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Name Brand seats worth the cash?

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Corbic

15+ Year Contributor
117
0
Nov 7, 2004
South Bend, Indiana
Well I was looking at some Sparco seats and just had a heart attack from the price tag. $499.99 +s/h. :cry:

But wait, that’s not for a set, but one. WTF

Now I'm fully away that the reason why the name brands are name brands is because they put out a product that is far above the rest, and also when it comes to things that are safety or performance related you don't want to skimp on quality. For example I don't think anyone would love their cheap old roll cage to come apart at the seems in a roll, nor would they like to have a fly-wheel crack in half (a friend of a friend bought one off eBay for $35 shipped.. guess what happen).

However, how much are you paying for the name and not the quality? I'm mainly interested in seats right now for the TSi but price shock is killing me, after seeing all these off brand seats for 199.99 for a set of two I was expected the good stuff to be like 500 for a pair, not 500 for a single seat, and those are the cheap good ones.
 
Well, a guy I know has some cheap seats he bought off eBay. After 1 year of owning them he told me he needs to replace them because they are falling apart. And this is his (ugly) car he only shows. So it hardly get's driven.
My Sparco's are 9 months old and there's NOTHING wrong with them. Still look brand new. And my car is daily driven. :thumb:
So you can decide. ;)
 
i personally dont think any seat is worth 500 bucks. the reason they are so much are because they actually do put research into them and they make them very safe seats - if you crach they wont fold up on you. however, most name brand companies overcharge simply because they can. when most people get aftermarket seats they "HAVE TO HAVE sparco's." i would personally look for used seats, ebay, or find someone selling a car with them and try to talk them into swapping them out. i have 5465476587536346 things id rather spend 500 bucks on than a damn chair.
 
I say it ALOT. but it stands true
mod it right, or mod it twice.

Go ahead buy a crappy seat you will savemoney right now, but in the long run, when it fades, breaks, or looks like ass, you have to buy another. Buy a name brand seat, and be done with it. Sparco, recaro, bride, the list goes on.
 
I'd stay away fro Sparco for that reason, THEY ARE SPARCO. Go ahead and thank Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and the rest of FnF for helping to jack their prices. Sparco is a great seat, don't get me wrong and yes they were expensive before FnF, but because of the mentality of the modders, they MUST HAVE SPARCO. If I had my engine done and paint and etc.. and still had cash to blow, I'd get Sparcos, but I'll end up getting something a little cheaper.
 
That was retarded. I was gonna get sparcos before FnF came out, they are the same price now as they were then barring slight inflation each year like everyone else.

Go sit in every seat. Find friends with the good seats. Not tenzo r, apc, crap liek that. Im talkin cobras, sparco, recaro, the DAD arent bad from what i heard. Just try them out, dont buy a seat unless you can sit in it. If your broad around the shoulders, you might not be able to sit in some seats comfy. You have to take everythign in consideration. But buy the seat taht you find most comfortable. Dont do it for the price. remember you have to u se it everyday.
 
endlessMyk said:
I'd stay away fro Sparco for that reason, THEY ARE SPARCO. Go ahead and thank Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and the rest of FnF for helping to jack their prices. Sparco is a great seat, don't get me wrong and yes they were expensive before FnF, but because of the mentality of the modders, they MUST HAVE SPARCO. If I had my engine done and paint and etc.. and still had cash to blow, I'd get Sparcos, but I'll end up getting something a little cheaper.

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I work for a distributor of Sparco seats and the markup over cost on them is not that much. As far as cheap seats like ones you can get on ebay, I heard of one incident where a kid had them and got into and accident and the base broke off of the seat and he flew out the windshield still in the seat and died. I'd rather spend the extra cash and get somethin that I know is going to be safe.
 
Sparco have been around way before the fast and the furious. That is just out right stupid saying that is the reason they cost more then ''other'' brands.

You get what you pay for, When it comes to seats, You don't want to #### around when buying aftermarket seats.
 
sublime_ing said:
That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I work for a distributor of Sparco seats and the markup over cost on them is not that much. As far as cheap seats like ones you can get on ebay, I heard of one incident where a kid had them and got into and accident and the base broke off of the seat and he flew out the windshield still in the seat and died. I'd rather spend the extra cash and get somethin that I know is going to be safe.

So the principle of "supply and demand" is stupid? I'm not saying get the cheap seats, mostly cause they're cheap for a reason. But it's a proven marketing technique that if there is a high demand for something (i.e. Sparco seats) they can jack the prices up more. It's a pretty basic practice, I think I learned that in high school.
 
1993eclipseGS said:
Sparco have been around way before the fast and the furious. That is just out right stupid saying that is the reason they cost more then ''other'' brands.

You get what you pay for, When it comes to seats, You don't want to #### around when buying aftermarket seats.

I know they've been around way before, obviously you have selective reading, as I stated "they were expensive before FnF" but having a movie come out where your product is heavily featured will help drive up cost of said product. Because now all the "cool kids" wanna be just like Brian Earl Spilner.

Again, if I had an extra 1000 to spend on a set of seats, you can bet I'd have Sparco's in it.

So to summarize my comments... Sparcos are they worth 1000, YES! But there are many other companies that put out a great quality seat, and you can save some cash. A friend of mine has Sparco's and they ARE the most comfortable seat I've sat in.
 
Sparco's are worth every cent and you can bet that a pair of them will be in my car eventually. Although Corbeau's are equally as nice.

FNF has nothing to do with sparco's being expensive now, later, or ever. A Sparco Sprint would cost you about $200 4 years ago and now they'll cost you about $200. Sparco hasn't changed their pricing for like the last 5-6 years. Those of you considering the $499 seats are looking at adjustable backrests, I'll be getting a fixed model seat and spending that on a pair of them instead.
 
mavisky said:
FNF has nothing to do with sparco's being expensive now, later, or ever. A Sparco Sprint would cost you about $200 4 years ago and now they'll cost you about $200. Sparco hasn't changed their pricing for like the last 5-6 years. Those of you considering the $499 seats are looking at adjustable backrests, I'll be getting a fixed model seat and spending that on a pair of them instead.


I duno, maybe it's just my local shops then. It's a college town, so you can bet there's tons of kids spending mommy and daddy's money to pimp their civics and foci...
 
endlessMyk said:
I duno, maybe it's just my local shops then. It's a college town, so you can bet there's tons of kids spending mommy and daddy's money to pimp their civics and focuses...
i believe the PC term is Foci.
 
97GS-TSpyder said:
Go sit in every seat. Find friends with the good seats. Not tenzo r, apc, crap liek that. Im talkin cobras, sparco, recaro, the DAD arent bad from what i heard.

I have wondered about the DAD seats. They seem fairly nice but I cant find anyone that has a set either in person or on the net. I cant get any feedback as to how long they last, if they are comfortable, nothing. I may just have to pony up the cash and get something else.
 
the closest comparable is cobra, but feel a little better in quality, and the stitching looks good on it. I was considering buying them.
i never have seen the installed for a long time, but the feel is good. so thats all i can tell you about.

howver tenzo R are junk. a guy in ga has them, nad they faded in the drivers seat after 4 months.
 
I bought some tenzo type R's and after a year of having them they are in perfect condition. The only problem with the seats is a small burn hole from when I was passing the marley. :shhh: So, if you want some tenzo's don't listen to all these haters because all I have recieved is compliments on these seats since I have had them.
 
DAD sucks. the fabric comes unglued and streches.... so you have a wrinkly seat.

I got R1... very nice seats. Strong, comfortable, but their kinda heavy.... thats why I'm getting new ones soon. I'm getting Sparco Fighter 2 seats. Sparco is worth every penny, although Corbeau and Bride are awesome too!
 
If you think sparco is expensive go look at some recaros.
 
a good seat is definitely worth the money. Sparco, Bride, Corbeau etc... all make great quality seats that are supportive and sturdy. I have seen way to many cheap seats on cars that come through the shop and it's a joke how weak and unsupportive they are.

We actually use Bride seats in our S14 Drift car. The solid Carbon Fiber version. It's great. Needless to say in competition the driver needs to be supported as much as absolutely possible.

Marti :D
 
My tenzo seats are about 3 years old and theys till look brand new. They were in a daily driven car with no tints and have been exposed to Florida sun the whole time.
 
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