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How many of you own either RZ or Spirit R Recaro Seats??

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Old 03-17-07, 05:07 PM
  #26  
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the spirit R had kevlar recaro's right? i rmember seeing a pair on ebay, the guy was asking something like 2500 before shipping.
Old 03-17-07, 06:01 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by donz
the spirit R had kevlar recaro's right? i rmember seeing a pair on ebay, the guy was asking something like 2500 before shipping.
Carbon/Kevlar.

From FDNewbie's site:

Authentic, OEM, carbon-kevlar Recaro racing seats with flame-retardant fabric, these seats are not for the meek. Made by Recaro exclusively for the Spirit R RX-7, these are among the lightest (~10.5 lbs each) racing seats available, period. And being OEM, you can rest assured that they fit perfectly, and afford additional head/helmet clearance as well. These sell for $4,000+ EACH from Mazda Japan; here's your chance to get them for a fraction of the price.
Old 03-17-07, 06:13 PM
  #28  
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Holy ****, so the Spirit R seats sit low enough for my 6'1" *** to not hit the headliner? I cant wear a helmet unless Im in gangsta mode. It sucks.
Old 03-17-07, 11:18 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Mr3plus1
Holy ****, so the Spirit R seats sit low enough for my 6'1" *** to not hit the headliner? I cant wear a helmet unless Im in gangsta mode. It sucks.
I hear you buddy, That was a huge concern for me as well.

I saw a post about "low profile" seat rails. Those might help you.
Old 03-17-07, 11:34 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by herblenny
Getting new covers made are also expensive as patterns and padding are complex. The quote I got from a local shop was about $1500 in leather, $1000 in cloth.
Well I actually have a local shop here (that works for Ferrari) who I use to repair any seats that require some attention. And it isn't that expensive to repair 'em to the point where they're essentially like new

Originally Posted by DaiOni
As for the seats - I got mine for about US$1300. Mine are 96-ish black RZ (slightly different shell pattern to the newer ones). I've also purchased (for a customer) a set of spirt-r reds for about US$1600. A friend of mine recently picked up a set of reds for less than what I paid for mine. There's definitely bargains about, if you can find the right exporter and are prepared to wait.

Now, I'm not recommending myself here (I do very little parts trade these days, due to lack of time), but what you need to get a cheap price is someone who ships via a container. I don't have the connections for this, and I've been restricted to air freight. This is where the price really blows out - as the freight is dependant on cubic volume - not weight - and those seats aren't small, even when they are constructively packaged.
Exactly one of my issues. Which is why I'm now switching to container shipping. But having said that, I think it's fair to say that on the whole those low priced deals/steals are far and few in between I'm sure you've been keeping an eye on the market for a while, just as I have, and there's been a *significant* drop in how often these things pop up for sale in JDM land over the past few months. They're getting harder and harder to find, esp. in good condition. See, bolsters can be repaired relatively easily. But a cigarette burn in certain areas can essentially be permanent. Plus, a lot of the guys are asking for crazy high prices, and at times won't even ship the seats within Japan (they require pickup only). So the expenses add up VERY quickly when all is said and done.

Trivia: interestingly, when I had two sets at the same time - spirit-r and early RZ - I had them side by side and there is a significant difference in height (the later ones seem to be about an inch taller).
I got a bit more trivia for ya DaiOni. There are def. differences within the shell itself as well as the cloth in the Spirit Rs. For example, some came w/ cutouts for 5-point restraints, and others didn't. Also, there are differences in the cloth material in red over the years. One of the pairs I have (and will prob keep for myself) is out of one of the last Spirit Rs, and it's full of slight differences...

~Ramy
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Old 03-17-07, 11:38 PM
  #31  
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Interesting info. I recently sat and drove in a pair of black RZs, and there was no cutout for the 5th point of a harness.....
Old 03-17-07, 11:46 PM
  #32  
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I know...they aren't found in the RZs. I said in my LATE Spirit R pair
Old 03-18-07, 02:04 AM
  #33  
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Hey Ramy, do you happen to have any pics of that cutout? My set was made in August 2002 and neither seat has it.

Originally Posted by FDNewbie
I know...they aren't found in the RZs. I said in my LATE Spirit R pair
Old 03-18-07, 03:43 AM
  #34  
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Mine doesn't have this cut out either.. hmm.
Old 03-18-07, 03:52 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Aristo
Hey Ramy, do you happen to have any pics of that cutout? My set was made in August 2002 and neither seat has it.
Here is the pic FDnewbie have posted before..



Also the rail attatches at the different point (I guess because of the tilt function).
Old 03-18-07, 08:17 AM
  #36  
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just out of curiosity , how do these seats "feel" as in are they comfy , easy to get in and out , could you drive long runs withouth it "hurting" you ?
I am thinking of getting a pair despite the high price , but i am not into racing and all that ,so i am worried i will pay all this money and it will be a pain to drive the car with them
Old 03-18-07, 10:42 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by felix_is_alive
just out of curiosity , how do these seats "feel" as in are they comfy , easy to get in and out , could you drive long runs withouth it "hurting" you ?
I am thinking of getting a pair despite the high price , but i am not into racing and all that ,so i am worried i will pay all this money and it will be a pain to drive the car with them
Compared to stock R1/R2 seats:

They are more difficult to get in and out of. You definitely don't look as graceful doing it, lol. I think once you 'master your technique' for ingress and egress it'll be fine.

Comfort, based on the owners I've talked to they're not as comfy as the stock seats, but you can't expect that. Some of the bigger guys (over 6 foot and 200) told me that in some ways it was more comfortable due to having more knee and leg room (tilt function).

I'm not sure how they'd do on a long (like 700+ miles per day) road trip. The stock R1 seats were great, I drove over 1000 miles in a day numerous times (and 1600 miles in 2 days) with no problems at all.
Old 03-18-07, 12:43 PM
  #38  
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Aristo & Phil, out of ALL the seats I've come across (which is quite a few), I've only seen one or two w/ these cutouts. Both were pulled out of '01s or '02s. And again, the fabric is VERY different than other Spirit R seats I've come across. It's a thick weave, not the regular foam-like fabric the seats usually come in.

Originally Posted by herblenny
Also the rail attatches at the different point (I guess because of the tilt function).
No, that's cuz I had it attached to Bride rails. I have OEM rails now

~Ramy
Old 03-18-07, 01:53 PM
  #39  
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Wow, with all this Info I'm kinda afraid to buy a set without seeing them with my own eyes first.
Old 03-18-07, 01:56 PM
  #40  
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Because...?
Old 03-19-07, 07:51 AM
  #41  
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Interesting - my Spirit seats don't have the cut outs either (fabric is also the foam material Ramy mentions).
Old 03-19-07, 11:00 AM
  #42  
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I don't know why everyone's all surprised...I just told ya that out of ALL the seats I've come across (and they're many), I've only seen TWO like that. So the chances of someone else having a set like that are VERY VERY rare...
Old 03-19-07, 11:21 AM
  #43  
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I would love to get a pair of RZ's for my car. I am more partial to the black than the red.
Old 03-19-07, 11:26 AM
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Then honestly Brandon, I'd sign up for 'em ASAP. I'm having a VERY hard time finding 'em as of late. No joke. And those that are available, the crackheads wanna sell 'em for like $4K in Japan, so you can imagine how much it would be after I get 'em here...
Old 03-19-07, 11:37 AM
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I hear ya Ramy. I just can't bring my self to budget these in right now. Hopfully when I can, I er you will be able to find a pair for me.
Old 03-19-07, 01:18 PM
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I feel ya. You know I'll do my best to take care of ya
Old 04-07-07, 03:19 AM
  #47  
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re: the harness cutouts.

I found this info interesting - because I've never seen a set with the cutouts.

However, yesterday I noticed something interesting - as we know, these seats aren't only used in FDs - they have also been used in miata (roadster) and FC specials - they have also been used by other manufacturers - including honda, in the NSX. Late model NSX (type-r) seats look like this...



perhaps it's these seats, on an FD rail?
Old 04-07-07, 03:23 AM
  #48  
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I would love to buy these seats with the stock seatbelt clip and cutouts for racing harnesses for trackdays.

Ramy pm me if you're willing to let yours go or know where to get some others

-Andy
Old 04-07-07, 08:20 AM
  #49  
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I'm drooling in anticipation.....if all goes as planned, in about 2 weeks I'll have a set of these bad boys bolted into my R1
Old 04-07-07, 09:17 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
I'm drooling in anticipation.....if all goes as planned, in about 2 weeks I'll have a set of these bad boys bolted into my R1
You luck bastard. I have a funny feeling that my *** wouldn't be able to fit in those. I have a 36" waist plus 6'2" tall. I don't want to buy a set and then find out I can't fit in them.

R.K.


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