Ok, maybe I'm not entirely in the right section of this forum but as it primarly concerns FD owners I just decided to put it here.

Problem...

Recently I bought some second hand (nearly new) Sparco Corsa seats. They came with side mount brackets, height adjuster and everything (for another car) and universal slide rails from Sparco.

Not being a total noob about seats I already did some searching about fitment long before I bought these.
First conclusion... this would not be an easy fit
And it wasn't...

These Corsa are 59cm's wide at the shouldertips. After sme measuring and fitting the was a slight possibility to have them fit without touching the door.
Next problem was the fitment of the side mount brackets from Sparco to the OEM seat rails.
The seatbelt lock attachement got in the way. As I'm in europe these OEM rails are not at every corner of the street so I don't want to mess them up by cutting it of.


The only TRUE solution would be to buy the RZ Recaro's which are redically overprized...

BUT, they have narrower shoulder tips AND tehy have a cutout for the seatbelt attachement
PLUS, they are left and right hand if you haven't noticed... (Mazda went the whole 9 yards here to get the job done)


CONCLUSION:

Me being in the fiberglass domain... having a mould of an early days Sparco REV (shoulderwidth 53cm), 2 Sparco Corsa's in nearly new condition (mouldable)
I just might throw it all togehter and build a straight fit seat to the OEM rails and no issues with doors, seat belt lock attachments, side brackets that get uin the way of everything etc etc...

I'm not goin to slice and dices the new seats I got, just make a mould of the Corsa, take the good parts of each seat, build it into one universal seat, insert the seatbelt lock clearance on both sides (left/right hand fit) etc.

I"ll probably make this a personal project but I figger there are lots of people looking for this.
I"ll post pics of the progress as it come along (may take a while)
If somebody is interested let me know.

Technical... I saw Sparco is making use of rather common fiberglass tissue.
Stenght and weight being an important issue for many I'm seriously thinking of making the final seats with fiberglass/cell/honeycomb structure for strength.

Maybe I'm missing some inportant points to look out for.
I would be glad to have them pointed out for me and they will be taken in consideration.

Greetz
Neal

 

Ok... seems like an interesting subject to... uhm.. no one..
Anyhew... i"ll post a pic of the REV mould I already had from a few years back. Just to show I'm pretty serious.

Just waiting on some wheels to be paid and shipped to get some extra material in and we"ll be off for some glassfiber fun.

Another interesting thing is that I work in Automotive seating industry which might allow me to get the seats tested on our H-point testing bench.

 

Looks cool!! Keep us updated and watch as the flock comes through the gate and asks that you make 30 pairs of seats just for them lol

 

we"ll see... Just made some pics of the REV mould next to the CORSA seats so you can clearly see the difference.

For them who still wodner what's the point of doing all this work.
REV seats have bottom faced attachements, Corsa's only side attachements. Side brackets are one of the reasons this kind of seats hardly fit the 7 without hacking up the OEM rails or fabing up something custom fromuniversal parts.

From my professional background I consider seats to be a safety item even if in fact the seatbelt will hold the body into position when crashing.

As already mentionned.. I"ll keep you guys posted...

 

Recaro SPG's fit pretty well.

 

Ive got the sparco EVO seats, and let me say they were an extreme pain to put in. The shoulder width comes within an inch or less of hitting the door. But it worked though. I made custom seat brackets that bolt directly to the frame with the side mount brackets that screw into the seat, so there is no moving or adujusting these seats. You 're pretty much not going anywhere if a crash happens. Especially with the set-up I have with the 4point roll cage that the 4point harness's are scerewed to so I feel pretty safe.

 

do you have any pics of your setup?

 

Good for all of you where it worked out... I spend 3 days test fitting either the EVo or Corsa and somehow I didnt't work out the way I wanted. There was always some parts of the seat hitting some interior part if it wasn't the shoulder tip hitting the door it would be the lower inside part scratching the tunnelsection.

Basically I want the best of both worlds: EVO mounting system with Corsa backpart and side support (similar to Pro 2000). Personal touch will be a lower cutout for the lower section for easy entrance (similar to Recaro RZ)

@Glass man: correct... when you search the forums those are about the only seats fitting the FD without major difficulties. However Recaro knows their price a bit too well. We have them as a supplier where I work and profit margins are extremely high...

 

What are the lightest seats that fit with no problems and how much do Recaro SPGs weigh vs. stock? Thanks

 

I've had the Sparco Evo 2's for like 3-4 years now in my FD. Not too comfortable.

 

Correct... That's why I prefer the back part of the Corsa much more.

The EVO's had a straight back design while the Corsa's are moulded to vollow the natural bend of the spine...

I'll demonstrate with a picture later today

 

My only problem is that my Back is way to wide for them.

 

Has anyone seen those Mazdaspeed seats on ebay?? they are really cheap. I wonder how the fitment on those are.

 

as promised.

I put both seats against a lighter background to prove my point.

obviously your own physicics cannot be reflected on the seats. However, Sparco and other manufacturers make l en XL seast as well.

 

Step 1:

Today I started my project for real. I took apart my 2 piece REV mould because I'm going to start of with the seat shell of that one.

Few pictures to demonstrate the progress:
- Mould apart
-fibered up (hand lay-up)
-Cleaned up part still in mould. You can cut the edges with a break knife.. trick is to know WHEN...hehehe)


I've been into fberglassing for about 5-6 years now and followed several courses given by airforce mechanics who repair jet fighter parts.
If anybody is into fiberglassing and has questions about how-to's .. feel free to ask.

Next stage:
making mould of the Corsa seat and making back part.

Greetz
Neal @ Speedworks

 

I also have a sparco corsa sitting in my room, so corsa can not be fitted into the FD?? I was under the impression that corsa has identical outside dimension to the sparco evo. The only difference being the corsa seat bottom is longer, and the back is taller.

http://www.sparcousa.com/resourceFiles/26.pdf

 

It can be fitted but the seat will hit the door panel and if you take the time rework the undertray you will find that it will scratch the tunnel.

Unlike what your link says, the REVS have bottom mounts (at least my seat but it's an old model). And the Corsas are wider at the shoulders (Rev: 53cm, Corsa 59cm)

Basicaly I'm going to take the best of both worlds ans make a bottom mount REV/Corsa.
Rev because of the bottom mount
Corsa because of the ergonomic backpanel.

Additionally I'l alter the seat to have clearance for the OEm seatbalt bolt on the inside (1 seat will be usable for both sides. And mak the lower section lower for easy entry (see the Recaro RZ seats)

I"ll be back with more this week...

 

Sorry to hi jack your thread I was saying that Sparco Corsa should be the same dimension as Sparco Evo, Evo has been said to fit in the FD. Corsa is taller and longer on the bottom. I'm wondering why Corsa will not fit in the FD?

http://robrobinette.com/racing_seat.htm

 

Using the side brackets as shown on the link requieres cutting of the seatbalt bolt. They won't fit otherwise.

Although Rob Robinette's website has superb info he could have posted more pictures of the adaptors etc... wonder why ;-)