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I wanted to share with you my experience with an issue that many FD owners encounter. Like many others here with Touring model or sunroof optioned cars, headroom has always been a topic of discussion and have lead many down the path to aftermarket seats, which in and of itself, is yet another problem. Finding one that fits the tight space of the cabin and the frame of the driver can be a bit tedious.. Some have even deleted the sunroof as well... I was also considering this option, but thought I would investigate the OEM seat first.
I am 5’11” tall and have owned a LHD touring model for 2 years. I previously came from 2 Rhd JDM’s that had hardtops and immediately noticed the difference when I squished in to my naturally lit LHD seat with sunroof.
By sitting a bit further back, and reclining the seat, I was able to maintain a nice compromise of comfort and control... until the odd bump or bridge approach would cause me to bump my head or mess up my hair. Lol.
Since my seats are in need of recovering, I didn’t mind experimenting with them. I figure the experience would confirm whether I would go the route of aftermarket seats, or make the OEM’s work. Mostly garage queen, never track driven and in the theme of keeping most things stock, this was my approach...
First, Based on the Miata ‘foamectomy’, I dissassembled my driver seat and looked to cut some foam from the bottom of the seat pan. This would retain the shape on the viewable seating surface and (hopefully) allow one to sink lower in the seat. At first I attempted to take out about 2”... turned out to be around 2.5.
Then after putting the seat back together and installing in the car.... No change...
Now this is where others may have differing results. While my leather seating surface is quite dry and hard from age and multiple cold winter seasons, cloth or soft leather may notice some change.
For mine, due to the lack of stretch and the fact that the side bolster covers are stitched to the center section... I decided to pull apart the seat covering.
I de-stitched the two long seams running from front to back and had to make some minor cuts in the leather. Since I wasn't too attached to my covers, this didn't bother me... If yours are pretty mint, maybe an upholsterer may be the way to go.. Anyways, pull the stitches, removed the center section and you are left with this...
Now we are in business! This allows the center foam to fully sit down in the seat pan. After loosely re-assembling and placing back in the car, I can honestly say compared to the passenger seat, we now have a 1.5" drop in seating position. Perfect! I can comfortably move around in the seat, stretch, easily pass my hand over my head without the headliner getting in the way and not have to flinch when I see a bump in the road.
Now if you are a 28-32" waist , you can probably stop here, re-assemble the seat as you wish and move on.
For 34-38" waists, you may want to go step further like I did and take a bit of foam out of the side bolsters as I found them to pinch a bit ndue to the lower position. A bit time consuming, but only take out 1/4" at a time if possible. Then see how they fit. I initially took a bit too much out and had to put some foam back in. Also note carving out the size bolsters will cause the leather to become a bit loose around the sides. I'll have a an upholsterer rebuild the sides with low density foam to remove any wrinkles, anyways, so I didn't mind as this was really a temporary solution and experiment.
For re-assembly. I used tuck tape to secure the loose leather back to the seat pan and zip ties where I cut the hog rings. I found some flat black tape that matched the leather to make look stock (ish) until I decide to order new leather skins. A local upholsterer suggested it would be pretty easy to modify new covers to create separate side bolster 'extensions' and sew additional material to the seat cushion skin without too much expense. This way the seat tray will be structured like any other racing seat, with a cushion that inserts over the base tray.
End result! I am quite pleased with the results. Best of both worlds. Keep the sunroof and have the headroom I was looking for. The modification to the seat also created a sportier feel that I wasn't expecting (nice bonus). I did not notice any additional discomfort from lack of foam. There was still plenty to cushion again the ride of the car. Not that I intend to track, but I feel like a helmet wouldn't be an issue either.
Intuitive solution. I’m also 6’-0” tall and have the sunroof, which I gotta say is annoying. My solution was a set of Bride Low Max seats coupled with some low mount fixed brackets... Would love to try this on my old worn out stock seats tho. Thanks for the write up!
Nice writeup! I have R2 seats (my car is an R2) and have been tempted to do this to get a little more room, I might just have to try this!
Thanks!
Dale
Sometimes it’s a hard life for us Tall people! 😂
But seriously, I am around average height for a guy...
I can’t imagine trying to comfortably fit another 7 vertical inches in there, even without the sunroof!
6'5" in a touring model is... tight. My seats aren't bad enough to hack up though. Have read just about every thread on aftermarket seats and I think the Cobra Suzuka Pro GT would be the way to go. Some guy was swearing by them with the Atomic Rex seat mount, which you can't get anymore. But I'm guessing you could get other side mounts or have custom ones made to put the seat as far back and low as possible.
Yeah I'm 6'2"... tried hacking out foam padding years ago and it basically made the seats into torture devices. Caused terrible hip pain after only a few minutes in the seat.
I replaced the foam in mine and just duck into the center as needed (usually in the morning or when I have a helmet on).
Put in about 2 hours of seat time in today... feels pretty good. Best mod to date. Definitely a sportier feeling seat position, no discomfort (although if you leave the lower side bolsters unmodified, I agree they can pinch). I did have to slip a small 1/2" wedge under the seat foam to level it a bit (felt like i was leaning to 1 side a bit). Not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me, but drivers seat also felt more comfortable due to the foam compressing more than had been allowed to before. Prior to, I felt like the leather was suspended above the foam pad and not allowed to compress... but that could just be because the leather was old an dry and lost any give it once had.
Recap.
Pros - More headroom. More legroom. I am also now looking through the middle of the windshield rather than the upper 1/3. No ducking, no head bumping, no messy hair. Had the sunroof open. Good deal. No more thoughts of hardtop conversion. Less expensive than Mazdaspeed/Recaro seats or any other reputable aftermarket solution.
Cons - You will have to chop up your stock seats a bit... (or pay an upholsterer to do so). Would probably need to recover as a permanent solution.
Thanks for this write up, I'm 5' 11 here, and yeah, I do find that it is a somewhat tight squeeze for me, my primary issue is a short torso with long legs, and while I can comfortably fit in the car with a helmet on, (with I think slightly less than half an inch of headroom with a helmet on) I find my knees tend to brush the stock steering wheel, if this mod will let me sit lower, then maybe I'll be able to get some hand clearance under the steering wheel, but I honestly think I need an aftermarket steering wheel to help, and another seat mod to get the seat in its farthest back position.
03-09-18 | 02:39 PM
. (I'm 6'6" 
