2-piece vs 1-piece bucket seat - what is the difference?

Obviously, your seat choice for your sim rig is crucial. You should be completely immersed in the moment and not even bother about anything going on with your seat or seating position. There are two distinct types of bucket seats – 2-piece and 1-piece bucket seats. In the following, we want to take a closer look at the key differences and which type might be for you.

Like the name suggests, a 2-piece bucket seat consists of two separate pieces – the seating pad and the backrest. This allows for greater flexibility and many adjustment options. This might come in handy if you need to adjust your rig and seating often, for example, when you share your sim racing experience with other people on the same rig. However, such seats oftentimes are quite heavy due to all the adjustment mechanisms built into it. They are also not as sturdy, and you might find that there is some movement in the backrest in different racing situations, for example when you are using a Loadcell and apply much force when braking. They are also not as tight, usually, which can lead to you moving inside the seat and not providing a consistent seating platform for steady lap times.

A 1-piece bucket seat, on the other hand, you can imagine as a padded seat shell. The backrest and seating platform are one fixed part. On real-life racetracks, a 1-piece seat is a must, as it is an important safety feature, and only this type is certified for motorsport usage. As sim racing is about trying to get as close as possible to the real thing, a 1-piece bucket seat is definitely way more authentic and closer to reality. Additionally, these have a tighter fit in general, which leads to a more stable and consistent seating position when driving.

On the flipside though, these are often more expensive than 2-piece seats, as safety standards must be met, and special materials are used. Also, there is very limited adjustability. It is important that the seat fits your body type from the get-go. Some seats might offer different padding options to fit you better, however, you cannot adjust the seating surface and backrest individually.

Generally, which type of seat you want to choose depends entirely on your taste, your budget, required adjustability options, and how closely you want to simulate the real thing. As Fanatec is all about simulating the real racing experience, we offer the well-established and FIA-certified Sparco Pro 2000 bucket seat on our website.