Bucket seat questions

[BH182]

I know these questions may have been/ have been asked a million times before but I've bee doing the searching and need a few things clarified!

Im thinking of getting some Bimarco Futura's for the 182, BUT I would like to have sliders so that I can use the back seats on odd occasion if required.

If i understand correctly I would need:
OMP subframes
OMP/ other brand side mounts
Sliders (what brands would work)

My concerns are height as I don't want to be any higher than the lowest height of the seat already! ideally I would like to be a little lower. Also I've read comments about the OMP subframes needing adjustment to get them level and comments about the seat sitting off center/ at a angle to the pedals.

Has anybody got this setup or similar, any suggestions about what parts to use would be welcome! Does have any pics of bucket seats on sliders to gauge height?

Cheers
Ben

 

[Fletcher]

OMP subframes need packing out (I cut used some metal bar as spacers) to sit level, but even with sliders would be lower than the OEM set up.

 

[MarkX]

I know these questions may have been/ have been asked a million times before but I've bee doing the searching and need a few things clarified!

Im thinking of getting some Bimarco Futura's for the 182, BUT I would like to have sliders so that I can use the back seats on odd occasion if required.

If i understand correctly I would need:
OMP subframes
OMP/ other brand side mounts
Sliders (what brands would work)

My concerns are height as I don't want to be any higher than the lowest height of the seat already! ideally I would like to be a little lower. Also I've read comments about the OMP subframes needing adjustment to get them level and comments about the seat sitting off center/ at a angle to the pedals.

Has anybody got this setup or similar, any suggestions about what parts to use would be welcome! Does have any pics of bucket seats on sliders to gauge height?

Cheers
Ben

I know it's difficult to judge but here are my futuras on carbontec side mounts, cobra sliders and sub frames. I can take a measurement from the roof or floor if it helps. They're lower than the standard cup seats, not sure how much though.

 

[BH182]

I know it's difficult to judge but here are my futuras on carbontec side mounts, cobra sliders and sub frames. I can take a measurement from the roof or floor if it helps. They're lower than the standard cup seats, not sure how much though.

What subframes are they? and where did you get them?

Cheers
Ben

 

[mds]

This post is exactly what I was about to post about also. I have the bimarco seats ready to go into my ph1 V6 but was unsure about the exact things you mention i.e. subframes /sliders etc

I was under the impression that you could use the sliders from the standard seats(Renault sport)?
I take it that the pic markx kindly posted the cobra subframes don't need packing out like the OMP one's?

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BH182]

I can't find the cobra subframes anywhere !

 

[Fletcher]

I can't find the cobra subframes anywhere !

Cobra X- low?

if so they stopped making them a while back.

 

[BH182]

Yes they are the ones! Is there a alternative ? Other than the omp?

 

[_WILL_]

Cobra X- low?

if so they stopped making them a while back.

They now make a new low frame, I bought 2 the other day. Much better quality than the X-Lows but not quite as low, but still lower than anything else I could find on the market.

Only place I know of selling them is R-Tec. http://www.rtecshop.com/ Its a 3 - 6 week wait as made to order.

I found the OMP pointless as it wasn't low enough and as said you need to pack them out. If you leave the standard spacers in on the tunnel side they sit level.

 

[mds]

would these side mounts work on the bimarco seats? I assume they would as the holes on the bimarcos are 290 apart but thought it best to check first.
http://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/race-safety-steel-side-mounts/prod_3840.html

Seems that the cobra subframes are not available? Think I may have to call capital seating tomorrow or sprtsseats4u this looks like a bit of a puzzle, to me at least!

Thanks

 

[mds]

are these the cobra subframes with the sliders built in? It mentions lowered so I assume that's x-low as was mentioned if so this could save a lot of messing round with the omp ones
http://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/brand...t-lowered-direct-fit-subframes/prod_1318.html


Thanks in advance for clarity on whether these are correct and will work on my PH1 V6

 

[MarkX]

Mine were just Cobra, not x low. I bought them from a local Motorsport shop who ordered them in for a customer some years ago and got stuck with them, got them both for £80! They needed some fettling as per pics, sidemounts are low style from carbontec in the traders area, very good quality and lower mounting points than others I'd considered.

 

[BH182]

What exactly needed to be fettled on them to make them fit?

 

[MarkX]

What exactly needed to be fettled on them to make them fit?

The slider was spaced for bottom mount seats, drilled holes and moved them out to suit the side mounts, used a piece of metal tubing to extend the adjuster. Nothing difficult.

 

[BH182]

Doesn't sound too bad!

Does anybody use there buckets on sliders with the rear bench still in? Is there enough room to get into the back even if its a squeeze?

 

[adamlstr]

I'm currently having some buckets fitted (sorry for the hijack) - is the SRS system going to complain about the occupancy sensors? I'm keeping the seatbelts in. (172 Cup)

 

[_WILL_]

I'm currently having some buckets fitted (sorry for the hijack) - is the SRS system going to complain about the occupancy sensors? I'm keeping the seatbelts in. (172 Cup)

Mine didin't, don't cut any wires. I then cable tied the occupancy sensor so it thinks I am always sat in it. It worked perfectly like that, but I didn't even try it without the cable tie so not sure its even needed tbh.

 

[mds]

Called RTEC as WILL had kindly suggested that they do a cobra subframe and slider kit. They refused to sell me the kit as I did not have cobra seats and said cobra will only supply this custom kit if you show a picture of your car with the seats next to it to prove you are fitting cobra seats only!!

Sounded nuts but that's what they said.

This is turning into a bit of a pain in the backside
Will wait to see how others get on before I order anything as I am bound to order the wrong thing!

 

[mds]

Sparco also do some subframes, don't know if the sliders on the oe seats would work with these or not?

 

[Fantom]

Buy the OMP subframes. Cut some metal out from one side, weld it to the other side. Or get a local firm to do it

 

[mds]

when you say cut some metal out is that to even up the height difference?

Thanks for the help its much appreciated.

 

[BH182]

Called RTEC as WILL had kindly suggested that they do a cobra subframe and slider kit. They refused to sell me the kit as I did not have cobra seats and said cobra will only supply this custom kit if you show a picture of your car with the seats next to it to prove you are fitting cobra seats only!!

Sounded nuts but that's what they said.

This is turning into a bit of a pain in the backside
Will wait to see how others get on before I order anything as I am bound to order the wrong thing!

Thats insane! however as somebody else mentioned i think GSM Seats stock the lowered Cobra frames and runners so worth giving them a try?

 

[adamlstr]

Mine didin't, don't cut any wires. I then cable tied the occupancy sensor so it thinks I am always sat in it. It worked perfectly like that, but I didn't even try it without the cable tie so not sure its even needed tbh.

Logical, thanks. I've never seen what the occupancy sensor looks like, assume it's pretty easy to cable tie up?

 

[mds]

Thats insane! however as somebody else mentioned i think GSM Seats stock the lowered Cobra frames and runners so worth giving them a try?

I called them and they do not do the cobra subframes/sliders etc they said use OMP and aside mounts, rumour has it you can use the oe slider off your Renault seats on the omp subframes. You will need to fabricate a "u" bracket to level them though.

Another chap said you can just cut a piece of metal off one side and weld it onto the other to do without the "u" bracket(tubing)
Seems like a good option, what a pain in the backside wish I never started although driving my V6 with factory seats is like driving a rollerskate so once I fit the seats I can only get better.

 

[BH182]

That's the ones though surely? And on there website to order ? Cobra lowered frames with sliders?

 

[mds]

yes I asked them about those they said they wont fit for some reason, although I contacted bimarco in Poland today and they said that there are base mounting points under the fabric on the bimarco seats you just have to locate them so you dont have to use side mounts.

If this is the case this will also help with the seat height being lower without side mounts,
I may now try and see if the standard runners/frames off the Renault seats can be some how retro fitted to the base mounting points on the bimarco's assuming I can find them!!

 

[_WILL_]

Logical, thanks. I've never seen what the occupancy sensor looks like, assume it's pretty easy to cable tie up?

Hard to explain but its very easy, just take it all off carefully. I am pretty sure there is a good guide on it somewhere on here.

I did a load of research before I bought my set up.

I run Bimarco Futura Seats, Cobra Low Frames (Not X-Low which are no longer made and not the normal ones), Sparco side mounts on the drives side and omp on the passenger side. I also run an OMP deep dish wheel and Schroth harnesses (which are awesome and road legal).

I have drilled holes in the sub frames as I wanted to sit further back and in the OMP side mounts to get them a little lower ( inline with the Sparco side mounts ).

I do not use runners but my cobra frames came with runners and seat belt pretensioner mounts.

To mount side mounted seats to runners you need two extra bits of mounting "metal" as the side mounts are wider then the runners, like this:

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/seat-mounting-frames-universal/omp-adaptor-brackets (please check these fit and don't take my word as I have not used them).

Also worth noting that Cobra and as such their suppliers have been instructed to tell customers that their parts are not compatible with other companies products, I believe it is a warranty thing and because it reduces the chance of returns which is apparently very costly for them. My experience is they fit most other makes fine, hence the miss-match of products I have.

I personally do not rate the OMP sub frames as I don't like paying that much money for an ill fitting part.

 

[adamlstr]

Hard to explain but its very easy, just take it all off carefully. I am pretty sure there is a good guide on it somewhere on here.

Cheers Will.

I'm having some Cobra's fitted as a pay off for some work, not sure if I'll keep them or not - we'll see!