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aftermarket seats...

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Location
Florence, KY
#3
Just some advice if you go with a one piece seat, make sure you have rails to install it onto and also I would recommend getting lumbar, thigh or back pads if you find the seat uncomfortable.

I used a rolled up towel with my leather recaro 1 piece that I had for a while in my s2000, but I got rid of it after a while since I had to drive 2-3 hours every other week on the highway. It was great for an hour or so then after that I had to pull over, get out and walk around lol.
 


frankiefiesta

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forked river
#4
I've sat in a cheap fake recaro before. It was uncomfortable & tight (couldnt let the boys breathe, if you know what I mean)

This sparco is probably the same if I had to guess
 


OP
F
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Location
Orange county
Thread Starter #5
Just some advice if you go with a one piece seat, make sure you have rails to install it onto and also I would recommend getting lumbar, thigh or back pads if you find the seat uncomfortable.

I used a rolled up towel with my leather recaro 1 piece that I had for a while in my s2000, but I got rid of it after a while since I had to drive 2-3 hours every other week on the highway. It was great for an hour or so then after that I had to pull over, get out and walk around lol.
lolol, yea I think with seats its worth it to spend an extra few hundred and get something nice. those sparco 2000's are really really nice looking, they look really comfortable to.
 


RAAMaudio

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Carson City
#6
If you are limber, not to big, do not mind being confined on a long drive with barely any room to move around, add in the cost of mounts, sliders, losing seat air bags(not always a bad thing but can be) etc......I have had many race seats, all real ones, some sold as race seats that were horrible, some great ones.....really not that fun to live with especially if you get in and out of the car quite a bit on errands.

You would also want more expensive Sparco seats, I prefer Recaro, better yet Racetech but they do not make anything but full race so very snug.

I have really good air bladders for lumbar adjustment and top notch seat heaters, neither weighs all that much. I looked into a fixed seat swap and in the end it would of saved around 14lbs in the middle of the car, most weight down low, not the most important place to loose weight and I knew it would be less comfortable than the stock Recaro seats, a lot less comfortable overall.

Sure look cool though, I have to admit that:)
 


OP
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Thread Starter #7
If you are limber, not to big, do not mind being confined on a long drive with barely any room to move around, add in the cost of mounts, sliders, losing seat air bags(not always a bad thing but can be) etc......I have had many race seats, all real ones, some sold as race seats that were horrible, some great ones.....really not that fun to live with especially if you get in and out of the car quite a bit on errands.

You would also want more expensive Sparco seats, I prefer Recaro, better yet Racetech but they do not make anything but full race so very snug.

I have really good air bladders for lumbar adjustment and top notch seat heaters, neither weighs all that much. I looked into a fixed seat swap and in the end it would of saved around 14lbs in the middle of the car, most weight down low, not the most important place to loose weight and I knew it would be less comfortable than the stock Recaro seats, a lot less comfortable overall.

Sure look cool though, I have to admit that:)
hell yea nthey look good, iv never had race seats and I always liked the look and I just think they complete a sporty car with the harness. I'm a pretty big guy though 6'1 230 so I think it would be a hassle living with them lol.
 


RAAMaudio

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#8
Harnesses really suck on the street and should never be worn unless you have either the Schroth designed to be used with out a roll bar or you must have a roll bar with harnesses, harness bars are not a proper way to go.
 


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Location
Oak Harbor
#10
I'd suggest you find a reclining alternative. You can find a seat with great lateral support without going full on race car.
 


RAAMaudio

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#11
The factory Recaro seats offer some pretty good support as is, add the Schroth 4 point harnesses or at least a CG lock on stock seat belts and have about as good as you can get on the street and works for autocross and track days.

I have installed aftermarket reclining Recaro seats(Speed, SRD) in several cars and loved them though the fabric was a pain to keep clean as everything stuck to them like glue, the cost for a good pair of seats, mounts, sliders, etc was about what the Recaro option costs on this car and did not include side air bags and the other added things to the car.

----------

Bending the head rest back is the way to fix the angle issue, did mine with 293 miles on the car after driving it only 5 miles total myself, the rest were delivery miles.
 


meFiSTo

Senior Member
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Redmond
#12
Bending the head rest back is the way to fix the angle issue, did mine with 293 miles on the car after driving it only 5 miles total myself, the rest were delivery miles.
Could you maybe show what this looks like and explain what you did?
 


OP
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Thread Starter #13
The factory Recaro seats offer some pretty good support as is, add the Schroth 4 point harnesses or at least a CG lock on stock seat belts and have about as good as you can get on the street and works for autocross and track days.

I have installed aftermarket reclining Recaro seats(Speed, SRD) in several cars and loved them though the fabric was a pain to keep clean as everything stuck to them like glue, the cost for a good pair of seats, mounts, sliders, etc was about what the Recaro option costs on this car and did not include side air bags and the other added things to the car.

----------

Bending the head rest back is the way to fix the angle issue, did mine with 293 miles on the car after driving it only 5 miles total myself, the rest were delivery miles.
how do I install a 4 point harness on the stock seats? do I need a harness bar or w.e there called behind the two front seats?
 


RAAMaudio

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#14
NEVER use a harness bar, please, they are not a replacement for a real roll bar.

The only 4 point harness that is safe to use is the Schroth Quick Fit and now they have a Pro version that works with neck restraints as well. They are designed to release one shoulder a bit in a frontal crash, twists your body just a bit and prevents submarining. In a roll over you can still slide down. The are the only DOT approved harnesses which would mean not a point a lawyer could use against you in an accident as all other harnesses could.

I have owned many full race and several sets of these harnesses and find them quite acceptable on the street but very easy to take out when not needed and use the stock setup which is left installed.

----------------

Please search for the headrest mod thread as it is what I followed so did not post up much about it if anything, sorry.

But, I had a big vice, used a long bar and board, foam, etc to not damage anything and sure it can be done other ways.

I guess not that easy but I am a bit more intense on things I do to a car so it is relatively easy to me but might be more of a challenge to others, I am a bit more carefree about tearing up and modding cars than most:)
 


antarctica24

Active member
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O'Fallon, MO, USA
#15
http://www.carid.com/2015-ford-fiesta-seats/sparco-f200-seat-77508326.html

these would fit the st to right? has anyone sat in these how are they? thanks for the input
Most of the sparco stuff is very comfortable. What you can do is go to www.sparcousa.com, put in the seat number and then right about the color selection is a measurement chart. measure your factory seats then see what the measurements are on these and you will get a idea. If you have never had a racing seat like this, the really side bolsters will make getting in and out a challenge.
 


RAAMaudio

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#16
Funny how things change as I turned down a full sponsorship from them many years ago as just did not fit me right but now I have sat in several I really liked a lot. Recaro and Racetech have been my seats of choice for most of my projects though the best streetable Racetechs ended up being far to restrictive for longer drives or running errands, ingress and egress.

Sparco has some really good seats with lower bolsters making them much better on the street.

NOTE: I do not have the notes with me so have to pull this from my well used 64 year old memory bank....I looked into fixed back seats, mounts, brackets, etc....and into the side curtain, seat, etc...air bags....stock Recaro weight, daily use, etc.....the weight savings was only around 10 lbs total for both seats combined, simply not worth it in the middle of the car and most of the weight down low.

I love the look, idea, effect when works, etc of aftermarket seats and have had quite a few over the years, I decided it best to spend the time on money taking out weight in other areas and will get the Schroth Quick Fit Pro harnesses before lone.
 


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Location
SoCal
#17
Funny how things change as I turned down a full sponsorship from them many years ago as just did not fit me right but now I have sat in several I really liked a lot. Recaro and Racetech have been my seats of choice for most of my projects though the best streetable Racetechs ended up being far to restrictive for longer drives or running errands, ingress and egress.

Sparco has some really good seats with lower bolsters making them much better on the street.

NOTE: I do not have the notes with me so have to pull this from my well used 64 year old memory bank....I looked into fixed back seats, mounts, brackets, etc....and into the side curtain, seat, etc...air bags....stock Recaro weight, daily use, etc.....the weight savings was only around 10 lbs total for both seats combined, simply not worth it in the middle of the car and most of the weight down low.

I love the look, idea, effect when works, etc of aftermarket seats and have had quite a few over the years, I decided it best to spend the time on money taking out weight in other areas and will get the Schroth Quick Fit Pro harnesses before lone.
This may be a little off topic but the base cloth seats include side air bags correct? As for the recaro options seats it eliminates the side air bags? I've read this somewhere or maybe I thought I did and when you mentioned the airbags it came to mind.
 


antarctica24

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#18
This may be a little off topic but the base cloth seats include side air bags correct? As for the recaro options seats it eliminates the side air bags? I've read this somewhere or maybe I thought I did and when you mentioned the airbags it came to mind.
No aftermarket seat comes with airbags because the airbags in the seats are designed for a specific application because of how they deploy in whatever car they are in. It's not like they have 1 bag that fits all. And if the aftermarket seats came with airbags they would be crazy expensive.
 


Pete

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San Diego
#19
I installed a Sparco Grid seat in my ST this last month. I didn't use rails so I had to drill into the seat base I bought from Sparco. I'm the only person who drives my car so I am okay with the seat not being adjusted. I really love the seat with my 4 point harness which has the asm in the right strap to make it street legal. Also their is a hole on the bottom of the seat for a five/six point harness which conveniently is just above an ac vent. So I have an ac seat now :) I daily drive my car and the seat is very comfortable for me. It took a week for my leg muscles to adjust pushing the pedals at different angles but that was it. Also the seat base from sparco was a direct bolt in and has an attachment point for the inner harness belt. I had to use side mounts for the seat as well.
The harness is attached to the stock rear seat belt points while I design a rear 4 point rollbar for them to strap to later.

 


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SoCal
#20
No aftermarket seat comes with airbags because the airbags in the seats are designed for a specific application because of how they deploy in whatever car they are in. It's not like they have 1 bag that fits all. And if the aftermarket seats came with airbags they would be crazy expensive.
Thanks for the info but that didn't answer my question as I was talking about the base model seats compared to the recaro optioned seats. May be a little confusion.

JP
 


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