Aftermarket seats - experience needed!

[Nick Read]

Im thinking about putting a pair of buckets in my Clio once its back on the road again, has anyone put say Cobra fixed race seats in a 16v or Williams? Can you get a proper tailored subframe and does it mount really low in the car or does it sit at the same height as the standard seats? And how comfortable is a set of good competition seats for long-distance driving?

 

[cliocup]

To be honest, its one of those things that seems like a good idea for a couple of weeks then once you do it, you wish you hadnt.

You can get tailored runners, possibly demon tweeks will source some. Not sure where they would position the seat but its bound to be wrong. They are great for short, irregular journies but have nowhere near the comfort on long runs that road seats supply.

Then you need a proper harness which again is great for a couple of weeks then just gets annoying for short runs and you cant look over your shoulder properly (and the girls hate em!) Standard belts tend to wear at the bolsters of buckets as they rub across each side.

I would only go down the proper route, weld in lateral bars and make up an alloy frame to mount seats from, if used on the road then add in the runners on the drivers side.

+ you cant get into the back of the car!

Why not get some 172 leather?

 

[MaLicE]

ok i have some cobra buckets and im not unhappy with them.



the cobra mounting frame for a clio means u take you old seats of the runners mount an H frame to the runners and mount you new buckets on that, They are ALOT lower in the car which was good for me cos i needed extra space cos meh legs were to long and no they are comfortable if u get cobra they do a extra comfort pack which is like 40 quid which has an extra arse cusion and some lumbar supports.

the seats grip you well and when u take corners fast you dont get chucked about in the car as u r pretty much welded in place. i had to adapt my h frames cos they wernt designed right but that didnt take long and i prefer harnesses they feel safer if u go buckets and harnesses route i would suggest getting the extra wide harness strapping as it looks better and also get the quick release twist off buckle as they look nicer



aparantly if u call cobra direct they have seconds seats which have small faults but are massivly reduced when i saw some a friend had bought i couldnt see any fault untill he pointed it out to me and it was just a crocked stitch.



hope this helps



MaLicE

 

[Nick Read]

Nice , two opposite opinions and both helpful. So Cliocup what seats have you got in your valver? And same question to you Malice (I mean what model of Cobra seats are they?)

So the H frame actually mounts on top of the factory sliders then? Surely that would make the whole seat higher up?

 

[MaLicE]

ok



i got cobra monacos (cheap 90 quid each buckets) and they are ok crotch strap hole does my head in as it catches on my trousers when i get out but the cobra comfort pack sorts that out.

the h frames if put on a flat serface and measured come to about 2 " tall but on clio seats they have from the sliders have a frame that is about 3" thick then u have like 5" of foam to where u sit on, but cobra seats basically have sliders h frame 1" block frame and 2" of foam so u r quiet a bit lower and many people that got in them say they are lower.





BUT if u worried about hieght, if u go for the more expensive cobras that are side mounted u can adjust the hieght.

after i have finished the outside of my car which will be just after christmas im gonna start on the inside and the 2 front cobras i got are gonna be mounted in the back and i will get some more expensive buckets with the side mounts

hope this helps



MalicE

 

[marcus cliogtt]

I had Cobra bucket seats in my 16v, I had the frames made for them at Cobra as it was only 5 minutes away from where I used to live! It is cheaper to buy them from there direct, as they will normally knock the VAT of for cash, they normally have some bargains there as well, I may be able to pop in and have a word as I know some people who work there, the frames bolt onto the existing subframes and are really easy to fit.

Problems:

You do sit very low in the car, only access to the rear seats is through the middle.

Benefits:

Comfy, very light good excuse not to have anyone in the back!

If you need a direct number for Cobra let me know.

Marcus

 

[Tom]

i had this problem with my bm

i fitted recaros from a crashed audi s3 http://www.recaro.com/englisch/pics/inhalT/unternehmen/produktgalerie/90er_bis_heute/Style.gifand sourced the subframes from recaro easy peasy but i wouldnt get buckets unless you do short journeys and like to be supported everywhere

the seats in my old bimmer were supportive enough for fast driving and comfortable enough for the lengthly journeys i used to do.

best thing to do is to try some seats out sit in them for 10min (at least- your gonna look stupid but its worth it.)to get a good feel- oh and dont get momo seats please

 

[MaLicE]

if u get cobra i recomend the extra comfort pack or asking if they will make u a special set with extra arse padding as after about 30-45mins u will have a bit of an arse ache but after a while ur arse becomes used to it and tuffens up



MalicE

 

[gaj16v]

Well id second getting some 172 leather!!

 

[cliocup]

Havent got buckets in my 16v because of the reasons above! Had harnesses in it for a while and then reverted back to standard cos they are annoying.

I have got buckets in competition cars and IMO thats where they should stay! Once again i believe you get what you pay for and go for side mounted seats!

 

[MaLicE]

ok its fine saying get some 172 leather but its gonna cost a bomb and then u might have problems fitting it as 172s have different mounting positions and subframes.



MaLicE

 

[Nick Read]

this gets better and better- big thanks for all the help everyone! OK dunno whether I mentioned it in another thread but these seats aint going in for looks...Im thinking of lightness, safety and support mainly. My phase 1 valver seats are superb but when youre really hooning it around you can get flung about a bit...its all part of a masterplan which will involve a 6 point bolt-in rollcage possibly with doorbars as well, two buckets up front, stripped out rear and 4/5 point harnesses.

My problem is that I want ultimate safety and support for fast road/track use, but its also my everyday car during the week and I do take it long distances on the weekends sometimes, 2 or 3 hours driving at a time. The seats Im looking at are Cobra Suzuka or Evolution - AFAIK they are sidemounted with either a kevlar or diolen frame, so the height can be adjusted and I can still keep the original slide runners with an H frame.

Ill see if I can test out some seats and do the ten minute arse test.

 

[Colin_S]

You definitely need the comfort pack with the Cobra Monacos, if you dont it is like putting a wooden seat in your car. You could go for the Clubmans, cheaper than Monacos and are really comfy. As for the sub frames I it was me I would make my own. You can use the original sub frames and mod them to fit.

 

[adiclio16v]

if your going to get buckets get the best ones you can and go and have a good sit in em to see how comfy they are, some are okay to live with but some are just horrible really supportive when your cornering but getting out after half an hours drive has your back aching ,

the seats in my old vaux were not very good but a set of 3 point harnesses really improved things and my old belts were still there for comfort on long journeys

i think the standard valver seats are quite good certainly as good as a sierra cossie recaro that i have in my room as my comfy chair he he , i think 3 point harnesses on a standard valver seat keeping the original belts too would be quite good

adi

 

[gaj16v]

Malice


I got my 172 interior including delivery for £450. (Norwich to Newcastle) Yes, the seats are a different shape, the fronts required drilling two holes per frame to secure them properly. As for the backs, i stripped my original seats off the frames and put the 172 ones on instead. All in all took about three days to get it spot on and secure

When i look at the prices i was quoted for a leather re-trim, i dont think i did to badly

P.S They are very supportive and "comfy"

 

[MaLicE]

ok ok ok



i hate to say this but THE EVOLUTION seats own BUT and i mean a BIG but if you want them at the same hight as the valver seats it just aint gonna happen reasons being is that the evo seats are sooooooo tall that at the same hight as the valver seats u will have to cut a hole in the roof, if u have em lower than the valver seats then u should be able to get away with it, and u need to get them in the carbonfiber buckets only like 600 quid each i think .



and if you want support u need these

http://www.cobraseats.com/imx/cla_bkbk4.jpg

i had a m8 that is a skinny bugger sit in em when he stood up it was stuck to him



and a cool thing if u order direct from cobra and u get the evos like u should u could have CLIO TURBO stitched in to em which would look wicked are u really short or summit if not stick with the evos and fit em as high as possible and they will look sh*t hot total stripped out racer look when ur car is finished for all the help i have been with the seats can i go for a ride if i eva see u



MaLicE



im a checky fux i know!

 

[Nick Read]

lol no im 510 so no midget, but I just dont like to be sat too low in a car with no steering wheel height adjustment! So I wanna be at the same height as I am usually. I was gonna have the driver and co-driver name stitched on but Clio Turbo is a nice idea too. So Malice I get the idea you reckon I should go for the Evos then?

Dont worry Ill be giving rides next time we have a big meet I reckon. As long as its somewhere with plenty of empty road!

 

[MaLicE]

oooooo im gonna hold u to that i am sooo tempted to buy a ren5 turbo and get my mum or stepdad to insure it and be a named driver i just want turbo and more speed as i only have a 1.4 rt i will come to the meet and when u rnt looking i will nick yours ha ha have a good try at catching me



u r sooooooo lucky



MaLicE

 

[Matty]

If you are running phase 1 seats Nick then Phase 2s are more supportive with better bolsters on to hug you more, even the leather ones which I managed to acquire recently. And they will fit easily and cheap.