Cobra Roadster 7 seats

[Zumbruk]

Excuse me butting in from the TVR forums...

But do any of you have Cobra Roadster 7 seats fitted to your P&J?

http://www.cobraseats.com/roadster_7.htm

What do you think of them?

And do you live anywhere near Bedford, and can I come and sit in it?

Only ... I've been looking for a new seat for my Chimaera for a couple of years and I'm having enormous trouble finding one that will fit the car and me (I'm somewhat, er, large). This looks like quite a good bet, but I'm not handing over my money until I've sat in one.

[Mr2Mike]

I've not used the Cobra Roaster 7's, though I know quite a few people on http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk have, would be worth asking on there.

Have you had a look at Intatrim? I have the Odyssey's in my Striker, but the wider Odyssey II's may be more suited to the Chim.

[Jon Ison]

Got them in my 7, very happy with them, 6 years use very comfy, to far away from you though for a sitting.

[PhilD]

I've got them in my Westie, they are pretty comfortable, but I find I have to slump slightly in them as they are slightly higher than the original westie seasts I had - I guess I have short legs and a long body for my 5'11" height and 15.5 stone weight, I could lose the runners, but like the adjustability for different drivers. I suspect they would look very narrow in your Chim, they measure 46cm wide accross the widest point (waist height)

Sorry I am nowhere near Bedford.

Good luck with your search.

Phil

[gingerpaul]

I have them in my Dax Rush and am pleased with them so far, although I've only done a couple of miles in it so far. I'd agree with Phil that they may look a little small in your car though. They were designed, as I understand it, for the tight confines of a 7 style car. That said, they only just fit in mine!

I'm in Bracknell, so I'm no use for a demonstration I'm afraid.

[Zumbruk]

Thanks for all the comments, people.

There's actually very little room in a Chimaera - 55cm maximum between the transmission tunnel and the door sill, but the real killer is the width at shoulder height. Most modern racing seats have "wings", which won't fit in because of the pronounced "tumblehome"(*) of the Chimaera and Griffith. (* The name for the way cars get narrower in cross-section as they get higher.) The seat can be no more than 46cm wide at shoulder height, which automatically excludes the vast majority of seats, other than those designed for 7-esque cars.

Mike - thanks very much for the pointer to Intatrim - that looks brilliant.

And this is why I want better seats;

Edited by Zumbruk on Monday 22 October 21:59

Edited by Zumbruk on Monday 22 October 22:00

[S7Paul]

When I first built my 7 one of the first things I changed were the seats, as the originals provided no lateral support at all. I was having to spend too much effort just staying upright in the seat when cornering. I bought a pair of Roadster 7 seats and was generally happy with them. Obviously, the backrests don't recline, so you may find them to be the wrong angle to get the correct seating position. They are also very narrow, so you will have problems if you have what you might call a "fuller figure". With the 4 point harnesses done up tight, you simply couldn't move (which was ideal in that car). Now that I've swapped the 7 for a Chim, I don't actually find the standard seats that bad, though I tend not to corner as hard as I did in the 7, preferring to make up time on the straights. The Roadster 7 seats would probably fit, but I personally don't think they suit the car. If you decide to go ahead, try to do a trial fit first, just to confirm that you'd be able to get comfortable.

ETA: I got my Roadster 7 seats from here: https://www.europaspares.com/SEATS/

Edited by S7Paul on Monday 22 October 23:09

[Zumbruk]

S7Paul said:

They are also very narrow, so you will have problems if you have what you might call a "fuller figure".

Thanks. I suspect I can count those out, then.

This is turning out to be right pain - most stockists don't have much of a range available to actually sit in (even when seats come in several sizes, they only keep the standard one in stock) and everything I've sat in so far has been too small.

[kayos]

I put a pair in my Marlin, bolted in so they cant move. I find they transformed the ride quality over the nasty original ones.