Best seats for a roadster? What do you recommend?

[dave de roxby]

I am finalising the design of a roadster which is of roughly the same genre as maybe a Sylva R1ot or MEV Sonic 7, ie a pretty basic, no frills, mid-engined sportscar. However, I intend it to be something quite different and individual in terms of styling. I am building it initially for my own satisfaction but always with the intention of it being capable of being produced in small numbers.

My philosophy has been to design it from two starting points, from the outside in and from the inside out!
I know exactly what I'm aiming at in terms of external styling. And the chassis and engineering are already well defined.

I've now got to the point where I am building a mock-up of the interior, mainly in plywood for now, just to fix the basic strategic dimensions. One problem here is that I am a 5'6" chunkie! It would be easy to build a car designed simply to wrap around me but, if it is to be marketable (assuming anyone else ever wants to buy one) it will have to be capable of enveloping much bigger galoots than me!

And this is where I need your advice. It is quite simply - what seats should I use?

I don't particularly want to build my own seats or use racing fibreglass buckets - this is initially going to be a road car. It's not going to be a narrow-bodied 'seven', although it will be as diminutive, low and light-weight as I can get away with.

Assuming for the moment I am going to use some after-market seats, what would you go for? I've seen lots but have no personal experience of any of them. Fixed or adjustable? Recliners? You tell me!

[Frankthered]

Oooh, that's a difficult question. Especially without knowing what your car is!

If it's a road car, I'd be tempted to try a recliner (partly because I've had a bad experience with non-recliners) and mounting them on runners. If it's primarily for your own car (to start with), pick something that you like. Not sure where you are in the country, but if you can get to somewhere like Europa Spares or Demon Tweeks, they might let you try some if you ask them nicely. (Otherwise, there's the shows.)

I'd suggest the first things to do would be to figure out which seats will actually fit inside the car - remembering to watch the width at shoulder height as well as all the other dimensions - although I guess that depends on the design of the car too!

[Steve_D]

Your styling clue of Sylva R1ot or MEV Sonic 7 infers there will be little or no weather gear so I would not discount the GF seats as they will be so easy to use...after rain it will be a quick wipe over with a j cloth.

Steve

[singlecoil]

There is two crucial dimensions that should dominate your thinking on this, and that is the seat back angle, and the wheelbase. If you want your car to be one that will accommodate taller drivers then you will want to utilise all the cockpit space. The back panel of an average 7 slopes backwards at about 15 degrees, because it is able to slope over the rear axle area. Your engine bulkhead will proably be vertical, so having a seat that slopes a long way, (as some ready made seats do) will rob your cockpit of legroom as the seat base is pushed forward by the backrest hitting the bulkhead.

I suggest you consider building the seat into the bodywork of the car, with removable pads for the seat base and backreast, and making the pedal box adjustable.

[dave de roxby]

Thanks guys.