Racing seats?

Hey guys, I sat in some racing seats recently and really liked the way they fealt on my arms and shoulders and the support, they were real expensive though...so I passed on them.

Has anyone went with some racing seats in their Miata?
which ones did you go with? and how do you like them so far?
I found some on Ebay but I am leary of buying something that the shipping costs are more than the product itself.

I am looking at this route so that I don't get yanked around so much, the stock seats dont hold me in real well and I would rather not be flung around the car so much because of my Hip.

If I do find a set thats good quality at a reasonable price I will most likely sell my tan leather seats I have in the car now, just in case someone is hunting for a pair, I am planning on using the Tax money I am getting back...woo hoo!

Hope everyone has a blast this coming weekend at the Races. :wink:

Hey Billy,

You better double-check with the folks here and on the Pointy Board (TM) before you by any seats. You want to make sure they'll fit in the car!!!

RJ

Yeah thats what I was afraid of,... I also noticed you have to buy rails seperate to instal them in most cases...I have a lot of research to do.
I did a search here that didn't yield much, so I figured I would ask if anyone had any personal experience with and that DO fit.

One step at a time...s..l...o...w

on to check the pointy board. :D

What kind of racing seats are you taling about? Real racing seats like these, or faux "racing seats" that recline?

A real track seat - like the one I have in the link above - is not something I would suggest in a street driven car. They are comfortable, and do provide a lot of lateral support... but they are a royal pain in the ass to get in and out of.

One alternative is the Sparco Roadster:
http://www.albertweb.de/Porsche/Interieur/2028.jpg

Now, this isn't a "real" racing seat (it's not FIA homologated, nor would it pass tech in a "real" race car) - it's more of a racing inspired street seat with a fixed back. It also has lower side bolstering, which allows you to get in and out of it with relative ease. shuhart1 has a pair of these in his car, and they're mighty comfortable.

The only downside? They're $500. Each. Before you buy sliders for them.

But with seats, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Buy some cheap ass, no-name "racing seats" on ebay, and you may very well end up with something made with cheap cloth and cheap foam that looks like crap in six months (especially in a roadster, where they get more UV exposure than they would in a fixed-roof car)... or doesn't fit the limited confines of the Miata in the first place.

This is the seat that I have...

http://hometown.aol.com/rattieface/i...howpic.php.jpg

LINKIE

It's a SPEC Miata seat. It is not installed yet but if it was, it would be difficult to get in and out of the car easily. However, I have a quick release steering wheel and it should not be a problem once I do get the seat installed.

This seat has very little padding (if any) and probably should not be used on a daily driver - unless your a glutton for punishment... which I am. 8) [/img]

actually since you mention it, I guess I am looking for a racing inspired seat, something that holds (me) in snug, and lends support to the back of my arms, like the seat I tried.
And most likely something that can be tilted back, so comfort and being a snug fit are most important,...oh and of coarse be able to fit in the car is a given.
I mean for Auto X ing and street driving it doesn't have to be a real racing seat just be as good as the ones I am replacing right?

My problem is that I tend to slide around in the stock seats and I would like them to tilt back under the legs a little more and have support for my arms and sides...if i could find that, that would be great...and a little Lumbar support.

I did however find that Tailchaser's Stock Seats were a lot more comfortable than mine are, that might be an option for an in-between,..cruise the junkyards for fresh wrecked Miata's

So all that being said does this remind anyone of seeing something that might suit my needs?

Did you ever decide if you are going to autocross and in what class?

Stock class will not allow any after market seat. You could always take the seat cover off and remove some of the foam as many have done. Technically, not legal for stock class, but never seen it protested at the local level. Much more secure ride, and no $$$.

Well, as it is now it does not seem as it has enough foam.
I have decided that yes I do want to try auto X ing, but have no idea what te classes are so dont know what I would fit in.
I already have some aftermarket mods that are not OEM.
I guess I need to find out more about that.

You can use DOT approved harnesses and your stock seat that will not change your class. I have a PAIR of Schroth 4 harnesses (RED) available for $200. I pulled them out of the Mustang. They will plant you in the stock seat and are even easy enough for daily use.

Let me know.

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Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

I have decided that yes I do want to try auto X ing, but have no idea what te classes are so dont know what I would fit in.
I already have some aftermarket mods that are not OEM.
I guess I need to find out more about that.

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I'll put it bluntly, Billy - the mods you've already bought will bump you up to a class (C Street Prepared) where the car will not be competitive. Unfortunately, mildly modified street cars tend to end up classed with heavily modified trailer queens in SCCA autocrossing, and unless you've got a lot of innate talent, the trailer queens will win.

Now, if you're just going to try it an do it occassionally for fun, then don't sweat it. Run in whatever class your mods put you in, and be happy with it. After all, it is for fun, right?

However, if you're the overly competitive type, you might want to download and read this 2005 Solo II Rulebook. It will tell you what you can and can't do for each set of racing classes.

FWIW, my first autocross car quickly became a mildly modified street car that was hopelessly uncompetitive in its class, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the sport. However, when it came time to replace it, I bought the next car primarily based on its competitive potential for autocrossing. :wink:

Thanks Screamin, that is an option but I still would like a seat that fits ME better, I may still however be interested in the harnesses as I am planning to go that route after I get the seats and Rollbar in.

I need to do a search on classifications of Miatae, I have no idea what the letters for the certain classes mean...but I can do that on my own.

WOW Altiain, that's some great info, I really appreciate that.

I am more competitive in nature towards myself, so this is all in fun for me.

I never did sports when I was younger, maybe thats why...who knows.

I used to do stuff like freehand rock climbing, 140mph scooting around loop 820, things that would challenge my own endurance and fate. but as I said...its all just for the fun of it for me, I grew outta that recklesness a long time ago though.
I could care less about winning anything.

Just to be able to drive my car hard is enough for me, maybe that will change as it did for you, who knows.
great advise.

if you're shopping seats, I think this is about the most comprehensive fitment guide out there...

http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/seats.asp

again, than FM, not me. ;)

Is there someone local that sells a variety of these seats so we can test fit our arse in them? Otherwise it's a crapshoot on comfort and size.

RJ

Bobby Archers has some seats sitting around, I dont know if they are the specific ones you are looking for, but it might help.

Yeah, Bobby Archer Motorsports probably has the widest variety of racing and semi-racing seats available in DFW. They're located on Henderson street, just NW of downtown Fort Worth.

GREAT INFO!!
Thanks for the help guys!

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Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

GREAT INFO!!
Thanks for the help guys!

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This is what we are here for.

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Originally Posted by Treibenschnell

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

GREAT INFO!!
Thanks for the help guys!

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This is what we are here for.

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We're hear to provide answers to Billy? All this time I thought we were here to BS about Miatas and stuff... :P

Altiain, question about the Sparco Sprint seats...

Im looking to buy at least one of these in the near future, my question is, since I have a tan interior, I dont think they would look that good & since they suck for daily driving, how hard would it be to switch out the drivers seat before a race, & throw the leather seat back in for daily driving??

I would like to rig it up so I could bolt it to the floor to fit under whichever rollbar I may get. My wife has to move the seat closer when she drives, so I couldnt bolt it to the floor permanently.

Ahhh... Altiain is going to be your answer guy, as he used to do just that! :wink:

It takes me about 5-10 minutes to swap from one seat to another - less time that it takes me to make sure the trailer is loaded before an event. :wink:

My arrangement bolts straight to the floor and gets me about as much headroom as possible, but it isn't abjustable in the slightest. In order to allow both you and your wife to use it, you'll have to mount it on sliders, and you're going to lose a large portion of your head clearance doing that.

^Sweet! Looks like this is my next seat.

If I swap them out every race, that would solve the slider problem.

Err...wait, I can leave the sliders on the stock seats & bolt the sparco to the floor, then put the stocker w/ sliders back in with little effort right?

This would solve the whole delima of wether to recover the stock seat or buy racing seats.


Ok while were on the subject...

I always see leather seats on ebay for cheap, but the driver seats are always trashed, & the passenger seats are always pristene. Would there be any way of modifying the passenger seat to work as a driver seat?? Or would you have to take the leather off the passenger seat & recover the drivers seat with it??

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Originally Posted by Jiggerachi

Err...wait, I can leave the sliders on the stock seats & bolt the sparco to the floor, then put the stocker w/ sliders back in with little effort right?

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That's what I do. Pull the stock seat (sliders and all), and bolt in the Sparco seat (with fixed mounting rails). Four bolts (two front, two rear - look at the pics on my webpage link further up in this thread) and you're done.

Just make sure to put anti-seize on those four bolts. Don't ask me how I know this... :banghead:

Hey Iain,

Will you have that seat installed and out at an AutoX any time soon? And if so, would you let some of us try it out?

RJ

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Hey Iain,

Will you have that seat installed and out at an AutoX any time soon? And if so, would you let some of us try it out?

RJ

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Honestly, I haven't swapped it in for an event in over a year, because I'm too lazy. :wink:

Besides, I can't run it in C Stock, so I was only using it for track events and S2k autocrosses.

However, if there's enough demand for it, then I'd be willing to swap it out for the next tech day.

Wayne Atkins and I went down to Vic Racing just off 820 south of 283, and checked out his seats. Robert Vic is a roadracer and has a couple of stores in the metroplex, but the one off 820 is the newest. He has a couple of different brands, and has spec miata specific seats for 162.00 plus 75.00 for the cover. You can sit in them to see which size fits best. Check'em out....

Thanks,

I'll have to swing down there when I get a free moment.

RJ