After Market Seats

[splinter]

I am hopefully going to get to due some historic racing, plus auto X. I want to get a drivers seat that doesn't cost a fortune and works in a 914, especially for 6 foot plus drivers. Anyone have any experience and or a lightly used seat?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The most popular seat to use locally (PCA Zone 7) is the stock seat. Remove the bottom seat cushion and you have halfway-reasonable lateral support for your butt.

If you use six-point harnesses, you don't have to cut any holes in it. If you use five-points, you have to cut a hole in the bottom of the seat to run the sub strap in a reasonable fashion.

There are others that people have used, but generally not over-six-footers. Most aftermarket seats, even "racing buckets", tend to lose some of the headroom.

The "-6 GT" seats that AA sells (and others have offered) more or less just extends the side bolsters of the stock seat up and outwards. Pretty snug for anyone who is not fairly narrow.

Good luck!

--DD

[John Rogers]

Dave's right about removing the bottom pad. I bought a used Corbeau seat (model is no longer made) that was made for 914s and it fits in even with the console and I worked for several days to adapt a set of rails so I could adjust it and it still interferes with the angle adjuster? I can use it but our daughter who is taller can't without removing the targa top as the additional padding still raises you up. But it sure clamps you in well!

[914fanatic]

Hey if you all don't use a bottom cushion what do you use? I sure I could figure something out but do you have something that works well and is nice and thin but not sitting on plastic?? I'd love to have the side bolster support all the time and don't want to give "them" any money for the sport seat any suggestions??~MARK

[John Rogers]

Plastic it is. I was worried about that until the first autox and found I never even noticed it. One of the instructors told me "if you can think about what you are sitting on, you are not driving hard enough!" I wear a fire suit so that gives a little cushion too.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Not only do I autoX my car without the bottom cushion, but I use it daily without as well. Keeps my head out of the wind...

I used to use a folded-up towel, but then I found some 3/8" closed-cell foam which I cut to size and shape. I bought it at a Surplus place as a bedroll for pretty cheap.

I might actually cover it with pseudo basket-weave fabric some time just so it doesn't look so out of place.

--DD

[John Rogers]

As a matter of fact I have started using the Corbeau seat when I play my Touring Car modified version of NASCAR99 and with the 3D sound cranked up it is just like being there with the force-feedback wheel! For those who haven't seen this check out The Pits at:http://www.theuspits.com/. It is good practice and I know of one Pro driver that used the Sears Point track to practice since he had never been there and was ready when he arrived!

[Bobbitt]

I raced and autocrossed an A-Mod special in the SCCA for several years with only a piece of .030" aluminum between me and the road. I am very thin and even I seem to have padding in the right places. Maybe not for a 4 hour road trip, but definately for racing.

[Alpine]

Koenig has a seat that they make specifically for the 914. They had a picture of the seat on their web site for a while but their web site no longer seems to be operational.

Alpine.