Opinions on this bucket seat?

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 4:04 pm

Heya guys, after sitting in Pam's car at the last meet, I REALLY want a set of bucket seats. Not only were hers pretty comfortable, but the lowered driving position and stiffness (as in not sliding around the seat) felt way better than my stock ones.
I was mucking around the other night looking for bits and pieces on ebay and stumbled up these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-BLACK-RACING-BUCKET-SEATS-X2-MAZDA-MIATA-MX-5-RX7-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4ceea276aaQQitemZ330421139114QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
The price is crazy cheap and it's for two of them. It's buy now from an e-store so I'm not obligated to go on a bidding spree and can freely buy whenever.
I'm not jumping on the sale and running around like a dog with a bone here, I just want to know what your opinion is on these two seats. Plus I think they even come with rails. Not sure, it says that 'sliders' are but no 'bracket's so one would assume I can use the factory mounts and this should sit on the runners.

Tell me what you think because it's mega cheap and for that price I can probably sell them off again if I'm not happy.

And if you aren't impressed, can you point me in the direction of something better? And for the record, if you're going to be a purest and flame me for looking at no names instead of your fancy Bride, Sparco or Recaro seats then don't post here because it's only negative feedback and not constructive in any way. If you can add something to the table then I'm happy to hear it

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:19 pm

it seems odd to me to ask for an opinion then define what response you want. As far as I am aware any seat you put into a car has to be approved by State authorities. Same with many other mods I guess. The changes that possibly need an approval are ones that are seen to affect safety. Mega cheap has to be some sort of a flag. Some might want to check legalities and have some reservations about insurance and others not.

twinlol · Postby **twinlol** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:25 pm

Hey man,

Personally, I can't add much to the discussion about that particular seat, without a brand or factory name it is difficult to search for reviews about the quality of the construction etc.

My only advice is seats are very important, they protect your body in an accident, if they break in an accident you could damage your spine, and you could even be held to account personally by your insurer because you purchased a poor quality unit. ( I'm not referring directly to this seat) Just some food for thought for going with a brand with a solid reputation, and not necessarily the most expensive ones like Sparco.

http://www.corbeau.com/products/fixed_b ... s/fx1_pro/

Something like that seat is, granted, more expensive than the one you are looking at, but it's cheaper that Sparco and the others. At-least it gives you something to fall back on if something goes awry in terms of under some circumstances suing their pants off for selling you a dangerous and faulty item.

Good luck finding a seat, it's really difficult, especially when you can't sit in them to test

Oh, and keep in mind when looking at this:

Size = 36"

(thats from the Ebay link)
I don't know how big you / your passengers (or even your mechanic is) but it's something to keep in mind, if it's really skinny the side bolsters are likely to snap, especially with a lower quality unit. - But i'm sure you have thought of that, I just wouldn't want to hear from you in a month to say that somebody who always rides with you can no longer fit!

So yeah, I know you said you weren't going to rush this, so that gives you some time to research and find where that is from and if it has been received well etc.

I'll also spend an hour or so this evening trying to find some background to that item.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:28 pm

Is that Ebay ad for one seat? Once you factor in shipping thats nearly 600 bucks, if its for one seat a brand new Sparco Sprint from Mania will cost you less.

twinlol · Postby **twinlol** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:33 pm

slug_dub wrote:Is that Ebay ad for one seat? Once you factor in shipping thats nearly 600 bucks, if its for one seat a brand new Sparco Sprint from Mania will cost you less.

It's for 2 and free shipping. Which makes you wonder how cheap the seats actually are since sea freight from China/Japan for someting that size would be very costly.

slug_dub · Postby **slug_dub** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:39 pm

I see free shipping in the U.S. and $275 bucks Standard International Shipping listed to get them to Australia.

I'd rather one good seat than two cheapies.

twinlol · Postby **twinlol** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:03 pm

slug_dub wrote:I see free shipping in the U.S. and $275 bucks Standard International Shipping listed to get them to Australia.

I'd rather one good seat than two cheapies.

Keen eye Slug, cheers for that correction.

NMX516 · Postby **NMX516** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:29 pm

Don't forget about your passenger(s)!!! Females in short skirts or dresses won't look too elegant getting out of a seat like that, and so some will refuse! And as someone else here mentioned, if you happen to need to take someone in your car who is a little on the larger side, again, those seats are likely to be a fail.

If you want to have your seats approved/legal in Australia, there is a good chance that those won't do....

So in summary, don't buy your passenger(s) a bucket seat, buy a better quality/easier to comply seat such as our favourite around here, the Sparco Sprint

Then you can buy yourself a few cartons of your favourite ale with the money saved :beer:

de Bounce · Postby **de Bounce** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 11:20 pm

Be aware that Victoria has some regulations regarding replacement seats.
Victorian Standards Information 19 - Additional or Replacement Seats

Particularly the following:
The addition of category 1 (adult) seats which are not available as an option by the vehicle manufacturer will require an approval certificate issued by a member of the Vehicle Assessment Signatory Scheme (VASS).

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:11 am

So how does one get said seat certified?

de Bounce · Postby **de Bounce** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:43 am

My guess is the Vehicle Assessment Signatory Scheme is a list of engineers that check out the installation and provide a certificate.
There is an explanation on the VicRoads site HERE.

Your choice if you want to go through the hoops to make the seats legal or risk you wont get caught.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 3:59 pm

It is the seat which has to go through the tests and you can be sure that no aftermarket back yarders will go to the trouble of getting a recognised certification. As for an individual getting it approved I reckon it is not a consideration. How can any engineer certify a seat as being crash worthy etc without extensive testing? When component makers are making new parts for car co's even simple ones these have to be stringently tested in labs and it cost a heap of money and time. Every component/ material used in a car ( ie reputable co's) is tested.

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:34 pm

You can get pairs of seats for the same price locally and you will have an opportunity to sit in them and inspect them.

http://www.justjap.com/store/home.php?cat=527

I have seen this brand sold in Supercheap, Repco and all sorts of independent stores. The fixed seat 'A1098' is about $250 if I remember rightly.

http://www.autotecnica.com.au/seats.html

They are not OEM quality but they actually are not to bad for the price and the reclining seats are quite comfy. They are all ADR approved to which will help if you decide to get permits for the seats.

Talking of reclining seats...if you are not using the car on track at all or only rarely I would not bother with a fixed back seat. The reclining ones will be a huge improvement over the stock seats but will not be a complete pain in the backside like the fixed ones will be.
If you want fixed back seats then try a few out, they are not all made the same....I can't get on with Cobra seats but find Velo to be just perfect.

You are also going to need to see what fits in the car. The easiest way to do this is pop your passenger seat out and drive to a few shops and see what fits in the space and still lets you close the door.

twinlol · Postby **twinlol** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:08 pm

deviant wrote:
http://www.autotecnica.com.au/seats.html

They are not OEM quality but they actually are not to bad for the price and the reclining seats are quite comfy. They are all ADR approved to which will help if you decide to get permits for the seats.

Talking of reclining seats...if you are not using the car on track at all or only rarely I would not bother with a fixed back seat. The reclining ones will be a huge improvement over the stock seats but will not be a complete pain in the backside like the fixed ones will be.
If you want fixed back seats then try a few out, they are not all made the same....I can't get on with Cobra seats but find Velo to be just perfect.

You are also going to need to see what fits in the car. The easiest way to do this is pop your passenger seat out and drive to a few shops and see what fits in the space and still lets you close the door.

Thanks for the additional options for nanotech deviant but as I said before, why would you even want to go from the OEM seat to something that is of less quality that the OEM? It doesn't seem to make sense to pay for something that isn't as good as what you already have. - especially with a bucket seat, its going to break and wear quickly if it's not made of atleast OEM standard materials, then you are up for more $$ to have it fixed.
At some point your personal safety (and that of your passenger - who is your responsibility) has to come into play, the OEM seat has been designed to a fairly high standard to protect you in an accident, why take a (arguably) backwards step from there to something that whilst may be ADR (-who knows how strict the ADRs even are on seats) approved is still most probably a downgrade. Not to mention, if your OEM seat has no faults that you are aware of you can't be held personally accountable.
Don't take offense, I just don't want to see somebody waste their money on a lower quality unit when they are trying to save money, then have to go out and buy a decent replacement.
I agree with you regarding a reclining seat, thats a logical choice for daily driving.

I just can't stress enough that a seats first and foremost function is to save your life in an accident, not all companies build their products with this in mind, nor can they be held accountable if they are made in countries like China which have no laws surrounding the safety of consumer products.

nanotech, just forget about the Ebay seats, they are probably rubbish and unsafe. -they are too cheap to be anything else. Save your coin and get a decent midrange product and do it right the first time, trust me, it will be cheaper for you in the long run, and you can feel safe knowing that its designed with your safety in mind.
I hope people that read this remember and understand the function of a seat and don't rush their decisions or think to much with their wallet.

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:27 pm

No offense taken at all :beer:

If you feel like a read here is a link to the ADR for seats http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legisla ... enDocument

It gets a bit dry in places but not a bad read :lol:

From what I can gather from a quick skim through it is not that easy to get an ADR sticker on something so the seats should be a reasonable standard of build when it comes to safety. The seats actually have to be tested.
The cheapness will come in the quality of coverings and foam and things like plastic moldings.

Personally I find the stock seats (in my NA anyway) to be absolutely terrible...uncomfortable, dont breathe and dont provide any real support. I can do an hour in them at the most so a lot of aftermarket seats would be an upgrade for me.