The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Bench Racing → Seat for Caged Miata
We are looking for a seat that will fit in our Miata with a AutoPower bolt-in cage. All 4 drivers are a little plumper than most (over 200 lbs) with varying heights (5'6" - 6'3"). Any experiences with a similar situation or suggestions?
f'in nightmare. My EVO2 seat simply would not fit in my Miata. We ended up going with a Kerkey which seems to kinda get the job done, but we can't move it. It's bolted down, one position fits all. And we still need to do some modifications for our tallest driver. Or throw him off the team. We are debating that one. L
Not easy! putting big people in Miatas with bolt in cages is difficult at best, impossible at worst. If your driver's helmets stick above the cage you will fail tech...
I'm 6'4" and drive the only Spec Miata with a Gurney Bubble in the roof....
It is a major pain to fit big people even with a weld in custom cage- We modify the tunnel and floor, lower the floor, make our own mounts, etc.....
we are currently doing all of the above on the V8 Miata we built..It is a total PITA to fit wide seats into a Miata- Good luck
f'in nightmare. My EVO2 seat simply would not fit in my Miata. We ended up going with a Kerkey which seems to kinda get the job done, but we can't move it. It's bolted down, one position fits all. And we still need to do some modifications for our tallest driver. Or throw him off the team. We are debating that one. L
Yep- just had another customer bring in a Miata and an Evo 2... No Dice, you cannot cut enough out of the tunnel to make it fit. Not possible.
I wonder how "wide" is too wide for a miata race seat.....the stock Racetech seats are quite narrow at 14.5" and seem to fit fine...the "wide" racetechs are 16.5" wide?
You might want to try the Ultra Shield Spec Miata seat. They have them up to 18" wide; can't say if they fit or not but they are pretty stand-up guys so I'm guessing if they make an 18" "Spec Miata" seat that it must fit in a Spec Miata. You could at least give 'em a call:
http://www.ultrashieldrace.com/prod.php?id=9
FWIW, I'm ~260# and 6'0" and we run a Kirkey 17" intermediate road race seat and it fits me just fine, not too snug, not too loose.
My friend runs the 16" (? I think that's the size) Ultra Shield Spec Miata seat in his Spec Miata with a 17" Kirkey Pro Drag passenger seat.
The Ultra Shield Spec Miata seat is very similar to the Kirkey Pro Drag.
Neither seat has the large wrap around wings the Intermediate Road Race seats do. Those can get in the way if they are not your size.
We lined up a bunch of seats, in different sizes and styles and tried them out. We decided a 16" was a good compromise on width and we liked the Pro Drag/Spec Miata style better. So I swapped the 16" Intermediate for a Pro Drag and we've been happy ever since.
We have had a variety of different sized drivers both tall and wide and the seat has been very versatile.
I am sure you can fit a 17" aluminum seat in a Miata since my friend has one.
I mounted my seat on sliders with angle iron adapters. The seat bolts in through the sides. The angle iron can be shimmed front and rear to adjust the layback which can be used to give tall guys more room by reclining them.
Additionally, Hans recommends a 20 degree layback too. It seems to be comfortable and we did not tilt the seat back any further.
Kirkey makes a bracket which I think allows for adjustable layback too.
Calpolo, depending on where your located, maybe you should try and swing by a Miata prep shop with the car.
You might want to try the Ultra Shield Spec Miata seat. They have them up to 18" wide; can't say if they fit or not but they are pretty stand-up guys so I'm guessing if they make an 18" "Spec Miata" seat that it must fit in a Spec Miata. You could at least give 'em a call:
http://www.ultrashieldrace.com/prod.php?id=9
FWIW, I'm ~260# and 6'0" and we run a Kirkey 17" intermediate road race seat and it fits me just fine, not too snug, not too loose.
We bought a seat of craigslist that doesn't have a manufacturer name, and we custom built a cage that is taller so my head fits.
This brings up a good question: how do you know what seat width to order? Do you measure your butt? Can a skinny guy use a wider seat with an insert? I've never built a car with more than one driver in mind...
for what its worth..I am 6-1 200lbs with about a 34" waist....I "can" fit in spec miatas with Racetech standard 14.5" seats.....BUT its a squeeze.....when I sit in a chair and measure across my hips its about 15.5".....my "wide" racetechs at 16.5" fit nicely and are very comfy.... I've had passengers who are 6+ and probably 300lbs and he thought the seat was quite comfortable.....
Another problem with miatas is they are hard to get into-out of....I like to say I fold myself up...fall in the miata and unfold myself,.....the 928 is MUCH easier to get in-out
does anyone make slide mounts for a kirkey seat?
does anyone make slide mounts for a kirkey seat?
We couldn't afford the additional inch+ of height the slides would require.
does anyone make slide mounts for a kirkey seat?
Short answer is no, not specifically. I used these and they work great, very positive lock, $75 but completely worth it as I have drivers ranging from like 5'6" to 6'7":
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produc … RecID=5885
Pegasus stocks them and ships quickly. They also sell a bunch of the OMP-brand side mounts but I had a set of Kirkey side mounts and those worked fine too with just a little modification. I built a base for my Kirkey to mount to and then the OMP sliders mound to that base but there might be a better way to do it. Good luck.
squidbreath wrote:does anyone make slide mounts for a kirkey seat?
Short answer is no, not specifically. I used these and they work great, very positive lock, $75 but completely worth it as I have drivers ranging from like 5'6" to 6'7":
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produc … RecID=5885
Pegasus stocks them and ships quickly. They also sell a bunch of the OMP-brand side mounts but I had a set of Kirkey side mounts and those worked fine too with just a little modification. I built a base for my Kirkey to mount to and then the OMP sliders mound to that base but there might be a better way to do it. Good luck.
Mulry
I had a single locking slider (sparco I think) in my old 928 racecar and it SUCKED...you could watch the seat sway side to side in the corners...it felt really weird too
yeah it was awful in brians car with the slider, after all the dozens of seat installs ive done, ive found the cheapy rails sold at summit for drag cars are the sturdiest, the adjustment lever is a bit strange but if installed properly its WAY more sound than a sparco or cheap recaro slider, the expensive recaro ones are good too, i just put a nice recaro seat and sliders in a miata, ill get the pics up when i can get my car reader.
also it takes more welding and cutting but modifying the miata factory sliders works great too
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