Review – Aero Designs Notus Bucket Racing Seat
Once you plop yourself on top of an Aero Designs Notus bucket racing seat, one thing is for certain – you’re not going anywhere. Designed to be form fitting, and we mean that in the most literal sense, the Notus bucket is a true racing seat. It’s slim and tight with high side bolsters and a sculpted shape. You won’t be moving around at all in this seat and you’ll feel every bit of road transmitted through your chassis, or ass, whatever.
We tested the fiberglass version of the Aero Designs Notus seat, which rings in around the $470 mark. That’s quite a bit lower than any other comparable design fiberglass racing bucket and the Notus includes side mounts and a slider. Carbon fiber and carbon Kevlar versions are also available for $720 MSRP. The biggest reason for the difference in the pricetag? The certification. Seats from such manufacturers as Sparco and Recaro come with FIA certification and expiration dates.
These dates help such organizations as the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) keep track of a seat’s age. This, combined with manufacturer certification, determines whether or not a seat is legal to be raced in a wheel-to-wheel situation. Unfortunately for all you club racers out there, the Notus has to remain in your street car or tow vehicle. You can, however, still use it at open track days and autocross events.
And if you do take a run through some autocross cones, you’ll be glad you had the Notus on your side. This seat is seriously snug. With its design taken from Japanese Super GT racing, according to Aero Designs, only drivers with a roughly 30~32-inch waist need apply.
A larger waistline could technically fit into the seat all right, we measured the ass area tapering from 13-inches to 15.5-inches at the leg split, but if your waist is larger, then it’s very likely that your shoulders and sides are wider than the Japanese as well. The shoulder area and side bolsters could become comfort problem areas for you, although many drivers prefer a smaller, rather than larger, seat when on track.
The positive side of having such a snug seat is feedback. The Notus seat literally wraps around you, letting your softer, fleshier parts fill up its voids. The fiberglass shell itself doesn’t exhibit much flexing, which is key because you don’t want your seat bending every time you go over a bump. Every vibration, lateral-g and shock gets transferred through your chassis and up your spine. The Notus is padded, with removable lower cushions so you can sit even lower, but the padding is quite firm and so much of the seat surrounds you, you won’t be missing a beat. This seat lets you feel everything that’s going on.
The Notus also comes with a crotch hole and the capability to run 5- or 6-point safety harnesses. The seat fabric and cushions are even completely removeable and can taken apart to be cleaned. This is one of the features that we love in our other bucket seats. With the ability to take our seat fabric off annually and toss it in the washer, our seats always look as clean and fresh as possible. This is especially important considering the Notus’s placement as a high performance street bucket seat. You’ll be spending quite a bit more time sitting in this seat than if it was in a non-street legal racecar and you’ll be wearing it out even faster.
The Aero Designs Notus bucket seat is a snug performance-oriented offering that comes in at an incredibly low price point. The only trade-offs are the lack of FIA certification and the possibility that your large American behind won’t get used to the tight holding nature of this seat. For racers, this seat just won’t work because of the certifications. But for normal guys, on the street and at an autocross or open track day, this seat will transform your driving experience. You’ll be moving, pitching and leaning with your car as one. Get ready for the go-kart experience.
Source
Aero Designs
(909) 595-3027
www.aerodesignsusa.com
Appreciate the honest review. Was looking at these seats for my C4 corvette which is used primarily for Autocross and some track days. The article saves me the time, as I am a 40 waist and obviously wouldn’t come close to fitting. Bummer, the price point on these seats is incredible.