Aftermarket Seat Questions FD
 

Am bumping this up to its own thread in the 3rd Gen section as I need some immediate help.

I am in process of securing a seat sponsor for my car and I am confused as to how to proceed. It appears I have opportunities with Corbeau, Sparco, and Recaro. What I don't know is from each of these vendors, what are the best seat options?

My objectives are:

1) To improve on the look of the stock seats. I really like my recently recovered stock seats with my "Salva" covers. They are a very nice upgrade to the OEM look. However, I've always liked the more aggressive look of aftermarket seats.
2) To use the seats for occasional track use. I have been looking at FIA rated fixed back seats.
3) To lower my driving position. This is very important as I am around 6' tall (waist 32") and with my helmet on, my head hits the ceiling. It's very uncomfortable to drive this way as you have to dramatically recline the seat back and then tilt your head to the right to fit. Not good.

So given the above:

1) What are my best options from Corbeau, Sparco, and Recaro? I know the Corbeau's are not FIA rated but the FX1 Pro looks really nice and gets good reviews for comfort.
2) Does anyone know if you can use the Bride Low Max rails with Corbeau FX1 Pros? Lots of mods needed or simple? Also, any guess if the seat position would be lowered versus stock with this setup? The regular Corbeau seat rail raises the seat position slightly so this is not an option.
3) Will the Recaro Pole Positions fit in the FD? My understanding is they need some serious modifications and if so, what does this entail?
4) Can you use the Bride Low Max rails with Recaro Profi or Profi Spa seats? If so, will this lower the position and make them lower than stock?
5) Any Sparco advice? Have been looking at the EVOs as I think they will fit.

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it :)

I think it's a no brainer for Recaro. Out of those 3 options recaro has the best looking seats imo.

The issues with recaro is fitment. I have yet to see anyone with a set of recaro's where the wings don't hit the door panels. They will fit for sure with the right rails, or with custom rails, but you won't get proper fitment with off the shelf parts.

I use to have a set Sparco Torinos, and sat in a couple of others. They look good, but I was not the happiest person in the world with their comfort. They were okay for the track and short stints, but trying to drive around town was a pita, literally.

Corbeau's I have no experience with.

Why does this deserve a thread again?


There is a thread that tells you what seats fit and dont fit. I know you know that because you mention it.

^ Because there are no answers to my questions in that thread. I tried posting there and got no response. I have an immediate need for the answers, hence the new thread.

Thanks to those that can help.

I believe the JDM rx7 RZ came with recaro seats. Why not try and grab a set of those for an oem fit and a matching finish?

Yeah, or throw 3500 together for a set of Spirit R's. Easy like pie, Dr Jones!

This thread is a goodie. :)
https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...nt-fit-789715/







.

^ Thanks guys but the referenced thread doesn't answer my specific questions. I could grab a set of RZ Recaros but I am working through sponsors so I will be using newer models as a promotion for them.

So, does anyone have answers?

From personal experience, Sparco's Pro2000 (too wide, too tall) and Torino (too wide, had to recline to make up for being too tall) do not fit.

I currently have a Sparco EVO on super low seat rails and a Sprint V on factory rails. Both seats are FIA homologated, can run 5 or 6 point belts, and are both sub 18 pounds each.

Attachment 718691

David-
I personally would stick with Recaro's or Sparco's and not even consider Corbeau. I have a Cobra Imola on my drivers side on Cobra side mounts that are on the oem slider. The Cobra seat (according to the size chart) is 22.5" across on the "wings", which just barely touch the door plastics. I can still close the door fine, but if it was any wider there would be an issue. Going off that the Recaro Pole Position's "should" fit as they are ~22" wide, however EVO II's are 23.9" wide and that wouldnt work obviously. The EVO is narrower, but Im not sure how much narrower... Also any FIA approved side mount rail attached directly to the floor should give you enough adjustability to give your head its needed room. Hope that helps somewhat.

Kyle

Edit:I see zumspeed has regular EVO's in his car, so those work too....obviously ;)

Go with Sparcos
or get a set of RZs and have recaro reupholster them in their fabric/leather/suede/llama hide. Plastidip the backs black and no one would know its not a pole position. You can peel the plastidip off later.

Recaro TS_G and RS_G fit.

Are the "super low rails" the Bride Low Max's or something else? Also, how tall are you and do you fit with a helmet? Obviously yes since they are in your car but what is the fit like? Helmet rub?

It was posted in the "Seats That Fit" thread the Pole Positions need heavy mods to work. I don't know why this is as they do seem to be narrow enough to fit. The Profi's are the same up top (22 inches) but a bit narrower on the bottom so they seem to be the way to go from Recaro.

So do you use the side mounts and then attach those to the Bride Low Max rails?

Good idea but not an option. Recaro wants to use this to promote their aftermarket seat products so they need to be the real thing. :)

I'm cheap and got them to work on the OEM rails, I'm sure you could figure out how to make them work on the Bride's without too much effort. Im guessing the Pole's hit on the bottom/sides since theyre ~2" wider than the Profi's, they don't give the outside width so it's not as clear how wide they are exactly..

Thanks. Those look nice but aren't part of the US offering?

Interested in what you come out with.

thewird

Sparco and Recaro are comparable in my opinion in terms of fabric quality and looks.
- I've had a Sparco Pro2000 and its extremely supportive and I didn't mind it for daily driving in my STI. (it was an upgrade)
- However the fabric materials are a bit cheaper and if your not careful getting in and out they will wear out and you can potentially put a hole in the seat (don't slide your butt across the side bolster)

I wouldn't consider corbeaus unless they were free. My friends all ran these and they are cheap feeling.

For seat bases and sliders use Bride if you can. They make a low mount seat base. You just need to verify that it can be fit to your seat. We'd typically run bride seat bases on our Sparcos. The Sparco hardware is cheap and flimsy and oftentimes needs to be modified to make your seat fit. Where as Brides were just a straight drop in.

Ultimately see if you can test sit in some of the seats before you buy. I currently run brides seats and would never go back to buying another Sparco. The fabric and construction is that much better!

Get the Recaro Profi SPAs!

Thanks for the info. As a seat newbie, I have no idea if the Bride Low Max rails will work with the Recaros or Sparcos. Anyone know this as I need to figure this out to be able to move forward. I've heard the Bride's are excellent but no sponsorship offer (yet) so for now it's the other brands.

They're top on my list if I can confirm they can be installed with a low rail system.

So, seat experts, back to the original questions (and leaving out the Corbeaus):

1) Does anyone know if you can use the Bride Low Max rails (with either the Recaro Profi:http://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/...-us/profi.html) or the Profi Spa: http://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/...profi-spa.html) seats or the Sparco EVO ()http://www.sparcousa.com/product/evo.../product/evo)? Lots of mods needed or simple?
2) With the Bride Low max rails (http://www.kamispeed.com/product-p/B...FYFo4AodY2UAzA), do you also need side mounts (Sparco: http://www.sparcousa.com/product/side-mount-aluminum) (Recaro: http://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/...ofi-spa.html)? It looks like the Bride's come with side mounts but do you need the brand specific ones instead?
2) With the above setups, any quess if the seat position would be lowered versus stock with this setup?

Okay so here is what I've found out. Please confirm seat experts!

1) The Bride Low Max rails will work with the Recaro Profi/Spas and Sparco EVO seats.
2) You use the side mounts from Recaro or Sparco to attach to the Low Maxs.

It this correct? Also, if anyone has the above seats and uses the Low max rails, is the seat position lower than stock?

If I go with the above, then I might have to bolt them to the floor for track use to get the lowered seat position. My ultimate setup would still be one that uses sliders for adjustability and is also lower than stock so if anyone knows of a Recaro or Sparco fixed back combo that works this way, let me know.

Final question, are the Bride Low Max's the only "super low" seat system out there or are there others I should consider. I found this but know nothing about them:

Nagisa Auto Super Low Seat Rail Rightside Mazda RX7 FD3S 93-02 Image

Hello David.

Here is a better idea with a aftermarket seat application.

Porsche 997 GT3 Seat ( Replica) Seats
Nagisa Auto super low down seat rails (Modified to fit the seat)

They do not rub, 5 point harness friendly

Up to 36 inch waist comfortable.
Carbon fiber shell , they are very light etc.. You get the picture.

Cost for this set up.

Nagisa auto supper low rails 2 units 460.00 + shipping
Fabrication time for a shop to modify seat rails 3-4 hours
Seats cost 1700.00 + shipping
Schroth 4 point harness 530.00

These seats are not FIA approved

Link to pics of seat installed.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1133261...CIrIzKHYv5L_Qg

I will be posting these seats for sale with 4 point harness and custom Nagisa auto Rails in the Used for sale section.

Out of all the seats i have sat in and installed These are by far the best fitting seat i have ever installed in the rx7 fd..

Hope this info gives you a better direction.

Chip U

Congrats on the potential sponsorships David! I want to weigh in on the Recaro Profil SPG fitment issue because I believe there's a lot of misinformation out there. Sure they will bolt into the car with almost any off the shelf rail, but the challenge comes when you try to close the door. My seats are the basic Profil SPG with fiberglass back, so any other style or options may differ in bolster size.

I ordered my seats from a vendor in CA who sold them to me with Bride low max rails and told me they would fit fine. Well, denting the door panel and tweaking the entire seat towards the trans tunnel when I closed the door wasn't acceptable for me. First I tried to modify the Bride rails but the side mounts they come with are so basic I couldn't do much with them.

After the Brides I looked at off the shelf options and bought Atomic Rex and the Nagisa rails that you found above. Neither of these were any better for getting the seat closer to the trans tunnel and further from the door panels. The Atomic Rex also didn't put the seat back far enough in the car for me, I am 6'3". The Nagisa rails were so basic they have almost no adjustability to fit the seats.

During this whole ordeal I learned that Recaro did make rails for the FD to fit the SPGs in the car. The only problem is that these rails aren't sold in the US and are a Japanese market item. BUT, luckily for me the mighty Fritz Flynn had a set and sold them to me. The actual Recaro rails fit perfectly and keep the seat off the door panels. They also slide which is great and seem to sit just as low if not lower than stock. My helmet is about 1" from hitting the roof but I don't have a sunroof.

So my suggestion would be that if you like the Profil SPGs, see if Recaro can help you source a set of their rails from Japan. Also if you are ordering directly from Recaro you can probably customize the colors of the seats if you'd like. I was able to order the Recaro text in black on my seats to match the rest of my car and I also had them leave off the bolster covers on the sides.

Here are a few pics for reference:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...25288%2529.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c...25281%2529.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f.../s800/ak01.jpg

More options from Chip! Your ideas are really good ones for sure and thanks. Because I am picking up a sponsorship, the cost will be too good to pass up I am afraid. I also want to get away from leather and want something that is FIA approved.

That is really good information and thanks. If I go the Recaro route, then I'll follow your advice. And as always, your car is just so good looking :)

So after much back and forth, I've settled on Sparco as my seat sponsor and have two Sparco EVOs coming my way :)

Couple of questions for the seat experts. Anyone know which of the Bride Low max rails to order for use with a Sparco Evo seat in an FD? There are several types but I am assuming this?:

Bride Super Seat

Second question, is the Bride system a double lock rail or single?

Any other advice on alternative rails to use? I'd really like a double lock mechanism.

^ anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Bump for help on the rails. :)