THSCC Forums

Maybe, maybe not. "Stock" and "Open Track" frequently don't "equate" for long with Pony Cars. Something about having to replace brake pads and rotors before and/or after every open track event in order for the brakes to work properly or have the correct compound for competitive autocrossing.

_________________
Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

True, but on a 1LE you are lucky enough to have the FMSI D412 carrying PBR pad-guided caliper. One clip, pull the pin and you have yourself a pad swap. As for rotors, they are just wear parts like tires. As long as you don't want silent perfectly shudder free braking on the street, you really only need one set. Again, the 1LE comes with nice beefy units that are up to task for most people.

_________________
Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

I know...I have a set! Jim's don't have the bling red effect like mine though.

_________________
Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

i think they call it a reset tool. pulling the seats sets off a code for the airbag. or at least that is what i think happened.

I know you are all dying to know...Momo GT Sport Cups. FIA approved, fiberglass shell and I fit pretty well in it. And the price point was really sweet.

Yes, stock rocks!!

_________________
Jim Pastorius
2008 Silverado VortecMax
1992 Camaro CMC#92
2002 BMW R1150R

2009 3rd Place CMC Mid-Atlantic Championship
2009 CMC Hyperfest Winner

So I'm in the process of selecting a set of race seats for my Miata.
Here's what I know so far:

1.) My only requirements are that the seats can be adjusted, and accept a back brace tied to the roll bar cross brace. I don't like the construction of a tube-frame seat. And I want RED one's, baby!!!

2.) I looked at Frank Catena's Momo Start seats this past weekend. They are Fibreglas direct mount seats that will also accept the sliders from my stock Miata seats. FIA approved. They feel very solid and are snug on my butt, but comfortable. I could be happy with these. With proper mounting (copious use of large fender washers), they appear to be a good choice. Price: $254.00 each, with optional thigh pads. Free shipping. No Tax.
Pro's: VERY light. FIA Approved. Cover appears to be very durable. Minumum unnecessary padding. In stock NOW. Price.
Con's: One size only. Mounting of a back brace probably would require some innovative metalworking.

3.) Kirkey Intermediate Aluminum seats. Have not "experienced" these seats, but assume they are comfortable (their website says they are!). Not sure about FIA Approval, but they gotta be pretty stout. Price: $389+ shipping and TAX.
Pro's: Stronger than fibreglas (?). Available in various sizes. Available back bracing from Kirkey.
Con's: Price. Additional metalworking required to be able to use stock sliders. Extra cost for headrest area padding. Extended Delivery time.

4) Jim P. bought the Momo GT Sport Cups. I will look at those also, but they may be a bit wide a Miata.

So...
I'm gonna buy seats. Question is, which ones? Any comments would be appreciated. I figure this one should bring out the best in comments from our experienced track-addicts .

_________________
Brad

Please define what is meant by the fender washer comment. If you're talking about stacking washers to use as spacers, please reconsider. Why? For the same reasons it is a bad idea to stack washers as wheel spacers...they physics aren't good and failure can be really bad (though I admit the physics are "better" in this application, they still aren't good).

You can likely find a proper single piece spacer at McMaster-Carr.

That said, you better sit in the Kirkey before you buy. I'm not familiar with that particular model, but Kirkey's tend to wrap around a lot. They also have minimal padding. I'd never consider one for a car that was multi-use. If it's gonna be on the street, I wouldn't use one. That said, that's pretty much the only seat I'd use on the track. That's what is in my Spec Miata, in fact. Also note that since it is metal, you can tweak it *some*. We actually cut part of the rib protector support, bent it like we wanted it, and re-welded it back. Obviously you do that at your own risk, but at least you *can* do it with an aluminum seat.


--Donnie

Comfort has to be a very relative term.

I have never sat in an Kirkey it would even remotely consider comfortable, for a few minutes. And I would never get a seat I hadn't had a chance to sit in.

_________________
91 Jetta GLI STS/DSP 111
85 Porsche 944 ASP 11
http://www.blackforestindustries.com

Donnie:
I meant that the mounting bolts need a "backing plate" of some sort on the inside of the seat to prevent the bolt heads from pulling through the fibreglas. Thick, large-diameter washers similar to those used to mount harness hardware are what I envision. I could then use Gr. 8 button-heads to bolt the seat in place. We will machine the proper floor-to-seat interface, if necessary, from 6061-T6, but still would like to use the Miata sliders, if possible.

The car is used only for Autocross and HPDE events. It's not street-legal and not registered.

_________________
Brad

Just to be clear, the newer Momo Starts do *not* directly bolt to the Miata stock sliders. A couple of new holes and quite possibly a bracket will be required. Right now my arrangement would require that the new hole be drilled in a place that would destroy the sliding arrangement so I'm still moving things around a bit. I'll probably build a test jig so I can mount the sliders off the car in the same spatial relationship they exist in when in the car.
Here's a confusing thread from Miata.net, I believe part of the problem is the Rookie/Start seat has changed a bit over time:
http://forum.miata.net/cgi-bin/ultimate ... 8;t=010707

Here's a nice pic of the stock sliders with new holes, hopefully this will work:
http://imageenvy.com/miata/momo/rails/

I'm really considering direct mounting of the seat to the floor but even then the lower part of the slider would come in handy as the Miata floor is not flat and the Start is a bottom mount seat. The real downside here is I cannot figure an easy way to get the seat out of the car since mounting the seat in the correct driving position essentially places the seat directly above the floor mounting bolts (not a prob with the stock seats on the sliders as you just slide the seat forward to gain bolt clearance).

Frank

Brad, sounds good. Your comment had me envisioning stacks of washers on the front to tilt it back more or something. Sounds like you're on the right track.

Seats are definitely like helmets...it's better to try them on. Different body types mean you'll fit something that someone else hates.


--Donnie