Alternative seats
Discussion
Mr Cerbera said:
Absolutely phenomenal-looking but not back adjustable ?? 
Have you got a web contact for them please ?
Ta !
Here you go, they have a small range of seats for sensible money:Have you got a web contact for them please ?
Ta !
http://www.intatrimtelford.co.uk/index.php?page=sh...
I always found the Cerbs Mk 1 seat rubbish on the track, the side supports are just so far away they are useless & being all leather you just slide about on it. Our old 2007 3 series MSport BMW had inflatable side bolsters so you can adjust for differing girth, I don’t know if the ones from a coupe (so folding) would fit the Cerb, may be worth investigating.
I’ve not tried the Cerb Mk2 ( same as the Tuscan?) seat but I’ve heard it’s no better than the Mk1, although you can apparently remove the base so you sit lower down for track work. That would be good as my helmet always hit the roof with the Mk1 seat.
I’ve got an earlier version of the Cobra Daytona seat seen on this page in my other car where I also need it to fold to get the kids in the back. It has much better side supports than the Mk1 Cerb seat & is massively lighter, but it’s not as good for long journeys as the Cerb’s seat. That would just bolt directly to the Cerbs existing seat runners, it has a very low base. I went to demon tweeks to test all the different seats as they have them all out there so you can test fit yourself in, there was only one model that actually held me correctly. It felt comfy at the time of testing but very quickly the minimal padding lost its bounce & had to modd it to get it back to something I liked again. If you were going to have it re-trimmed anyway you could find a tatty second hand one for very little, get it padded to your taste on the re-trim.
I’ve not tried the Cerb Mk2 ( same as the Tuscan?) seat but I’ve heard it’s no better than the Mk1, although you can apparently remove the base so you sit lower down for track work. That would be good as my helmet always hit the roof with the Mk1 seat.
I’ve got an earlier version of the Cobra Daytona seat seen on this page in my other car where I also need it to fold to get the kids in the back. It has much better side supports than the Mk1 Cerb seat & is massively lighter, but it’s not as good for long journeys as the Cerb’s seat. That would just bolt directly to the Cerbs existing seat runners, it has a very low base. I went to demon tweeks to test all the different seats as they have them all out there so you can test fit yourself in, there was only one model that actually held me correctly. It felt comfy at the time of testing but very quickly the minimal padding lost its bounce & had to modd it to get it back to something I liked again. If you were going to have it re-trimmed anyway you could find a tatty second hand one for very little, get it padded to your taste on the re-trim.
Luckyone said:
I always found the Cerbs Mk 1 seat rubbish on the track, the side supports are just so far away they are useless & being all leather you just slide about on it. Our old 2007 3 series MSport BMW had inflatable side bolsters so you can adjust for differing girth, I don’t know if the ones from a coupe (so folding) would fit the Cerb, may be worth investigating.
I’ve not tried the Cerb Mk2 ( same as the Tuscan?) seat but I’ve heard it’s no better than the Mk1, although you can apparently remove the base so you sit lower down for track work. That would be good as my helmet always hit the roof with the Mk1 seat.
I’ve got an earlier version of the Cobra Daytona seat seen on this page in my other car where I also need it to fold to get the kids in the back. It has much better side supports than the Mk1 Cerb seat & is massively lighter, but it’s not as good for long journeys as the Cerb’s seat. That would just bolt directly to the Cerbs existing seat runners, it has a very low base. I went to demon tweeks to test all the different seats as they have them all out there so you can test fit yourself in, there was only one model that actually held me correctly. It felt comfy at the time of testing but very quickly the minimal padding lost its bounce & had to modd it to get it back to something I liked again. If you were going to have it re-trimmed anyway you could find a tatty second hand one for very little, get it padded to your taste on the re-trim.
No way would you get a BMW seat in, too tall and too wide, you would not get it in the tunnel, also you would not be able to shut the door, seat would probably touch the roof, as would your head.I’ve not tried the Cerb Mk2 ( same as the Tuscan?) seat but I’ve heard it’s no better than the Mk1, although you can apparently remove the base so you sit lower down for track work. That would be good as my helmet always hit the roof with the Mk1 seat.
I’ve got an earlier version of the Cobra Daytona seat seen on this page in my other car where I also need it to fold to get the kids in the back. It has much better side supports than the Mk1 Cerb seat & is massively lighter, but it’s not as good for long journeys as the Cerb’s seat. That would just bolt directly to the Cerbs existing seat runners, it has a very low base. I went to demon tweeks to test all the different seats as they have them all out there so you can test fit yourself in, there was only one model that actually held me correctly. It felt comfy at the time of testing but very quickly the minimal padding lost its bounce & had to modd it to get it back to something I liked again. If you were going to have it re-trimmed anyway you could find a tatty second hand one for very little, get it padded to your taste on the re-trim.
I have this T-shirt!
Ah I guess the BM ones would be a bit chunky.
Barchetta seats would be a possibility, they look quite nice.
That pic is of a Riviera model I had for a bit, most of the other models don’t have the diamond stitching or leather. They were surprisingly comfy on a long journey & offered reasonable lateral support. They do fold forward too, as there is a luggage storage area behind the seats. The Barchetta is much smaller than a Cerb so there is fair chance they would fit. There are quite a lot being broken now so you should find some quite cheaply, DTR will have some. If you really like the look of them I’ll be popping down to DTR in the Cerb to get an MOT soon, I could probably test fit one for you then.
Barchetta seats would be a possibility, they look quite nice.
That pic is of a Riviera model I had for a bit, most of the other models don’t have the diamond stitching or leather. They were surprisingly comfy on a long journey & offered reasonable lateral support. They do fold forward too, as there is a luggage storage area behind the seats. The Barchetta is much smaller than a Cerb so there is fair chance they would fit. There are quite a lot being broken now so you should find some quite cheaply, DTR will have some. If you really like the look of them I’ll be popping down to DTR in the Cerb to get an MOT soon, I could probably test fit one for you then.
Now that I've re-read my own comment I realise that I'm probably teaching my Granma to ....etc
but I've spent so much time on it ,trying to get it right, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer.
Tried some Series I seats, in Chimeras, at different track days and found them to be much better huggers than my Series II fitments. The series II have been good for long trips though so I was worried what to do.
Eventually I found a pair of Series Is going at a reasonable price, bought 'em, got 'em home and they were crap. I felt completely lost in 'em.
Sooooooo, what I'm trying to say is that seats will vary enormously depending on use and the lard-arse that has used them which means that if you find a second-hand pair that you like you'll be very lucky.
If money's a tough factor then try as many cheapies as you can until you find the fit you want. Otherwise get a re-trim to your personal desires.
ETA
Does that really make things feel firmer?
Well that's sorted me out for the weakend 
but I've spent so much time on it ,trying to get it right, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer.
Tried some Series I seats, in Chimeras, at different track days and found them to be much better huggers than my Series II fitments. The series II have been good for long trips though so I was worried what to do.
Eventually I found a pair of Series Is going at a reasonable price, bought 'em, got 'em home and they were crap. I felt completely lost in 'em.
Sooooooo, what I'm trying to say is that seats will vary enormously depending on use and the lard-arse that has used them which means that if you find a second-hand pair that you like you'll be very lucky.
If money's a tough factor then try as many cheapies as you can until you find the fit you want. Otherwise get a re-trim to your personal desires.
ETA
TimJM said:
Does that really make things feel firmer?
Edited by Mr Cerbera on Friday 28th February 14:45
I lied, it was a Corbeau Boss that had little padding, it has a metal frame that makes the shape of the wings / side supports so they give good support but are a bit hard:
While I was retrieving the prop shaft from the cupboard I found the old Cobra seat I was thinking about lurking in there too so suck in in the Cerb to see how it fitted:
A little tight! I had to remove the back angle adjusting wheel from one side of the seat to get it in two other cars, but the one left would be very hard to use in the Cerb. The leaver for getting in the back is much easier to use than the Mk1 Cerb seat though. That Cobra seat had only got padding in the wings / side supports so in a normal car it wasn’t great at lateral support as the padding just gave way when pushing on in a bend, it's so tight in the Cerb that's not a problem though! However I don’t think the other Corbeau Boss seat would work in the Cerb as the door would foul on the metal frame in shoulder wing, you can see the padding in the Cobra seat really bending on the door.
The ones that are in the Chim haven’t got the shoulder support so you should be ok there. But it’s something to bear in mind if you are looking at any others...
While I was retrieving the prop shaft from the cupboard I found the old Cobra seat I was thinking about lurking in there too so suck in in the Cerb to see how it fitted:
A little tight! I had to remove the back angle adjusting wheel from one side of the seat to get it in two other cars, but the one left would be very hard to use in the Cerb. The leaver for getting in the back is much easier to use than the Mk1 Cerb seat though. That Cobra seat had only got padding in the wings / side supports so in a normal car it wasn’t great at lateral support as the padding just gave way when pushing on in a bend, it's so tight in the Cerb that's not a problem though! However I don’t think the other Corbeau Boss seat would work in the Cerb as the door would foul on the metal frame in shoulder wing, you can see the padding in the Cobra seat really bending on the door.
The ones that are in the Chim haven’t got the shoulder support so you should be ok there. But it’s something to bear in mind if you are looking at any others...
Edited by Luckyone on Tuesday 4th March 07:29
TimJM said:
Here you go, they have a small range of seats for sensible money:
http://www.intatrimtelford.co.uk/index.php?page=sh...
Wow, a retrimmer just around the corner from me, that's good to know if I need one in the future http://www.intatrimtelford.co.uk/index.php?page=sh...
What make / model are they Brummie?
I fitted Honda S2k ones to mine but took them out again, they are marginally too big and were pushing too hard against the door at the shoulder of the seat.
I have a GP Mini and over the weekend I was thinking that the Recaro seats in that may be narrow enough to fit in the Cerb but I haven't got around to measuring them yet.
Has anyone else tried seats out of a new-type Mini?
Do they work?
I fitted Honda S2k ones to mine but took them out again, they are marginally too big and were pushing too hard against the door at the shoulder of the seat.
I have a GP Mini and over the weekend I was thinking that the Recaro seats in that may be narrow enough to fit in the Cerb but I haven't got around to measuring them yet.
Has anyone else tried seats out of a new-type Mini?
Do they work?
My thoughts might be worth 5p, but you can have them for free.
How many track days do you do a year?
Why are you trying to find a one size fits all solution?
How long does it take you to jack up the car, undo 4 13mm nuts, swap the seat, and do the nuts up again? It can be done at the same time as putting your 888s on to save excessive jacking.
Ok, it's less faff to keep the same seats for comfortable road cruising and a hard thrash around a track, but you will get the best of both worlds if you find some race seats that you find comfortable for track days, and have your Cerbera seats for road use. It's not as if you suddenly decide at two minutes notice to drive it on the track......
Harnesses are a must for track days if you want to corner and brake close to the limit. But again, keep your inertial reel belts. Simply remove the bolts from the fixings at floor level and replace them with 50mm eyebolts. About £5 for two if doing one seat, £10 for four if doing two, from JJC. You can see the eye on one of the photos just above this post.
Get the proper 3 inch wide harnesses with the rotary buckle - the cheaper 2 inch wide ones with the normal seat belt buckle are a pain. About £100 per seat. You them simply clip your harnesses into the eyebolts for track use. The top fixing will either be an adaptor to go into the rear seat belt buckle, or a fixing to the chassis. If the eyebolts foul the seat runners, you need the seat belt extenders that have been discussed on the S forum. They are actually 7/16 UNF track rod ends from McGill Motorsport, about £10 each. Get a locking nut too.
Use harnesses on track, inertia reels on the road.
Pm me if you want further info. I have just been through this process on my Chimaera.
ETA the top fixing on that yellow Cerbera is at the top seat belt mounting. See the eyebolt? That means you will need three, not two.
How many track days do you do a year?
Why are you trying to find a one size fits all solution?
How long does it take you to jack up the car, undo 4 13mm nuts, swap the seat, and do the nuts up again? It can be done at the same time as putting your 888s on to save excessive jacking.
Ok, it's less faff to keep the same seats for comfortable road cruising and a hard thrash around a track, but you will get the best of both worlds if you find some race seats that you find comfortable for track days, and have your Cerbera seats for road use. It's not as if you suddenly decide at two minutes notice to drive it on the track......
Harnesses are a must for track days if you want to corner and brake close to the limit. But again, keep your inertial reel belts. Simply remove the bolts from the fixings at floor level and replace them with 50mm eyebolts. About £5 for two if doing one seat, £10 for four if doing two, from JJC. You can see the eye on one of the photos just above this post.
Get the proper 3 inch wide harnesses with the rotary buckle - the cheaper 2 inch wide ones with the normal seat belt buckle are a pain. About £100 per seat. You them simply clip your harnesses into the eyebolts for track use. The top fixing will either be an adaptor to go into the rear seat belt buckle, or a fixing to the chassis. If the eyebolts foul the seat runners, you need the seat belt extenders that have been discussed on the S forum. They are actually 7/16 UNF track rod ends from McGill Motorsport, about £10 each. Get a locking nut too.
Use harnesses on track, inertia reels on the road.
Pm me if you want further info. I have just been through this process on my Chimaera.
ETA the top fixing on that yellow Cerbera is at the top seat belt mounting. See the eyebolt? That means you will need three, not two.
Edited by QBee on Wednesday 5th March 09:51
QBee said:
My thoughts might be worth 5p, but you can have them for free.
How many track days do you do a year?
Why are you trying to find a one size fits all solution?
How long does it take you to jack up the car, undo 4 13mm nuts, swap the seat, and do the nuts up again? It can be done at the same time as putting your 888s on to save excessive jacking.
Ok, it's less faff to keep the same seats for comfortable road cruising and a hard thrash around a track, but you will get the best of both worlds if you find some race seats that you find comfortable for track days, and have your Cerbera seats for road use. It's not as if you suddenly decide at two minutes notice to drive it on the track......
Harnesses are a must for track days if you want to corner and brake close to the limit. But again, keep your inertial reel belts. Simply remove the bolts from the fixings at floor level and replace them with 50mm eyebolts. About £5 for two if doing one seat, £10 for four if doing two, from JJC. You can see the eye on one of the photos just above this post.
Get the proper 3 inch wide harnesses with the rotary buckle - the cheaper 2 inch wide ones with the normal seat belt buckle are a pain. About £100 per seat. You them simply clip your harnesses into the eyebolts for track use. The top fixing will either be an adaptor to go into the rear seat belt buckle, or a fixing to the chassis. If the eyebolts foul the seat runners, you need the seat belt extenders that have been discussed on the S forum. They are actually 7/16 UNF track rod ends from McGill Motorsport, about £10 each. Get a locking nut too.
Use harnesses on track, inertia reels on the road.
Pm me if you want further info. I have just been through this process on my Chimaera.
I agree with this in theory but the car in question I was talking about (which started this discussion) doesn't have any Cerbera seats. Imagine you are starting at a point with a car which doesn't have any seats in at all. The cost of sourcing and then re-trimming Cerbera seats is looking to be between £2-3k. That in my mind is way too much for a pair of seats and I wanted to seek views on viable alternatives.How many track days do you do a year?
Why are you trying to find a one size fits all solution?
How long does it take you to jack up the car, undo 4 13mm nuts, swap the seat, and do the nuts up again? It can be done at the same time as putting your 888s on to save excessive jacking.
Ok, it's less faff to keep the same seats for comfortable road cruising and a hard thrash around a track, but you will get the best of both worlds if you find some race seats that you find comfortable for track days, and have your Cerbera seats for road use. It's not as if you suddenly decide at two minutes notice to drive it on the track......
Harnesses are a must for track days if you want to corner and brake close to the limit. But again, keep your inertial reel belts. Simply remove the bolts from the fixings at floor level and replace them with 50mm eyebolts. About £5 for two if doing one seat, £10 for four if doing two, from JJC. You can see the eye on one of the photos just above this post.
Get the proper 3 inch wide harnesses with the rotary buckle - the cheaper 2 inch wide ones with the normal seat belt buckle are a pain. About £100 per seat. You them simply clip your harnesses into the eyebolts for track use. The top fixing will either be an adaptor to go into the rear seat belt buckle, or a fixing to the chassis. If the eyebolts foul the seat runners, you need the seat belt extenders that have been discussed on the S forum. They are actually 7/16 UNF track rod ends from McGill Motorsport, about £10 each. Get a locking nut too.
Use harnesses on track, inertia reels on the road.
Pm me if you want further info. I have just been through this process on my Chimaera.
Ireland said:
What make / model are they Brummie?
I fitted Honda S2k ones to mine but took them out again, they are marginally too big and were pushing too hard against the door at the shoulder of the seat.
I have a GP Mini and over the weekend I was thinking that the Recaro seats in that may be narrow enough to fit in the Cerb but I haven't got around to measuring them yet.
Has anyone else tried seats out of a new-type Mini?
Do they work?
I got some bespoke brackets made to save the grief of modding them..I fitted Honda S2k ones to mine but took them out again, they are marginally too big and were pushing too hard against the door at the shoulder of the seat.
I have a GP Mini and over the weekend I was thinking that the Recaro seats in that may be narrow enough to fit in the Cerb but I haven't got around to measuring them yet.
Has anyone else tried seats out of a new-type Mini?
Do they work?
http://www.cobraseats.com/Imola-Pro
Gassing Station | Cerbera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff