914 seats...opinions?

[kevinseven]

I'm looking to do something about my stock 914 seats that are quickly becoming more duct tape than vinyl. My car is a daily driver with no immediate plans for autox.

Would those Recaro made GT seats that come in the new Turbo fit? I know... too much money.

My most likley replacement would be a Koenig or maybe a Sparco/Momo option from Pelican. I also saw some 914 stock style seats that have larger side bolsters on them in the Pelican catalog...but no price yet. I'm pretty short so my seat sits forward qute a bit. Whatever I put in probably wont effect the back pad much.

Are these Sparco style racing type seats too much trouble to put in? Will the rails still allow you to move back and forth? Do I need to add a harness at the same time or will a standard belt work over the bolsters? Are they going to make me look like some poser who saw "The Fast and the Furious" too many times? I do prefer a more low key look.

I wonder if non-powered sport seats out of a 911 would fit.

Any thoughts or experiences would be great.

[jamcleod]

a seat i've seen that i would consider is one in an ad in either vw trends or hot vw's for a sport seat for $150. ad says it bolts right into 914. reminded me of a sport seat in a 914/6 GT

[JmuRiz]

There is also a very nice seat from Renegade Hybrids, I believe there is a picture of it on their site and on this PP site under performance 914 parts. It's built on the stock 914 shell w/ big side bolsters...not as cheap as the $150 Corbou but it's probably nicer. Both of these fit w/ the stock back pad too...I'll be looking into each when I decide to get new seats!

Nathan

[kevinseven]

I've seen the Corbeau and I thought the build quality was pretty crappy. The fabric and vinyl was all loose on the shell and it wrinkled up at weird places. But I guess you get what you pay for.

[philinjax]

I have been planning to get the Corbeau seats for my project
car but, I haven't actually seen one, so I can't speak for the
quality. This Corbeau spec. has a pix of what looks to be a good seat.

http://www.corbeau.com/brochure/classic-II.html

[Jim Smolka]

Check out the seats from ultrashieldrace.com. They are all Alum race seats that can mount up to the 914 slide rails. This way you have all the stock adjustments. Price is very reasonable too.

[Joe Ricard]

I kinda like my Forza seats. The quality seems quite good actually. As fas as durability I can't say, but nothing seems to be wearing very fast except my wallet. Engine went in last night and nearly ready fto fire that mutha up.

[azkiwi]

I think the renegade hybrids' seats are the nicest looking seats out there if especially if you are keeping the back pad intact. You can see them on their site at http://www.renegadehybrids.com. Look in the accessories section. I inquired of them last week as the to their pricing. Here is Scott's reply...the pricing is per seat...well worth it...

"Alex....

Thank you for your interest in our seats. Using your cores, we charge 349.00 for the touring seats and 399.00 for the sports seats. The sport seats have taller sides for better holding. However, the sport seat also makes it a bit harder to enter and exit the car. If you race, we also have a ultra thin lower cushion to drop your whole body down in the seat to make room for a helmet! This is a $50.00 option per seat.

The "Renegade Hybrids" on the seat back can be matched to whatever color you would like within reason. If you car is red, you can have the black seats with the red "Renegade Hybrids".

Sincerely,
Scott >>> Renegade Hybrids!
Toll Free (866) 498-2421"

These seats are on list to get this year...
Hope this helps

Alex
72 1.7 914
92 Sentra SE-R

[SummerSledSix]

Kevin,
I've been looking for seats too, more for the track than for restoration. I've had the Corbeau Forza recommended to me by a shop that specializes in 914 race preps, and they're in the neighborhood of $250 ea, and if you get an extra set of seat rails, you can slide 'em in and out, ie swap street seats for track seats w/o tools. (Assuming you don't want to beef up the seat mount for track).

I have a pair of 911 sport seats out of an '84 Carrera, and unfortunately they're too big for the 914. Stock teener seats are about 18" wide, the 911'ers are ~20 to 22 in. Didn't even check out back pad issues.

Thanks to the width issue, ya gotta be careful when buying your seats, make sure your vendor specifically states "will fit without mod into a 914".

[rfoulds]

The nice thing about the 914 seats is that they are cheap to re-upholster because of the simple design.

You say you don't plan to autocross. Most of the seats with extra side bolster make it a lot harder to climb into your 914. And since you asked, I personally think racing seats without a proper harness set up would be a waste of time and would look very cheap.

I would keep the stock seats, and have them recovered. Mne were done for $300 for the pair, in a very nice copy of the original basket weave vinyl. It looks like a new car, I keep the stock clean look, and I can easily get in and out.

[J P Stein]

I'll prolly spring for the Renegade seat, if they can make it in the proper color. It's a nice looking unit. I've had no input as to it's quality, so I may be the test dummy.

[ejm914]

I recently installed a set of Corbeau Forza's. Mounting on the original rails they slide and tilt same as the stock seats. The covers fit tight, nicely stitched at the wear pads and they have real springs in the seat bottom. The overall quality is better than I expected for the price. The mounting brackets on the other hand left a lot to be desired. And if you need the seat all the way back you'll have to remove the back pad.

On a street/track car installing any seat of this type onto a second set of rails is a good idea. The side bolsters and deep seat make getting in and out difficult and the stock seat belt rides up on the seat rather than across your hips. Keep your stock seats and get them recovered in cloth for everyday use. Swap in your competition seat a few days before you go to the track.

The seat and seat belts work together as a restraint system. Some organizations require seats with cut-outs IF you are using a 5 or 6 point harness. It's worthwhile to consider your group may adopt this rule in the future.

[campbellcj]

This topic has come up a few times before...

My $.02 -- if you do not plan to do any autox or track driving (shame), then putting in full race seats is probably a mistake. The side bolsters make entry/exit a LOT tougher, you likely will have to remove the backpad, the car will look very "non-stock", etc.

(On the other hand, if you WILL do any track driving, I HIGHLY recommend a proper race seat and 5/6-point harness setup, ideally with a rollbar or cage too.)

The Renegade seats are nice if you want something sportier than stock, but still basically a 914 seat. I have seen them in person, and the quality vs. price ratio seemed very solid to me.

Regarding the Corbeau Forzas mentioned by a few guys, I had them in my teener for a while. Details & pics are here:

http://www.nosubstitute.org/914/seats

They are indeed a good value for the money. Not the most comfortable or awe-inspiring things in the world, but keep in mind they are "entry level" race seats. Unlike some of the other lower-priced race seats, they are FIA certified. They are also pretty light, around 16lbs/ea.

If you are seriously into track driving, ditch the factory rails and bases and bolt the seats to the floor or fabricate some stronger custom brackets. The stock bases put the seats up too high, and are not a safe/strong setup in the event of a crash either.

[pbanders]

I have the old Scheel seats that were designed for the 914 and are NLA, but show up on Ebay from time to time. I had them recovered in cloth and rebuilt about 15 years ago, they're holding up fine. A few pics of the seats are in this link:

Brad's 914 pics