Seats

[Alex]

For those with fixed back, whats that like for daily driving?
Can fixed back be ADR / CAMS aproved?
For those that have the cloth ones, is it easy enough the remove the cloth before track day for a wash?

I find it find for daily driving that's IMHO though, some people have said they would prefer it if the seat was a little higher though since they had no support under their knees.
Yes, the Sparco is ADR approved, the only reason others get in trouble over the fixed back is with 4/5 seater 2/3 door coupes where it prevents access to the rear seats if 2 are installed. To be totally legal with any seat it needs to be engineered anyway to check the mounts (or so they say).
I don't know what you are trying to say here, normally I just vaccum my seats along with the interior carpets and they are fine but I also use a seat cover alot with mine.

[RG.net]

For those with fixed back, whats that like for daily driving?

Can fixed back be ADR / CAMS aproved?

For those that have the cloth ones, is it easy enough the remove the cloth before track day for a wash?

i'm running cobra monaco S's in my mx, which happens to be my daily and it isnt as roomy as the stock seats (of course) but they are quite comfortable for me, the passengers dont seem to like it so much though just depends on the seat and how tall/big you are, i am a pretty tall bloke myself and i prefer my cobras over my mates sprint, but it all varys on each person.

[marcusus]

Hmmm... so it looks like Just Jap is my best bet with this stuff. I do like the look of the Bride seats, and for that price you can't complain (provided they fit on the stock rails).

[bigdog]

The Just Jap seats have fairly cheap cloth covering - it won't last too long. Any fixed back seat will wear quickly in a daily driver on the side bolster. Most fixed back seats will touch the seat belt post with the side wings too - another wear point. I have had 5 different seats in my car -
1. original (dealer option) leather NB8B seats (too slippery and heavily padded for my liking)
2. OBX Forza fixed back ($249 off ebay) easy to fit on driver's side, very comfortable and gained extra room, but quickly wore through the side bolster (8 weeks!). I still have this seat and intend to get it recovered with more durable material and use it for track days.
3. Cobra Monaco S seats (from Revolution and now in Mxhevn's car) much harder to fit and are angled back more so I couldn't get full travel on the rails without hitting the roll bar. Not as comfortable as the OBX for me (but I'm a Big Dog and they definitely work for Mxhevn who is a smaller build).
4. Well worn NB8B cloth seats and finally...
5. Pristine 30000km NB8B cloth seats.
The well worn ones were the most comfortable of all the NB seats I have had as they had 'sagged' enough so that you sit into the seat rather than on it.
So... don't be fooled by leather seats - they are painfully slippery when driving hard - you end up using the steering wheel to keep yourself still. And no, I don't recommend fixed back seats in a daily driver (I did 20000km with mine) as you will find it painful to get in and out when the roof is up - I sometimes put the roof down in the rain rather than go through the contortions Above all sit in the seat before you buy it and measure carefully to make sure it will fit.... lots of seats look like they should fit but won't.

[marcusus]

The Just Jap seats have fairly cheap cloth covering - it won't last too long. Any fixed back seat will wear quickly in a daily driver on the side bolster.

Cheap cloth doesn't bother me. Once it wears out, I'll get it retrimmed in leather. My intention is to have leather sides, but suede where I physically sit, much like the 10AE blue suede in the middle. No sliding, but still leather. Don't really know how much it'll cost, but I'll come to that when I've gotten to that stage. I daresay that so long as the seats themselves are comfortable, I won't have any problem forking out a bit more later on to get the look I wanted in the first place.

Above all sit in the seat before you buy it and measure carefully to make sure it will fit....

That's why I'm not really looking on eBay for them. No point if I can't go and look at it and give it a shot. Hence why I think Just Jap is probably the best option, since I can get to them (even if they're on the other side of Sydney) and have a try so long as they have stock.

[bruce]

I would go to Autobarn and have a look. They tend to have heaps at a cheap price.

[marcusus]

I would go to Autobarn and have a look. They tend to have heaps at a cheap price.

I've done that before and at all the big name chains, but none of the seats there interested me. None of them were reclineable, nor did I like the look of any of them.

Does anyone happen to have the distances between holes etc on our seat rails? The Just Jap site has the distances for the Bride seat I'm keen on, so I'd like to compare preferrably without having to rip my own seats out.

[bigdog]

Don't have the measurements to hand - but its only four 14mm bolts to find out. This link from the archives of the big forum might help you too, although they are all imperial measurements. From my memory only the OBX and Sprint seats were an easy fit (and then only on the drivers side, passenger side is a bitch as the runners are different and the seat needs to be offset a little), everything else needed plates or brackets made to adapt to the original runners. And don't forget about ADRs - if you have an approved seat mounted direct to original rails you are relatively safe from Plod (I think you still need an inspection and approval sticker in NSW), otherwise expect to get pinged as the average race seat is easily spotted.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/seats.asp

[marcusus]

The removal of the seats isn't the issue. It's my laziness that is. I've taken both my seats out before when I was installing the FM brace, so that won't be a problem. I just wanted an easy way out of having to actually do it is all

I suppose the best bet is for me to just ask Just Jap when I pay them a visit on the weekend. I daresay they'll have most of the answers with regards to ADRs etc. As long as I'm armed with the distances between bolts etc.

I've got my eye on these, and so far it seems like the dimensions match (or are at least close enough to) the ones listed on the FlyinMiata site BigDog provided. Hopefully this will be a simple in and out mission.

[bruce]

Ha! Simple 'in and out' mission! Last time that happened another kid joined the family!

That Just Jap site is nice. They have the Recaro and even Sparco knock-offs. Gotta luv China.

[marcusus]

OK, went out to JustJap this morning. The Recaro knock offs don't fit. There's too much padding in the side bolsters so you can't close the door without pushing the bolsters in. Not gonna work.

The Bride ones, however, were a bit better. It was still quite snug though, and I wonder about the range of travel I'll have on the rails. Whilst I'm on the topic of it, the bolt pattern won't work either. Went to Mania and asked them about it and they reckoned it'd be about $100 per seat for them to make something that would allow them to bolt up and work etc. They've done it before, so I daresay it'll work, so long as they can get a look at the seats.

I think what I might do is just double check the JustJap return policy and make sure that if I (or rather Mania) can't fab up some mounts and make it all work, that I can still return the seats and still be at square one. This won't happen til next week though.

Does anyone else have any suggestions/tips/comments in the meantime?

[TieNN89]

now work out how your gona get the seats from justjaps to mania etc etc

[marcusus]

now work out how your gona get the seats from justjaps to mania etc etc

That's not hard. I have access to other cars and other people to drive other said cars.

[Mr Morlock]

Big dog gives a good run down and unless I am mistaken he came back to OE seats. It does say something about aftermarket products. I think leather is overrated and usually inferior for day to day driving. If one does buy an aftermarket seat that wears quickly retrimming whilst not hard to do will probably cost as much as the seats themselves. I imagine that for racing you would not be able to beat a purpose designed seat.

[MXcrazy]

I've got Sparco sprint V fixed back seats in my Nb8a, and I don't mind them now for everyday driving, though they do take a while to get used to. Visibility is really poor if you have a softtop roof..