SOLD - Cobra Suzuka S FIA Kevlar Race Seat - $375/OBO

[Michael Colangelo]

Seat has been sold.

[Colin Langeveld]

Oh man. The base would fit in the miata, but I think the shoulder's are too wide by an inch. Anyone know if the Suzuka would fit in a 99' miata with roll bar?

[Mike Simanyi]

Subesports told me the S version won't fit a Miata, but the standard version will.

[Michael Colangelo]

Actually, the Suzuka S - as shown here - is the standard version. The Suzuka GT is the slightly wider version.

I have a Spec Miata race car and this seat barely fits in the driver's area. There was some contact between the left shoulder "wing" and the inside of the driver's door but I was able to fully close the door. The issue I had was that with the seat mount bracket that I have (some unknown brand), the seat sat too high and my helmet was up against the hardtop. So, I can't use this seat. I did use it without any problems in a 1995 Mustang GT. Plenty of room there.

Fitting seats in a Miata can be a real PITA, especially with a full rollcage and hardtop!

[Mike Simanyi]

Actually, the Suzuka S - as shown here - is the standard version. The Suzuka GT is the slightly wider version.

Sorry about the misinformation... which is doubly "wrong" since I have the GTs installed in the BMW!

Subesports did say the standard version will fit, but it would be snug. The rollbar does complicate things though...

To provide a little useful info on the subject, I've been looking into what's needed to mount aftermarket seats in a Miata. Subesports recommends using the stock seat rails and fabricating an adapter between the rails and the side mounts. Since the Miata floor isn't level, the stock rails take care of any clearance / leveling issues.

Flyin' Miata has the rails available in their salvage section. I believe they're $20 a pair.

Mike

[Michael Colangelo]

Mike,

A couple of years ago, Iron Canyon Motorsports (here in SoCal) sold a seat mount base for Spec Miata racers. I don't know if they still sell them but I'm told they worked well.

The stock seat rail idea will probably work well so long as the car's not destined for road racing. For road racing applications, you want something more solid and non-movable.

A couple of years ago I bought an aluminum Ultrashield Spec Miata seat (that's what it's called) and bolted it directly to the floor of my Miata using Grade 8 hardware. It doesn't get any lower than that! It actually worked out well. Of course, you can't do that with kevlar or fiberglass seats.

[Colin Langeveld]

Mike,

A couple of years ago, Iron Canyon Motorsports (here in SoCal) sold a seat mount base for Spec Miata racers. I don't know if they still sell them but I'm told they worked well.

The stock seat rail idea will probably work well so long as the car's not destined for road racing. For road racing applications, you want something more solid and non-movable.

A couple of years ago I bought an aluminum Ultrashield Spec Miata seat (that's what it's called) and bolted it directly to the floor of my Miata using Grade 8 hardware. It doesn't get any lower than that! It actually worked out well. Of course, you can't do that with kevlar or fiberglass seats.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the concern with bolting a fiberglass or kevlar seat to the floor of the miata?

[Michael Colangelo]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the concern with bolting a fiberglass or kevlar seat to the floor of the miata?

Fiberglass and kevlar (and other composite) seats rely on the fibers for their strength and stiffness properties. When you cut holes in these types of seats you are severing fibers and thereby weakening the seat. That's why these seats typically come with reinforced and molded in side mount receivers. These seats can only be installed using side mounts.

Aluminum is an isotropic material which means that it has the same properties in all directions, unlike a fiberglass or kevlar. Drilling 4 small holes in the bottom of the aluminum seat's pan won't affect it's strength and stiffness properties too much. In fact, Ultrashield and Kirkey aluminum seats don't come with any holes pre-drilled and require that you drill the necessary holes. This offers a lot of flexibility with regard to installation, something that is lacking with the other seats. But I prefer FIA kevlar seats for their performance and safety. Aluminum seats don't always hold up that well in crashes.

Having said that, I really liked the Ultrashield Spec Miata seat. It's the only seat that I'm aware of that was designed for the Miata.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

just checked Iron Canyon's site and no seat mount. I plan on re-fabricating my seat bracket and switching to different side mount pieces to get the seat lower. The Sparco side brackets bulge out at the bottom, which makes fitment a huge pain.

[Colin Langeveld]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the concern with bolting a fiberglass or kevlar seat to the floor of the miata?

Fiberglass and kevlar (and other composite) seats rely on the fibers for their strength and stiffness properties. When you cut holes in these types of seats you are severing fibers and thereby weakening the seat. That's why these seats typically come with reinforced and molded in side mount receivers. These seats can only be installed using side mounts.

Aluminum is an isotropic material which means that it has the same properties in all directions, unlike a fiberglass or kevlar. Drilling 4 small holes in the bottom of the aluminum seat's pan won't affect it's strength and stiffness properties too much. In fact, Ultrashield and Kirkey aluminum seats don't come with any holes pre-drilled and require that you drill the necessary holes. This offers a lot of flexibility with regard to installation, something that is lacking with the other seats. But I prefer FIA kevlar seats for their performance and safety. Aluminum seats don't always hold up that well in crashes.

Having said that, I really liked the Ultrashield Spec Miata seat. It's the only seat that I'm aware of that was designed for the Miata.

Wow, makes sense, thanks for the heads up. Would it be alright though if I used the side mounts and then bolted the mount into the floor bypassing the slider? I'm afraid to going with an aluminum seat because the car is still my daily driver, and they seem pretty extreme.

Lastly, what's the verdict on using the factory 3 point seat belt while sitting in a racing seat? Is it safe/unsafe? As far as I know, running a harness is illegal in the state of california on public roads, also it seems like it'd be a pain getting in and out of a harness everytime.

Thanks again for the input.

[Mike Simanyi]

just checked Iron Canyon's site and no seat mount. I plan on re-fabricating my seat bracket and switching to different side mount pieces to get the seat lower. The Sparco side brackets bulge out at the bottom, which makes fitment a huge pain.

I e-mailed Mark about it earlier today and got a response just before I left the office. He no longer manufactures them since the demand just wasn't justifying the overhead.

Mike

[Michael Colangelo]

Would it be alright though if I used the side mounts and then bolted the mount into the floor bypassing the slider? I'm afraid to going with an aluminum seat because the car is still my daily driver, and they seem pretty extreme.

Lastly, what's the verdict on using the factory 3 point seat belt while sitting in a racing seat? Is it safe/unsafe? As far as I know, running a harness is illegal in the state of california on public roads, also it seems like it'd be a pain getting in and out of a harness everytime.

Thanks again for the input.

You might have issues getting the side brackets to be even with the floor.

I've seen guys make two heavy duty steel straps, running each one front to rear, and attaching them to the floor at the stock seat slider attachment points. This will involve a bend or two to match the angle of the bolt holes on the floor. Then, they'll drill holes in the straps to mount the side brackets. That's a low budget approach but apparently it works.

I don't know about the legality of running the stock 3-point belts with a racing seat.

[Colin Langeveld]

Would it be alright though if I used the side mounts and then bolted the mount into the floor bypassing the slider? I'm afraid to going with an aluminum seat because the car is still my daily driver, and they seem pretty extreme.

Lastly, what's the verdict on using the factory 3 point seat belt while sitting in a racing seat? Is it safe/unsafe? As far as I know, running a harness is illegal in the state of california on public roads, also it seems like it'd be a pain getting in and out of a harness everytime.

Thanks again for the input.

You might have issues getting the side brackets to be even with the floor.

I've seen guys make two heavy duty steel straps, running each one front to rear, and attaching them to the floor at the stock seat slider attachment points. This will involve a bend or two to match the angle of the bolt holes on the floor. Then, they'll drill holes in the straps to mount the side brackets. That's a low budget approach but apparently it works.

I don't know about the legality of running the stock 3-point belts with a racing seat.

Hm. In your opinion, would that be a risky method of getting the seat attached to the car? I asked a member on another forum who had this seat installed in his miata and said he rubbing issues on the side bolster against the door. However I'm still seeing if there is any other method to get it to fit! Any ideas? Thanks

-Colin

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Bolting the side mounts directly to the floor won't work. The floor is too irregular.

I have this frame, constructed from 6061 and bolted to the stock locations.

Crude, but effective. Unfortunately, you'll end up sitting higher. I have another plan, but it involves different "interface" between side brackets and floor.

[Michael Colangelo]

I want my living room back!

New lowered price! $375 takes it! What a steal! I'm insane!

[Steve Lepper]

Oh man. The base would fit in the miata, but I think the shoulder's are too wide by an inch. Anyone know if the Suzuka would fit in a 99' miata with roll bar?

Won't fit unless you are very short so the seat can be brought up and forward. For an average size person, you won't fit with a stock door panel and without massaging the transmission tunnel. Stock seat rails are offset on the stock seat, so you can't use them on an aftermarket seat without modification: I make my own fixed mounts that bolt to the stock locations on the floor.

Too bad, because this is a helluva good deal.