by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 01/03/2017 at 02:57
by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 01/03/2017 at 02:57
No Tags
STARS: 1
Oppo survey.
Cons:
No more headrest speakers. Back to headphones...
Cloth seats stain a lot easier.
Could potentially get more attention from cops. Or thieves I guess.
Pros:
Lighter. Like, 45 pounds lighter. Dropping almost 100 pounds makes a difference when your car weighs about 2200 pounds.
Not black leather. I remember the sweaty mess that was my back after driving more than 5 minutes during the summer. Lighter colored, non-leather seats should help quite a bit in this regard. (I don’t have air-conditioning)
Bolstering! Tight fit at the hips, but plenty of room to move my legs comfortably. Shoulders are a squeeze, but sitting in it for 10 minutes or so has been fine so far. We’ll see for long trips.
Seating position: at six feet tall, I’m no giant, but the lowered seating position is still appreciated. Oh... And I get an entire five inches of extra leg room! I never thought I’d be able to completely straighten my legs in a Miata.
Unfortunately I don’t think I can use the stock belt safely, so I’ll need a 4 (or more) point harness. Which in turn means I’ll need a rollbar to attach the harness to. At least I think that’s how that works...
Anyone have any experience with racing harnesses on a street car? Anything I should look for in particular? I would assume if properly setup it’s safer than the normal 3 point belt especially given my lack of airbags, but the greater potential for whiplash is somewhat worrying. I’m looking at the schroth asm 4-point because it seems to be one of the only street legal setups and is viewed favorably by the guys I talked to at a track day recently.
"Echo51" (echo2047)
01/03/2017 at 03:02, STARS: 0
Solid back like a proper racing seat, makes me think it’ll be quite uncomfy for day to day, along with the high edges making in/egress more troublesome. What’s wrong with finding something akin to a streetable sport seat? Not sure what options there are in the US; but better side bolster then a stock seat, but still adjustable.
Bonus pro: Excuse to build a proper front-stage stereo into the car for your music
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 03:08, STARS: 0
This is only a test fit, so haven’t driven with it so far but it certainly seems much more comfortable than the stock seat. I figured I’d ditch the recline since I never use it anyways, I had the stock seat all the back so no room for adjustment. Getting in and out... Well a few extra squats every day probably won’t hurt haha.
Honestly I picked the seat up because bolstering has been the main thing holding me back lately, and there was a good deal due to it being returned (the guy ordered the wrong color apparently). Definitely some compromises but that describes everything about this car!
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
01/03/2017 at 03:13, STARS: 0
Black leather.
"slipperysallylikespenguins" (slipperysally)
01/03/2017 at 03:18, STARS: 1
My vote goes for the red sports seats. I think the black leather is much more attractive but the red seats are more practical for your application since it sounds like you track it. Cloth beats leather every time in the summer and those bolsters should come in handy.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 03:24, STARS: 1
I think the switch to cloth is what I’m most excited about.
....and I like penguins too....
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
01/03/2017 at 03:24, STARS: 1
I would stick with the black leather, but then I have a bad back and can’t imagine the Bride seats on any trip longer than 15 minutes.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 03:26, STARS: 0
I’ve never thought the stock seats were very comfortable, but sitting in them OUTSIDE of the car... Wow. Feels great. Like lazy boy recliner level with a quarter of the bulk. Might have to stick em on office chair bases and put then in the garage.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 03:28, STARS: 0
Yeah that would probably be rough. Cautiously optimistic that these won’t cause any back issues
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
01/03/2017 at 03:36, STARS: 0
ooh yeah do that.
"MrDakka" (mrdakka)
01/03/2017 at 03:39, STARS: 5
Red seat makes you sit down faster. This is crucial in races with Le Mans-style starts like the daily Wokeuplatedrivefasttowork race.
"ls3f20c" (ls3f20c)
01/03/2017 at 08:46, STARS: 0
I have a pretty limited knowledge of seat belts, but my understanding is a 3-point belt is safer than a 4-point due to submarining effect and a 5-point is the safest of all, but definitely has to be mounted appropriately. 5-point harnesses are also a major pain in the buttocks to use on a daily basis.
"Leonardo DiCabriolet" (leonardodicabriolet)
01/03/2017 at 08:51, STARS: 1
I recently switched from a set of tan leather seats to some black cloth Sparco’s in my Moosetang and it was one of the best choices I made for the car. Sit lower in the car, don’t slide around in the car while turning anymore, no a/c benefits like you mentioned, and honestly it’s way more comfortable than the stocks. Get the bride.
"Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer" (cyclonefan94)
01/03/2017 at 09:02, STARS: 2
Does the driver’s side one say “Groom”?
"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
01/03/2017 at 09:32, STARS: 0
Ventilated red leather with pneumatically adjustable bolstering
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
01/03/2017 at 10:11, STARS: 0
Red. Two reasons: Color is good in interiors and racecar.
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
01/03/2017 at 10:11, STARS: 1
Red. Two reasons: Color is good in interiors and racecar.
"Needmoargarage" (needmoargarage)
01/03/2017 at 10:49, STARS: 0
I played the seat game in my Miata for a while. My thoughts are to stick with the black leather ones. Unless you are fine with strapping into a 6 point harness every trip (and cops might not actually be fine with that) your OEM seat belts and seats will likely be much safer in a collision on the street.
Keep in mind that race seats are often not very safe without back bracing, a proper harness and mounting points, and are usually designed assuming the driver will be using a neck support system and helmet. I just ended up swapping in the race seat the night before going to the track. Took 15 minutes and was totally worth the comfort and peace of mind the stock seats offered for daily driving.
"MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
01/03/2017 at 11:27, STARS: 1
EASY! the bride all teh way.
I dailied my civic for nearly 5 years with fixed position hard racing style seats. If you take the time to fit it well, it’s better than any other seat, even for long drives.
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 11:47, STARS: 0
Seeing this bride seat it makes me think of some stuff I read about cars in Japan.
Leather is not popular there, they prefer cloth. So often if you find a high spec luxury car in Japan from a Japanese company it will still have cloth seats.
I like Bride seats, if you have a Japanese car. It looks like you have a Miata? I say go with that seat on both sides.
I dislike leather seats myself but I live in Nevada where they get ridiculously hot.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
01/03/2017 at 14:25, STARS: 0
Red cloth.
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
01/03/2017 at 21:38, STARS: 1
In some judisdictions 4 point harnesses are banned as there is no give and they can have a tendency to snap bones/necks
“ A note about 4-point harnesses:
People sometimes request 4-point harnesses because they can not use a 5- or 6-point belt with their factory seats. This is often true even of factory “race seats” (such as the Recaro seats available in Mustangs) that have harness holes in the seat back. While we do stock them for the tuner and show car market, we do not recommend using 4-point harnesses on the street or track. 4-point harnesses are insufficient for track use because they can actually be more dangerous than the factory belts in a crash. This is due to an effect called “submarining” in which the waist of the user starts to move underneath the belts and towards their feet (see the video above). This motion positions the buckle of a four point harness right over the soft vital organs, which can lead to devastating results when your body lunges forward during a crash. Some models claim to have “anti-submarining” features built in, but until we see solid test results (which you rarely do), we don’t recommend any 4-point harnesses.”
http://www.ogracing.com/blog/2013/02/6-things-you-need-to-consider-before-buying-harnesses/
“If your car is still a daily driver or will see any street use, consider also that none of these racing belts are U.S.D.O.T. tested or certified. This means that if you install these in place of your factory belts, your car will likely not pass state safety inspections (if your state has them) and you could be ticketed for driving without seat belts”
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 21:56, STARS: 0
This is good info. Thank you, I’ve been looking for some solid facts to back this up one way or another. The 4 point harness I was looking at seems to be the only one that is USDOT tested and approved, but even so might want to reconsider... I like my bones intact
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 21:58, STARS: 1
Yep, Miata. Tops out around 90 here for the most part, but even that felt like torture with the black leather/convertible combo.
I really hope non-leather seating starts to gain more popularity in the luxury segment over here as well
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 22:02, STARS: 0
Yep I’m okay with that. Where can I find those in 20 pounds or less..?
My first choice was actually red leather s2000 seats after seeing a picture of a similar Miata with them.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/03/2017 at 22:03, STARS: 1
You win the award for best dad joke
"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
01/03/2017 at 22:53, STARS: 0
20 pounds? I wish. Actually described the seats in my car! Probably about triple that weight though
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
01/04/2017 at 21:26, STARS: 1
I think one of the biggest risks are also low quality aftermarket parts, and improper installation.
A few guys in the PCA have spoken of some the dangers about swapping out the seats and belt for 6 point harnesses on their street cars, but those were also newer cars with airbags so I don’t know how much is apples to apples comparison to your car without airbags.
http://jalopnik.com/holy-crap-this-crash-test-video-of-counterfeit-seat-bel-1737773643
Have you tried miata forums or maybe the local autocross miata guru for guidance?
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
01/04/2017 at 21:39, STARS: 0
Yeah Miata forums have been a big help. The harnesses I grabbed are legit and rated well, with some anecdotal evidence for being decent for street driving as well. the seat itself is the biggest unknown.
At the very least, I’m hoping to get the seats, rollbar, and harnesses installed professionally by people who understand the correct harness geometry and mounting methods... Because I sure don’t. Only thing is I’m not exactly sure where to go for that kind of work.