|
I saw this thread a couple of days ago and started to comment and then I didn't.
Justin Grant brings up and excellent point. My experience with seats from the beginning includes Kirkey double wrap seats without headrests (double head nets) all the way through full containment style seats.
I don't have any physical evidence to give other than my symptoms after big accidents. I can tell you from my experience that with the Kirkey Style double wrap standard seat my body would be way more beat up after a crash without having the shoulder containment and head containment to keep you from flopping around in a violent crash, but the concussions were not as severe.
With the full containment style seats I ran later in my career, my body didn't get beat up near as bad but I sustained more concussions with a full containment seat than I did without one. IMO, the close proximity of the head supports creates a "ping pong" effect with the head/brain.
Like I said earlier, my personal symptoms are my only evidence, but with the FC seat, conscussions seemed to come easier from smaller hits.
To back up Justin's point, when I was younger I had a conversation with Bob East about cars and seats giving way in big wrecks (my thinking was that they were less safe), but the energy that gets dissipated is very important. If the seat and car don't give a little, then the driver takes all of that energy.
All of that said, I personally loved the Ultrashield products. Those guys are good to work with and a fair price. Old man Hunt in Lincoln, NE builds a nice custom seat, but they are not very forgiving on the ribs. I never sat in a Butlerbuilt. Kirkey has not done much with development like their competitors in recent years. LaJoie builds a nice seat, contours to lower back nice, I did not like the feel of no rib wraps though.
If I had it to do all over again, I would spend the time and money on a custom molded insert. None of the seats provide good lower back support.
|