[waydui]

OK, I have sucked it up and took a fresh look at the harness belt controversy, which I admit to contributing to.

I got a great deal on a pair of Exige S seats (thank you Cory, I appreciate it! :bow. I installed those as opposed to using the Sector 111 grommets.

Cory's seats also had the anti-submarine belt bar and harness, making it even better! :clap: So now I have a 5-point harness sytem.

I have to admit that the Exige seats are constructed differently than the stock Elise seats and that there is a greater surafce area surrounding the Exige seat harness holes.

My layman's impression is that the Exige seats offer greater structural strength in the event of an impact.

Maybe Fishguy was right after all...-poke- -poke-

I took some pics of both seats before and after installation.

BTW, Probax seats are very comfortable.

Regards,
Wayne

 

[plastique999]

I've been struggling over this upgrade as well...so are your seats Probax - what year?
Are they the same as in this thread?:

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f92/lotus-trimshop-seats-brainthrust-ideas-34230/

How did you mount the 5th harness...did you cut a hole in the seat?

 

[cory1000]

seats are from 07 Exige S (probax and same as in thread), 5 point is mounted with sector111 sub strap, holes were done at a shop and the leather was stitched up.

 

[cory1000]

here are 2 ways that you can do the sub strap....to the seat or through the floor.
through floor:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f100/titanium-daves-new-substrap-solution-58949/
To seat:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f100/anti-sub-bar-titanium-dave-22857/

Different bar, but same idea....

 

[shinoo]

Wayne,

Good score. Those seats are nice. Though you are going to get some heat for geting a seat with a hole cut in it... I'm sure someone will be aghast that the 5th pt is attached to the seat rail! BTW: this is how Lotus did it on the 340R.

Your second picture is very telling. Notice how the two seats are very similar in regards to the 'spine'? This is where much of the strength and stiffness of the seat comes from - not from the wings where the grommets are installed. Notice where the Exige grommets are installed? That is where ours are installed as well - albiet with smaller openings as the Elise seat 'wings' are much smaller. Our grommets do not compromise the integrity of the central 'spine'.

For the record, I agree that a properly designed race seat will always trump a modified stock seat.

Thx for posting your info.

 

[cory1000]

Yes Wayne.....good score on those seats....

Here is what I replaced it with (and yes it will fit without trimming, just have to not have a passenger seat, remove the e-brake from the car and move the shifter over 2-3 inches....but who cant live with that??):

 

[Brent Bauman]

Cory, have you sat in one yet? Are they also moving your steering over? I did this and it make the seat/wheel/pedal layout much more linear. It has always bothered me how the pedals are offset to the right and the steering column to the left. We deal with this in racecars all the time because of build constraints, but Lotus was only forced to offset the pedals. Why the steering? Sorry for the drift.:shrug:

 

[cory1000]

wheel is not going to be moved over at this point, when the seat is installed it wont be moved over much, the reason to move the shifter is to not have to trim the seat at this point, got bigger plans coming up though... Right now Hypersport only has the car for 3 weeks until I need it back so they dont have the time to do what I really want to have done now, but they are going to get it back this winter for some cool things to be done :evil:

Cory, have you sat in one yet? Are they also moving your steering over? I did this and it make the seat/wheel/pedal layout much more linear. It has always bothered me how the pedals are offset to the right and the steering column to the left. We deal with this in racecars all the time because of build constraints, but Lotus was only forced to offset the pedals. Why the steering? Sorry for the drift.:shrug:

 

[FLuXeXigeS]

lol harness installation on the elise seats are a total FAIL...how the heck would that work, from my understanding, the holes on the Exige seats are how harness are suppose to be looped, not up and over the seats??? :shrug: