THSCC Forums

So, I've been asking car-specific resources about this, but I figure I would tap the local resources and see if someone could shed new light on the problem.

Ideal solution:
Buy two seats
Buy two sets of sliders
Fabricate brackets for floorpan of cars
Fabricate adapters for seat+slider to floorpan brackets

Goal:
Have race seats for either of my cars (and a future Spec Miata)
Be 2" below the rollbar with helmet in the Miata and in the RX-7

Cars:
1993 Mazda RX-7
1994 Mazda Miata

Seats:
Kirkey Road Race Intermediate (16" width seat fits me best)
Sparco Rev (known to fit in the RX-7, should fit in Miata)
I'd like to spend no more than around $300 a seat, so any other candidates that fit would be entertained. Probably will only want to go with FIA approved seats.

Main problems with fitment:
Shoulder wing width in the RX-7 (22" of Corbeau Forza is a tight fit when loosely installed in the car, ala not bolted in)
Height (I'm tall, I need the seats in the Miata to get 2" below the rollbar)

Information gathered:
I borrowed a Corbeau Forza from a friend to test-fit.
It seems to fit in the Miata okay.

I later learned that with the Corbeau brackets, it doesn't fit right in the
RX-7, allthough I think I could make it fit with custom brackets in the RX-7.

I also don't like the Forza, I've sat in it, and compared to the Kirkey, I feel that the Kirkey offers way better support.

Next steps...
I believe that my next step (since the car is now sitting on jackstands for other repairs, ARGH...) is to fabricate mounting structure for the floorboard courtesy of Home Depot raciing supplies and instead of a "loose" fit of the Forza, attempt a more "solid" fit to determine truly where the seat can be mounted properly in the car.

I'm also thinking of unbolting the stock sliders and seeing about mounting to an intermediary support to determine if I can retain use of the sliders and retain the extra headroom I gained. At least I can do a trial height fit before plunking down big $$$ for a set of sliders.

Any and all help/comments would be appreciated...

Regards,
--Ashraf

The Kirkey Intermediate Road Race seat is a frequent choice in Spec Miata circles, but most folks end up trimming a lot of the rib protector projections off, just to be able to get in and out of the car. There's also a Kirkey Drag Race seat, which is similar, but without the rib protectors. Ultrashield makes a very similar seat, specifically for Spec Miata. I have a Momo Start, which is FIA 1999 approved, fits in the car well, and fits me well. If you can find any of the older Momo Starts (bottom mount - manufactured prior to 10/2002), they will mount directly to the Miata sliding rails with just drilling one hole in each rail.

_________________
Marvin McBride
Spec Miata #62