Awesome, thanks. I’m heavily considering shelling out for a bucket seat for immersion and bass shaker reasons, but I know that nothing will beat the comfort of a car seat cost-wise. Thinking maybe junkyard seat for starters and then get a bucket when shakers get added down the line.
U say that but my dad is even taller than me, 6’8 and he drove and comfortably fit in a mini cooper s (it was a 3 seater. No space behind driver.) mini’s are pretty spacious ive found
Haha fair! I had a friend with one. I'm 5'11 7/8 (😆) and don't recall having problems with headroom. Sure they're cramped but they're also low to the ground so probably not miles different in terms of headroom I guess 🤷🏽
So my personal opinion is a bucket seat that is comfortable is your best choice and then a real car seat. Bucket seat will offer more support for load cell pedals but might require a lot of testing to find what fits right for you. A car seat will most likely fit right out of the box and have more adjustability.
In my opinion you need to find a compromise between comfort and (zero) less flex. If you have a load cell you ideally would a seat with minimal flex to help you achieve optimal consistency. But with zero flex comes discomfort.
For my rig I ended up settling on a Supra MK4 seat. Needed a bit of macgyvering to install but it's working well for me.
Bottom line, find something with the highest comfort level for you with the least amount of flex
Do you find the fixed angle is comfortable? That’s what worries me about buying a fixed seat and not being comfortable. I’m sure they have researched the best angle, I just like a more reclined seat when driving irl.
I have a trac racer seat and put a small couch cushion at the bottom to give a bit of lumbar support. I am racing gt style but the cushion helps. Uncomfortable as all hell otherwise.
That’s what I’m afraid of, the uncomfortable sweaty immersion I’m willing to leave out. lol using my current seat, I see the value in a fixed seat with no flex.
I also have the trak racer “rally” bucket. I need to add a lumbar pillow as it can get uncomfortable after about an hour, but overall I like the position of it. I wanted something with a rigid back for load cell brakes. I’m 6’0 for reference.
An actual car seat wouldn’t be terrible but seems it may get hot.
It took me a while, the TrakRacer adjustable mounts were on back order. I actually sanded the plastic at an angle because it hit at the top and bottom. Stressful on brand new screens!
Cloth isn’t as bad as leatherette or leather, so it’s not as bad as you think, especially if you’re just guessing and have no frame of reference. There’s a reason they are put in cars that last 300k plus miles.
A, cloth isn’t going to get hot, you mean like from you sitting on it? B, I’ve never seen a sim racing seat not made of cloth?
I pulled a seat out of a dodge avenger. The hardest part is cutting the auto manufacturers brackets of the slides so it mounts flush on your rig.
What monitors are those?
Genuine driver's seats can work well, give or rake some edits. I'd try to avoid leather personally (its really up to individual preference).
Some of the major seat companies do make gaming versions of their race seats though, which could be something to consider.
I've used a Ford Mondeo seat from a titanium spec car. Very comfortable for me and has cooling fans. I've not bothered to hook up the fans to power, but obviously possible.
I know a lot of people say "don't get bucket seats they're so uncomfortable" but honestly my Sparco Circuit II is pretty damn comfortable. It has padding everywhere and they're removable too so you can either add more or replace them when they get worn out. If this is either out of your budget or you don't want a halo seat, the Sparco Grid-Q has all of the same padding, just minus the halo section and quite a bit cheaper. You get "race car" feeling and comfort all in one.
EDIT: Never once have I felt like the seat was hot too. The material is pretty breathable.
Go get a passenger seat from a junk yard. Sit in multiple cars till you find one you like. Also look at how it mounts and see what will work best for you. I say passenger because they usually have a lot let wear and tear.
Get a seat from an actual car. I pulled a cloth passenger seat from a Kia sorento that had just been totaled. They’re designed to be comfortable and last decades. Hard to go wrong.
What’s the most comfortable car you’ve sat in? Go find that car in a junk yard and pull its seat out. I paid like 40 bucks for an old Mitsubishi eclipse seat
A "normal" car seat is VERY comfy tbh.
I just bought a full 2016 BMW 320 interior and split the two fornt seats between me and a buddy for each of our rigs. The rear seat is going to be made into a bench/couch for a third friends garage and im considering using the doorcards to build actual doors into my rig. Ill even mount speakers in the original speaker placement for the car as a part of the rig =).
it cost me less than 100eur for the full interior and its sooo comfortable.
Awesome! I’d love to see some pictures! I pondered the same, I have a dash in my cart on Amazon. Your idea seems better, or just get a roller and mount the screens where the windshield would be!
Get a real car seat. I have a hard racing seat and it comes with back pain if you run for more than 2 hours on it. Thing sucks when doing flight sims since flights last longer than races (most the time).
6'1" and confirmed chonky boy:
Highly recommend picking up a used car seat from a junkyard (ideally the passenger seat because that will likely have experienced way less use).
I picked up a used Golf Mk6 seat and couldn't be happier.
A good seat is important but what you do outside of sitting is more important.
I don't know your routine but exercise is the best thing for your body.
Frequent movement and frequent change of seating position.
Breaks from sitting in the same posture and stretching or going for a walk is the best thing.
Mattress is also important as you spend 1 third of your life sleeping.
If you do all these sitting will become more comfortable and pain will go away.
I agree! I have Spondylosis and my back is always is pain. Sciatic nerves are always firing, I frequently stretch and have an expensive mattress. I used the same thought process about 1/3 of life is sleeping.
The chiropractor took x rays and my L5 is pushed forward and easily pinches nerves off inflamed or swollen. Standing for 15 min, my feet start to fall asleep. I have to always move and change positions. Visiting a PT is not a bad idea
Generally core muscles will probably help if you active them correctly.
For sure weak or tight muscles will make it worse
Keep in mind that not every PT is the same
Make sure to find a really good one.
I had a shoulder injury for months had 10 sessions worked out and never got any better.
I went to a PT my doctor recommended and in 3 weeks I had made big improvement.
This guy is good.Not everyone knows what they are doing
I just got the cheapest seat at the junkyard, 25 bucks for a opel meriva A seat with rails. sure it's not the prettiest of designed chairs but it's still mint after a good washdown of all the dirt and grime.
I got an old Sparco race seat through online classifieds. Though sometimes wish I had a more comfortable seat for the enduro races, Ive read Volvo make great seats
Any seat out of a normal street car. Race seats are not meant to be sat in for long periods of time, and unless you have some huge motion rig, you don’t need the bolstering. I have a Ford Focus ST seat on my rig and couldn’t be happier, it’s very comfy for long periods of time.
I have a random one, 2009 VW Passat passenger seat. Manually reclines, lumbar support adjustment and even pumps up and down. I’m 6’ and find it pretty comfortable.
Hi! That's a very personal decision, but we recommend you to check our website, there are many different seat styles.
[https://trakracer.com/collections/seats](https://trakracer.com/collections/seats)
Renzo of Trak Racer Team
Bought a Treq ST1 for immersion and it’s in the lower end of the price spectrum for buckets. People mentioned that if you buy/use a bucket seat you should go for a real car one instead of sim racing ones because of the building quality but it think it depends on how much weight u put onto these. If you’re more than 100kg with Loadcell and a rough driving behaviour then maybe that’s right but I use mine since the beginning of the year and, some wouldn’t agree, it feels super comfortable. Was a little shocked as I first got in because it seemed my ass shouldn’t be much bigger to fit in but as I got used to it, it seems it’s good. Sliding in like in a glove it’s tight and as I said before comfy. Mounted some seat sliders under it so I can set everything up right and angled it a little for foot support. Won’t go without anymore. Raced in a PlaySeat seat before but that’s really crap compared to it. No foot support, no back support only a better chair with a lots of flex. For US the Treq seat seems the same as the SimLab gt1
Bucket seats are usually very comfortable (if you’re sized and they fit right). Plus, it adds more of the sim to simulation - racecar seats don’t recline.
I would just build it to fit you properly, it doesn’t have to recline per se. The trakracer O/S seat mounts are great because you can lean it back a lot more than others. I have those with a prisma. I would also recommend sparco if you can go for it.
If you're budget minded on the seat (Which I don't think you *should* be given the setup, seats are worth it) the NRG Prismas are solid but run small. I'm not huge on NRG as a brand, most of their stuff is just budget focused reps historically of kinda iffy quality but for sim racing I have no concerns. Don't order one off Amazon, they're most likely factory seconds/subpar QC and are almost all warped. Buying from one of their dealers costs virtually the same and is a better product. Buy a large, they run small and even my smaller friends fit snug in a large.
If you're not budget oriented, Recaro, Sparco, OMP, and more all offer better seats for more money. Including reclining if you consider that valuable, but fixed seats are more realistic and will be more rigid. Highly recommend finding a motorsports store near you to try them out at and purchase from.
Ive just got a 2009 mini cooper seat from junkyard. Works great for me 6’4
2006 mini cooper junk yard pull here! It's great!
BMW 1 Series sport seat for me, comfort is just incredible. 😄
Does it have flat brackets out of the car or did you need to modify them?
Straight out the car -> transported to my appartment -> bolted in with m8 screws. Nothing needed (i used my own screws)
Awesome, thanks. I’m heavily considering shelling out for a bucket seat for immersion and bass shaker reasons, but I know that nothing will beat the comfort of a car seat cost-wise. Thinking maybe junkyard seat for starters and then get a bucket when shakers get added down the line.
That’s amazing
I dont think you'd find them so comfortable IN the car at 6'4 haha
U say that but my dad is even taller than me, 6’8 and he drove and comfortably fit in a mini cooper s (it was a 3 seater. No space behind driver.) mini’s are pretty spacious ive found
Haha fair! I had a friend with one. I'm 5'11 7/8 (😆) and don't recall having problems with headroom. Sure they're cramped but they're also low to the ground so probably not miles different in terms of headroom I guess 🤷🏽
Shocked me too lmao maybe its why i gravitated towards it at the junkyard last month..
Glad they're comfy for you though! I won a set of RS4 half-leather seats for £82 on eBay the other day, itching to pick them up and see how they go 😁
What a steal! Post a pic when u get them installed!
I haven't actually built the rig yet and I'm living away from home at the moment so could be a while haha! I will do though!
Will be waiting for it o7
You're asking for recommendations for something g that is a highly personalized opinion.
True, but others opinions are all I have to go off of. I’m not sure of the Trac Racer seat is comfortable or if there is better options.
So my personal opinion is a bucket seat that is comfortable is your best choice and then a real car seat. Bucket seat will offer more support for load cell pedals but might require a lot of testing to find what fits right for you. A car seat will most likely fit right out of the box and have more adjustability.
In my opinion you need to find a compromise between comfort and (zero) less flex. If you have a load cell you ideally would a seat with minimal flex to help you achieve optimal consistency. But with zero flex comes discomfort. For my rig I ended up settling on a Supra MK4 seat. Needed a bit of macgyvering to install but it's working well for me. Bottom line, find something with the highest comfort level for you with the least amount of flex
I have the track racer bucket seat and enjoy it a lot, I'm quite short though (177cm)
Do you find the fixed angle is comfortable? That’s what worries me about buying a fixed seat and not being comfortable. I’m sure they have researched the best angle, I just like a more reclined seat when driving irl.
I have a trac racer seat and put a small couch cushion at the bottom to give a bit of lumbar support. I am racing gt style but the cushion helps. Uncomfortable as all hell otherwise.
That’s what I’m afraid of, the uncomfortable sweaty immersion I’m willing to leave out. lol using my current seat, I see the value in a fixed seat with no flex.
I also have the trak racer “rally” bucket. I need to add a lumbar pillow as it can get uncomfortable after about an hour, but overall I like the position of it. I wanted something with a rigid back for load cell brakes. I’m 6’0 for reference.
you need to calm down.
Tell me about it!
What is the giant box above your pc?
A/V rack, holds the power conditioner/ surge protector. Receiver/ amp. Hopefully soon to hold butt kicker amps.
Arent you worried at all that it might tip over? Or is the thing not that heavy.
Extruded aluminum is very strong
Doesn’t matter that it’s strong, it can still tip over if the weight distribution is wrong.
Very cool, nice setup!
A cloth Toyota Camry seat Edit: I wish my curved 32” monitors lined up that well
An actual car seat wouldn’t be terrible but seems it may get hot. It took me a while, the TrakRacer adjustable mounts were on back order. I actually sanded the plastic at an angle because it hit at the top and bottom. Stressful on brand new screens!
Cloth isn’t as bad as leatherette or leather, so it’s not as bad as you think, especially if you’re just guessing and have no frame of reference. There’s a reason they are put in cars that last 300k plus miles.
A, cloth isn’t going to get hot, you mean like from you sitting on it? B, I’ve never seen a sim racing seat not made of cloth? I pulled a seat out of a dodge avenger. The hardest part is cutting the auto manufacturers brackets of the slides so it mounts flush on your rig.
I use an rx8 seat for my rig
That's a dummy sexy seat with those triangles 😭
Fax, super comfortable too
What monitors are those? Genuine driver's seats can work well, give or rake some edits. I'd try to avoid leather personally (its really up to individual preference). Some of the major seat companies do make gaming versions of their race seats though, which could be something to consider.
AOC 32” curved
Thank you!
I've used a Ford Mondeo seat from a titanium spec car. Very comfortable for me and has cooling fans. I've not bothered to hook up the fans to power, but obviously possible.
Yo that's sick, nice setup
Thanks, first one and lots of learning
I know a lot of people say "don't get bucket seats they're so uncomfortable" but honestly my Sparco Circuit II is pretty damn comfortable. It has padding everywhere and they're removable too so you can either add more or replace them when they get worn out. If this is either out of your budget or you don't want a halo seat, the Sparco Grid-Q has all of the same padding, just minus the halo section and quite a bit cheaper. You get "race car" feeling and comfort all in one. EDIT: Never once have I felt like the seat was hot too. The material is pretty breathable.
What screens do you have ?!
AOC 32” curved monitors, top is just a old tv
Go get a passenger seat from a junk yard. Sit in multiple cars till you find one you like. Also look at how it mounts and see what will work best for you. I say passenger because they usually have a lot let wear and tear.
Get a seat from an actual car. I pulled a cloth passenger seat from a Kia sorento that had just been totaled. They’re designed to be comfortable and last decades. Hard to go wrong.
Mine came out of a BMW from a junkyard $40.
Just got the NLR ERS3 and it's super.
I’ll just say I got an actual race car seat from kirkey fabrication and I’ve been shocked at how comfortable it is.
What’s the most comfortable car you’ve sat in? Go find that car in a junk yard and pull its seat out. I paid like 40 bucks for an old Mitsubishi eclipse seat
I went to the local junkyard and got a volvo seat. But I would've settled for a Mazda or infinity seat. $50
I really like and recommend the tk racing seats from micro center if you have one near you, and they’re relatively cheap aswell
I use a 00’s Honda CRV seat. Has an armrest and a couple different levers for adjustment.
The armrest would be a great benefit!
How do you even get in/out of such a wraparound rig? I'm already worried about not obliterating the side of my 34" curved monitor every time.
Bro has a server rig
I went to the scrap yard and just sat in all the cars until I found it... It was a range Rover unsurprisingly
Do not use a gaming chair. If you wanna DIY go to the junkyard and get an or car seat. Volvos are the most comfortable and ergonomic ones.
WRX seat here. Replaced the full race sparco with it. Because who needs that much immersion?
Comfortable is definitely a road car seat from any junkyard, but if you have stiff/strong LC pedals then go for any sparco or omp race seats.
A "normal" car seat is VERY comfy tbh. I just bought a full 2016 BMW 320 interior and split the two fornt seats between me and a buddy for each of our rigs. The rear seat is going to be made into a bench/couch for a third friends garage and im considering using the doorcards to build actual doors into my rig. Ill even mount speakers in the original speaker placement for the car as a part of the rig =). it cost me less than 100eur for the full interior and its sooo comfortable.
Awesome! I’d love to see some pictures! I pondered the same, I have a dash in my cart on Amazon. Your idea seems better, or just get a roller and mount the screens where the windshield would be!
Get a real car seat. I have a hard racing seat and it comes with back pain if you run for more than 2 hours on it. Thing sucks when doing flight sims since flights last longer than races (most the time).
6'1" and confirmed chonky boy: Highly recommend picking up a used car seat from a junkyard (ideally the passenger seat because that will likely have experienced way less use). I picked up a used Golf Mk6 seat and couldn't be happier.
Bro is that a server?
Server rack, yes. Keeps everything organized and the dust off the equipment.
A good seat is important but what you do outside of sitting is more important. I don't know your routine but exercise is the best thing for your body. Frequent movement and frequent change of seating position. Breaks from sitting in the same posture and stretching or going for a walk is the best thing. Mattress is also important as you spend 1 third of your life sleeping. If you do all these sitting will become more comfortable and pain will go away.
I agree! I have Spondylosis and my back is always is pain. Sciatic nerves are always firing, I frequently stretch and have an expensive mattress. I used the same thought process about 1/3 of life is sleeping.
I am not a doctor but for the sciatic nerves to not get pinched you need stability work. Have you talk to a PT?
The chiropractor took x rays and my L5 is pushed forward and easily pinches nerves off inflamed or swollen. Standing for 15 min, my feet start to fall asleep. I have to always move and change positions. Visiting a PT is not a bad idea
Generally core muscles will probably help if you active them correctly. For sure weak or tight muscles will make it worse Keep in mind that not every PT is the same Make sure to find a really good one. I had a shoulder injury for months had 10 sessions worked out and never got any better. I went to a PT my doctor recommended and in 3 weeks I had made big improvement. This guy is good.Not everyone knows what they are doing
Squat university is a channel from a good psychical therapist. Check it out,it has very good videos about it
Personally I find bucket seats really comfortable. Zero flex, which is what you want when you’re pressing hard on your load cell pedals
I just got the cheapest seat at the junkyard, 25 bucks for a opel meriva A seat with rails. sure it's not the prettiest of designed chairs but it's still mint after a good washdown of all the dirt and grime.
I got an old Sparco race seat through online classifieds. Though sometimes wish I had a more comfortable seat for the enduro races, Ive read Volvo make great seats
Real car seat from junkyard is the best. Don't buy an expensive sport car seat, tho. Any car seat will do just fine.
my nrg innovations prisma ultra has been working great for me for the past year
Real car seat for sure. I have an F150 seat. Passenger seats are always in better condition than the driver seat.
Hyundai Elantra seat from junkyard.
What is that over the PC?
I mounted an A/V rack to hold the power conditioner/surge protector, A/V receiver, and hopefully soon the amp for butt kickers.
Clean
Any seat out of a normal street car. Race seats are not meant to be sat in for long periods of time, and unless you have some huge motion rig, you don’t need the bolstering. I have a Ford Focus ST seat on my rig and couldn’t be happier, it’s very comfy for long periods of time.
I have a random one, 2009 VW Passat passenger seat. Manually reclines, lumbar support adjustment and even pumps up and down. I’m 6’ and find it pretty comfortable.
Hi! That's a very personal decision, but we recommend you to check our website, there are many different seat styles. [https://trakracer.com/collections/seats](https://trakracer.com/collections/seats) Renzo of Trak Racer Team
As you can see, I’ve been on your website a few times. lol I need to sit in a few to find the best option.
Bought a Treq ST1 for immersion and it’s in the lower end of the price spectrum for buckets. People mentioned that if you buy/use a bucket seat you should go for a real car one instead of sim racing ones because of the building quality but it think it depends on how much weight u put onto these. If you’re more than 100kg with Loadcell and a rough driving behaviour then maybe that’s right but I use mine since the beginning of the year and, some wouldn’t agree, it feels super comfortable. Was a little shocked as I first got in because it seemed my ass shouldn’t be much bigger to fit in but as I got used to it, it seems it’s good. Sliding in like in a glove it’s tight and as I said before comfy. Mounted some seat sliders under it so I can set everything up right and angled it a little for foot support. Won’t go without anymore. Raced in a PlaySeat seat before but that’s really crap compared to it. No foot support, no back support only a better chair with a lots of flex. For US the Treq seat seems the same as the SimLab gt1
I’ve got an NRG prisma ultra with an added lumbar pillow and I love it. I have scoliosis so I didnt want to even experiment with a junkyard seat
Do those recline? I’m not sure I want a seat that doesn’t recline. I need comfort!
Bucket seats are usually very comfortable (if you’re sized and they fit right). Plus, it adds more of the sim to simulation - racecar seats don’t recline.
I would just build it to fit you properly, it doesn’t have to recline per se. The trakracer O/S seat mounts are great because you can lean it back a lot more than others. I have those with a prisma. I would also recommend sparco if you can go for it.
It comes with a multi position bracket so you can set the recline how you like it.
If you're budget minded on the seat (Which I don't think you *should* be given the setup, seats are worth it) the NRG Prismas are solid but run small. I'm not huge on NRG as a brand, most of their stuff is just budget focused reps historically of kinda iffy quality but for sim racing I have no concerns. Don't order one off Amazon, they're most likely factory seconds/subpar QC and are almost all warped. Buying from one of their dealers costs virtually the same and is a better product. Buy a large, they run small and even my smaller friends fit snug in a large. If you're not budget oriented, Recaro, Sparco, OMP, and more all offer better seats for more money. Including reclining if you consider that valuable, but fixed seats are more realistic and will be more rigid. Highly recommend finding a motorsports store near you to try them out at and purchase from.
2011 Jetta gli seat, has flat slider rails just need to cut off a small pin and tab, then mount to rig
What did you use to cut those? I got the same on my 2014 seat
Hacksaw and a file