Dave McLaughlin

I know theres' a thread on this already, but it's old and I can't find any answers
in all my searching the forum. I'm 6'3 240lbs. I need seats that not only fit the
FD (without rubbing) and fit my big *** at the same time. I have looked at the
Memory Fab as they have the low mount brackets, and was looking at the
Recaro knock-offs by F1Spec. There are no shops that cater to FD owners
within 100 miles of me and no place to even try a seat out without traveling
to D.C. Any pics or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know the
Recaro seats will fit but can't see spending $3,200 on used seats from Japan.
Thanks, Dave

turbogarrett

iTrader: (1)

I'm only 6'0 180, but felt the recaros were too tight of a fit, not too mention big $$. After taking some measurements, I decided on the momo cup seats which are very roomy, affordable, fia approved and fit inside the fd without hitting the door. I'll snap some pics tomorrow.....
http://www.saferacer.com/momcupracsea.html

Dave McLaughlin

Great suggestion. Do they fit on stock rails, fabrication required, etc. I
appreciate your help.

turbogarrett

iTrader: (1)

I'm mounting them to the floor with the side mount brackets, you would probably have to fab somthing up to use the rails/sliders.

GoRacer

iTrader: (2)

What about Bride Low Max? They have a very low seat version for the RX8 but they don't list a bracker for the FD.

Dave McLaughlin

Goracer,
I appreciate the info; I have looked at the lowmax brackets. memoryfab
has the same type bracket; however, I'm not sure I'd fit in the Bride seat.
The only thing thing that bothers me about memoryfab is no safety rating.
As mentioned in start of thread; I don't have the luxury of parking my butt
in one of these seats prior to purchase. Looking to you guys for help.
Thanks again, Dave

ArmitageGVR4

iTrader: (13)

Does OG Racing in Sterling have anything you can test out sitting in? I've only been to their store once and I can't remember if they stock anything but they sure do have a lot of seats available on their web site.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Dave,

If you go the seat manufacturer site (not a retailer), they usually list the recommended waist sizes for their seats. Once you find one that seems like a good size, check their sizing chart. I typically use the Sparco Torino as my comparison seat. The Torino fits, but is pretty tight so you'll need to keep the dimensions close to that seat.

Good luck!

Dave McLaughlin

I have seen the OGRacing web site. Looks like they have a pretty good
selection. I will give them a call and see what they have for me to test fit.
I guess a "Road Trip" is in order lol.
I appreciate the advice on the torino seats as a comparison. Good info.
I'm down to 2 seats (I think); Kirkey Intermediate Road Race 17", or MemoryFab
S68 w/ low rails. Head clearance with helmet is also an issue so I'm looking to
lower seat height at the same time. More suggestions are welcome. The
memoryfab looks good but no way to test fit (me). The folks at memoryfab did
say they would accept returns but it would still cost me the shipping if they
didn't work for me. I guess that's as good a deal as I could hope for.

Dave McLaughlin

Turbogarrett, found the momo seats a lot cheaper www.modacar.com.
Not free shipping tho. Will call for a quote. You have any pics of your install,
how's the fit (car and You). Thanks Dave

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

While you're at OG, give Mitch Piper at Piper motorsports around the corner a visit... he can fab you the custom rail/mount/slider you need. He's also pull off the cover (likely) and trim a little bit of the shoulder wing off so that it clears the door panel (not really noticeable w/ the cover back on.

Here's the thing though, even the lowest slider (I've got a custom one) may bot be as low as you'd like it. Now that I've determined where I want the seat, I'm going to have Mitch make me a fixed mount, so that you can save the 1/2" to 3/4" of slider thickness that is unavoidable.

Dave McLaughlin

Yeh, the 17" Kirky that would probably fit me is 24.5" wide at the shoulders.
I'm sure some trimming would be required. Thanks for the info. P.S. I believe
the Kirky seat will bolt directly to the stock sliders and still lower seat height
by 1-2" from stock (according to another thread).

Dave McLaughlin

Bump For more suggestions. Pis 2 if you got em. Thanks

turbogarrett

iTrader: (1)

I took a couple pics, but they didn't turn out so well! The shoulder wingspan is 23" with these and there is probably an 1/8" of clearance between the drivers seat and the door.

Dave McLaughlin

Garrett,
Appreciate the pics. Couple more questions if you don't mind....
You said you mounted them with brackets to the floor; did that lower your
height in the driving position ? ( I'm looking to gain head clearance as well);
If so ' best guess on how much. Secondly; Is that a kirk roll bar in your ride ?
I was looking at those as well. Your set-up looks like what I'm going for. Thanks again
for your help. Dave

turbogarrett

iTrader: (1)

I haven't taken any measurements, but with the seat mounted halfway on the brackets it is a solid inch or two lower than my stock seat with shaved cushion.

My rollbar is the raceshop chromoly setup that was offered in the group buy section. I'm not sure if he makes them anymore? I believe the kirk bar has a similiar layout. The only downside to these seats is that I will have to have my door bars redone because they pass through in the shoulder area.

Dave McLaughlin

thanks for the info. Wish i could've gotten in on that raceshop bar, but I do think he's
quit buiding them. I'm not looking for door bars so I guess these seats will work fine.

Dave McLaughlin

wondering if I would fit in the Bride Gias (F1Spec) seat. I believe it fits the fd but not
sure if it's too small for me. Anybody larger guys tried these out ?

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

I've looked at th F1Spec seats. It appears, from the dimensions, that only their Type III seat will fit in the FD. They were suppose to get a FD into their shop to test fit all the seats but I haven't seen an update to that thread in quite a while.

Dave McLaughlin

Mahjik,
I appreciate your input, I saw a thread where the Gias seats fit very well in the FD.
The F1 version is the same size from what I can tell. That being said; assuming these
seats fit the car, will the Gias fit a 6'3 200lb+ driver. Still considering Momo Cup but
not sure of height with slide rails. Any ideas are welcome.

kwman

Hate to shift to another brand but has anyone tried the Sparco Pro2000's? I'm about to buy a set later today and I'm a bit worried about height and door clearance, some before-hand knowledge would definetely be satiating to say the least.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, I was only referring to the non-reclining seats F1Spec offers. The base of their reclining seat seems to be a good fit. My only issue with a seat like that is a hole to properly mount the anti-sub strap.

Dave McLaughlin

Rut Ro; Didn't realize the Gias didn't have the hole in the seat pan for 5-6 Pt. harness.
Keep me straight Mahjik lol. Only reason I looked at these recliners is that any seat
will pass tech at the track ( solo events ) with back brace. And these seats do look comfy.

Dave McLaughlin

Update; Was able to sit in some seats at autocross yesterday. Two Miatas and a BMW.
BMW had a Sparco-way too tight for me. The two Miatas had Ultrashield 17" 20*
layback. They fit me very well. Aluminum seats require a seat back brace as no aluminum
seat is FIA rated. And like the Kirky seats; they bolt directly to the stock sliders while
lowering the seat height at least 2"