Hi all!!
I’m new to the sport and looking for my first seat. I’ll run 206 Masters or Legends in a Birel AM29.
Am I too big for the Large Beasley high back sprint seat?
If so, is another tall person seat more appropriate, such as a XL Tillett T9.5?
Other recommendations?
About me:
In Delaware (no shops close by)
6’2"@ 220 lbs
Dad bod
Jean size is a snug 36 relaxed for my butt or a loose 38 relaxed.
Inseam is about 33"
Thank you!!
Stephen,
Take a look at the Deepseat and ribtect. They are much more supportive seats that go further up in back and slightly hold you into seat. They are mostly for rib protection but also might be a good fit for a a taller/larger guy than the usual younger karter. Might be overkill.
A Tillet T8/9/9.5 in XL will certainly fit you.
T11 would also be worth checking out. If possible, I’d recommend testing the seat at your local shop to see how you fit before purchasing.
I’ve found the NEK and Jecko seats to be good if you’re looking for a little more upper body support. I have experienced durability issues with the NEK though.
If it helps, I am 6’9"and when I started I weighed around 220. 36-38 waist similar to you. 36 was slightly snug and 38 was slightly loose. I picked out the Tillet T11t XL seat. At the time is was the “go-to” seat for OTK karts. It has worked out pretty well. At first it felt a loose, so I added a little padding to the rib area and the flat bottom made me feel like my but kept sliding forward, so I added a little front padding to create more of a pocket. I have a ribtect vest and have since removed some of the rib padding as I became more comfortable in the kart. When I first start driving for the day, my hips feel a little pinched, but as the day goes on my body sort of conforms and the pinch goes away. Snug is good. Too much movement and sudden changes of direction or bumps will beat you up or cause injury.
If there are no Dealers in your area, you can always go to a race/event and ask if you can sit in someone’s kart to get an idea of what size you need. Obviously they will have to be close to your build. I don’t think people will mind, as most Karters are keen on helping each other and getting more people into the sport.
You’ll probably fit a Beasley High Back Large
Definitely what you want in 206 for your size. Call Comet and Rex or Steve will.answer your questions about it.
As a fellow “Dad Bod” consider this.
Aside from your measurements what rib vest will you be using and what is the shape of your torso? In my experience the typical racing seats from Tillett and the like are not very deep and they create a pressure point on my ribs as my torso is thick (front to back not side to side). They are molded for the typical kart body (which the Dad Bod is typically not). I have been using a Deep Seat for the last few years and the extra depth eliminated the pressure point on my ribs. As for vests, some vests add more chest girth and may size you up too. Im not familiar with the Beasley, but I think you want more side support support than being concerned about your height.
I wasn’t particularly plus sized, 6’ 190lbs when I got the deepseat. Since I have a long torso, I was experiencing the edge of seat right at ribs. I think if you have a longer upper body, the standard seats are too low.
That’s what the Beasley is for. It’s more support for your tall upper body and extra recline to lower cg.
You might want to buy a secondhand seat now. If you drive enough you’ll lose 20 lbs and it won’t fit right.
Definitely some truth to this. If you do go the used route, you may want to avoid a seat that looks like swiss cheese unless you are prepared to do a little fiberglass work. New or used, you can always try to resell it when you change later.
I am tall(6’3-4") but shaped a little different at 185lbs. I am not sure if your intention is to lose a bit of weight (and you might simply thru karting regularly) or not… but as a tall person I just wanted to comment on the suggestions to run a DeepSeat/Ribtect. Whether or not those seats will work for you will depend on your body shape. I ran one for a time, but never got comfortable with it. I don’t have much of a butt or a waist, but I do have a broader chest/shoulders(think swimmer’s body)… and the DeepSeat/Ribtect was simply too loose in the butt/hips area despite fitting perfectly in the ribs. Ultimately, I ended up hurting my back/ribs and switched to a Tillett.
The bottom line is simply that you will need to actually sit in the seats to find out what will truly work for you. Everyone is shaped differently.
Steven here’s my 2 cents worth. I’ve had several Tillette seats, Jecko and Deep Seats. The Jecko is a good seat for a tall person it keeps you lower in the kart for less wind resistance. My ribs have been cracked several times and can be pretty tend to the point of giving up racing. All but the Deep Seat designs hit me in all the wrong places and causes more injury to my ribs. I found the Deep Seat is the perfect seat for me. No more rib problems and the support it give me I no longer have to wear a rib protector. It’s designed with more support around the ribs and it much taller in the back than all the other seats. You won’t feel like your going to fall out of it. Here’s a link to it if your interested . Franklin is the new manufacturer and distributor for the seat. Good luck.
Tillett and I believe other seat manufactures make an add on “Ribcage” panel that bolts to an existing seat to give added rib protection. Has anyone tried these? I haven’t seen much information other than the promotion stuff from Tillett. The product description installs them inside the seat so if you are already tight they might not work. They also mention they are “flexible” so i don’t know how much support they would offer especially if they are in a soft seat.
Everyone - thank you very much for the clear, concise & forward thinking answers!!
With confidence from my local resource and chatting with Steve & Gary at Comet, I am pursuing the Beasely High Back + Ribtect4 vest to get started. I’m a firm believer in ‘Buy Right - Buy Once’, and while I don’t have all the ‘data’ for this decision, the aggregate wisdom of this community is reassuring that Plan A will most likely work.
Regarding body type and weight, my former swim- / volley-body peaked @ 231# in August and dropped to low 220’s by Thanksgiving. After the holidays thru this past week, I’m ranging 214-217. The modest changes have been near elimination of sugary, diet and carbonated drinks replaced with more water, sticking to 1 dessert, 1 fruit per day + no snacking unless hungry. Those relaxed 36 jeans ain’t quite as snug =)
With more to go, I might actually be able to match the power-weight-ratio of the 150# kid with 75# of lead.
I’ll follow up in a few weeks with the seat & weight results.
Much appreciation for this forum, moderators, and the community willingness to contribute! -Steve
I contacted Franklin and they are saying they are not manufacturing the Deep Seat only selling it, but it appears they are no longer being made. The website that I have used in the past is now just for a welding business and Michelle from Franklin said they have been unable to contact the manufacture. If I remember correctly this was TJ Koyen’s father that made these? Any news?
My dad sold DeepSeat this past year. I’m not sure what the current status is. The seats were being made at a facility in Las Vegas, I don’t know if that’s still the case or maybe that’s what Michelle was referencing when she said they couldn’t contact the manufacturer.
When I was looking at these seats it was a tossup between ribtect’s deepseat and TJ’s Dad’s. Since TJ, went that route.
But, the ribtect brand is still operating normally so you could get that.
Tillet XL (think its a T11?) is what I went with, and we’re about the same size.
5’11, 220 lbs, 36 inch waist. (dad bod 2.0)
It was a night and day difference for me when I went to that seat. I did however put in a puss pad, 1/4 neoprene on the bottom. Love that seat.
Picked up mine (used) but never raced for $100. It was mounted to a kart but turned out being to big for the customer, so it was removed by the builder and stored. Best money ever spent!
