Kuma

I am contemplating some aftermarket seats for my 2010 JK. I have a few questions that I'm hoping you guys out there that have experience with could answer for me.

1. I love hanging my leg out the door and so do my passengers when the doors are off. What are the best seats for still allowing this without cutting off thigh circulation?
2. So I noticed master craft sells a booster for kids. If I replaced the rear seats with 5 point harnesses and booster pads could I legally use these in place of the kids booster seats? Can't seem to find laws or legal mumble on this. Seems it would be as safe or safer than a plastic booster and stock belt but who knows.
3. Any other things I should know or consider with aftermarket seats?

Thanks!

Liquid741

I love this question! I do the same thing... Curious on the responses as well.

big dr

I hate to be the second guy waiting for a good answer, and nothing but more questions,, but,,, are aftermarket seats considerably lighter or heavier than stock?

ABENDX

1. They make seats with high, low, and no side bolster.... you'd be interested in the 'no' version.

2. IDK the legal answer. The harness, mounted correctly, is going to be much more secure than a seat belt holding a car seat. Mounting the harnesses correctly will require some cage additions.

3. Get yourself the suspension kind. The plastic bottom ones you see at the local auto store aren't safe for our application. As you are already looking at MC, you are looking in the right place. You also want to insure the seat is correctly sized for you, especially watch the seats shoulder height.

Other good brands to check out are PRP and Twisted Stitch. Corbeau had some issues with there seats using plastic gears (reclining)... they've apparently corrected the issue, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.... as in where else do they skimp? Maybe I am being overly cautious, but something to consider.

The only other thing I can tell you is... do it! I waited a few years with my car before switching over and let me tell you, it was a mistake. These seats are so much more comfortable and they really help if you have any kind of back issues.

Much, much lighter.

Kuma

Thanks for the quick response. I guess for me the most important question remains. Is it legal for me to have my little girls strapped in a 5 point harness boosted. If so, I'd do all 4 seats and run only 5-points in the rear. Cage modification is no issue. Everything else is already modified so why not.

big dr

Thx for addressing my question too Abendix! I have tried to keep my jeep as light as possible while still building strong running gear. Just the comfort and weight loss might be enough to push me toward some aftermarket seats.

Tenhammer

if they make a pad to turn a seat into a booster it would work IF the pad has ratings for both weight and height. If they have not had their system tested for this then it would not be consideed a legit safety seat.

after all the seats I have gone thru with my kids I will say the weight restrictions seem to be a bit draconian but I believe the height is most important. You have to make sure a child will not submarine their way out of a seat or slip down and crush their spine. on the flip side a childs height allows the safe routing of a harness to ensure it will not catch the kid in the neck during a wreck.

I would also be concerned about side support for the head in slow trail riding that jeeps do. If there is not some sort of cushion to limit the back and forth motion then smaller kids could bounce their grapes off of roll bars or hard top sides( it is amazing how far they rock side to side when crawling over rocks). I would think low grade whiplash could be an issue also. Remember our lil guys have alot more mass in the head for their size then a teen or adult does.

I would think that if your kid is the size that is legit to use a booster only style child seat then you maybe good to go but any that still require a high back or full seat would not be safe.


Hope this made sense and was helpful

ronin2120

Something else to consider when going to a five point harness set up is that it's designed to be worn tight keeping the occupant in place. When I had mine it wasn't so bad being the driver the harness was set for me. Passengers would always be messing with what was comfortable trying to treat it like it was a regular seatbelt.

I'm running MC seats with regular bolster and it doesn't prevent me from hanging my leg out. Also the seats are amazing very comfortable and well worth the money.

Kuma

Ronin can you tell me which mastercraft seats you went with? Do they still recline? I could just do the front and hold off on the rear.

With the kids and regards to the seats/harnesses: when they fall asleep now I worry about the belt not being adequate to hold them in. Also having reclining seats in the rear would help with that head slouch they get when they crash. The road noise from the tires, wind and stereo knock them out I want them to stay secure but want to be legal.

ronin2120

I went with the Baja RS seats which fully recline and slide forward and back like the stock seats would. I have one child myself and what I did was remove the stock bench seat and moved my front drivers seat to the back. It's a much more comfortable ride for my daughter since the seat does recline, plus she sits a little higher so she can see more.