There are a lot of ways to get faster. Immediately you may think of new tires, a better engine, bigger brakes, or more aero—the list goes on. But there is one overlooked, critical component: Your seat.
Speed Seat owner and founder, Jody Seidler, joined me to talk about how this game-changing idea came about and how it not only keeps you safer but is a secret weapon for improved lap times.
“I applied my background from the ski industry to cars. In skiing, it’s well known the fitment of the boot plays a key role in performance. Skiers at the top level were used to getting custom boots or inserts to maximize their feel of the ski.”
Up until this point, many open-wheel and prototype cars used hard fiberglass or carbon shells for seats. While some made custom inserts for comfort, no company was truly focused on maximizing performance until now. GT cars had traditional seats, but driver inserts were mostly about basic fitment—not speed.
“You have the basic needs that need to be met. The driver has to have good visibility. They need to fit in the car. But the truly important thing is lateral g-load.”
Jody talked at length about how he worked hard to develop the best seat available. Where others stopped at basic function, he used his background to gain a critical advantage. When building a seat for driver Brian French, he had to engineer for the extreme g-forces exerted by his Formula Atlantic. He focused on key areas, especially the hips and shoulders. The difference was immediate and dramatic. Driver fatigue plummeted as drivers stopped fighting to hold themselves upright, and the “butt dyno” suddenly had more sensory input to calculate what the car was doing.
“The seats evolved, and I incorporated more features over time. Back support, comfort, and visibility were always the foundation, but spreading the lateral load evenly across the rest of the driver's body was an essential part of both safety and performance.”
I have seen Jody pour several seats in the past. The two-part mixture expands and sets quickly—the whole process takes only an hour or two. While he sells DIY kits, having a craftsman like Jody carefully examine every aspect before the final pour is where the magic happens. After trimming the excess for that perfect fit, he wraps the seats in a fire-resistant material, with optional features like venting, embroidery, and even a laser scan option so you can have the exact same seat cut again and again in the future.
After talking with several drivers who have used a Speed Seat, they all have similar feedback. The benefit isn’t just a more comfortable driving position, but the ability to focus more on driving. Less driver fatigue was common feedback. Others reported improved ergonomics for things like shifting and driver egress. The endurance racers highlighted how easy and quick it is to do a driver change by having small inserts that fit into the larger base to customize their fit for their stint.
Unlike some other DIY and bead style seats, Speed Seat offers both multi-impact rated technology and fire-resistant material. Think of this similar to the difference between a motorcycle helmet and an auto racing helmet. Each seat comes with an SFI 45.2 rating, the same as your fire-resistant roll bar padding. This keeps you safer and guarantees you pass tech inspection. For elite drivers, there is even an FIA-rated seat, which is orange to make the difference instantly visible.
“If there is a crash, the seat plays a major role in driver safety. Most crashes have more than one impact that the driver is subjected to. If the seat insert deforms, that can lead to bigger issues for a driver.”
Drivers across the country have discovered the undeniable benefits of a proper custom seat fit. Speed Seat has expanded from formula and prototype cars to more and more GT-style cars. Drivers can literally feel the difference when a custom seat molded to their body delivers better safety and better performance. Jody is now flying up to 100 times a year, meeting drivers at their shops or trackside to craft these custom seats in paddocks from the SCCA to the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship.
To learn more about getting a custom Speed Seat, you can reach them at 262-408-1931 or visit their website at HERE.