip of the Tillets, but get a leather/foam pad made up. I've just done this and my Tillets are now perfect. The pad has more foam in the lumbar region to suit me, and sitting on about half an inch of foam, just lifts one up enough to stop my ribs catching in the side supports too. This gets around the warmth/heat problem, and the squab and backrest are seperate and just velcro'd on so that they can be easily removed for cleaning or drying etc. They cost me £295 for a pair of seats, from a local upholsterer. A little steep but I think worth it in the long run.

 

Paul J.

Loud pipes save lives, but quiet ones save your hearing.

[John Howe]

Of the eight years that I've had my Seven, I've had Tillet style (they are Mog's equivalent) seats for about half of that time. Without doubt, I prefer the carbon fibre seats compared with to the prettier S type.

 

Great body support, no aching limbs from where the padding starts to sag on long runs and no embarrasment when the leather get soaked.

 

However, if you do go the S-type route and you plan on wearing a crash helmet, pull the head rest out and put it back in the reverse postion. This allows more space for a crash helmet.

 

JH

Deliveries by Saffron, the yellow 230bhp Sausage delivery machine

[Sheds Moderator]

The only disadvantages I can thinkof with Tilletts are the fact that they are cold in winter, you end up soaked in sweat in summer and you can't just jump in the car.

 

Once in they are fantastic. Then again I'm a slim Jim - 40 chest, 30 waist and 5'7 so different shapes may not go as well.

[7 wonders of the world]

30" waist 😳 😳

 

Last time my waist measured 30" I was about 7 years old 😬

 

You need to talk to Dave Jackson about getting a regular supply of pies

[Sheds Moderator]

Well, it had expanded a bit and then I spent the summer rock climbing with a woman in her early 20s (I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it ). She is far more talented than I have ever been so in order to even remotely be able to keep up (or indeed leave the ground) I had to indulge in the twin horrors of "cutting down the booze" and "training" (shudders) 😳 with the unfortunate result of a few pounds of weight loss and a 30" waist.

 

No good will come of it, I need to get off the fresh fruit and black tea and onto the pies and beer in order to retain my strength. 😬

[mav]

You really can't go for one over the other based on other peoples experiences.

 

The only thinkg you can be reasonably sure if is the Leather / S types will be confortable for most people most of the time.

 

Tillets can be very much hit and miss. Despite my size I can fit quite comfortably in std tillets for a few hours, but do end up with sore kidneys / back after about 4 or 5 hours, where as in the leather I am comfortable for up to 8 or 9 hours.

 

If i had the £1200 I'd need to fit sv tillets to my car then I'd have them, but then the y are bigger again.

 

Best advise as to which to choose it to test the different types and see which you are most comfortable in.

[neil.cavanagh]

As Mav says it entirely depends on your size. and shape..

 

I find whippet sized tillets a f'ing joke.... they are tortue. But then I found SV tillets too wide! My SV s-type leather seats are THE most comfortable seat ever FOR ME. 8+ plus days 20 days in a row on the USA 2005 tours and not a single ache or twinge. But 20 mins in ChrisB's whippet tillets and I can't feel my legs and couldn't walk for 10 mins after getting out. In fact I HAD to stop on the M23 in the Caterham demo as the tillets had put my left leg to sleep. I had to use the hand brake to stop on the hardshoulder as I was incapable of using the brake pedal. Scarey.

 

BUT I am 6'4 with 35" leg and waist!

 

A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad.

 

An Optimist hopes they are!

[peril]

I've found the Tillets to be comfortable, particularly with the leather inserts (which have either 1/2 inch or 1 inch foam padding, your choice) which you can purchase from Caterham for a couple of hundred quid.

[Unclefester]

SV leather seats= nice'n'comfy. Good support, non sweaty, warm, excellent all round.

 

For competition fanatics I reckon foam bumform seats but WITH A LEATHER COVERING so they look good and protects the foam as well.

 

SeaView!!!!

😬 😬here *eek*

[oldbutnotslow]

Narrow chassis tillets just don’t fit me. S types are OK though

I find that the foam seats you make to be the best for me. Mix the 2 parts and pour into a plastic bag and sit down.

 

OK OK I know that my 🙆🏻 is on the larger side of average (some have to be bigger and some smaller to be able to get an average so I am an important part of the equation!)

 

I am reminded of the Freddie Truman quotation

 

When someone remarked upon the size of his 🙆🏻 he was heard to say

 

“If you have a big nail you need a big hammer to knock it in with!”

 

Just missing the big nail now 😳

 

 

Grant Taylor

OBNS Motorsport

www.obns.co.uk

 

😬 183 BHP of Black and 'Stone Chip' excitement. 😬