Race Seats
06-19-2008, 09:18 AM
#1
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Race Seats
Looking to pick up a pair of race seats for my RX-8. I've got a cage and would be buying 5-pt harnesses to go with the seats. With that said, I need to know if the seats I've not already deemed as acceptable with 5-points have the 5th submarine [crotch] strap.
Other than that, I'm just looking for thoughts on those listed. I'm 190lbs, 34-36" waist, and the Sparco Evo's in the Porsche are pretty tight, especially in the shoulders [built like a bodybuilder]
http://www.corbeau.com/products/fixe...seats/fx1_pro/ $320
http://www.racinglab.com/sparco-seat-tec.html (confirmed that it has the sub hole) $475
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...t-p-13090.html $445
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/m...t-p-44859.html (confirmed 5 holes) $341
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...t-p-32438.html $328
Thanks in advance!
-Michael
Other than that, I'm just looking for thoughts on those listed. I'm 190lbs, 34-36" waist, and the Sparco Evo's in the Porsche are pretty tight, especially in the shoulders [built like a bodybuilder]
http://www.corbeau.com/products/fixe...seats/fx1_pro/ $320
http://www.racinglab.com/sparco-seat-tec.html (confirmed that it has the sub hole) $475
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...t-p-13090.html $445
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/m...t-p-44859.html (confirmed 5 holes) $341
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...t-p-32438.html $328
Thanks in advance!
-Michael
06-21-2008, 04:07 AM
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From appearances I definitely like the Corbeau best. Would be my choice.
I'm looking at seats myself but want to be positioned 1-2"s lower because I'm 6'0" and 195 lbs former bodybuilder. I don't know if side mounts would lower the seat for me or if I'll need a custom setup. How tall are you? Will your height be an issue?
I'm also concerned about the cage shrinking an already tight situation when I have the helmet on.
I'm looking at seats myself but want to be positioned 1-2"s lower because I'm 6'0" and 195 lbs former bodybuilder. I don't know if side mounts would lower the seat for me or if I'll need a custom setup. How tall are you? Will your height be an issue?
I'm also concerned about the cage shrinking an already tight situation when I have the helmet on.
06-21-2008, 02:33 PM
#4
if money wasn't an object
http://www.sparcousa.com/pseats_comp.asp?id=191
from the ones you posted, I'll go with the corbeau
http://www.sparcousa.com/pseats_comp.asp?id=191
from the ones you posted, I'll go with the corbeau
06-21-2008, 04:40 PM
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I'm 6'1" and have done 13 DE's with my head + helmet at a 20* angle from vertical. The cage doesn't hurt headroom at all, it's the sunroof that kills it.
I'm probably going to bolt it to the floor on the driver's side, and buy a slider for the passenger side.
It's looking like the Tec will be the winner, the Status seats are my favorites aesthetically but after talking to some vendors, they said that none of the seats will be even close to as comfortable as the Tec's if i'm dailying the car.
I'm probably going to bolt it to the floor on the driver's side, and buy a slider for the passenger side.
It's looking like the Tec will be the winner, the Status seats are my favorites aesthetically but after talking to some vendors, they said that none of the seats will be even close to as comfortable as the Tec's if i'm dailying the car.
06-26-2008, 02:28 AM
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Sort of a side note: Spoke to someone at Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development today and he highly suggested going with a custom cage and only putting a cage in once the car becomes strictly a track car. Too dangerous driving it on the street without a helmet.
06-26-2008, 06:27 AM
#9
I don't know of anyplace that it is illegal. But, it makes you stand out to the police. You would be different than the average driver on the road. They may get curious and pull you over. It would be like driving with race numbers on the side of the car.
Plus, people would point and laugh.
Last edited by alnielsen; 06-26-2008 at 06:30 AM.
08-16-2008, 07:08 PM
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08-16-2008, 08:50 PM
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08-17-2008, 09:50 AM
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Custom mount on driver's side. Sparco mount at bottom setting on passenger side.
I was super tired of having my helmeted head at a 20* angle from vertical when driving. [6'1" and long torso FTL] I have a sunroof rendered useless by the cage so the ceiling is even lower.
I'm basically sitting on the floor which is basically perfect height wise.
In the Audi we also had to fab a driver's side bracket.
I was super tired of having my helmeted head at a 20* angle from vertical when driving. [6'1" and long torso FTL] I have a sunroof rendered useless by the cage so the ceiling is even lower.
I'm basically sitting on the floor which is basically perfect height wise.
In the Audi we also had to fab a driver's side bracket.
09-03-2008, 12:59 PM
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I've been following a couple of these seat posts. In addition to the issue of potential headroom which I tried to follow up on in another thread, there also seems to be an issue of just getting aftermarket seats to simply fit in the space (width) available in the RX8. I am considering a Corbeau FX1 for my newly acquired RX8 but in looking at the dimensions posted on their website it suggests the seat would be a tight fit and possibly a no fit.
I have a fat butt apparently. Although I'm not fat, my waist is a 36 (at least that's what I wear, maybe its a 37), but apparently my hip bones are wide. I can't fit into my 6'2" buddy's Kayak and my last trip to Sebring I couldn't fit in a shorter friends Mazda Miata race seats (ouch). So I was looking at the Corbeau FX1 which is their middle size of 3 supposedly fits to a 38 waist. Their seat dimensions are 21" wide at the widest part and that looks to be close to the available width I measured in my new RX8 (it depends on where you measure). Anybody have any experience with this, particularly the Corbeaus?
I have a fat butt apparently. Although I'm not fat, my waist is a 36 (at least that's what I wear, maybe its a 37), but apparently my hip bones are wide. I can't fit into my 6'2" buddy's Kayak and my last trip to Sebring I couldn't fit in a shorter friends Mazda Miata race seats (ouch). So I was looking at the Corbeau FX1 which is their middle size of 3 supposedly fits to a 38 waist. Their seat dimensions are 21" wide at the widest part and that looks to be close to the available width I measured in my new RX8 (it depends on where you measure). Anybody have any experience with this, particularly the Corbeaus?
09-21-2008, 11:53 AM
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I've been following a couple of these seat posts. In addition to the issue of potential headroom which I tried to follow up on in another thread, there also seems to be an issue of just getting aftermarket seats to simply fit in the space (width) available in the RX8. I am considering a Corbeau FX1 for my newly acquired RX8 but in looking at the dimensions posted on their website it suggests the seat would be a tight fit and possibly a no fit.
I have a fat butt apparently. Although I'm not fat, my waist is a 36 (at least that's what I wear, maybe its a 37), but apparently my hip bones are wide. I can't fit into my 6'2" buddy's Kayak and my last trip to Sebring I couldn't fit in a shorter friends Mazda Miata race seats (ouch). So I was looking at the Corbeau FX1 which is their middle size of 3 supposedly fits to a 38 waist. Their seat dimensions are 21" wide at the widest part and that looks to be close to the available width I measured in my new RX8 (it depends on where you measure). Anybody have any experience with this, particularly the Corbeaus?
I have a fat butt apparently. Although I'm not fat, my waist is a 36 (at least that's what I wear, maybe its a 37), but apparently my hip bones are wide. I can't fit into my 6'2" buddy's Kayak and my last trip to Sebring I couldn't fit in a shorter friends Mazda Miata race seats (ouch). So I was looking at the Corbeau FX1 which is their middle size of 3 supposedly fits to a 38 waist. Their seat dimensions are 21" wide at the widest part and that looks to be close to the available width I measured in my new RX8 (it depends on where you measure). Anybody have any experience with this, particularly the Corbeaus?
My *** is perfectly pinched in the Sparco Evo's, fit width wise, but you will need to mount them to the floor or on a bottom mount bracket.
You can't salvage anything from the stock sliders that came with the car. At all.
09-21-2008, 11:57 AM
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09-21-2008, 12:43 PM
#24
there's a raised floorboard rail (my guess maybe 1" - 1.5" high) just behind the forward seat mounting points that either has to be cleared or clearanced
per the posted pic, I salvaged the mounting feet off the OE seat sliders and attached them to Recaro sliders using custom side rails that allow the bottom of the seat to be at the raised rail height yet still clear it just like the OE seats do. The racing seat has much less upholstery thickness than the OE seat so you pickup considerable helmet clearance even with sliders if done right
per the posted pic, I salvaged the mounting feet off the OE seat sliders and attached them to Recaro sliders using custom side rails that allow the bottom of the seat to be at the raised rail height yet still clear it just like the OE seats do. The racing seat has much less upholstery thickness than the OE seat so you pickup considerable helmet clearance even with sliders if done right
09-21-2008, 01:00 PM
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there's a raised floorboard rail (my guess maybe 1" - 1.5" high) just behind the forward seat mounting points that either has to be cleared or clearanced
per the posted pic, I salvaged the mounting feet off the OE seat sliders and attached them to Recaro sliders using custom side rails that allow the bottom of the seat to be at the raised rail height yet still clear it just like the OE seats do. The racing seat has much less upholstery thickness than the OE seat so you pickup considerable helmet clearance even with sliders if done right
per the posted pic, I salvaged the mounting feet off the OE seat sliders and attached them to Recaro sliders using custom side rails that allow the bottom of the seat to be at the raised rail height yet still clear it just like the OE seats do. The racing seat has much less upholstery thickness than the OE seat so you pickup considerable helmet clearance even with sliders if done right
One of the issues was raceworthiness of the original fabbed brackets so that delayed delivery a substantial amount.