I have the option to pick up a lightly used jecko (c5) seat for a good deal. I’ve always wanted to try one of these, and since I broke my femur back in november, I’d like to think the side bolstering will help my freshly healed leg not get thrashed around.
My question is: what is this seat change going to do to the handling of the kart? I know they come standard on the KRs, but wasn’t sure if it would make sense on the Birel based Compkart (30mm) KZ chassis I have. Right now I have an IMAF F12 Size 2 Extra Soft. I’ve only ran this seat, and whatever the standard TB seat is I bought the kart with.
It would be super helpful to know if anyone has experience with this seat, and if it drastically affects the kart as opposed to a standard seat. Is it even worth looking into?
Looking into - 100% yes. People seem to be split, some like it, some don’t. I really love it for several reasons and I actually like it a lot better than the Tillet T11t, which is my second best. Ask another person, you’ll get a different answer…but given it’s so different than the other seats, it’s definitely worth trying it, especially if you find it used
I have a kart shop in Florida and have installed several Jeckos on karts for customers and a few on personal karts. The going trend is the kart loses rear grip quite a bit. My theory is the jecko seats dont allow for more rearward install location. Also the side supports are now allowing your legs to put load on the center of the kart. Its possible to rebalance the kart by adding weight to the rear of the kart or physically cutting the chassis side seat supports and rewelding them about 2 inches towards the rear of the kart. I generally just have the customers sell their jecko seats and install a tillet or equivalent with no side bolsters
Generally speaking…for tall/heavy it could be a pretty good choice. Helps contain the long legs and balance the rear/aft weight balance of the kart, especially in a shifter. I run IPK and it works great for me at 6’ 2", 185 lbs, with the right axle. I will never get any other seat. Ever.
Last race I chatted with a fellow racer on a OTK, he runs (a lot of) lead in Masters. And he hates it.
My point is…treat the seat like a consumable, try it out and see if it works with your shape/weight/height/chassis. It’s worth a try
Well.. i got it. Now time to put it in. Question is my seat now is RIGHT ON the radiator (second pic for reference). Im imagining with the new jecko, ill have to move something to compinsate for the bigger edges
Would it be worth it to mess with corner weighting when repositioning the seat? Furthermore, how would one figure out the optimal seating position without mounting and unmounting the seat a bunch of times?
Position close to the rad: no problem. Mine is the same,if not closer
Figure out the position: the mounting guide should get you in the ballpark, but if you want to test without drilling to see leg position etc, then put the kart down, use 2x4s and some plywood to fill in the void and support the seat so it sits on a flat surface, flush to the bottom of the chassis. Jump in and test, if you do it flush you can roll the kart forward and back while the seat stays still. Have a helper mark the holes with a sharpie when you find the spot, hard to do while sitting in it
So this is what i normally use instead of the 2x4 across the stand method. I got this little work bench idk how long ago and its the same height as the stand. Its perfect for mounting seats as i can just set the kart right on it.
So i got the seat basically set inside the frame. Just removed the rad entirely because its easier than dealing with it all connected trying to figure out how far to move it over.
Man this thing is a tight fit! Havent actually measured anything yet but these clearances with the legs on the seat are pretty crazy.
So I sat in it again once I took measurements on the table and got the sides of the seat fastened to the seat stays (I need to get shorter bolts for the bottom mounts so that’ll wait until this weekend). Distance wise, my arms and legs feel exactly where they need to be. Its definitely tighter on my thighs next to the tank, but nothings rubbing or being forced into the tank. I’m thinking I may have to raise the steering wheel a bit. Other than that the only way to find out if we are golden is to hit the track!
