PRODUCT TEST: PRO ARMOR SNIPER SEAT

WHAT IT IS:
Pro Armor, an industry leader in ATV and UTV accessories, recently jumped into the suspension seat market with the Pro Am seat. Their next generation, feature-filled seat is called the Sniper seat, and Pro Armor claims it offers even more comfort. Instead of building a seat with merely foam on top of a solid surface, a suspension seat uses a metal frame with an elastic-type material suspending the driver’s weight within the seat frame. This suspended seating surface is lowered into a raised seat pan that also helps keep the driver’s butt planted securely in place. Pro Armor uses parachute cord to provide elasticity or “bounce,” because it has great shock-like characteristics yet is also long lasting and very durable.
With the Sniper, Pro Armor aims to provide major improvements over the standard suspension seat design. The Sniper XL is redesigned for taller drivers, featuring a more upright driving position and a shorter seat pan.

MATERIALS:
The Pro Armor Sniper seat comes wrapped in American-made, ultra-durable, marine-grade vinyl and piping, with your color choice of many vibrant colors. The powdercoated steel frame is wrapped in military-spec parachute cord, and then uses multi-density foams for added comfort and all-day drivability.

FEATURES:
All Pro Armor suspension seats feature CAD-designed frames that are powdercoated for anti-corrosion and then wrapped in parachute cording to provide the seat’s suspension. One of the key areas the Sniper improved over the industry standard is the belt slots. Most seats require considerable effort—poking, prodding, maybe even a little bleeding to get the harness belts through the slot. The Pro Armor Sniper features oversized, easy pass-through belt slots. Trust us, your fingers will thank you every time you remove your seat to access the battery or storage compartments. Speaking of removal, another Pro Armor exclusive is the easy-to-use seat-release handle. Pro Armor designed a pull cord of sorts to help you release the stock seat-pan latch. With most other suspension seats, accessing the stock release handle is quite a chore.
The Sniper we tested was the XL version and our 6-foot-4 test driver really appreciated the attention to legroom and seating position. The XL is positioned slightly more upright to provide a roomier feel for long-legged drivers. The seat pan is also 3 inches shorter. This provides a little less containment, but it creates more legroom and is a great trade-off for anyone over 6 feet tall.

INSTALLATION:
The Sniper is the easiest suspension seat we have installed to date. First off, the Sniper seat frame bolts up directly to the stock RZR seat pan. Many seat companies offer this option, and it is the only way to go unless your car is used purely as a racer. Once the stock seat pan is easily bolted to the Sniper, the easy pass-through harness slots allow for very quick installation of four- or five-point harnesses. Pro Armor has drastically reduced install time, effort and discomfort with the new Sniper seat.

PERFORMANCE:
The Sniper XL seat provided plenty of room for a larger driver. The shallower seat pan allows for easier entry and exit as well as additional legroom. You don’t feel quite the same containment as the standard-depth Sniper seat, but it is still greatly improved over stock. At 6 foot 4, our test driver claimed that he might even have more legroom than with the stock seat. When sitting in the seat, the first thing our driver mentioned was greatly improved lumbar support.  The improved lumbar support, suspension and high-performance padding material provide all-day driving comfort.

THE VERDICT:
The Sniper seat is a very comfortable, race-worthy suspension seat. With that said, you truly don’t need to be a racer to appreciate the benefits of upgrading to suspension seats. The XL version is the ultimate answer to anyone that claims to be cramped in a standard-sized seat. Anyone who uses their RZR for long periods of time will truly appreciate the Sniper seat. The improved containment keeps you from being jostled around constantly, and improved lumbar support keeps you in the correct position as well. The pass-through harness slots eliminate the hassle of having true suspension seats, and your body will definitely thank you for that at the end of the day.

contact: www.proarmor.com
rating: HHHH
price: $399