RIPDOTCOM

I am going to redo the interior of my FC and want to change the stock seats. Was looking on ebay and it looks like everything needs brackets. I totally dig the RX-8 seats, anyone know if they are a direct fit? Or are there any direct fit seats?

lamar-

not direct

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

if you re-doing the whole interior a few hours of figuring out some brackets is not a big deal, just stick to smaller seats especially if you are a bigger guy

clokker

iTrader: (2)

The only "direct fit" seats are going to be the stockers.
Driver side is no problem- the mount points are nearly symmetrical and flat- so nearly anything can be made to mount easily.
The passenger side is much more difficult and requires ingenuity and craft.

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

or a set of $100 wedge brackets

lunardeathgod

or just use one seat. I never got the point of getting a racing seat for the passenger.

papiogxl

iTrader: (6)

If you are a beginner on a track, you have to have an instructor ride with you, and they have to have the same protection as you.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

No one mentioned "racing seats".
There are many OEM seats (the OP mentioned RX-8) that are nice upgrades over the stock RX-7 chairs.
Unfortunately, Wedge doesn't make brackets that will mount Integra seats into the Mazda, so one must make do.

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

if you strip all the brackets off the integra seats and take measurements they will, thats how I got my speed3 seats to work

clokker

iTrader: (2)

If only it was that easy.
Many Honda seats have the seat tracks integrated to the bracket that also provides the pivot point for the seat back (Integra seats of the late 80's/early 90's are like this)...remove the bracket and the seat falls apart.

lunardeathgod

oh ok my bad, forget my post then :p

jpieps

So wait, a BIGGER guy is supposed to get a SMALLER seat? I'm confused. Could you please clarify? I am thinking about getting a new seat for my car and I am wondering what you mean. One of the reasons for getting a new seat is because I am a big guy and I need more room. your statement is just confusing me. Is there something I'm missing?

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

if you get a seat that is larger then your current seat you will lose headroom

you want a seat that will sit as close to where the FC seats sit, if your larger you will want a seat that is maybe even shorter

clokker

iTrader: (2)

No, you're not missing anything, there's been a poor choice of terminology in some of the responses.

Clearly, you want a seat that fits your ***.
When considering a replacement seat, the width of the cushions ( base and back) are not the primary consideration (compared to a 3rd gen we have a gigantic interior).

Most "generic" aftermarket seats have fairly thin seat bases, while OEM units- which generally favor comfort over support- tend to be thicker.
It's the installed height of the seat base that is usually the problem...especially in export markets (like America) and even more especially for sunroof equipped cars (like, most of 'em).

(Our cars also require radically different seat base/mounting for the two sides...so I'm going to ignore the passenger side for now.)

If you can live with the inconvenience, "hard mounting" (i.e., no sliders) is the easiest path to lowering the seat height.
(This is also the least painful way of dealing with the passenger seat mount issue.)
Even low profile sliders are about 3/4" tall, which can be a huge difference when it comes to head clearance.

If you must have sliding capability, when it comes to OEM seats (like the OP's RX-8 idea) the most critical thing to examine is the bottom of the seat and how it was originally mounted in the donor car.
Our cars use a raised rib that spans the floorpan to mount the front of the seat...many cars do not and their seat base can be dropped between the sliders (one of my favorite OEM seats, the Honda CRX Recaro does this).
Such a config requires the seat be raised on the sliders so the dropped base pan clears the RX floor...and there goes your headroom.

Clearly, I have spent way too much time thinking/experimenting with seats (at least six sets so far, currently sporting early nineties Integra chairs) and I've learned that almost any (reasonable) seat can be mounted...whether you like it or not is hard to tell till it's done.
For me it takes about a week to decide if I like the seats...initial impressions can be deceiving. A couple hours on the highway is mandatory- a seat that's fine when you're active might be torture when you're basically just sitting for an extended period of time.

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

its really not that hard to understand, if the stock seats sit 9" from the floor and your new seat sits 11" from the floor a bigger seat is no good for you.
It would be like sitting on a cushion. Even if the brackets are as flat as they can be if one seat is thicker its no good, you cant take thickness out of a seat without taking it into a shop then you might as well just recover your seats

the other item to take into consideration is the angle of the seat itself, the stock seat has a angle so your *** is lower then your thigh, get a seat with a different angle so that the *** part is straight and you will feel like you are propped up in the air.

to me the ANGLE of the seat is the most important because it will just not "feel" right, if you just bought the car and have no seat time you may not notice as much, but coming from someone who has owed their car for so long I was very sensitive to the recovered seats in my TII and the new seats in my vert, I instantly feel the difference and it takes a long time to get used to

jpieps

Alright, thanks for clearing that up. I get what you are saying now and it makes complete sense. Also, do you guys know how the headroom in an fc compares to an fb? I own an fb, but was looking at getting an fc (more power without messing with the swap). It's just that I am 6'3" and my head hits the roof in my fb if the sunroof isn't up. I want to get into some beginner level road racing in the future, so I need a helmet on a head that already doesn't have enough room in an fb. I heard that an fc has slightly less headroom. Is that true? It is it even possible for me to get in there without mounting the seat straight to the floor?

jpieps

Sorry for jacking the thread, looks like the OP has his question answered. If I need to make a enw thread, let me know.

RIPDOTCOM

I think maybe I will just get a set of leather skins for the stock seats. Theres no way I can put taller seats in it. Short legs and a tall torso is my main problem. Bumping my head on the damn drivers door in turns. I can lean the seats back a bit more and its comfortable. if I decide on redoing the interior I will be ripping everything out anyway then im sure i'll be back with more questions.