[fastback]

I think thats the price of single seat.(I could be wrong though)

[v1p3r]

I'm going to hazard a guess and say single, because the most expensive ones, in a pair, work out to over a lakh, like I mentioned for certain Sparco seats.

The prices are for single seats only.

[pragya]

I want to buy some body hugging bucket car seats.
Can someone tell me its costing and availability in Pune.
I tried searching all the threads but all are too old to verify pricing.

[wildchild4lyfe]

well the prices for these seats still havent changed.. they still range between 11-15k (replicas)..its only availability thats an issue..in bombay you could try motosport,wheels racing,AR & KS. if you are really interested then PM me.

[Kaumad]

Till very recently, I wanted to change the OEM seats in my car to 'sports' seats - the likes of Sparco and Recaro. They looked...well, sporty, you know!
I have always wanted to feature my own car in the 'Tastefully Modified Cars' section - sporty seats included
And then I started reading up and this brought me to conclude that changing seats might not be the brightest thing to do.

Most modern vehicles [especially those manufactured after 2006-2007] have comprehensive Occupant Classification Systems [OCS] installed in them. Now modern OCSs are complex systems which monitor frontal crash sensors, seat belt systems, SRS airbag systems and seat occupancy. I have underlined the last part because this is what brought me to decide against seat swapping.

Seat occupancy detection systems are quite complex [diaphragm type, silicone type, fluid type and so on] and are capable to determining the profile of the person sitting on the seat. This classification, based on weight and pressure distribution, could be done as ...lets say - male, female, child to keep it simple. This classification is then relayed to the airbag control unit which then decides 'how much' and 'how fast' to deploy airbags, in the event of a crash. Even the primary decision of airbag deployement or not! Needless to say, the inputs from the seat belt system too are being monitored.
Therefore, in the event of a crash, all the above-mentioned parameters are monitored before the airbag gets deployed. Obviously, the result is saving of lives.

With the swapping of OEM seats, we are completely removing a vital component of the OCS - the seat occupancy element. I am saying this with the assumption that the Sparco / Recaro seats we see in modified vehicles do not come with OCS. Even of they did, the inputs and signals would not be calibrated to the OEM seat specifications.

To sum it up - in the name of beautifying and modifying our vehicles to look sporty and unique, are we compromising on our own safety, in the event of a crash? Are we putting ourselves at a greater risk of fatal injuries by removing a vital safety system, which is thoughtfully provided by the OEMs? Would you want to drive a sporty / racy car with compromised SRS or rather drive a car you would come out alive from, in the event of a frontal impact?

I certainly do not intend to question the judgement of people swapping seats but I see very expensive vehicles [the likes of VRSs, Lauras, Cruzes] which come OE-fitted with complex safety systems, being retrofitted with sporty seats and for the reasons explained above, find it counter-productive!!
Remember what I said in the beginning - I wanted to do this swapping myself ..... but now thinking if it would be a good idea to do so?!

[Arch-Angel]

Frankly speaking, if its just for comfort, i have found even the factory seats to be quite comfortable in cars like the old octavia, cruze and the jetta too. If I had a choice, i would always choose safety over anything else. Now i am not saying recaro and sparco are bad rather when it comes to safety, i will always choose not to compromise on it. Also, if your car is a daily drive, then its advisable to keep it somewhat stock and leave all safety stuff intact.

[Akshay1234]

The OCS or whatever you talk of in the seat is nothing more than a weight sensor, which will either let the airbag go off if someone beyond a certain weight is sitting there, or let the airbag not go off is something of a lighter weight like shopping bags is kept on the seat. Its nothing very complex, and I'm sure the outputs are standardized by now. Either way seat makers like Recaro would put in enough research to make sure their products are compatible perfectly.

I don't see any safety lapse in changing seats.

[Kaumad]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

nothing more than a weight sensor.....
Its nothing very complex

Sorry mate but you couldn't be further from the truth.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I don't see any safety lapse in changing seats.

Now, this is what I am trying to figure out and understand better.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

Sorry mate but you couldn't be further from the truth.

Pray, do tell.

As far as I know even with variable force deployment airbags, the seat sensor just senses the mass of the person on it, and in some cases whether the person is leaning in front towards the airbag or not. The seat belt buckle has another sensor to see if the seat belt is being worn or not. Of course there are many other parameters in airbag deployment, but these 2 sensors are probably what would be changing when you change seats.

I'm still sticking to my statement that as long as its a reputed brand like Recaro I see no loss of safety in changing to sports seats.

[srishiva]

I am not sure if people owning these high end cars would change their seats in the first place. Also, not sure how many cars in our market have these features integrated with the seating system.

[Kaumad]

There are multiple sources which will give you information on OCS - a little bit of googling will do. I am just mentioning one such source.Source - The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2006.

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The vehicle occupant classification system determines the occupant weight, position and vulnerability to injury during an accident. The information obtained from these new sensors help the airbag computer determine the rate of deployment (if any) to protect the occupant. This information is collected using an array of sensors depending on the manufacturer.

Bladder Style Seat Sensors

Both of these sensors systems, bladder or mounting sensors, determine whether the passenger seat is empty or occupied. If the seat is occupied, they determine whether it contains an infant in a child seat (front or rear facing in some cases), small child, woman or full size adult.

Seat Mounting Sensors
These systems classify the occupant and help deploy the airbag at lower speeds, or not at all depending on the parameters programmed from the manufacturer.

Calibration

Calibration of these sensors is critical and needs to be performed any time a passenger airbag, control unit or passenger seat is deployed, serviced or replaced. The calibration process uses a controlled series of weights and sensing equipment in conjunction with the existing airbag system scanner. The OCS is an integral part of the new “smart” airbag system and WILL causer the “airbag warning light” to illuminate if the system has been damaged or interrupted.

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Please read the highlighted text in italics.

[joybhowmik]

Weight sensor or not, is it only for cosmetic reasons ,that one would consider this change. Do bear in mind - that for the sporty sedans, manufacturers do provide 'bucket' style seats -albeit with a few creature comforts thrown in.
The point is, why go to all the trouble to change out the seat - is it for the colour, is it for the seat profile , is it just so one can fiddle around?

[rameshnanda]

A query on seats.

Does anyone know the place in Chennai where they will redo the car seats? I am not talking about the sport seats but normal OE type of seat.

[Klub Class]

BHPians,

My friend is looking forward to buy a set of aftermart reclinable Sparco replica seats (red color).

We would appreciate if you guys provide us with some leads on where to source the seats from (preferably in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala)

Thank you. Drive safe.

Support Team, I did a quick Google search to find if any definitive thread on aftermart or rally seats exist on forum. The Google search didn't yield any result apart from few queries in some random threads.