Seat issue.
 

I want to purchase a 93-95 rx7 but I have a problem. The only overly tight part is that the steering wheel hits the top of my knee caps... so much so that its hard to turn it.

The issue is that the seat base is too high for its attitude so it forces my legs to arch a bit. Is there a way to adjust the seat bottom's tilt on stock seats? I don't think so, but thought I'd ask.

So the solutions are: A. Don't buy one (noooooo), B. Reengineer the cars steering column (don't think so), C. Replace the seat.

If anyone has a low replacement seat thats as wide as the stock seat and doesn't have wings in their car right now, I'd appreciate the info on it. I really would like it to be adjustable, though I'm not sure how much more room is left under the seat even with the lowest aftermarket rails.

If I could lower the stock seat an inch or tilt the back of the seat up a tad (so my legs were straight to the pedals) it would be super. If there are lower aftermarket rails, are there any that will connect to the stock seat?

Thanks

What about a smaller steering wheel? This would be much cheaper.

Do you know of someplace that offers a wheel that has horn buttons and still fits the airbag? As far as I can tell from pictures, the cruise control is mounted right on the airbag? I'm not too keen on losing both those features when there are other options.

If I wanted to make a drag car it'd be a different story :P

I bought a Mazdaspeed D-cut steering wheel & hub adapter from Corksport.com
It works nicely as it is smaller in diameter, has a flat bottom for more leg clearance, it is fatter than stock, and has a central horn button.

Oh oh, I just had an idea... Is the steering wheel angled at all up? If it is, is it possible to get some sort of extension? A 3 inch spacer on a 15 degree angle ought to put it up high enough to get it out of the way...

Does anyone have a measurement on the stock seat rails? If I could replace those with aftermarket ones that gave me an extra inch...

You can place spacers on an aftermarket steering wheel.
You can not lower the rails any more.
You can get an aftermarket seat and mount it to the floor.

Whats stopping you from spacing the stock wheel, available parts and probably the wiring?

I know I can't lower the stock rails, but what about replacing them with something smaller thats aftermarket?

If only I could find a D-cut wheel that kept the airbag... Or maybe I'll just draw one up in CAD and have a CNC shop fab one for me :P

If the steering wheel is your problem, then you have basically two options:

1. Change the steering wheel. It's extremely doubtful that you will find a smaller steering wheel with and airbag though.

2. Change seats. You can get a seat that will sit lower in the car giving you some extra room for your legs under the stock steering wheel.


Most likely, you'll need a combination of both of the above.

I have a similar problem.. Please tell me if you find a resolution.

Matthew Walsh

I'm thinking more seriously about drawing up a butterfly wheel that fits the stock airbag and having a machine shop CNC it up for me.

The airbag isn't permanently attached to the wheel right? Its a piece that bolts through the wheel into the steering column yes?

Ok, after looking at more pictures it looks as if the wheel + horn buttons bolt into the airbag on both sides and underneath, not behind it. Can anyone confirm? If I could simply remove the outer wheel and put something else there (even if I have to custom fab it), that would be very simple.

i can, i have recently replaced my stock steering wheel with one from a miata which is just milimeters smaller, it keeps the air bag but not the cruse so i spliced the wires on the cruse and mounted it under the steering colum. as far as air bag mounting it bolts to the wheel with 3 bolts, on our stock wheel the horn buttons are atached to the wheel its self. i hope you figure out what you have to do to get an fd. i love mine and i dont think anything could get my love for rotary out of my blood.

What is the lowest seat with sliders? Please itemize necessary hardware and installation problems considerations. How much knee room does it add?

Also, anybody figure a way to put and extender with the stock wheel, air bag, and cruise?

I also have a miata wheel. Its a special edition one that has tan highlights on the side. Unfortunately thise won't match my interior much. I LOVE THIS WHEEL. It just feels better and feels less slippery. The wheel size is perfect. If you need a dramatically smaller wheel though, I don't think this is going to help. I am surprised that such a small difference in size really improves the driving experience for me.

Also, why not try aftermarket seats? Those are at least an inch or 2 lower than stock.

99 spec wheel?

lower seat?

= fixed.