[Mk2] [Turbo] Trackday seat - what works?

[Chumbaside]

I'm looking to replace my standard leather seats with something more suitable for track days, but still retain the ability to use on the road occasionally.

I've tried Confetti Recaros and fishnet Recaros and they don't offer much extra support IMO. By contrast I tried some Evo 7 seats and they were awesome - but I didn't fit in the car with a helmet on due to the higher seat position

Peter G has suggested Noble seats but I'm struggling to find a set. However they look spot on!

So, I need a low mounted seat, suitable for a harness, that is comfortable enough to drive on road whilst offering great lateral support. What have you got that works well?

All ideas welcomed

[Mike N]

I use Sparco pro 2000 replica buckets in mine with an extra whoopy base cushion fitted on the dvrs side to save my rump on those longer journey's.

They are made from plastic not kevlar/fiberglass so are quite flexible, enough not to hurt your legs or give you FG burns but you wont fall out of them!

They certainly hold you in, have 5 harness slots incl groin, don't weigh anything, look good, fit in at the right seating height, have height adjustable slots, are very comfy, use aditional pad cushions that are velcro backed to postition at any point on the seat and basically work for all sporty type driving needs, but are not date stamped for competion use.

The only problem is keeping them clean, I would choose black next time (mine are bright red - for a reason though) !

Rally design sell them and they come with a simple base and side mount that would normally cost an extra £30.00, think I had to add some metal to fit on my std runners.

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_in ... m699gaj3i7

[synXero]

I really rate my Recaro Pole Position, perfect for the road if you're lithe enough to deal with the high side bolsters.

[markstevieandmads]

I'm using evo iv seats.
I'm not the tallest person in the world but find the seats sit lower than stock if you reuse the standard mr2 rails.
The seat is so closer to the floor that ibhad to readjust the adjustment bar to clear the floor.

[Chumbaside]

I use Sparco pro 2000 replica buckets in mine with an extra whoopy base cushion fitted on the dvrs side to save my rump on those longer journey's.

They are made from plastic not kevlar/fiberglass so are quite flexible, enough not to hurt your legs or give you FG burns but you wont fall out of them!

They certainly hold you in, have 5 harness slots incl groin, don't weigh anything, look good, fit in at the right seating height, have height adjustable slots, are very comfy, use aditional pad cushions that are velcro backed to postition at any point on the seat and basically work for all sporty type driving needs, but are not date stamped for competion use.

The only problem is keeping them clean, I would choose black next time (mine are bright red - for a reason though) !

Rally design sell them and they come with a simple base and side mount that would normally cost an extra £30.00, think I had to add some metal to fit on my std runners.

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_in ... m699gaj3i7

Thanks, I'll take a look as they sound interesting. Sparco Sprint was too narrow for my backside though, so I might struggle

[Chumbaside]

I really rate my Recaro Pole Position, perfect for the road if you're lithe enough to deal with the high side bolsters.

Thanks for your help. My ample frame might struggle with the "lithe" part though!

[Chumbaside]

I'm using evo iv seats.
I'm not the tallest person in the world but find the seats sit lower than stock if you reuse the standard mr2 rails.
The seat is so closer to the floor that ibhad to readjust the adjustment bar to clear the floor.

I so wanted the Evo 7 seats I tried to work as they offered amazing support, but they sat too high. Maybe it was because they used the Mitsubishi sliders rather than the MR2 rails in the conversion? Either way, with crash helmet on my head was touching the headlining and I'm only 5'10"!

[markstevieandmads]

I'm using evo iv seats.
I'm not the tallest person in the world but find the seats sit lower than stock if you reuse the standard mr2 rails.
The seat is so closer to the floor that ibhad to readjust the adjustment bar to clear the floor.

I so wanted the Evo 7 seats I tried to work as they offered amazing support, but they sat too high. Maybe it was because they used the Mitsubishi sliders rather than the MR2 rails in the conversion? Either way, with crash helmet on my head was touching the headlining and I'm only 5'10"!

I'm about 5ft 8.5 so a lot smaller. I got rid of the evo rails completely, drilled holes in the mr2 rails and bolted these tonthe seat and then cut off and rewelded the rail adjuster arm at the front as it was hitting the seat. They sit around the same or lower than standard seats now.
As the mr2 rails are 2 separate rails for the left and right side ,I temp welded a bar between the rails while on the mr2 seat so the width stayed the same so they would bolt back in the same place. I just chopped the temp bar off after bolting them to the evo seats.

[craig]

I'd set up a notification on ebay for Noble seats, they're just awesome. When I bought mine, there were 3 pairs for sale. They do come up for sale every now and then. They're even better with harnesses fitted.

Was that you I met at Pete's when I dropped my car off?

If so, nice to meet you.

[Chumbaside]

I'd set up a notification on ebay for Noble seats, they're just awesome. When I bought mine, there were 3 pairs for sale. They do come up for sale every now and then. They're even better with harnesses fitted.

Was that you I met at Pete's when I dropped my car off?

If so, nice to meet you.

It wasn't me - but I'll take the complement anyway

Notification set. Pete was adamant the Noble seats are spot-on for an MR2, especially with harnesses. I've not found anything yet, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Any pictures of yours fitted Craig?

[Chumbaside]

I'm using evo iv seats.
I'm not the tallest person in the world but find the seats sit lower than stock if you reuse the standard mr2 rails.
The seat is so closer to the floor that ibhad to readjust the adjustment bar to clear the floor.

I so wanted the Evo 7 seats I tried to work as they offered amazing support, but they sat too high. Maybe it was because they used the Mitsubishi sliders rather than the MR2 rails in the conversion? Either way, with crash helmet on my head was touching the headlining and I'm only 5'10"!

I'm about 5ft 8.5 so a lot smaller. I got rid of the evo rails completely, drilled holes in the mr2 rails and bolted these tonthe seat and then cut off and rewelded the rail adjuster arm at the front as it was hitting the seat. They sit around the same or lower than standard seats now.
As the mr2 rails are 2 separate rails for the left and right side ,I temp welded a bar between the rails while on the mr2 seat so the width stayed the same so they would bolt back in the same place. I just chopped the temp bar off after bolting them to the evo seats.

I can see your way of fitting would have them sitting a lot lower, but I reckon it would still be touch and go, given the extra padding Recaro's seem to have in their bases.

One to consider if I can't track down the Noble seats

[craig]

I'd set up a notification on ebay for Noble seats, they're just awesome. When I bought mine, there were 3 pairs for sale. They do come up for sale every now and then. They're even better with harnesses fitted.

Was that you I met at Pete's when I dropped my car off?

If so, nice to meet you.

It wasn't me - but I'll take the complement anyway

Notification set. Pete was adamant the Noble seats are spot-on for an MR2, especially with harnesses. I've not found anything yet, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Any pictures of yours fitted Craig?

oops

Here's mine mate:



Now fitted with Willans 3 point harnesses:

[Chumbaside]

I'd set up a notification on ebay for Noble seats, they're just awesome. When I bought mine, there were 3 pairs for sale. They do come up for sale every now and then. They're even better with harnesses fitted.

Was that you I met at Pete's when I dropped my car off?

If so, nice to meet you.

It wasn't me - but I'll take the complement anyway

Notification set. Pete was adamant the Noble seats are spot-on for an MR2, especially with harnesses. I've not found anything yet, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Any pictures of yours fitted Craig?

oops

Here's mine mate:



Now fitted with Willans 3 point harnesses:

They're perfect size-wise, aren't they? I can see why you went with them.

How tall are you (if you don't mind me asking), are they low enough for you to get a crash helmet on too?

[craig]

No problem mate - for me they're perfect.

I'm 5'9, 11st4. Never worn a crash helmet in the car.

However, the seats were made by Sparco for Noble and are designed as such that the headrest allows for a crash helmet to be worn. (Headrest tilted backward)

Not sure on roof clearance though.

[Race Idiot]

Those seats look like they have bu88er all lateral support, the bolsters look tiny. Especialy around the leg area. They might be ok for driving on the street however.

At the moment i'm using Recaro SR seats which are pretty good. However I noticed on track that the lower bolsters arent holding my legs well enough as I found myself bracing them on the clutch rest in some corners. Annoying because they hold my torso in place great.

I'm looking at Recaro pole positions, specifically the ABE model which is designed to work with a standard seatbelt and is tüv certified for road use unlike the fia version.

After some searching it looks like there are several bride low mounts that should be compatible with pole positions but I want to speak to someone at bride uk first to confirm.

Again like you i'd like to keep my car useable on the street so I realy dont fancy strapping up in a harness on the road but it would be nice to have the option to be able to when doing a trackday.

Although I wouldnt want to go with a 4 point harness due to the submarining effect in a crash see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR_FhuSEaU8 so i'd be wanting a proper 6 point one

[craig]

Those seats look like they have bu88er all lateral support, the bolsters look tiny. Especialy around the leg area. They might be ok for driving on the street however.

They're quite deceiving, they hold you really well. Plus, as above, they were designed by Sparco for Noble as road/track seat. They also weigh 6kg each with rails!

Again like you i'd like to keep my car useable on the street so I realy dont fancy strapping up in a harness on the road but it would be nice to have the option to be able to when doing a trackday.

I've got the original seat belts and harnesses fitted. You need the original seat belts for the MOT. Plus, I wouldn't like to use the harnesses EVERY time I took the car out!

[Race Idiot]

Hardly common though whereas pole positions are readily available. Have you used them on track?

[pbmr2]

A lot of people in the mx5 world use Elise seats. Easy daily use and quite supportive, they also mount very low.

[Race Idiot]

I've heard good things about elise seats, made by a company called probax

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOTUS-ELISE-E ... SwfZ1WZv-h

[pbmr2]

Quite often drive my mate's Elise and the seats are great! A grand seems a little steep though.