Aftermarket seats

[auscobra]

Need some guidance on what seats are available that will fit into a g-force cobra.
I am aware that the MX5 seats go ok with a few mods, but I also want to look at any new aftermarket types e.g. SAAS. What have other people gone with?
I can source the replica type seats from the kit supplier, but these are fairly expensive once you trim them.

Cheers,
Paul.

[stephen low]

Paul

If you do a search I'm sure you'll find similar past posts worthy of reading.

But i reckon the short answer is:

Are you happy with fixed style buckets, if yes I'd suggest GF seats to get best fit.

If no, then you need to modfy other seats pretty heavily.

My MX5 seats ended up costing me about $1000 after narrowing 50mm and retrimming. I facilitated the narrowing / welding at no cost, seats cost me $600, which is a good price for leather versions from a late model car 2002 model, and trimmer charged $400 to downsize to the new frame size I achieved.

The GF floor layout is a bastard and you are likely to struggle to get a good fit with standard seats. But then I was just focussed on the MX5 option.

If you can find seats from a car called a Cappuccino from Suzuki, you might be onto about the only seats that are possibly smaller than MX5. I've only seen one of these cars ever but they are small.

Anyway a well padded GF seat might make it so much easier despite the up front cost, just make sure they are ADR compliant!!

Cheers

[sambo]

Autotecnica seats are distributed locally and I've measured them up at East Coast Auto Spares here in Melbourne. They fit into a Harrison - the question is, do you want the period look or not? They start at around $300 (plus rails) and are ADR approved.

See here.

Cheers,
Paul

[auscobra]

Steve,
What was the seat width you ended up with when you modified the MX5's? The site Sambo mentioned also shows the seat dimensions, so I could take a punt on that. I'll measure the body tonight to see how much room is there.
Any other things I need to look out for?

[Tenrocca]

Paul,

I was able to find some of these saas seats that I think are now discontinued. They have an adr sticker on the bottom. Gav was able to get some too, so there might be the odd set floating around in an autobahn or something. They are a very small seat - and not too high even with the integrated headrest - plus the construction looks like it is very easy to turn into low back after rego and get retrimmed - what Ill do.

I believe the frame is also very similar to what Phil Neall and Leeroy have as well - except they have separate headrests on theirs.

You wouldnt want a very big arse though - they do hold you in pretty tight.

[albanycobra]

What about some seats from FinishLine?
They are good value aswell.

[auscobra]

Guys,
I've found some Autotecnica seats on sale at supercheap, in the current catalogue. $300/pair. They look ok but I rang them to find out the dimensions, they said the front bit is just under 500mm. I would expect they'd be too big.

Hey tenrocca, if I keep squeezing my big arse in those seats would it make my arse smaller?

If I got some from FinishLine would they be ADR compliant?

Cheers
Paul.

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by auscobra

Hey tenrocca, if I keep squeezing my big arse in those seats would it make my arse smaller?

If I got some from FinishLine would they be ADR compliant?

Cheers
Paul.

If only they worked like that - dont think think the finishline ones would have an ADR sticker . At the end of the day its up to your engineer to say what you can use- I think one guy down here is pretty relaxed about the seats as the seats in a cobra cant collapse backwards.

[albanycobra]

Yeah the Engineer I used said the same about my DRB seats. As long as the seat cannot collapse backwards. But best give your Engineer a call and ask before you buy your seats.

[pezza]

Originally Posted by albanycobra

Yeah the Engineer I used said the same about my DRB seats. As long as the seat cannot collapse backwards. But best give your Engineer a call and ask before you buy your seats.

Whilst stationery at a set of traffic lights in my wife's very popular Japanese car we were rear ended by a holden commodore. Both front seats collapsed backwards and we both ended up in the back seat. What worries me is if our young son had been in the back in his child restraint he could have been severely injured or worse. ADR APPROVED???????. Perhaps the sticker on the bottom of the seat is ADR approved it was still in one piece.

[stephen low]

Paul

The steel pan underneath he MX5 seats was narrowed by 50mm, with the tubular frame in the back rest section pulled in to match.

Running a tape over the seat at the pivot area gives about 430mm including the plastic side covers and on the widest part of the seat and on the backrest wings gives the same width of about 460mm.

I have fitted the passenger seat to the drivers side.

Hope this helps Paul.

Cheers

[martrogers]

I was in Kevin Humphries' worshop yesterday, he has a rig for doing ADR compliance testing on seats, might be worth talking to him if you want to have sets made or imported. 02 4353 0866 0409 454591 He is in Wyong.

[stephen low]

Hey if you don't look at the base of my seats or run a tape over them you wouldn't know they are smaller. So why alert the engineer?

That's a big credit to my trimmer as the back support would have been a bit of a job having to unstitch two sides but you just can't tell they are different. Anyway the seats are somewhat grippier through the wings but are still beautifully comfy!!

It's about the only gripe I have with the GForce as the cabin floor arrangement really does limit what you can do with seats in them.

I'd suggest a scrounge around the pick a part yards looking at seats if you want them adjustable tilt wise. As I'm sure you will get seats far cheaper than I did and after trimming and foam addition you will have what you really want.

Just my two peneth having now passed down this path. Shyte I better have a beer and unclog the tung!!

Cheers

[Asp302]

I have a set of reverlustion COBERA sets in black vinel from homebush car thats ADR safe for 200.oo if you pay freight