Click on the title of the question that you may have and the answer will emerge underneath.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a new kart seat.
If you have had a seat in the past. Do you know the size and shape?
Shape does not make as much difference as the teams would have you believe, but they will be nervous of miss positioning the seat and may want you to use the shape they are used to fitting.
This is fine until the seat is not the right fit for you. An ill-fitting seat can cause a driver to damage their body or hang on the wheel, neither are good for ultimate performance.
Different shapes put in the chassis with the drivers back in exactly the same place, made with the same materials will pretty much handle the same.
That said a significant angle change of the back will alter the handling especially for bigger driver and this should be looked at separately.
This is important as a good fit is essential for the protection of the driver and the handling of the kart. If a driver is loose in a seat he will pull to steer, pulling himself out of the kart, making it bounce at the slightest provocation.
To assess whether or not the size of a seat that you have in your possession is correct, sit the driver should in the seat and feel the gap over the leg bone, the hip bone and down the length of the ribs, from top to bottom. This must be done with any rib protection in place, but the race suit is not so important unless it has integral padding.
The rib protector when worn tight, should not move inwards as the driver sits back in the seat. Once sat back in the seat, it should be difficult to squeeze your fingers between the seat, your ribs, hip and leg bones.
It’s important that all the points are evenly pressured and no one element is either loose or pinching.
If one area feels loose, some firm foam stuck between driver and seat is acceptable. If it is pinching you need a different size.
To assess the size without having a seat in your vicinity, we find that denim Jeans waist size, weight and height are good indicators. Coupled with information about the chest circumference and rib protector type.
An over thick rib protector can make two sizes difference and leave you with very loose hips, so this is to be avoided (by purchasing a P1 Rib Protector) or accounted for with a WT (Wide top) T11 seat.
For more information, please see our Sizing Guide.
Let’s start by making the first couple of sentences simple. Currently most karts either use the VG rigidity or the "t” rigidity. These are the two grades softer than standard and most current chassis/engine combinations of full size karts will use these.
Most 60 cc Minikart two strokes use the softest VTi and four stroke chassis are less affected due to their torque so standard rigidity is OK.
That should be enough for most people to decide but here is a more in depth explanation. The impact that rigidity has on the chassis are sometimes not logical. It is common for people to make the statements "I need more grip” or "I need less grip” when they are asking me which seat to buy.
I tell them that seats do not give or loose grip, but by changing the seat rigidity you can displace the weight differently on each tyre and can alter the way the weight is transferred to each tyre during the corner.
Due to the different coefficient of friction available from the track surface you may get caught out if you try and equate grip with seat stiffness.
For example, you can get the grip from the tyres in two ways, a large amount of tyre rubber contact, or from downward pressure onto the two outside tyres.
A stiff seat will transfer the weight to the outside front tyre more, a soft one less.
A soft seat will allow the rear wheel to lift more and a stiff one will keep the rear inner tyre down.
A soft seat which is not transferring weight adequately to the outside front tyre can effectively cause understeer, but likewise a stiff seat keeping both rear tyres in contact with the track can push the front on and also cause understeer.
The same problem caused by two completely different directions in setup.
As a tendency but not a rule, we tend to find that low powered karts (Or karts with weak bottom end torque like Rotax Max) prefer a soft seat like a VG for Max, or the even softer VTi for Minikarts.
This lets the inside wheel lift more and results in the chassis coming out of the corner better with less drag from the inside wheel on the engine.
Also, we find that if you have a kart with more torque such as an X30, OK or KZ the seat used more commonly is a T11t.
This is because with more power and lateral forces, the inner wheel drag becomes less important and the extra weight transfer mid corner gives an advantage, as it helps put downward pressure on the front outside wheel. Strangely the stickiness of a tyre seems to have little bearing on using a soft or stiff seat.
We also have a hybrid seat specification that is stiff across the edge and soft at the front called a VGR and this keeps the back of the kart flatter but has a soft front to allow diagonal flex.
Another hybrid option is the T9.5 VRS which is rigid down the two sides but has a soft flexible centre. This reclined model seems to work well with tall drivers in cool conditions.
You can get a general feel for the type of seat that generally works best in your chassis and at the tracks that you usually run on.
Once set for your current setup the seat will rarely need to be changed.
However, be careful about thinking that it will be correct on every track and all types of kart. It is best to keep an open mind about this subject and rely on the stopwatch.
Now you have a good fitting seat it is important to fit it correctly, half the weight of the kart moved 5 mm out of position will alter the balance.
Over the years the average seat position has been going back in the chassis.
And the average is now three 'cm' further back than it was in the late nineties.
Please see our Seat Fitting Guide for further assistance.
There are multiple ways to purchase your new Tillett Racing Seat Product, using our 'Online Store', as well as utilising one of our many 'Dealers' that are established all over the world.
The brand new Tillett Racing Seats Online Store, allows you to preview each product in detail before your purchase.
All essential information about the product is contained within each product category.
Categories are split up into: Kart Racing Seats, Car Racing Seats, Kart Racing Accessories, Car Racing Accessories, P1 Rib Protectors, Fitting Kits and Clothing.
Within each category, products racing from Seats to Nuts & Bolts, as well as everything in-between can be viewed and added to your Cart for purchase online.
Tillett Racing Seats supply our dealers with a range of our products.
Using our 'Dealers' page online, you will be able to enter your location - which will then display your nearest Tillett Racing Seats Dealer.
This will also provide their contact details, where you are able to then contact them regarding the availability of the products you require.
Alternatively, please feel free to call us or email us directly if you require any further advice or information about our products.
Depending on opening times, you are also able to complete your order over the phone.
Please contact us using the details on our 'Contact' page.
Yes! Certain products such as Kart Racing Seats, can be special ordered to a unique specification for a customer.
On any non standard specially made item were serve the right to charge a 50% deposit to the customer's credit/debit card, which is non-returnable in the event of cancellation, based upon the customer's implicit instructions to manufacture the goods on their behalf after discussion with ourselves.
For more information regarding custom products, please contact us, using the details on our 'Contact' page.
Tillett Racing Seats are always open for establishing new partnerships with companies and racing teams.
For more information regarding becoming a 'Dealer' or becoming a 'Trade' partner, please contact us, using the details on our 'Contact' page.
A vast majority of our Fixings, Car Racing Seat Mounts and other products carry FIA Homologation standards to meet the requirements for international motorsport.
When viewing our products, there will be information provided to notify the customer if that product is carrying FIA approval, as well as the standard of homologation that product meets.
Tillett Racing Seats are able to provide a range of Product Catalogues, Fitting Guides and Product Dimensions for a vast range of our products.
By visiting our 'Downloads' page, all the relevant documents are available to view and download for public use.
We can provide custom designs for our Tillett P1 Kart Custom Rib Protector and our Tillett P1 Kart Ladies Custom Rib Protector products.
If you fill in your order form with your size, design requirements, as well as submitting any logos / images you wish to include - we can then begin the design process for you upon order.
A 'Design Deposit' of £40.00 GBP is required on confirmation to cover design time allocation costs.
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Goods which prove unsuitable may be returned for refund, credit or exchange if they are returned to ourselves within 10 days of receipt.
Subject to the following conditions:
Items are returned carriage paid.
Items are received in a resalable condition.
Items should be returned unused in their original condition in order to secure a refund.
Items are returned complete with all packaging in good condition. (We reserve the right to levy a charge to replace product packaging which is damaged or defaced).
Items returned after 10 days from receipt may be subject to a restocking charge of not less than 10%. This does not affect your statutory rights.
We cannot accept any items which have been specially ordered for you or manufactured to your specification for return.
All returns are to be accompanied by the senders name and address, order reference number (if applicable), and reason for return. Please help us to help you.
We cannot accept responsibility for returned parcels which are undelivered, please retain your proof of postage etc., you may require it on the event of a claim with your carrier.
Items should be returned unused in their original condition in order to secure a refund.
You must obtain permission from us before returning any goods.
Please contact our office on +44 (0)1795 420312 to arrange for this.
Tillett Racing Seats are not responsible for any labour charges incurred during fitment or removal of allegedly faulty (or incorrectly supplied) parts.
For more information, please view our 'Refund Policy'.
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