Racing Seats and Steering Wheels
 

I want to replace the seats in my car, as well as the big rig steering wheel. I have been poking around for the past 3 months or so and the only real place I found (and please, please correct me if you know of other places) is Andy's Auto Sport. Their pages don't seem to be that informative and I don't know the difference in Hub adapters for the steering wheels. or pretty much any of their products for that matter. Everything says universal fit which if I read my information right may or may not be the case. I figure I should go to the ultimate source for knowledge about my vehicle, rx7club :)

As far as seats go, it looks like I can make brackets (would rather just buy) but I don't know if I would fit in the seat, not fat just have broad shoulders and I want to make sure that I can fit in something. Also don't really know what accessory parts complement both the steering wheel and the seats. Do you guys have any recommendations on websites to buy from or brands to buy?
I'm looking to keep my seat purchase under 500 (for the pair) and the steering wheel under $300 (with hub adapter as they look expensive).

Do I need to get a harness when purchasing a new seat as well? I would personally prefer it as it is to be a race car and it's something I'll probably want in the future anyway, any recommendations on those? Or can I just stick with the 3 point for now.

What I would really like is a place in person to go and look at stuff. I want to shop for car seats like I shop for office furniture lol. Anyone know of a place in Colorado?

Oh dear god please do not EVER go to that garbage website. For universal things like wheels and seats, go to evasivemotorsports.com

Andy's auto sport is garbage. If you just want a cheap universal wheel look on ebay, their are car specific adapter's and wheel's with a quick release hub for about 60$ shipped.

Stock wheel and seats on my FC fit like a glove. I'd leave them unless you want rx8 seats just for the rotor cutout. :icon_tup:

I'm 6 foot, and I've got a 38" waist and 40" chest the rx-7 fits like a glove, but the seats sadly do not. The lumbar support digs into my hips. They are gonna be one of the first interior items to go.

They a bit old and I would rather have something that will hold me in a little better while I am racing, I'd rather not get thrown around the cabin lol. I'm 6ft, 36 waist and 44 chest, so that is why I wanted to sit in something before I buy it. The other reason I want new chairs is because the old ones are well old. Nearly as old as me. And it would nice to get some new fabric in the car, improve the overall look.

I'd just reupholster them... But if they don't fit, they dont fit. I'm 6ft 1in but slim. I fit in just about anything if I lean the seat back. Check sparco? A few companies make bolt on rails. I can't remember which. Just don't put a 4/5 point harness in one without a roll cage. Safety concern.

Oh an sadness, the seats me and fiance liked don't have the proper bracket.

http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/Me...Code=NRG_SEATS

I assume that since the RX7 is not on the listfor the braket above I can't use these seats?: http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/Me...Code=NRG_SEATS

eBay -> COMBO RED STITCH 320-MM BLACK/BAK STEERING WHEEL+QUICK RELEASE+HUB MAZDA FD/FC3S $51.99 shipped!

Oh man that steering wheel is awesome. I'll have my fiance take a look and see if she likes it. Cheap and it looks bad ass. Double win

I've never had any experience with any steering wheels other than my stock wheel... But if you get it, let us know how it works out for you. I've always been curious about the difference in quality when it came between a $300+ steering wheel and a $50- steering wheel.

Probably stitching, real V.S. fake leather, different metals, etc...

^ Wow... Well, that pretty much answers my questions. lol

Lol, which is why I opted for the $300 Nardi Personal ;)

oh man lol. I'll keep the stock wheel just in case. I'll give it a go, it's not a ton of money to lose if it sucks,

never had any issues with either momo wheels ive had,

Oh I meant to ask if that ebay one will be okay with the angle sensor in the steering column, I assume that is the little white ring with the 2 nubs coming off of it? I was just about to order and I forgot about that thing. Figure I would ask.

300 for a wheel is way to damn much, and I have a hard time believe that all of these wheels being sold by the companies that have 98+ % positive feedback would bend that easily.

I payed 99$ for the grant wheel in my dsm and I only payed that much because I couldn't find one I liked for cheaper. All of them have shiny metal, carbon fiber, or retarded shapes or colors.

Obviously if you type in Nardi Momo or Sparco on ebay and look for the first wheel that that costs 50$ your retarded. You need to pay at least 300$ for something to have a cool name on it.

for seat rails i'd go with bride (about 200 comes with the brackets, sliders and side mounts for the seat) or sparco (never priced them but the side mounts, brackets and sliders all have to be purchased separately)

not all the cheap ebay wheels are that terrible but still not as great as a legit. my car came with a wheel, hub and quick release all from ebay. i was scared the quick release was just gunna spin freely so i took that off right away but the hub was actually pretty solid along with the wheel. i still ended up changing wheels for a real momo worth the money. the ebay wheel just felt cheap and looked it too, the "real leather" (as described by the po) looked and felt plastic (i'm pretty sure that's what it really was) btu the metal was actually surprisingly strong unlike the one in the video above.

Will the seat mounts fit those seats that I posted above? The bride seats and sparco seats are like 500+ each

Hahah nice video. Never had any problem with momo either. I do want to find me a deep steering wheel though.

The biggest problem with Momo is the price.

If you want a legit wheel and don't care if its a "JDM" company then look up grant. Pretty much the only type of wheel any of the hot rod shops around here sell.

What kind of racing will you be doing and what does the sanctioning body require?

You simply cannot- repeat, CANNOT- buy any sort of approved racing chair for the kind of money you're talking about. You can barely get decent harnesses for that price.

One very popular racing seat- that comes in a variety of sizes and options- is Kirkey. I was surprised how "comfortable" the one I sat in was...but comfort is a very relative term when it comes to this sort of chair.
It certainly wouldn't be any good for cruising around or long term sitting but would do nicely for keeping you in position under higher G's.

A race car has such different requirements than a street car that I don't see how they possibly intersect.
You can have one or the other but I don't know how you get both.

Mighty fine questions. I was planning on doing some track racing at High Plains Raceway out in eastern Colorado. They don't have any other requirements other than a helmet and 3point stock seat belt. so I figure anything after market and I would be fine. (That may obviously my not be the case) And possible also doing some drifting down the line. I believe they also don't require any special seating or harness requirements. Same as HPR, helmet and at least stock seat belt.

@Rotank: It's all a matter of personal opinion, but also the quality/history of the wheel itself. I took pride in getting a Personal (sub-brand of Nardi) because of it's rich history in the racing world. It's been used in everything from Formula 1 to ALMS and back. The genuine Italian quality is there, and I feel good knowing that.

@clokker: By far, hands down, the most comfortable racing bucket I've ever come across is the Bride Vios III LoMax. With Sparco 4-point harnesses it gave me a more comfortable, enjoyable, and held in ride than anything I've ever sat in before. This includes my friends E55 AMG, which those seats are just pure German rediculousness. Fucking heated massages man...