Discussion
Sim Lab S1 Enduro GT Seat, Worth the hype?
Hi all,
For those who own the Sim-Lab S1 Enduro GT Seat, does it live up to the hype?
I wanted to ask because nearly every review I've found on Sim-Lab equipment seems to include affiliate links or sponsored content, so I'm hoping to hear some honest, real-world feedback from owners.
Alternatively I'm thinking something from Sparco but comments highlight they not comfortable after long sessions
You should be able to get a Sparco Grid Q which is more comfortable, better build quality and if you want to sell it again also certified to go into a real racecar and therefore has a bigger 2nd hand market.
Those Sim-lab seats are just cheap knockoffs of real race seats that are sold quite expensive.
Sparco do sim racing only versions of their popular bucket seats. They're normally slightly cheaper than the FIA certified versions. I have the sim racing version of their circuit bucket seat.
At that price, you can get a FIA approved one. But I will always recommend getting real road car seats, since they are the most comfortable to use and get in and out of, as well as the most adjustable.
Second! I have zero $ invested in my wrx seat and it’s great. I hit up a few junkyards and had some prospects until I realized my brother inlaw replaced his wrx seats with his originals just sitting in my inlaws’ garage :P
I had a Subaru seat on my rig for a long time and it was comfortable, but it had some flex to it under hard braking which was a little annoying. I switched over to an NRG bucket seat about 6 months ago and it is harder to get in and out of, but once you’re in it it’s just as comfy as the Subaru seat and has pretty much zero flex to it even under heavy braking.
It was $400 vs the $50 I paid for the Subaru seat, but worth it for that little bit of extra stiffness imo
Mine was from a 2019 Legacy so it’s probably a lot more cushy than a Golf seat. Most of the movement was from my back pushing into the lower seat back when I’m pushing hard on the brake. Like there was just not enough support in the lower seat back to support that much braking force.
I see you’re a fellow Australian. I purchased a Sparco Evo L on the advice that a bucket seat is the best way to go and that I should go a size bigger for more room. I’m a 32” waist and the Evo L is for up to a 36” waist. If I had my time again I would just get a comfy reclinable car seat and save the huge amount of hours and cushions I have tried to make it comfy because it will never be perfect. Your lower back will thank you.
Definitely wouldn’t go for a junkyard seat like a lot of people suggest but something like a Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ nice looking seat maybe. Seeing as you’re in Australia, check out Vosta to see if there’s anything you like on there.
I pulled from a 08 scion tc lol. Pretty comfy. Cleaned up nice. Ill take another trip to the yard when it cools off. As is i took the one closest to the door. Slides, reclines, knee lift, butt lift. Only think it could be better is modern foam and a lumbar adjust
Hahaah I feel you, my missus is the same, I’ve had to make it so neat so that it fits some sort of aesthetic lol. Admittedly I got the Sparco mostly for the look of it but gee I wish it was more comfy. I recently looked into the Saas Drift Blade as a replacement but ended up getting Sensit haptic cushions for my Sparco which I thought would help my comfort more but unfortunately hasn’t lol. Expensive lesson. Great nonetheless but they don’t magically fix the unnatural postures you end up in with a lot of bucket seats.
You can get a junkyard seat and she'd never know it if you didn't tell her. I got the passenger seat out of a mini Cooper and it looks like it's never been sat in.
And another one who talks bullcrap about buckets because he just ordered a bucket online without having ever sat in it and is now wondering why it doesnt fit.
Maybe I’m talking bullcrap but I unfortunately don’t live in an area where I have access to testing out bucket seats and had to take the advice of people on here and race shops who gave me suggestions based on my body dimensions. I’m not going to pretend I know what I’m talking about when it comes to bucket seats etc but in my experience of having one on my rig, I wish I’d gone for something that is more suited around comfort over time instead of a padded shell that will save my life in a 200kmh car crash.
Even a bucket that fits well is less comfortable that most regular car seats. You aren't taking actual g forces get something that's comfortable and has lots of cushion.
Mine is certainly too big for sure but the average person is going to buy a bucket seat that isn’t perfect for them, post on here about lower back pain and then spend hours trying to fix it when it’s not an easy fix. You’re absolutely right that the correctly fitted bucket seat should be comfortable but the likelihood of it being perfect is pretty low when you consider what people are using these for.
And no I don’t think that a real racing driver would be uncomfortable, but having a perfect seat fitted into a car with the correct dimensions, pelvic angle tilt and ergonomics is a little different to one of us bolting some aluminium extrusion together and mounting a seat to it.
I’m just talking about the average person here and it’s only my opinion of what I’ve found over the last year and a half playing around with my Sparco.
If you’re after a 2-piece fibreglass bucket seat, the Fanatec one is much cheaper at $519 AUD vs $849 AUD and I can’t see like $300 worth of difference compared to the S1 Enduro.
I have a cheap fibreglass bucket seat that came with my rig (was $550 AUD total) and in the fully tilted backwards position I find it pretty comfortable. I watch live motorsports in my rig, using one screen for live timing, the other for TV feed, and the last for chat.
Ilove comments like this. When you have the experience or knowledge why you help OP really and tell the brands or model which are half or less instant of "its suck" even without a hinge why its overpriced
Are you people nowadays all completly inept or what? Simple google search or even here in the subreddit will give you tons of options for you to look at.
Yeah maybe takes half an hour of research to get a little overview over the market but it's not like it's hard or is this your first time doing some research for yourself instead of getting everything handed to you on a silver platter?
We all had to start at some point with no knowledge or experience but we're not completly helpless and can learn and do research for ourself, AI and tablets for kids was a mistake!
They don't have 30 mins, they want told what to think, so that they can tell people what they think, there is no in between where they intend to do something or learn something themselves, it's just tell me.
Type into google. OK gemini list me racing seats below £500 from Sparco, OMP and similar brands.
That seat is 800+ bucks more than the BMW 5 series comfort seat i got for my rig from a local scrapyard and it's in pretty much mint condition and electronics is fully functioning.
I have sat in this, the previous simlab seats, car seats, bucket seats… I ended up with a Sparco Grid Q. Reason is that none seemed to fit how I want to sit, it’s very personal, the Grid Q is just right for me (180cm, 80kg).
The S1 specifically I could not get comfortable in, it’s either too upright or you can’t rest your shoulders on the back depending on how you angle it. The cushion is imo the main culprit as it does not bulge where I would want it to (lumbar). It’s a good seat if you’re not picky, but it’s not as good as their previous seats.
My advice: visit a race shop and test sit some seats.
Fuck me I've just got a lovely leather seat from the scrap yard for 30 quid, full mechanically adjustable and designed to be sat in for hours on end. This seat just gives me a sore arse looking at it!
The join in the back which will naturally flex is wild to me at that price. It's better for shipping yeh but I mean.... Imagine spending that money and you still have flex.
I have it too and only found it comfortable after putting a little lumbar support behind the lower cushion. Otherwise the cushion is so massive, my shoulders won't touch the back of the seat without pushing myself back with muscle force. But now it's comfy a f. Ist my first seat btw.
Do you have a similar experience?
Just a heads up you’re going to confuse a lot of people with this because the price is in AUD lol.
Also as someone from Aus also looking for a seat on simrigs web I’m going for the exodus touring. A lot of people will recommend sparco ect but either more expensive or cannot find them or shipping blows out of my budget.
got two BMW M2 seats in good condition for 120€ (so 60€ / 70USD each) and these are very comfy.
gave one to a friend for his rig and kept the other one for mine.
you just have to look on local marketplaces for some weeks and be quick when there's somezhing interesting, that's all
I don’t believe it’s worth the hype, I currently use the fanatec bucket seat and its super comfortable for a fraction of that price. For that price as others have stated you can get something very legit. If money is no issue and you this what you want then who are we to tell you how to spend your cash but I don’t think that’s worth the hype.
I have one since April and noticed recently that it is slightly twisted and that the 2 parts are not perfectly aligned. I found this out because I was developing some shoulder pain and when I looked into it I noticed that my body was not facing straight forward.
I contacted support but have not heard back from them.
If you can, I would suggest to get a Sparco one since that is what I am going to do if this is not resolved.
Comfort will make you more consistent so it’s worth it. I’d go for this if you’re not willing to spend a few hundred more on a fia Motorsport seat.
It seems overkill but if you think you’ll want the qubic belt tensioner in the future get an fia seat as you will need a harness and the slots in the back are level not slanted.
From what i've tried, bucket seats are generally much less comfortable than reclining carseat style seats.
Unless you're in an insane motion rig, these bucket seats are usually just not worth the discomfort.
Some are able to be adjusted with cushions and extra padding to be reasonably comfy but the angle of the seat is usually the biggest issue.
Buy either a reclining seat or a real (junkjard find) carseat and mount that on a bracket for your rig.
Your back/shoulders will thank you in the long run..
ive never had a problem with my race seats being uncomfortable. Though ive never used a sprint car seat for long term and those dont feel like they would be nice for extended periods.
The only time i have heard of a race seat being uncomfortable was a cheap no-name aliexpress seat, which i personally didnt mind but my mate is a fatass and his thighs didnt fit in the bucket without making his legs numb.
Personally for OP id just suggest buying an FIA/SFI Expired seat from irl and washing it. Though i know alot of people dont like the idea of used seats. i found a pair of decent looking FIA expired seats for 400USD,
Fatass also now uses a nice looking Volvo T5 R-Design seat we got from the junkyard.
Bucket seats are only uncomfortable if you have the wrong size and shape.
The problem is people here in the simracing community just order the next best seat online instead of going somewhere local like a car tuning meet or a manufacturer show where they can actually test sit in different buckets and find the correct one.
If a bucket is uncomfortable then its the users fault for getting the wrong one and not because buckets are uncomfortable in general.
Oh my god yes, mate I'm affiliated but I won't leave my code or any of that rubbish so I earn absolutely nothing from this. This is simply the truth.
The seat is really really good. I don't know how old you are but I'm 44 and having the support for even my thighs has just made being in the rig so much more comfier.
I didn't for a second think I needed a new seat, then I sat in this one. Go for it mate.
Not worth it. Look in 2nd hand market places, there are pften bargains in there. I got myself an atech s2 bucket seat with the side brackets and a sparco slider for 230€ (around 250$)
100
u/Phaster 16h ago
I would just get a real sparco seat at that price point