Seat Accessories

Seat accessories are the hardware between a bucket seat and the car: side mounts, a bottom mount, frames, sleds, runners and the bolts that join them. Together they set the seating position and decide whether the seat stays put under braking, cornering and impact loads.

Most racing shells are held by side mounts, steel or aluminium plates that bolt to threaded points in the shell’s flanks. Several holes in each mount let you set height and back angle, and the mounts then bolt to a frame, a sled or the floor. Seats made for it can instead be fixed through the base with a bottom mount. A sled or frame adapts the seat to the car’s own mounting points.

Points to compare:

• Side mounts: steel and aluminium versions are listed as FIA mounts. Steel takes more load for a given thickness, while aluminium saves weight but needs thicker sections.
• Dimensions: listed lengths are 350, 485 and 580 mm, heights 125 and 180 mm, and width 50 mm. Measure the seat and the car before ordering.
• Height: mount height changes your eye line, the head room under the roof or cage, and the angle of the shoulder straps, so check all three.
• Frames and sleds: an adjustable steel frame or a universal sled carries the side mounts where the car has no suitable bracket.
• Runners: double-locking runners latch on both rails, so neither side of the seat can creep.
• Bolts: a dedicated set covers side mounts, and a mounting set covers seats, sleds and brackets.

Use high-tensile bolts of the right length. Too short, and the thread in the shell is barely engaged; too long, and the bolt can bottom out or press on the shell. Secure them with thread-locking compound or locking nuts, and re-check the torque after the first runs. Keep runners clean and check that both rails latch fully, because a seat that moves under braking upsets your control of wheel and pedals.