Bucket seat options

[Matt UK]

Sorry is this has been done, but I can't get the search function to work.

I have a Mk MX5 and what to improve the seats for track work - I find that on a track day I'm bracing myself against the door/transmission tunnel for turns and at times hanging onto the steering wheel as I start slipping out of the seat - not good really.

What bucket seat options do I have?

Requirements:
not really bothered about how they look
keen for them to be lighter than the originals
hold me in place at the hips and a bit at the shoulders
designed to work with standard seatbelts
are a simple install onto the exisiting runners

Any thoughts?

[skinny]

how tall are you? for them to go on to the existing runners, being tall really limits your options, as most aftermarket seats sit higher than stock this way.

[Raify]

As said, you can get quite a few buckets to fit onto the runners with adapters. I have Cobra Monaco's with adapters fitting to the standard runners. Not perfect as it's higher, but better as I have harnesses.

Lots of people have put Elise seats, but you will have to fabricate a metal adapter.

Or you could fix the bucket directly to the floor, gain headroom and loose forward/back movement.

Have a look on miata.net and mx5nutz for the seats that fit.

[GravelBen]

I've driven one with buckets (Momo something IIRC) which did fit down between the standard rails and thus mount lower as well as keep the standard adjustment. If I decide to get some for mine I'll be dropping the bloke a line to see what model they were though as I'm not sure.

[Andy_742]

I've got some lotus elise seats, on runners and with the seat belt bits on them. I've just taken out of a mk2 mx5 i've bought if your interested. They will just bolt straight into a mk2 mx5. I've put the standard seats back in mine.

Andy...

[raceboy]

Any chance of a few pictures of the seats Elise Andy, the Mrs is after some different ones for her new Mk2 MX5 and I love the look of Elise seats, I just need to convince her they are a little more padded than they look....or buy her a cushion as well.....

[pbirkett]

My Mk1 RS Ltd has carbon fiber Recaro buckets, much lighter than the originals, quite supportive, but expect to pay upwards of £500 for a pair if you can find them...

[Andy_742]

[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/v/Dt7cdnQs.jpg[/url]

I've taken a few photos with my phone but they haven't come out very well. They're dark blue in colour. The drivers seat is adjustable forwards and backwards when in the car but the passenger seat is fixed. The drivers seat has the pump up lumber thing that works perfectly. The drivers seat is showing some signs of wear on the bolster but nothing serious. They do make you sit lower in the car and hold you in place better. I would also say thay make it harder to get in out of the car too though.

If you send me your email I could try and send you some better pictures but I really need a better camera i'm afraid.

[vdubbin]

Have you tried a pair of CG Locks?

[Matt UK]

Thanks for the replies guys.

IN answer to a couple of questions, I'm just under 6ft and wouldn't want to sit any higher. Now you mention it, I've heard that people have put Elise seats, but fabricating metal adapters is not really my thing - especially if the end result is that the seat sits higher than the original.

I saw that P5 have some lightweight seats on their website - I'll give them a call.

Cheers,
Matt

[Matt UK]

vdubbin said:

Have you tried a pair of CG Locks?

Good point. I saw this PH thread, could be a good interim solution for £50

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Have you used one? Any good?

[Raify]

Matt UK said:

I saw that P5 have some lightweight seats on their website - I'll give them a call.

I think those have been "in development" for many years. Don't know if they're available.

[Matt UK]

Raify said:

Matt UK said:

I saw that P5 have some lightweight seats on their website - I'll give them a call.

I think those have been "in development" for many years. Don't know if they're available.

I did notice the last update was some years ago..

Also, no one at P5 is answering the phones..

[snotrag]

Matt UK said:

vdubbin said:

Have you tried a pair of CG Locks?

Good point. I saw this PH thread, could be a good interim solution for £50

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Have you used one? Any good?

Got one in my Mk1 (standard Seats), works really well and fits the buckle on these cars fine.

[Matt UK]

snotrag said:

Got one in my Mk1 (standard Seats), works really well and fits the buckle on these cars fine.

Good to know - I might get one and try it on a track day and see how it goes. There YouTube vids look convincing - it's that 'twisting of the hips in hard corners' that makes my stomache muscles and back ache after a track day!

Worth a try at £50 anyway.

[vdubbin]

Matt UK said:

Good point. I saw this PH thread, could be a good interim solution for £50

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Have you used one? Any good?

Yup, as I posted in that thread, I reckon they're great. No sliding, promotes good posture for regular drives, and clamps you firmly in place for when you're really hooning. And as hairdressery as it may sound, I reckon bucket seats would look terrible with the tan/beige interior in the V-Spec

The MX5 buckle is slightly higher than the Ignis I had before, when it's tightened, it sits on my left thigh as opposed to digging into my hip in the Iggy, though it works as well in either car.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Do you have leather seats? I found the standard Mk.1 cloth seats hold me quite well, although I don't do any track work.

My car came with the driver's seat swapped for a Recaro Profi SPG which apparently are about 500 quid new! It's mounted on Mk.1 runners with some Recaro kit.

It was absolutely perfect for Mrs.NCoT but my arse was too big and I had to choose which buttock I sat on. The journey home after buying it was fun on the M25. Had to stop and get out at one point. Also, there's less travel front/back, was a struggle to get in and out.

So beware that it might not be as practical for a 6-footer....

[Matt UK]

NCOT, the seats I have are cloth - I'm going to give the CG lock a go. And probably have more of a nose around other MX5s at track days to maybe sit in a couple of seats and see if I fit them!

[MX-5 Lazza]

IMO a CG Lock is only a small improvement on MX5 seats, certainly not £50 worth. The problem is, while it pins you down into the seat pretty well it does nothing to keep your top half in control and it's the top half which is the real problem as the seats have no shoulder bracing at all.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Matt UK said:

...I've heard that people have put Elise seats, but fabricating metal adapters is not really my thing - especially if the end result is that the seat sits higher than the original.

The "fabrication" is pretty easy. This is how I did mine:

First I had S1 seats.
These were fitted using a B&Q table leg at the front and a bent piece of perforated steel at the rear...




This is how close the base is to the (stock) runners...

I think the base probably sits on the runners when I'm in the car.

I have since replaced these with S2 seats which are much more comfortable and the headrest is higher (S1 is too short if you are quite tall - I'm 6'1")...



I have revised the fitting to make the seat more upright and move it further back on the runners...



This uses a pair of aluminium step-edges (again from B*Q) over the runners to extend them backwards, a pair of perforated steel L-shaped lengths at the front and the same perforated steel at the rear as before.

With the stock leather Mk2.5 seats these I am sitting at least 2" lower and probably have 6"-8" more leg-room