BEST SIM RACING SEATS FROM TRAKRACER - OUR THOUGHTS

[@YetiMacheteHD2]

How are you not gonna mention dimensions? Or even give a range of weight and height recommendations for each seat?

[@Toutvids]

Would have been good to take out a tape measure and show dimensions. Especially between the seat bolsters. I am a big guy, over 6 feet tall, 280 pounds and a 38 inch waist, most of these seats are too small to sit comfortably in for long periods of time. I currently use an NRG Prisma large bucket seat but it is smaller than I like. I had a GT Omega XL RS recliner seat which was also too small and in less than a year started to get real wobbly and weak in the back rest. I had to physically bend the metal brackets back into place and knew eventually the metal would break. Many websites claim their seats are for up to such and such waists but in reality, actual widths in between the bolsters are needed.

[@TrueBlade-1889]

Agreed. These dudes are always 10 stones wet through... or chicks.

[@DanielNavas1]

Keep in mind, if you're thinking about getting the reclining seat, you'll need either the universal seat bracket from TrakRacer or get some other type of seat bracket. I'm in a bit of a dispute with TrakRacer because they offer this seat as an add-on when purchasing their sim cockpits, but they don't tell you their seat bracket is required or even give you an option to add that seat bracket when purchasing the cockpit. So I bought some sheet metal seat brackets from Summit Racing that are 1/4 the price of the seat brackets from TrakRacer

[@KemoraR8]

100% correct. That being said, we make sure we include them for our customers (PODIUM 1). Others are pretty much universal, but these need their own specific brackets. Good call out!

[@myjordygamer4446]

Hello, I am French. I translate with the help of a translator so it is not necessarily always easy. I would like to know when buying the rally seat, do I need a fixing paste or is it supplied with the seat? thanks guys.

[@MichaelEgan66]

Hey dan, you wouldn't happen to have a part number or part description, would you? Im about to buy a tr8 pro and will be needing those brackets you mentioned buying. Thanks!

[@TheOfficialSkullMex]

@DanielNavas1 My order for the TR8 Pro I got the Recliner and says "Seat with Brackets". Do you think I am safe?

[@wamote6867]

i have the GT, but the rally looks better... the recliner, looks great but depends a little bit about the movement when hitting the breaks.

[@austinmahoney97]

I have the recliner seat from TrakRacer and I don't like it as it is not comfortable after about an hour of racing. I knew it would flex and feel a little "bouncy" on the back piece when pressing the brakes or just getting aggressive so I am not too concerned with that. However, the seat cushion on the back and on your bottom just does not feel great and that leather really is a rubbery type of texture more than it is leather feeling. I'm 6'2" and 239lbs so I am a bigger guy and was looking for more comfort for long racing stints. Do you all think the fixed seats are comfortable for long racing sessions?

[@KemoraR8]

Hey Austin - Steve here. It really is subjective. Some guys swear by the recliner and thinks it’s the most comfortable however I always seem to notice people stand by what they purchased - usually for the fact they haven’t tried others. I’m currently 6’2” 250 pounds and I prefer the Recaro pro sim star the most. Some, however, will say it’s tight or not comfortable. The reality is I’ll stuff myself into carbon buckets and pay zero attention to the comfort or lack there of according to others. Truly is subject. We are working on our own chairs that we think are needed in the market but not yet ready to share. I assume eventually there will eventually be a chair that we will all agree on as the leader.

[@harrypottar-1]

Would be great to know the inner dimensions of the chairs, especially the seat back height. Disappointed with my next level racing elite recliner, back of sit is too small, more teenager sized.

[@supercededman]

I''ll check this out, but the NLR ES1 would have to be a very strong competitor. The GT Style chair looks gorgeous, and has removable panels so you can wash them. Great review. Subbed.

[@SBALL3RiO]

Thanks for your video. What is the best way for long Sessions? Fiberglass Seat or the Gaming chair? And what di you think about the rally Seat sparco rev? Better als the Track racer rally for long Sessions?

[@podium1racing]

The fiber glass chairs shown here are perfectly fine for long sessions. Since this video we’ve grown so much and just about exclusively use RECAROs on our builds. Very comfortable. We have not however used the Sparco Rev yet however the conversations are in the works.

[@6butcha6]

thats all well & good BUT how strong is the reclyning mechanism. we have all had reclying gaming chairs at our desks & most of us have thrown them out to the bin within a few months. specially if your a bit bigger person... so are they any better that a gaming chair or is it a waste of money ?? cheers.

[@nilschrisschollaert4928]

Did you already tested the recliner seat on flexing while braking?

[@rudivoballmoos5435]

maybe the most important question.. how stiff it is especially while breaking.

[@koenvandeplas7261]

the recliners are way less stiff or better to say, the back moves way more with a recliner while breaking thn the fiberglass seats. In a sim racing rig I would NEVER recommend a recliner seat. Never had any great time with a recliner in simracing tbh

[@OddNapkin]

New to sim racing I'm thinking about just buying a nice seat and doing a diy wooden rig to start off with. What do the bottom of the seats look like? Do I need to get any extra brackets?

[@KemoraR8]

The bottom of the seats are flat and smooth. Bracket holes are on the sides of the seats so not much to do on the bottom. Our RECARO seats come with a solid mounting bracket. Trakracer seats when purchased without a chassis for some reason they don’t send with brackets and need to be purchased separately. The rally and gt seats use a simple two piece side mounting brackets. The recliner uses a two piece under mounting bracket. Let me know how else we can help.

[@CybrMyth]

Great video overall. I definitely agree that you can see the quality improving as the seats evolve over time and I personally thank God go for the recliner as it's the most versatile seat. Just a recommendation for future videos, putting timestamps in the video timeline would really help viewers navigate through the video if they were only looking to watch a certain part 👍

[@podium1racing]

Thanks for the feedback! Will do! Every video is getting better and better! We have others to post soon!!

[@TLTUG]

Are they compatible with the Yaw 2?

[@podium1racing]

Should be but will check on that specific system. Responded to your message on our site as well.

[@ivan-j4l9x]

Is it worth going for a sparco pro adv qrt over the gt. They look almost the same but the fabrics look to have better quality fabrics. Price jump is huge though.

[@maas7740]

Thanks for the comparision 😊 Which one would you say is more comfortable? The GT Seat or the Rally Seat? 😊

[@podium1racing]

Rally seat has much better padding. I use the GT at home (Steve) and it works fine for me (added a little lumbar pillow). We sell a lot of the Rally Seats or the RECARO seat.

[@maas7740]

@@podium1racing Thank you very much 🙏

[@andrewtsousis3130]

thanks for the overview. i'm keen to find out if any of your customers had the same issue as Will from boosted media with the GT Seat. He didn't recommend it at all due to huge flex in the back. He did rate the Rally seat though, thought it was great. I'm keen to buy either one.

[@podium1racing]

Its interesting. I (Steve) personally use the GT seat. Im roughly 260 pounds at 6'2". I don't find that it has a tremendous amount of flex. I do think the seat brackets give a little but its not to the point where my braking suffers due to so much seat travel. That being said, you can clearly see the difference in the quality of the seats when side by side. The Rally is just so much better all around.It IS stiffer, the padding is much better. The GT seat just looks like a hardcore race seat but that's about it. The RECARO sim star is our current favorite, if that matters at all.

[@toose70]

@@podium1racing cheers thanks for reply!

[@neilmouneimne5451]

@@podium1racing Is the Recaro Sim Star available for sale?

[@KemoraR8]

@@neilmouneimne5451 yeah! We sell them on our P2 and P1 rig bundles! They are awesome. We’ve been doing custom liveries on them for customers. I get it up on the site as a single item for sale this weekend. We have inventory arriving Monday

[@Sa.Ferreira]

Hi. Great review. Really need it. One question regarding the rally. How it is about back sweat? The fabric it’s breathable on the back? Thank you

[@podium1racing]

Great question. The Rally's faux Alcantara is light and breathable, so compared to the GT where it is fabric, the Rally out-performs in heat dissipation and from what we can tell, generates less lower back sweat compared to fabric covered seats.

[@bengals2479]

I'm 6ft 290 wear a 38 pant I'm reading the rally is more comfortable but it's more narrow by the print dimensions.. is the rally big enough to accommodate me

[@podium1racing]

Im (Steve) 6'2" and 260 pounds probably closer to a 38 waist than I'd prefer. The chair fits me fine with plenty of room. I even fit the RECARO Sim Star seat. It's much snugger but def wouldn't say too small at all. You should be more than fine with the GT or rally seat.

[@bengals2479]

@@podium1racing thank you so much for the quick response

[@podium1racing]

@@bengals2479 No prob! Here to help!

[@BargoTheBandit]

Thank you for this video!

[@saren6538]

I’m assuming this is very light compared to other chairs ? About to watch the video now !

[@podium1racing]

Rather old video. Many newer options available.

[@saren6538]

@@podium1racing have you a link ?

[@thepenguin3493]

How about the ES1 seat?

[@podium1racing]

Will have to get one and give it a try!

[@podium1racing]

@Jun Fung Max Kam great feedback!

[@stananderson3829]

@Jun Fung Max Kam I purchased this seat a while back and being a larger guy 6'6 340lbs (freedom units) i can say it wond hold up for larger people mine has an excessive amount of play in the back like something has been bent whil under braking or adjustment. once i lock the seat in place and if i apply much pressure on my back it will shift aboiut 4-5 inches. Overall didnt expect to much as its a sim seat vs real car seat but if your a bigger guy would recommend to go with a real car seat for comfort or solid fiberglass seat as any of the adjustable seats weak point is the back adjustment.

[@Kion2Faded]

I’m 6ft 300 , is any of these seats good for a bigger guy like me? im like 44-46 waist

[@podium1racing]

Rally seat is made for 44” waist. Have another customer like your build who bought two with recliners. No issue.

[@Kion2Faded]

@@podium1racing yea I I saw like 44 45 size for the rally seat so def thinking bout those two seats!

[@podium1racing]

@@Kion2Faded We really like the rally. Its comfortable compared to others like the GT. The GT looks awesome in pictures, but we find the quality and details in the Rally is much better. The Recliner actually looks like it belongs in a car. You notice the evolution of the Trakracer line up when you have all three next to each other. They started with the GT, then Rally and finally the Recliner and with each you can see how they have improved.

[@Kion2Faded]

@@podium1racing for shurr def gonna get the tr80 lite and the inverted pedal kit with the rally seat! Waiting for the Black Friday deals if there’s any

[@podium1racing]

@@Kion2Faded email me at [e-mail]. We will get ya squared away We can get anything from TR and BF sale. Have it in stock and can ship it quick! Let us know if you need anything in addition to just the rig. We have it all.

[@ANI_Luka]

Great video! How do the seats stand up to heavy braking forces? I’ve seen videos where the backrest part of the fiberglass flexes, as well as some side to side movement when FFB is turned up.

[@podium1racing]

I personally use the GT seat. Chandler has been using the rally seat. I’m 6’2” and around 260 lbs. though there is some flex side to side (mainly from the brackets) there is not a noticeable flex when braking. For me, the most important there is a strong pedal plate that doesn’t give. We have Recaro chairs that we will have a video out on soon. Those are very strong and the brackets are super stiff. ~Steve

[@omgfunnyfails7283]

Great video! I have a motion rig and will be mounting my seat F1 position, a lot of inclination etc. Which one would you recommend as being better and more comfortable to use as a F1 seat position? Thanks in advance

[@Boknier]

Do these come in one size

[@podium1racing]

For the majority, they are “one size fits all” however larger seats are available if needed! Let us know what you’re needing and we can get ya some details!

[@Boknier]

@@podium1racing thanks for the response. I'm not sure what size would be suitable I'm not large I'm 5'11" and about 190 pounds. If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. I'm leaning towards the new black reclinable one but the fixed seat with the halo is hard to pass up. Any thoughts on comfort? Thank you for your time.

[@podium1racing]

@@Boknier Steve here. I’m 6’2” and 260 pounds. (You can see me in our other videos. ) for the past year I’ve been using the GT seat. Fits me fine is actually the tightest of them all. The rally and recliner for most people really well. I personally like the GT style seat and feels fine to me and I’ve raced for hours at a time. That being said, the rally and recliner both are way more comfortable. Better padding and support.

[@Boknier]

Thank you I am sold then. I've been holding back for a few weeks due to the seat issue so if ur comfort level is good then my small Frame should be perfect. I'm checking out ur website now. Thanks so much for your input. You guys are awesome. You got my thanks, my like button smash, and a new subscriber. Keep up this amazing work. Excellent!

[@podium1racing]

@@Boknier let us know if you need anything else! More product reviews coming! Just got in pedals and wait on a handful of wheels and motors!!

[@upsetuloss]

Be serious, Trakracer seats flex and are thin, which is horrible for Sim racing. I have a TR80 and a NRG Prisma seat.

[@Christaz9]

Is it good for tall people im like 6.1 foot tall any recommendations for a seat i habe small waists 80-85 kgs so the witdh is not s problem

[@upsetuloss]

@Cnlne I'm 6' and I've seen 6'4 drivers in it comfortably because it is used for track cars irl. Make sure you get the Larger NRG Prisma Seat and not the medium.

[@canadianoperator]

I'm kind of a big guy, 6' 2" and about 270-280 lb - I think 46-47" waist (I really need to start doing something about that) and though I am not proud of those dimensions I did want to ask if the rally seat offers a little more room for a big guy than the GT bucket does. I know technically the butt pads for lack of better words are the same size, but the rally seat somehow looks a little larger with the side panels, offering just a tad more room. For comparison, I sat in the GT Track from Next Level Racing, and then felt snug but comfortable. Would it be a similar experience? I'm literally about to hit buy now so I'd love to get your opinion. Thanks!

[@podium1racing]

Pardon delay on this. The rally seat and recliner both would be a good fit. The rally in particular has a wider base compared to the GT and the RECARO and the bolsters flair out allowing for different fits.

[@canadianoperator]

@@podium1racing No worries, thanks very much! I did reach out to Track Racer and they said they wouldn't recommend either the GT or the Rally seat because it just wouldn't be a comfortable fit. Apparently the TRX seat is a good fit, but I started looking at ASR and the more I look at it the more I think I am going to go with that. I am going to have to pay more for the seat, as their seats are pretty small too. But the one I am getting I think is going to work (The Sparco R333). Thanks again for your help!

[@podium1racing]

@@canadianoperator No problem - Sparco has some good XL ones. The TRX seat is a great seat for the TRX havent really used it on others. Im 6'2" and 255 pounds and the rally has more than enough room. All good in any case - the goal is to make sure you get the right seat for you so you can spend hours and not worry about it! See ya on track.

[@canadianoperator]

@@podium1racing that’s great to know brother thank you once again. 👊🏻

[@iseeq72]

The GT seat is garbage… had that for about a year. Cheap materials, too soft, too wide (unless you are a really big, chubby guy) and badly angled back. If you buy a Trakracer rig (which is a good choice, no doubt), don‘t add the seat option. There are plenty of better seat choices on the market… for example Sparco QRT II…

[@OhTheNormanity]

That Sparco is a $1100 seat though. you would expect it to be better for three times the price. 🤦‍♂

[@iseeq72]

@@OhTheNormanity I have the Sparco Grid Q, which is around 500$, but I guess there are cheaper options (who needs that FIA license/certificate anyway in a Sim seat?)

[@OhTheNormanity]

You got a good price then as that lists for $900.

[@alex.germany]

I don't like the GT seat (the first one you showed). It's a very cheap construction and offers a lot of flexibility. If I break, the back of the seat will flex outwards away...

[@podium1racing]

We have found some seats vary greatly from others. For example we have used tons of rally seats however one that we have on one of our demo rigs, when you brake, you can feel the center of the seat push in. The lumbar and back area actually pushes in and pops then forms back after you release. It’s terrible but we haven’t felt it do that on other ones. The GT seat, as we mentioned in this video, is def the cheapest feeling compared to them however mine at home doesn’t flex to the level you are mentioning. I suspect different lots and / or overtime they have changed materials or suppliers. Point is we have noticed there is a wide variance level on the chairs at times. The Recaro that we use on 99% of our builds is amazing.

[@alex.germany]

@@podium1racing Thanks for the reply. Yes, Recaro is great (the company is about an hour away from me by car). But they have their price...

[@mr.goose1009]

Thanks for the info! Do you guys have any specific one you think is the most comfortable, or are they all on a pretty even playing field? Great video and again, thanks!

[@podium1racing]

I (Steve) use the GT at home. It looks awesome but has the least padding / comfort. By default in our bundles, we have been going with the rally as it’s way more comfortable and looks better as far as finish and details. The recliner is built really well and padded I however haven’t put hours and hours in it like the other ones. Zero complaints from anyone with the rally. We also have a Recaro seat. This is by far our favorite seat. Looks incredible and the padding / comfort beats the others. Of course, the seat costs twice as much so there is that to consider. (We have a video on that as well) Let us know if you have more questions!

[@mr.goose1009]

@@podium1racingSweet, thanks! I knew I was going to go for the TR8 Pro but I just couldn't pick a seat, very close between the GT and the rally. The GT does look really nice but ultimately comfort is more important. I'll definitely check out the video on the Recaro seat though. Thanks again!

[@podium1racing]

@@mr.goose1009 no problem. The GT to me, looks sexy. It’s why everyone picks it at trakracer. It’s also the one they get the most calls about regarding lack of comfort. Even on mine I added a little lumbar pillow to it make it better. The padding on the rally is much much thicker. Chandler prefers the rally over the gt.

[@theproverbialbeef5641]

If you’re going to review something take the time to find out it’s made of guys.

[@podium1racing]

Considering it was our second video ever, what would you like to know? Also, if you’re going to take the time to write out one sentence, make sure you don’t leave out any words. In this case “what” is missing.

[@theproverbialbeef5641]

Welcome to KZbin comments. If you’re going to be passive aggressive on something as innocuous as my comment offering constructive criticism then you’re in for an emotional rollercoaster. Nevertheless congratulations on your second video.

[@podium1racing]

@@theproverbialbeef5641 actually, welcome to the real world where we all make mistakes. If there is something you want to know, ask. Otherwise move on. It’s unfortunate you feel you can make comments for “improvement” but when done to you it’s passive aggressive.

[@wwjnz9263]

You pay all that money. As much as an actual automotive grade seat. And you cannot use it in a car. TF?

[@podium1racing]

The recaro sim racing seat costs a fraction of a FIA certified seat.