? Re: Drivers Seat Options

[JonV]

I've been looking at this more and thinking some more about it. I went out and measured the seat pans on my beater and on wife's car. Neither give problems. Neither is much longer than the Camaro, maybe an inch. The difference seems to be in the seating position. In each of the cars that pose no seating pains, I sit more upright with my legs angled down to the pedals so the length of the seat pan is really irrelevant because the weight of my legs is being borne mainly by my feet/heels. In the Camaro with the more prone seating postion the legs are stretched almost straight out and are not given enough support to avoid straining back muscles. I suppose that short legs can create probems too if the seat pan is too long. I think I am going to have to look at the Recaro Sport with an adjustable seat pan.

http://www.recaro-seats.com/recaro_sport.htm

Whadya all think of this seat?

[timyerby]

I have the Recaro Trends in mine and I love them ! I replaced them for the exact reason posted, the stock camaro seats suck ! They have the Nardo cloth, which is better for spirited driving than leather because it holds you to the seat tighter. Also helps keep you cooler in a car with black interior !

[slowTA]

I'm not sure what your 4th gen seats feel like, but my 3rd gen seats HAVE to be worse. They're flat, hard, and its too hard to find a comfy position if it's not a power seat. With a manual seat the inside of my right knee aches when I get out of the car. I think its because the front of the seat is too low and I have to hold me leg up while driving. Cruise control on a thirdgen is a joke. My power seats weren't as bad in the other 3rd gen I had, I drove from Jersey to Michigan without too much problem.

Everyone with a 3rd gen looks forward to the day when they get a set of your seats, at least now I know to look for newer TA seats!

[NataSS Inc]

Look into the Kirkey road race seat. I think its called the "advantage". not to expensive, comfy and you can also get leg support extensions. When I was at the PE130 last month a guy in a vette had this seat. It has good lateral support and looked as comfy as a fricken lazy boy!

[Cal]

I sit more upright with my legs angled down to the pedals so the length of the seat pan is really irrelevant because the weight of my legs is being borne mainly by my feet/heels.

I was having lower back problems and traced the problem to not having my Camaro seat tilted back far enough. If there was more lumbar support, I don't think this would happen. Once I got the seat tilted back more, the back problems went away, but I then started having ankle problems! It felt like I had a sprained ankle when I walked, but while driving it never hurt. My wife said "It's because you heel/toe the clutch/gas all the time," so I installed a wider gas pedal and changed my heel/toe technique to use the ball of my foot. That cured the ankle problem!

[sgarnett]

Hmm, I must be weird. If I sit very long with my legs bent, I can barely walk when I get out. I'm much more comfortable with my legs up and almost straight. I also hate having the seat provide too much "support" under the thighs.

Maybe I should be driving Formula cars (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[JonV]

OK I put the Recaro Sport in, and survived a 6+ hour trip just last week without any real drama or pain. I guess that was the cure.

[mitchntx]

I'm kind of late in all this ...

The Forza mounts are REALLY tall.

So, I fabbed my own using 3/16 x 1 1/2 flat stock, fashoined in the shape of a tic-tac-toe game. Each of the 8 legs had some bolt going through it ... the four on the seat and the 4 studs in the floor.

I now sit a LOT lower in the car ... plenty of room to put my helmet on while in the car ...

I'm 6' and weigh 250 ....

[Jabberwocky]

Someone posted this a long time ago, so last month, I went ahead to did it:

If you take the driver seat apart and down to the frame, there are 2 metal brackets that can be bent to fit your shape. This is a good way to get some lateral support without spending money on a seat. I bent both brackets until the sides of the seats. After several tries, I got the perfect fit. The seat now hugs the sides of my ribcage a bit. I didn't believe it would make much of a difference but it really did. Here's a picture I took when I did it. I like to document things:

(IMG:http://www.81x.com/Authors/Jabberwocky/HPIM0039.JPG)

The leather slips off if you undo it where it clips together and work the velcro apart. Extra padding can be slip under the leather cover if lower back support is needed.

-my 2 cent

[JonV]

Sure, now you show us that stuff, after I've spent 920$ on a new seat, mounts and sliders. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[DryStout]

If you take the driver seat apart and down to the frame, there are 2 metal brackets that can be bent to fit your shape.

Great idea.

How difficult is it to remove and replace the stock seatback?

Thanks

[sgarnett]

I was planning to do that mod to the stock seat frame LAST winter, but I haven't worked my way up to last year's "to do" list yet (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Hopefully NEXT winter ....

[Jabberwocky]

Very easy. undo the 4 nuts that bolt the seat to the floor. Undo the connector if you have power seats. Take the seat into you living room so you can watch TV and have a beer (this is a crucial step (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) no skipping). Pull the plastic handle off the lever that folds the seat forward. Undo the leather cover at the bottom (it's kinda like a ziplock but not quite, you basically push the leather together to undo it). Roll the leather cover off carefully, the black strips you see in the picture is were the velcro is. Now is a good time to wash the leather with saddle soap. Then take the yellow padding off in one piece. Then you are down to the frame. An 8 yr old can do it.

You can then bend it. Cut the foam padding to any shape if you so desire. Or add extra padding somewhere. Took me several tries to get it exactly the way I wanted it. I bent each of the 2 brackets about 1 - 1.5 inches inwards. be careful not to pop the welds. Not as good as aftermarket seats, but better than stock.

I would buy aftermarkets seats too, but I'm always broke and frankly, there are others things I'd rather be spending money on.

[Cal]

Excellent seat mod! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I'm going to do that and add something for lumbar support. Maybe look for a few ways to lighten it also, like getting rid of the power adjustments.