Aftermarket seats

[gst98spyder]

I just ordered milanos... I had r1s they fade badly on the spyder if u have the top down

 

[98spydert]

How'd they fit in the spyder with the tops sticking out so far and the speaker/seatbelt housing or trim being right up there behind the seats?

 

[gst98spyder]

actaully they fit great ill show u pics... The r1s are very comfy man.. but the dye in the material ischeap... you could get a set then rewrap them and still save alot of money and have a custom seat... My milanos fit great and are comfy as hell

 

[98spydert]

Yeah PLEASE post pics of both if you could, especially how the back interacts with the speaker/seat belt trim back there if a tall person were to have the seat all the way back. I've almost given up on the idea of custom seats just because of that.

 

[MaNGiNa24]

I'm looking into buying new seats and the way I see it is you have two options.

Pay the money and get your money's worth. I'd kill for a set of Milanos or Torinos, but then you think, after all the money you've spent, the seats are worth 1/5 of your actual car.

That is when the cheaper seat option comes into play. If you set aside Corbeau, Sparco, Bride and all the more popular names, ALL the seats are practically the same. As someone mentioned earlier, all the seats are subcontracted and manufactured in some foreign thrid world country.

I'm probably gonna go with a set of cheap ebay seats and if they do fade over time, i'll just redye them or have them reupholstered in suede/leather and have some backing/padding added and I'll have myself a poor man's Milano

 

[98spydert]

It's clear the seats are worth what you pay for them but so are exotic cars that are hand manifactured, or spirits that cost hundreds of dollors a bottle. The question is can you spend the money on them OR do you even want to? If I can get a DECENT seat for a couple hundred bucks that's fairly comfterable won't kill me in an accident, I'm down. I don't need or want seats that cost $1000 a pc therefore I'm deffinetly not willing to pay for them.

 

[fulanititoo8198]

Hey whats up. I dont want to open a new thread since its the same subject. I see all these BRIDE seats on ebay from 200-800. not bad I'm actually thinking about these in red for my black Gst what do you guys think? are they replicas? let me know I cant figure it out. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7935167823&category=33701

 

[gofaster87]

Hey whats up. I dont want to open a new thread since its the same subject. I see all these BRIDE seats on ebay from 200-800. not bad I'm actually thinking about these in red for my black Gst what do you guys think? are they replicas? let me know I cant figure it out. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7935167823&category=33701

The ebay Brides on that link are replicas.

 

[fulanititoo8198]

damn replicas any of you know of where to get the best price on a bride brix seats?

 

[SoilentGreen98]

I plan on ordering the RalliArt seats shortly. Any opinions on those from anyone?

 

[Flash]

When you install the Sparcos... did you use any of the OEM hardware (sliders, rails, etc.)? Or will the Universal Sparco Sliders do the trick? How about the bases??? Where they allot of custom work?

Everything pretty much just bolted on. And no you can't use your stock sliders and bases. I had to whip out my grinder to cut off a tab on a bracket, so I could set my seat as low as it could in the car. But other then that, it's all bolt on.

Pay the money and get your money's worth. I'd kill for a set of Milanos or Torinos, but then you think, after all the money you've spent, the seats are worth 1/5 of your actual car.

Oh man, I never thought of that. Now I feel kind of bad for spending that money now. But before I got my Torino's, the stock seats killed the backs of me and everyone that rode shotgun with me. Now I LOVE roadtrips!

 

[dmak]

http://groups.msn.com/dmak/talon.msnw?Page=2

here is my momo seat...i would say it's a OK seat....

i am 5'9, about 150lb....and i fit just right in the seat....so if u are anything bigger than me DON'T get this seat. It's also not for racing, coz it's not FIA approved.

the only good thing about this seat is when u take hard turns, it really do the job well. other than that, for daily driving, it pretty much sucks balls....it's non-adjustable, it's hard to get in or out of the car....little bit harder to do shoulder check...that's about it...i guess..

and i used the stock power slider...hahaha...so i can say i have a "power momo seat"?...haha..

ps: right now, the seat is out of the car, coz it wasn't center in the car. So, i need to make some new holes and move the seat to the right for about 1.5".....it's not perfect fit to the stock slider...but it works.....and it was in the car for about 2months without any problem(just the seat not really center) it doesn't come loose or anything, so that's good enough i think.

 

[Mr96GSX408]

damn replicas any of you know of where to get the best price on a bride brix seats?

They're roughly $1000 for 1 seat.

I bought a used replica and have personally sat in a real on at Super Autobacs in SoCal. These are the best damn replicas I've seen. They look and feel like the real ones and the build quality is superb. Rumors says that these were built from stolen Bride parts. Check other forums for their reviews, ie. Subaru, Rx7, Supra, ect forums for their reviews.

 

[orangedsm]

I know this topic is a little old, but reading through it, there were some things I kept hearing that really irritated me. Like the people who are saying "cheaper seats are just like the (Sparco,Bride,Corbeau,etc) seats" What features of the seats are you looking at that "the same" as the Sparco seats? Maybe the FIA approval? HANS approval? Self-extinguishing fabric? Impact absorption built in? Or are we just talking about looks?

Personally I'll go with the seats that are used in real racing. You are never going to see a Tenzo-R or APC seat being used in a sanctioned race event. Maybe it's just me, but I've always used the philosophy "DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT!"

 

[Flash]

Like the people who are saying "cheaper seats are just like the (Sparco,Bride,Corbeau,etc) seats"

I'm sorry people think that, because that isn't right. Each Sparco seat is hand-made. Yes, my seats are made in Italy. And there is a sticker under my seat that say 'supervisor' and then the signature of the person. In pen ink; I had two different colored signatures on the bottom of each of my seats. So someone check off on the build of my seats. I can't think of one product in Thailand where they are that dedicated to quality control.
Also the fabric used on my seats is $200 a yard!

 

[MaNGiNa24]

I'm sorry people think that, because that isn't right. Each Sparco seat is hand-made. Yes, my seats are made in Italy. And there is a sticker under my seat that say 'supervisor' and then the signature of the person. In pen ink; I had two different colored signatures on the bottom of each of my seats. So someone check off on the build of my seats. I can't think of one product in Thailand where they are that dedicated to quality control.
Also the fabric used on my seats is $200 a yard!

Right and the frame is built from pure gold, you don't see it, but theres a nifty little signature saying it is. You seat isn't hand mand either.

In all my years of working at a fabric shop, I have yet to come across ANY fabric that costs $200 a yard....

Don't believe everything you hear son.

Most of the sparco/corbeau seats are manufactured from the same third party companies that produce any of the other cheaper alternatives, the difference is only in the quality of the material used on the exterior and the foam backing that makes up the seat..

 

[Flash]

As for the fabric, that's only a link, a friend just bought some straight from Sparco to cover his rear seat and a yard was a little over $200. http://www.cardomain.com/item/SPA01052JNR

That's great to know that racers in WRC use Sparco seats that were made by the same company as APC and the cheaper brands. I don't get how people can think that the same place that makes APC seats, makes Recaro, Bride, and Sparco seats.
Are you also implying the same company that makes the OBX FMIC also makes the Apexi FMIC?

 

[MaNGiNa24]

As for the fabric, that's only a link, a friend just bought some straight from Sparco to cover his rear seat and a yard was a little over $200. http://www.cardomain.com/item/SPA01052JNR

That's great to know that racers in WRC use Sparco seats that were made by the same company as APC and the cheaper brands. I don't get how people can think that the same place that makes APC seats, makes Recaro, Bride, and Sparco seats.
Are you also implying the same company that makes the OBX FMIC also makes the Apexi FMIC?

Find a link from a fabric site, not an overpriced ricer website where people are dumb enough to pay over inflated prices.

Last time I checked, those WRC cars don't use the same reclinable sparcos most of you kids get suckered into buying either. A real racing seat doesn't recline and doesn't need to be made of godly heaven sent thousand dollar per yard sparco material. A racing seat's primary job is to hold you in place and keep you safe. Period.

Yes, I am saying that the same companies that make the sparco seat, make APC's/Tenzo's/DAD's. The "wheel" industry uses the same idea, except you have one manufacter that designs and makes the quality wheel (Ray's/Volk) and then you have the other guys who get the same exact wheel copied by some company in asia that can reproduce the same wheel but heavier/worse quality.

Did I say EVERY product used this same method? No, I did not.

Everyone always says how cheap these seats must be, and how they'd never hold up in an accident compared to a sparco, recaro or bride but when was the last time you saw a "cheap" racing seat broken in half? Find a picture of that and you'll make a believe out of me.

 

[Flash]

Man, no hard feelings. I'm not upset, no reason to get all worked up.
Anyway, since you work in the fabric business, could you provide me a link to a website that sells that 'Sparco'/ jacquard fabric. I'd love to find it for cheaper. Thanks!

 

[MaNGiNa24]

Man, no hard feelings. I'm not upset, no reason to get all worked up.
Anyway, since you work in the fabric business, could you provide me a link to a website that sells that 'Sparco'/ jacquard fabric. I'd love to find it for cheaper. Thanks!

Just a friendly debate

I'll look around and ask my old boss (no longer work there) if he knows of anything similar.

 

[cait sith]

On seat fabric:
http://tinyurl.com/4fgf9

Claim mark up all you want, but I don't think they're going to sell it for 400 dollars more than it's worth.

Argue as you may about cheap seats, but the fabric quality is NOTEABLY WORSE on cheap APC/etc seats.

Also "pro" Seats are made to FIA standards, which means EVERY SINGLE SEAT must make rigorous testings and random sampling checks for proper strength and inspection.

Bride does not subcontract outside of Japan.

Also most ultra production/prototype/touring car seats are either made out of dry-carbon fiber, or kevlar.

 

[scottigee]

I'm in the camp that says seats are not something to skimp on...for the performance issue but mostly for safety. If you're buying seats for a show car then buy what's cheap and re-finish it to your heart's content. But if you're driving the car I think it's suicide to rip out your crash-tested OEM seats and strap in some pep-boys garbage.

Now I know the good stuff is pricey, but there are SO MANY OEM seats out there to choose from that will get you the performance and safety you need and save you lots of money.
You could reapolster some old evo seats for the same as a new pair of Tenzos and end up with something much better, safer, and higher-performance.

So that's my tip - look for used OEM and don't buy garbage.

 

[orangedsm]

Not sure how many fabric shops sell self-extinguishing fabric either, never seen an APC or Tenzo-R seat that will put itself out if it catches on fire. Also yeah, most people who care about performance over show/comfort (like me) don't get the seats that recline. I have the Sparco Circuit.

 

[MaNGiNa24]

Not sure how many fabric shops sell self-extinguishing fabric either, never seen an APC or Tenzo-R seat that will put itself out if it catches on fire. Also yeah, most people who care about performance over show/comfort (like me) don't get the seats that recline. I have the Sparco Circuit.

Exactly! You have a racing seat, not a confused idea of a racing seat.

 

[Flash]

I just got some black Sparco jaquard fabric yesterday. I already have one door panel apart and striped, and I'll be wrapping it today.