HELP FROM FELLOW RECARO RZ or SPIRIT R SEAT OWNERS!!
02-24-05, 05:10 PM
#26
Mazdabation, it's kinda hard to see the tiny thumbnail lol but from the looks of it, that's prob. the FEED low position rail that simply lets the seat sit lower. But it's for the stock seats, not the Recaros...the holes don't line up in the least. Plus, I'm being stickler about getting the stock rails w/ the tilt function cuz the seats don't recline, and I'm kind of a big guy...I need my space...
Yea I thought they do, but I couldn't see from the pics. Good stuff
I'm sure they do...but they're just so not noticeable. I found them by accident. But again, I'm sure they do. I've seen 'em on '97 Black RZs and 2002 Red Spirit R's.
You bastard 
lol
Such a crybaby... 
Word? Dawg, if you can def. get them, I'm more than willing to split the cost w/ you so we can use it as the template. I can see if the others wanna chip in too... and I know they ain't cheap. You remember how much I told you JT quoted me, right? And I was STILL willing to pay for it lol
PMed ya btw.
Originally Posted by apexkw
lol ramy.... yea the seats do have a plastic ring around the shoulder strap holes... but only on the back side
Also ramy i dont think mine has those holse on the sides for the side straps.
i'll check laterwhen i go home since i sit in mine everytime i drive the car lol...just teasing man.
lol
My rails are usdm touring rails made to fit with the rz seat. and in my opinion they suck. they work fine for street driving i guess but i want the oem ones because i plan to track my car. and i feel that they will have a better fit then my current setup.
Also i think i found someone to get me a new set of rails again but it will cost some $$$ ... sigh
PMed ya btw.
02-24-05, 06:56 PM
#27
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Originally Posted by FDNewbie
Heath,
As you can see from the pic below, the seats actually do have cutouts on the side for racing harnesses. The only prob is, the cutouts are in the CF backing, but not in the seat covers themselves. I guess it's good that way cuz I'd never want to have to cut through CF/kevlar.
I didn't give it much thought that there are no plastic grommets around the top holes (maybe there are and I just don't remember...haven't used the seats in so long) but if there aren't, I'm sure some can be placed on them. I'm a lil crazy (ie I payed for these seats, so I'm gonna use 'em damnit lol) and I'll prob make precision cuts in the fabric and use plastic grommets on the side to allow for my harnesses from the side as well. I haven't concluded whether I'm going to make a cut & slit through the middle of the seat itself to allow for a 5th harness (crotch belt) or just go w/ a 6-point harness setup. The determining factor will be what effect putting the slit through the seat can have on the structural integrity of the seat, given the stress the harness will place on it. I can't risk the seat fragmenting in the case of an impact due to the severe stress put on the slit I made. So in short, we'll see, but I'm definitely intent on using these along w/ a roll bar for a 5 or 6 point harness system (I already have a 5-point in the FD now).
As for a pic of someone strapped in, in the FD lol...didja notice this thread is about trying to be ABLE to put the seats IN the FD? lol. I can't use 'em cuz I got no rails!!! And apexkw's rails are falling apart...
So first things first.
As you can see from the pic below, the seats actually do have cutouts on the side for racing harnesses. The only prob is, the cutouts are in the CF backing, but not in the seat covers themselves. I guess it's good that way cuz I'd never want to have to cut through CF/kevlar.
I didn't give it much thought that there are no plastic grommets around the top holes (maybe there are and I just don't remember...haven't used the seats in so long) but if there aren't, I'm sure some can be placed on them. I'm a lil crazy (ie I payed for these seats, so I'm gonna use 'em damnit lol) and I'll prob make precision cuts in the fabric and use plastic grommets on the side to allow for my harnesses from the side as well. I haven't concluded whether I'm going to make a cut & slit through the middle of the seat itself to allow for a 5th harness (crotch belt) or just go w/ a 6-point harness setup. The determining factor will be what effect putting the slit through the seat can have on the structural integrity of the seat, given the stress the harness will place on it. I can't risk the seat fragmenting in the case of an impact due to the severe stress put on the slit I made. So in short, we'll see, but I'm definitely intent on using these along w/ a roll bar for a 5 or 6 point harness system (I already have a 5-point in the FD now).
As for a pic of someone strapped in, in the FD lol...didja notice this thread is about trying to be ABLE to put the seats IN the FD? lol. I can't use 'em cuz I got no rails!!! And apexkw's rails are falling apart...
So first things first.
02-24-05, 07:01 PM
#28
Originally Posted by RotorMotor
sorry, yeah i was mainly just wondering (for any seat) how people were running the crotch harness.
04-25-05, 11:19 PM
#30
Hey Heath
Guess what...I was messin w/ the seats yesterday, and lo and behold...guess what I saw? CROTCH HARNESS SLITS! lol. Check out the first pic, showing the crotch harness slit clearly. The second pic shows both the crotch harness slit (top), and the side harness slit (bottom).
Oh and the seats definitely have some type of grommets in the top shoulder harness slits so the seatbelts don't destroy the fabric.
~Ramy
Crotch harness slit:
Crotch harness slit (top) and side harness slit (bottom):
Guess what...I was messin w/ the seats yesterday, and lo and behold...guess what I saw? CROTCH HARNESS SLITS! lol. Check out the first pic, showing the crotch harness slit clearly. The second pic shows both the crotch harness slit (top), and the side harness slit (bottom).
Oh and the seats definitely have some type of grommets in the top shoulder harness slits so the seatbelts don't destroy the fabric.
~Ramy
Crotch harness slit:
Crotch harness slit (top) and side harness slit (bottom):
04-26-05, 12:33 AM
#32
FYI, a good number of cars come w/ Recaros from the factory, from special edition VW GTIs to Porsches. In fact, Recaro developed a kevlar racing seat SPECIFICALLY for one of the Porsches... (GT3 maybe??)
Oh and I forgot to mention, I'm actually no longer looking for the rails. The bride rails I have now are prob very similar to stock, minus the tilt function, and they don't go back nearly far enough for me. I'm simply too big for the ideal RX7 driver I guess lol. So I'm gonna HAVE to have custom rails fabricated
Oh and I forgot to mention, I'm actually no longer looking for the rails. The bride rails I have now are prob very similar to stock, minus the tilt function, and they don't go back nearly far enough for me. I'm simply too big for the ideal RX7 driver I guess lol. So I'm gonna HAVE to have custom rails fabricated
04-26-05, 11:32 AM
#33
I didn't read the whole thread Ramy, but could the solution to your problem be....liposuction? 
Oh and you can donate those seats to the goodwill, I have one near my house. I'll drop them off for you. Other then that I have no contribution to this thread, sorry buddy.
Oh and you can donate those seats to the goodwill, I have one near my house. I'll drop them off for you. Other then that I have no contribution to this thread, sorry buddy.
04-26-05, 12:34 PM
#34
Good one Dan.Actually, there are two probs w/ the seats. 1) Yes, I'm a bit wide in the hip area (wide bones/build...can't do nothing about it), so if I have jeans on, the seats are def. on the tight side, but doable. 2), The rail situation, it's not me being to big width wise...it's me being too tall. The rails go back, but there are a FEW INCHES left between the seat back (pushed all the way back via the rail) and the bins. At least 4 inches. Those inches are golden, because as it is, I have trouble shifting, because my knees are straddling the steering wheel, and my feet are all over the clutch and throttle. I can't use just the tip of my foot, so I ride the clutch a lot like this.
10-30-12, 04:46 PM
#39
Member of our forum in Australia fdrx7.com is getting the RZ Spirit R Recaro seats with rails copied in China they will be for sale shortly , his caller name is Kame 86 name iggy .
10-15-15, 01:41 AM
#41
It is amazing that 10 years (!) after the first post by Ramy this issue remains a major problem for the FD owners with the OEM Recaro seats that weren't lucky to get the tilting recaro rails. You would think that copying the rails would be easy with so much technology around these days. Even Angrypanda at Australia failed to produce a good quality replica.
My 2 cents: I am currently using recaro rails (double lock, without the tilt function), and the fitment isn't that great for 2 reasons: the seats are noticably higher than the OEM height and the drivers seat (RHD) rubs slightly the door. Hence, I am in the search for a better solution.
Anyone found eventually a good alternative for the OEM reacro tilitng rails??????
My 2 cents: I am currently using recaro rails (double lock, without the tilt function), and the fitment isn't that great for 2 reasons: the seats are noticably higher than the OEM height and the drivers seat (RHD) rubs slightly the door. Hence, I am in the search for a better solution.
Anyone found eventually a good alternative for the OEM reacro tilitng rails??????
10-15-15, 06:25 AM
#42
I was working with Angry Panda on bringing a group buy on his replica seats and rails. I bought a set of the seats and rails to test them out first. The rails worked but the quality wasn't OEM. The seats were very nice though. Seems the rails are the hardest part. I worked together with Angry Panda to improve the rails and we even tried a solution for a fixed mount rail.
Coordinating between 3 different Continents was very time consuming. In over a years time we made some progress but it was slow and cost prohibitive. The 3rd Gen market isn't exactly a booming business model and investing 10's of thousands is risky at best. Eventually I bowed out of the process when I sold my test mule.
Our friends at Sakebomb were looking into bringing the seats here and finish work on the rails to make them viable but with any car part there is always the issue of liability if someone gets hurt when a product fails.
Seats are one of those products that have liability attached to them. More so than other car accessories. To properly test seats for compliance for crash worthiness the costs far exceeded the gains potential.
I believe the consensus was that while there are Cowboys out there who will take something like this on; you have to respect the risks involved.
Would I buy them for personal use? Sure, no question. They are nice seats. Angry Panda makes a nice product and I am likely to do business with him again. He has some of the nicest carbon fiber products available for the FD.
The seats are great too. We even toyed with manufacturing the seats to accommodate an off the shelf Recaro side mount. Plenty of effort has gone into bringing these seats to market here. I suggest buying a pair of these seats and working out a rail solution for yourself with your local fabricator if you have to have a pair. You won't be disappointed in the seat quality.
If you already have a pair of old RZ or Spirit R seats he can sell you what you need to properly restore them. It's not cheap but the padding and the covers are OEM quality in my opinion. Even the shells are better than OEM with his bolt hole solution.
If you have a pair of OEM Recaro tilt rails they will work with his seats. I hope that clears some things up regarding this question.
Coordinating between 3 different Continents was very time consuming. In over a years time we made some progress but it was slow and cost prohibitive. The 3rd Gen market isn't exactly a booming business model and investing 10's of thousands is risky at best. Eventually I bowed out of the process when I sold my test mule.
Our friends at Sakebomb were looking into bringing the seats here and finish work on the rails to make them viable but with any car part there is always the issue of liability if someone gets hurt when a product fails.
Seats are one of those products that have liability attached to them. More so than other car accessories. To properly test seats for compliance for crash worthiness the costs far exceeded the gains potential.
I believe the consensus was that while there are Cowboys out there who will take something like this on; you have to respect the risks involved.
Would I buy them for personal use? Sure, no question. They are nice seats. Angry Panda makes a nice product and I am likely to do business with him again. He has some of the nicest carbon fiber products available for the FD.
The seats are great too. We even toyed with manufacturing the seats to accommodate an off the shelf Recaro side mount. Plenty of effort has gone into bringing these seats to market here. I suggest buying a pair of these seats and working out a rail solution for yourself with your local fabricator if you have to have a pair. You won't be disappointed in the seat quality.
If you already have a pair of old RZ or Spirit R seats he can sell you what you need to properly restore them. It's not cheap but the padding and the covers are OEM quality in my opinion. Even the shells are better than OEM with his bolt hole solution.
If you have a pair of OEM Recaro tilt rails they will work with his seats. I hope that clears some things up regarding this question.
10-15-15, 03:33 PM
#44
I was working with Angry Panda on bringing a group buy on his replica seats and rails. I bought a set of the seats and rails to test them out first. The rails worked but the quality wasn't OEM. The seats were very nice though. Seems the rails are the hardest part. I worked together with Angry Panda to improve the rails and we even tried a solution for a fixed mount rail.
Coordinating between 3 different Continents was very time consuming. In over a years time we made some progress but it was slow and cost prohibitive. The 3rd Gen market isn't exactly a booming business model and investing 10's of thousands is risky at best. Eventually I bowed out of the process when I sold my test mule.
Our friends at Sakebomb were looking into bringing the seats here and finish work on the rails to make them viable but with any car part there is always the issue of liability if someone gets hurt when a product fails.
Seats are one of those products that have liability attached to them. More so than other car accessories. To properly test seats for compliance for crash worthiness the costs far exceeded the gains potential.
I believe the consensus was that while there are Cowboys out there who will take something like this on; you have to respect the risks involved.
Would I buy them for personal use? Sure, no question. They are nice seats. Angry Panda makes a nice product and I am likely to do business with him again. He has some of the nicest carbon fiber products available for the FD.
The seats are great too. We even toyed with manufacturing the seats to accommodate an off the shelf Recaro side mount. Plenty of effort has gone into bringing these seats to market here. I suggest buying a pair of these seats and working out a rail solution for yourself with your local fabricator if you have to have a pair. You won't be disappointed in the seat quality.
If you already have a pair of old RZ or Spirit R seats he can sell you what you need to properly restore them. It's not cheap but the padding and the covers are OEM quality in my opinion. Even the shells are better than OEM with his bolt hole solution.
If you have a pair of OEM Recaro tilt rails they will work with his seats. I hope that clears some things up regarding this question.
Coordinating between 3 different Continents was very time consuming. In over a years time we made some progress but it was slow and cost prohibitive. The 3rd Gen market isn't exactly a booming business model and investing 10's of thousands is risky at best. Eventually I bowed out of the process when I sold my test mule.
Our friends at Sakebomb were looking into bringing the seats here and finish work on the rails to make them viable but with any car part there is always the issue of liability if someone gets hurt when a product fails.
Seats are one of those products that have liability attached to them. More so than other car accessories. To properly test seats for compliance for crash worthiness the costs far exceeded the gains potential.
I believe the consensus was that while there are Cowboys out there who will take something like this on; you have to respect the risks involved.
Would I buy them for personal use? Sure, no question. They are nice seats. Angry Panda makes a nice product and I am likely to do business with him again. He has some of the nicest carbon fiber products available for the FD.
The seats are great too. We even toyed with manufacturing the seats to accommodate an off the shelf Recaro side mount. Plenty of effort has gone into bringing these seats to market here. I suggest buying a pair of these seats and working out a rail solution for yourself with your local fabricator if you have to have a pair. You won't be disappointed in the seat quality.
If you already have a pair of old RZ or Spirit R seats he can sell you what you need to properly restore them. It's not cheap but the padding and the covers are OEM quality in my opinion. Even the shells are better than OEM with his bolt hole solution.
If you have a pair of OEM Recaro tilt rails they will work with his seats. I hope that clears some things up regarding this question.
Very elaborating answer sir. It seems you have put a lot of effort in bringing this project to life.
However, finding alternative rails for the OEM recaro tilting rails still remains a challenge. To the best of my knowledge, no other rails are the same in terms of height, direct fit onto the seats and positioning in the car. I would imagine that at least 10 people (including me) would by good quality replica tilting rails for their RZ/Spirit R seats. That would be 10x$1000 = $10.000. Maybe it worth the investment in time and materials?
Do you know if Sakebomb have proceeded with the production of the rails?
10-15-15, 07:25 PM
#46
Carpe_Diem_7 How is it possible to sit lower than stock, if the rails are essentially the same?
Thinner butt padding or possibly a narrower seat bottom with the mounting points to the bottom mount rail on the outside part of the seat?
Its really getting the passenger seat low and level that is tough since it mounts up on the transmission/exhaust tunnel on one side.
US driver side is easy if you don't need tilt- just a little fab work.
Thinner butt padding or possibly a narrower seat bottom with the mounting points to the bottom mount rail on the outside part of the seat?
Its really getting the passenger seat low and level that is tough since it mounts up on the transmission/exhaust tunnel on one side.
US driver side is easy if you don't need tilt- just a little fab work.
10-15-15, 07:48 PM
#47
The seat doesn't sit lower, it's actually a little higher but the tilt feature helps the angle much like a seat back reclining to create headroom.
Because the seat cushion is removable that helps you sit lower. It's not all that uncomfortable sitting in those seats without a seat cushion either.
I have no plans to get involved in the production of these products. Your best bet is buying either the replica seats or real seats and have a fabricator create a one off solution for you. I'm glad I could shed some light on this for you guys. But I don't intend on discussing it further out of respect for all those involved in the process outside of myself.
Because the seat cushion is removable that helps you sit lower. It's not all that uncomfortable sitting in those seats without a seat cushion either.
I have no plans to get involved in the production of these products. Your best bet is buying either the replica seats or real seats and have a fabricator create a one off solution for you. I'm glad I could shed some light on this for you guys. But I don't intend on discussing it further out of respect for all those involved in the process outside of myself.
10-15-15, 09:25 PM
#48
I made 4 brackets, 1 for each corner.
Rear pretty much sits on top of the rails and front has angle adjustable brackets for easy mounting.
If I want to adjust an angle of the seat, I'll either have to make new brackets or drill new holes on existing brackets on front.
That being said, I felt like I was sitting lower than stock seat and had alot of headroom.
Also, butt padding is stock recaro pad.
Rear pretty much sits on top of the rails and front has angle adjustable brackets for easy mounting.
If I want to adjust an angle of the seat, I'll either have to make new brackets or drill new holes on existing brackets on front.
That being said, I felt like I was sitting lower than stock seat and had alot of headroom.
Also, butt padding is stock recaro pad.
10-18-15, 10:21 AM
#49
Interesting thread but I wonder why no one has mention yet that you can still buy the OEM rails from Mazda Japan.
No need to fabricate rails all you need is your standard seat rails and the tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism bolts directly onto your seat rails.
The tilt mechanism alone isn't cheap at 650USD but it will definitely work!
No need to fabricate rails all you need is your standard seat rails and the tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism bolts directly onto your seat rails.
The tilt mechanism alone isn't cheap at 650USD but it will definitely work!