Recaro Seats

[BradK]

Hi

I’m currently looking to buy an MX-5.

I’m leaning towards an NC series 2 but haven’t ruled out an NB8B either and I’m looking forward to chatting to some owners and checking out some cars at the next “Pie in the Sky” coffee morning.

I was speaking to an owner about the Recaro seats in the NC “Sport” and he was saying that they don’t suit all body types.

As all of the cars I am currently considering are between 5 and 10 hours drive away is there anyone on the Central Coast NSW that has a car with these Recaro seats that I can come and sit in?

Are these Recaro seat much of an improvement on the standard seats? Is it a fashion thing or are they really more comfortable / supportive?

Thanks

Brad

[bruce]

The only way you will find out is to sit in one and try it. We can't answer if you will like them or be comfortable in them as that is all an individual thing.

[project.r.racing]

99% of the time they would be less comfortable. Race seats tend to have a lot less support foam.

[Mr Morlock]

the Recaro seat is likely to be typically a hugging seat with pronounced bolsters and usually making it harder to get in and out. If one is set on finding a car with the recaros that is likely to limit choice.I have an NC2 with standard seats and in my opinion its a better car than an NB which I had for many years. Just trying a seat in a car is probably not enough- as a seat can fell hard after a few hours. It would be fair to say that the seats in NBs and NCs are pretty good unless one has a big frame.

[Luke]

NC Recaros do have some extra bolstering but are not extreme at all.
They are more comfortable on the short goes I've sat in them. Plus they look the goods. The other advantage is they are not full leather, they have Alcantara inserts so you don't slide around in them like the normal leather NC seats.

BTW they are not a "Sport" model in a NC2. Mazda sort of marketed it that way, but it is actually not an official model.
It was just an option pack called 'Sports Pack" on NC2 Roadster Coupes. It also included BBS wheels as well. I have the NC2 brochure which confirms that.
For the NC3 there was a separate "Sport" model that had the same stuff. I have personally never seen a NC3 Sports model.

Also, Mazda never sold the NC2 Softtop model with the optional sports pack in Australia. So I hope you are not after a soft top.


I have dríven my NC1 and NC2 fair distances so can comment on those seats.
NC1 leather seats are sh*t to sit in for long drives. I am talking drives like Sydney to Melbourne. Less than 2 hours is OK. Never had such a sore arse in any other seat in any other car. The don't really offer much lateral support for spirited driving. Better than NB8B seats in that regard.
NC2 leather seats are far better than NC1 seats. But I have not done a trip that long yet. Longest was a bit over 2 hours which they were good for. They have far better lateral support than NC1 seats for spirited driving.


Last I checked, factory sports seats in any car are generally more comfortable than normal flat seats as they provide more support.
The only people that I know that don't like sports seats after sitting in them are wide people.

99% of the time they would be less comfortable. Race seats tend to have a lot less support foam.

NC Recaros are not race seats.

[KevGoat]

I've never had Recaro's, but have had Huntmaster recliners and Scheel recliners in a couple of cars. Both of these were their models made more for daily use, not track (which the NC Recaro would be), and were very comfortable even on long trips - like Adelaide to Melbourne with only one quick stop for fuel and light lunch. I find the SE leather seats comfortable, including on the many long trips we've done, but they are hopeless at supporting through the twisties at any pace.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Jeo]

Are you 2m tall or 200kg? 1.5m and 45kg? Also useful information regarding fit.

[Lokiel]

Lots of responses BradK but no follow-up from you?

What do you actually want regarding seats?

There is no "one-seat-does-all" unfortunately and the OEM seats are designed to accommodate as wide a range of body-types as possible.

The seat that's great for the track is too cumbersome for daily use to get in and out of and may not be good for long drives.

The daily-driver seat will be hopeless at the track compared to a dedicated one.

The solution is always to buy a 2nd race-dedicated seat if you love track work which you can easily install on track days and you only need to buy ONE - just make damned sure that it seats you comfortably and will fit into an MX5.

For a DD and "twisty stuff" seat, look for one that's comfortable and has lateral support - your body shape will dictate this so actually sit in the seat, don't just look at the specs and assume it will be OK.

My MX5 seat journey so far:

I have an SE and found that the OEM seat's lateral support was pathetic for fun drives through "the twisty stuff", my body was sliding all over the place.

I bought the car in Melbourne and drove it home to Brisbane and didn't mind the seats on the long drive but HATED the harsh ride due to the 17" OEM rims.

I upgraded to Mazdaspeed TypeF seats which were great for long drives and through "the twisty stuff" (I describe them as like sitting in a baseball glove, comfortable and great lateral support), but found that their higher thigh bolsters made entry and exit a bit of a hassle. Unfortunately on the track, this additional thigh bolster support wasn't high enough and I still found myself bracing my knees and legs against the chassis because my hips weren't held in place by the seat - lateral support worked great though.
If I were to do a lot of long drives, these would be the seats I'd choose in an NB.

I now have Lotus Elise seats with new Probax inserts which I find comfortable but haven't tested them on a long trip yet.
Given that many Elise owners replace these seats for trackwork, I don't doubt that I'll need some track seats too.

[bruce]

The only way you will find out is to sit in one and try it. We can't answer if you will like them or be comfortable in them as that is all an individual thing.

And the wheel goes 'round again...

[Dan]

I own an NC2 with the standard seats and I've previously owned an NC1 track car which I installed a number of different seats in (racetech, cobra etc..) as well as test driving a car with recaros so I have a bit of context in different seats

Personally I think the flat bottom of the NC2 standard seats sort of makes you wiggle around a bit more than is ideal on fast corners and they would be better if there was more of an indentation into the seat like the factory recaros have but I think the standard seats are still good and to be honest I wouldn't pay too much of a premium for a car with the recaros as I don't think they are that much better than the stock seats.

If you want to do spirited driving just slide your seat back a tiny bit, lock out the seat belts fairly tight and then slide the seat forward to the original position to get a harness like experiance with the standard belts and seats.

Due to a change in my house restricting parking and me wanting to keep my Porsche I'm going to be selling my NC2 soon most likely (09, silver, ohlins,4.1 diff, whiteline sway bars, OEM removable hardtop, ECUtek tune with throttle blip, ~90k on the clock) so if you are interested shoot me a PM.

[Custardtart]

I use my stock NC seats on track a lot and they are simply superb. There's no real need for better seats if you use the car on road and track imo but then I'm a pretty average height/weight. Having said that, the recaros look very cool

[BradK]

Thanks for the replies. I missed a few of the early ones so apologies for the delay in replying.

To clarify my requirements. This car will be a “weekend toy” to replace my motorbike. Mostly for runs on secondary roads to a coffee destination or weekends away in the country. I’ll probably join the MX-5 club and do some club runs. I currently don’t plan on any track days with the exception of some driver training.

When touring on the bike 400 to 500k a day was about the most my bum could stand :-) I’m about 2 decades past doing huge distances in a day just for fun.

I’m about 5’9”and 90kg.

From your replies I suspect that if the Recaro’s aren’t immediately uncomfortable then I will need more time in the car than a “test drive” to know if I should have payed a premium for the them.

My goal is to buy the “best car within my budget” and I’m not sure what value to put on the factory Recaro’s.

[Luke]

I use my stock NC seats on track a lot and they are simply superb. There's no real need for better seats if you use the car on road and track imo but then I'm a pretty average height/weight. Having said that, the recaros look very cool

I always ended up with bruises on the side of my knees while trying to hold on when I was driving a stock NC1 on track.
The seats were slippery and offered no support, so I had to do it with my right elbow in the door trim and my knees pinning the tunnel and door.

Don't seem to have as much as a problem with the NC2 leather seats.

When I had stock leather seats in my NB SE, it was even worse. I changed the drivers seat out for a Sparco Sprint after only 4 trackdays as it was beyond a joke.

Thanks for the replies. I missed a few of the early ones so apologies for the delay in replying.

To clarify my requirements. This car will be a “weekend toy” to replace my motorbike. Mostly for runs on secondary roads to a coffee destination or weekends away in the country. I’ll probably join the MX-5 club and do some club runs. I currently don’t plan on any track days with the exception of some driver training.

When touring on the bike 400 to 500k a day was about the most my bum could stand :-) I’m about 2 decades past doing huge distances in a day just for fun.

I’m about 5’9”and 90kg.

From your replies I suspect that if the Recaro’s aren’t immediately uncomfortable then I will need more time in the car than a “test drive” to know if I should have payed a premium for the them.

My goal is to buy the “best car within my budget” and I’m not sure what value to put on the factory Recaro’s.

Recaro's will be more comfortable then the stock seats as long as you are not as wide as the bolsters.

[taminga16]

My NC2 has stock seats that are fine, a while ago we organised a couple of group purchases for these devices. http://www.proquip.com.au/products/cg-lock.html They work really well.

[Rocky]

I find it hard enough to get in and out of a low car like an MX5 anyhow without having a seat that has high side bolsters.
My NB8B is a 'toy' as well and I do mostly 'twisty stuff' and have never really felt I needed better seats.
I occasionally brace my left knee against the centre console but that is about it.
I am 176 cm and 62 kg so there is not a big mass that needs to keep changing direction.
If a car was being tracked regularly I could see the point in a good racing seat with a full harness.