Seats, How tall is too tall? Options

[blabla914]

One of my projects this winter is new seats for the 914. Since it will be march before I know it I need to get on this.
I want something that will accomdate 5 point harnesses, but it needs to be easy on the back. My wife has back problems and she HATES the stock seats. The 2 1/2 hr trip to my parent's house is about all she can stand in the 914 these days. This makes enjoying the car together pretty much impossible, so new seats are at the top of the to do list. I'm considering Sparco, Momo, Corbeau, and Recaro. The Sparco Clubman being the cheapest and the Recaro SPG being the most expensive.

I did a search and it seems most of the brackets to adapt to the stock tracks raise the seat enough that a lot of people have head clearance problems with a helmet. Just looking at the picts on line and the pelican article on putting Forza's in it seems like I would have the best shot at keeping the seat hieght right by using a side mount seat. Can anyone comment on this? It also seems you could get about 1/2" by just welding the adapters for the Forzas to an old set of seat tracks.

So here's the $1MM question. I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'4". Am I going to have to do some major fab work, like remove the crossmember, to avoid helmet clearance problems? Seems to me there is no way she will, but I think I will be borderline.

Now for the $500k question. I measure a stock 914 seat as approx 18" wide. The Corbeaus and Sparcos are all about 19-20" wide. EJM's turbo 914 has Sparcos in it and they seem to fit OK. So it seems 20" is about the absolute max and still have any shot at using the e-brake. Anyone disagree?

Of course the back pad is a lost cause. I can't find jack on line about the Recaro's. Anybody have info?

Thanks,

Kelly

[goose2]

Check out the seats at Craig's (Camp 914) site:GTS Seats

[blabla914]

Thanks for the heads up on the GTS seats. The Lemans with the 5 point option seems like the obvious choice for a 914 and the price is in line with the upper end of what I am willing to spend. Doesn't look like they have any east coast dealers though. We need to be able to sit in them before buying. It's my wife's back. She will have the final say.

Kelly

[smooth_eddy]

A simple thing I did to cure my back problems was to grab a pillow off my sofa and stuff it behind the back pad. I put it right at the lumbar level. It made a huge difference. At 6'-1", any other seats would push my head into the targa top. Eddy

[blabla914]

Good suggestion, but she already has a lumbar pillow and I have changed the padding a couple of different ways in the bottom of one of the seats.

Of course she likes the GT3 recaros in my friends 996. I saw McMark had posted in one of the old seat posts that they go right in a 914. Maybe she'll MAKE me buy the GT3 Recaros. Yeah right.

Kelly

[GTS]

GTS classics seats,
we will be at the Hershey swap meet with the complete line of seats....if the weather doesn't block our way....
You come to Hershey and "have a seat" in the LeMans,Sebring,ST or Rallye STS....
with regards
Stefan GTS classics ClassicCarSeats.com

[Porcharu]

It all depends on what the back problem is. My back does not like most seats - the Recaro in my beater Volvo is OK (the stock "wonderful" Volvo seats suck) the seats in my Ford truck are WAY better (I bought something I didn't really want because the seats were perfect.) I can drive for 12 hours nonstop in the truck - no way could I do that in the beater or my wifes VW with the horrible stock Recaro seats (I think they are made for midgets - they are all wrong for a 6' person.) I need a ton of low back support - most people find it uncomfortable to have the back bent as much as I like.
Please post what you end up doing - we want to know. I am working on getting good seats mounted low myself - and fixing the rusty floorpan.
Steve

[Joe Ricard]

I got a Recaro SRD VERY comfortable. will mount nice and low if you are taking the cross memeber out. and will still sit lower than stock seat if spanned across the cross member and a few spacers to keep it level.
Shipping over size I need 400 for it rails included. Still need to get pics of it. a Matching one goes for 800 new minus the rails.