@9designs
I’m not sure what your angle is here, or why you’re so intent on picking holes in everything. If this bracket was put on a sled, it would certainly be the only aftermarket seat mounting kit that I’m aware of that would have had this done. Even Recaro’s own ‘approved’ mounting brackets are only ABE (general operator license) approved which only means that they have been conform to the legals defined by the German Govt. As worded in the ABE documentation, these are:
“The general operating license certifies that the system complies with the applicable regulations
of the StVZO (German road traffic licensing regulations) and may be used on public roads.”
This does not imply any testing has been done, or indeed that the design is inherently safe. The brakets in the Mk2 Focus RS are these exact brackets that Recaro sell under these regulations. Added to this, any FIA approved seat mounting is NOT sled tested but defines the following:
1) Supports must be attached to the shell/chassis via at least 4 mounting points per seat using bolts with a minimum diameter of 8 mm and counterplates, according to the drawing. The minimum area of contact between support, shell/chassis and counterplate is 40 mm2 for each mounting point.
If rails for adjusting the seat are used, they must be those originally supplied with the homologated car or with the seat.
2) The seat must be attached to the supports via 4 mounting points, 2 at the front and 2 at the rear of the seat, using bolts with a minimum diameter of 8 mm and reinforcements integrated into the seat. Each mounting point must be capable of withstanding a force of 15000 N applied in any direction.
3) The minimum thickness of the supports and counterplates is 3 mm for steel and 5 mm for light alloy materials. The minimum longitudinal dimension of each support is 6 cm. All the occupants’ seats must be either original, modified only through the addition of accessories with a registered trademark, or homologated by the EEC, the FMVSS or the FIA (8855/1999 standard), and not modified.
The above is a proven, calculated method of producing a seat mount which will withstand a high G impact. If Jonny’s design meets these regulations, then what would a sled test prove?
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