Jdm levels > 9000

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 05/01/2018 at 16:22 • Filed to: None

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Seat came in from Japan. All accompanying documents are entirely in Japanese.

The “low max” system isn’t just marketing wank. Look at that seat bottom. It’s an inch thick, BUT... that’s a rolled lip, so the actual seat bottom is closer to 1/3" thick. The underside of the seat adds almost nothing to the overall height. Cushions are fairly thin, and can be removed for maximum headroom.

Seeing as I’ve now owned 3 replicas and now a real one, I’ll probably go over the differences later. In short, I’m glad I went with an authentic seat, but I think the replica market is great too. Slightly worse material quality, quality control and lack of FIA certification for 25-40% of the cost? That’s going to be perfectly suitable for most people.

What is edirb?

Now I just need harnesses... 4-point Schroth ASM’s is in my mind the ideal streat setup to compliment these seats. They’ve recently been tested by Schroth and 3rd party groups with the sub belts as well, and they seem to work great with the street-oriented ASM system. I’ll be grabbing subbelts as well so I can go to 6-point when desired.

Eventually I’ll buy another Matching bride, but for now the $50 Craigslist knockoff will work just fine for the passenger side. But my OCD won’t allow me to keep a black seat in the cabin for TOO long.

So basically, fuck thieves, but things are working out. Unfortunately it’s unlikely I’ll be doing any turbo/engine swaps this year due to the unexpected replacement costs, but it is what it is.

Pictures of the old setup

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:24

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I can’t wait to see this in person.

MonkeePuzzle > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:29

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just a plain old good looking seat

that I know from experience I cannot jam my fat arse into

AestheticsInMotion > MonkeePuzzle 05/01/2018 at 16:31

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I like ‘em. It’s hard finding a good seat for an NA Miata. But yeah... They’re pretty narrow, with surprisingly aggressive bolstering for a seat that realistically sees very little motorsports use. It’s a quite tight fit for me

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:43

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inb4 “overnighted”

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 05/01/2018 at 16:44

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Can’t wait to see what cars we get together! Last time was a pretty impressive lineup (please don’t rain)

ateamfan42 > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:45

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Any plans for preventing a repeat theft occurrence? If they thought taking the replicas was worth it, I can only imagine how they’d drool over the genuine article (assuming they even know the difference).

How did you like those S2000 seats?

MonkeePuzzle > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:45

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I daily drove for several years with a hard mounted seat very similar. no such thing as too aggressively bolstered for daily.

AestheticsInMotion > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/01/2018 at 16:45

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It was an option, and I desperately wanted to click it.

But at $675, my wallet and common sense overruled my heart

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 16:46

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Oooh... ghost riding the Fit?

AestheticsInMotion > ateamfan42 05/01/2018 at 16:53

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First, I’m 99% sure I’ve figured out who stole the gear. Someone got evicted from my condominiums right around the same time, and lots of bikes with missing wheels were found in their home. They’re gone for good, so hopefully it’s not an issue.

Second... I have tiny GPS trackers going on the seats (hidden) that are apparently good for a solid year on the pin batteries. I’m looking into security systems that would call me immediately, and I’m taking some firearm classes before buying a handgun for property defence. Also only parking in my spot, as apposed to the slightly further away and darker guest spots. Much better insurance was another big change.

I love the look of the S2k seats, but they present some challenges in the Miata. With enough time, I could make them work but honestly I realized that before making any drastic seating changes I wanted to get my old setup back. The S2k seats are back on Craigslist, but if they don’t sell I’ll happily keep them for a future project.

AestheticsInMotion > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/01/2018 at 16:54

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Our resident fit driver—Svart—left before the photo and I didn’t want him to be left out! This is the best my editing abilities could do

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 17:40

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Very nice - assumed it was something like that.

StudyStudyStudy > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 18:18

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I guess with fiberglass/bucket seats its not as big of a deal, but the fake recaro’s I had were super flimsy. When I got my sparco’s I listed them for sale to use as office chairs because I felt they would collapse under any sort of real abuse. Glad to see it coming together!

AestheticsInMotion > StudyStudyStudy 05/01/2018 at 18:25

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Funny you should say that. I’m seriously considering turning the S2k seats into office chairs...

Yep things are coming together. Hopefully I’ll have more free time after May to work on some of the larger projects I’ve been collecting parts for!

sony1492 > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 19:15

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Semi legitimate offer: $20 For the s2000 seats. Id offer more but being 700 miles from Seattle (no idea where in Washington you actually are) means $350 In gas so that’s my seat budget right there.

AestheticsInMotion > sony1492 05/01/2018 at 19:20

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Unfortunate :/

If it makes you feel any better, one of the bites I’ve gotten is an old guy building an E36 drift car. I really hope I end up selling to him and not some high-schooler with a rice out civic

sony1492 > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 19:35

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No worries, I was fully expecting a no. There are always other excuses to roadtrip.

StudyStudyStudy > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 19:51

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Arm rests are kind of useful, I guess you could always add some.

Ugh yea I need to be a bit more productive and hopefully get a bit of good news so I can work on my bigger projects.

I have the CD009 trans swap just sitting, my shortened knuckles that need a bit more reinforcement, but need to be installed, need to order inner tie rods, get the E-power steering thing figured out, upgrade booster, align door, then maybe I can start making the car look a bit prettier.

Hard to spend money when it feels like you are on a roll and saving a little bit here and there.

AestheticsInMotion > StudyStudyStudy 05/01/2018 at 20:15

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I completely understand what you mean about the money thing. I’ve been spending a lot lately, and honestly... I’ve been keeping it up because I know as soon as I start letting the money build up in my account I won’t want to even think about touching it.

If you want to get together for some car work sometime... I’ve got access to a carport in a quiet Bellevue neighborhood. I’m sure we could knock out a few small things in a day. I’ve got sway bars, endlinks and a complete cooling system revamp to go in, along with a few little odds and ends.

Oh and also something to consider, AMGtech and I are planning to camp Saturday night after the PNW Oppo cruise. You’re welcome to join. Might be easier than trying to get the Z back in by curfew. (assuming the cruise is on Saturday and not Sunday)

StudyStudyStudy > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 20:58

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I’m always down to wrench, happy to wrench on other cars as much as I am on mine!

Hmmm that makes the drive much more tempting. I can just load up some of my camping gear and just plan on camping overnight.

Have a proposed spot?

AestheticsInMotion > StudyStudyStudy 05/01/2018 at 21:21

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Not yet, waiting to get a finalized route so we can find a place that isn’t too far

StudyStudyStudy > AestheticsInMotion 05/01/2018 at 23:19

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Well keep me in the loop if you don’t mind, I cook some mean grub on occasion! I still need to do a bolt check on my car and adjust the tune a bit before so drive is still kind of pending for me at the moment.

AestheticsInMotion > StudyStudyStudy 05/02/2018 at 01:24

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Will do! I’ll let you know when there are any updates. Tentatively giving you the “camp chef” title until further notice

daender > AestheticsInMotion 05/02/2018 at 18:09

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Jealous. I wish I was closer or had the time to do an epic cross-country trip for those beautiful blue S2K seats.

AestheticsInMotion > daender 05/02/2018 at 18:22

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You and me both. I’d much rather they went to someone on here.

For what it’s worth, to get them to work well you’d definitely need to cut out the floor pan and weld in a lower section, plus custom brackets and probably a bit of a foamectomy as well...

Would be awesome, but would take a fair amount of work to get decent fitment.

daender > AestheticsInMotion 05/02/2018 at 18:36

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Damn, nevermind, I really don’t want to remove the carpet again after doing it once before to get the 10AE carpet to look as factory as possible.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MonkeePuzzle 05/03/2018 at 16:58

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Depends on how long your commute is. If I had to drive my Miata as is with my Bride seat every single day, it would get old. I only drive an hour and yeah most of it is twisty so I do actually make use of the seat. But it is definitely more comfortable to drive my STi when I just want to get to/from work in comfort.

MonkeePuzzle > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 05/03/2018 at 16:59

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~30 minutes each way. I dont know if it’s because of my spinal injuries, but I enjoyed the support of the race style seat far better than the factory supportless seats.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 05/03/2018 at 17:04

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Excellent, now you can be part of the mismatched seat community like me! Join the dark side!!

Looking forward to an in depth comparison of the fake/real bride seat. I would probably buy one someday and keep the fake one I have as a passenger seat. Since it’s so easy to swap out the seat and I have the extra mount already anyways, I could just hotswap the seat depending on having a passenger who can’t fit well enough in the Bride.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MonkeePuzzle 05/03/2018 at 17:09

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100% agreed on the support thing. My back actually is more comfortable too. The stock miata seat just did not do much for me, always made my back sore after a while. The only issue is in fact the bolstering not allowing me to move my legs at all. I can’t pull my leg back with the car on cruise control. I just have to leave my leg next to the pedal because there is nowhere to go. And with an unadjustable steering wheel that is quite low as well, I am just locked into place for however long I am driving. This is great for race car duties but not so great for highway cruising. Thankfully my commute is >90% race car time so its still my part time commuter.

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 05/03/2018 at 17:32

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No! I already had two slightly different replicas! It’s awful... I hate this club lol. Honestly tho if I see a red bride knockoff come up at a decent price I’ll probably grab it or try to trade for the ($50!) black one.

There are some interesting differences... I’ll leave it at that for now. Probably not worth the price unless you A) are morally apposed to replicas and/or B) need an FIA certified seat.

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 05/03/2018 at 17:34

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Also, I know nothing of fiberglass, but I wonder if it could be heated up and remolded into a slightly more accommodating shape..? I’ve had a few girls who don’t exactly love the tight fit...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 05/03/2018 at 18:06

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Haha I bet the replicas are pretty good then! I would like to have a certified one, but this is “student loans already paid off” territory so that will not be any time soon. I figure if I am only buying one, getting a real one won’t be that expensive anyways.

How the hell did you find one for $50 lol. I still sold my other one for like $120 and that was to a friend on a quick sale in order to get him a discount. Although that was still basically like-new and I imagine the one you found might be closer to the other crackpipe s2k seats you found?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 05/03/2018 at 18:09

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I would imagine melting the fiberglass is a great way to ruin what structural integrity the seat has lol. I just couldn’t really imagine fitting any other seat in the car anyways. I was happy to not even need to bash in the transmission tunnel for these. My girlfriend definitely fits in the seat but she was just super unhappy about the tightness and I didnt want her to refuse to ever ride in the car. Since then I would have to take the STi pretty much all the time. And every day in LA is a top down day so its nice to use the Miata whenever I can on the weekend.

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 05/03/2018 at 18:39

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Keep your logic out of this. Yeah it’s basically this, one or two sparcos, aluminum kirkeys and... Uh. Yeah. Past that you better be willing to cut and hammer stuff.

My black seat is FLAWLESS. I’m shocked at the price. The only downside is the padding in the furthest out bottom pad was removed, but I always drive without that anyways so no big deal. Plus I still have the bottom pads from one of the stolen seats so... I’m shocked the guy let the seats go so cheap. Seemed like a nice guy. Miata owner, did a few track days and wanted FIA seats.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 05/03/2018 at 19:28

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Man what a lucky grab there then! You certainly would have a good bet of trading it then I imagine. Motorcycle gel pads are also a worthy investment in those bottom cushions. Previous owner of mine had those cushions operated on in order to add those inside. Made all the difference on my 4000 mile cross country trek. I think I would have died before I made it to Virginia otherwise lol.