Bucket Seats

[TruenoBZG]

Who has them? Can you tell me how practical they are?

I want them for comfort and a more secure ride, but what are the cons? Is it really worth the cash?

Also, can you mount them yourself?

thanks

[z|gen]

daily driver..better off going with a set of recaros or similar if you want comfort and to be held in place better rather than fixed back buckets, specially if you only have a 2door..can only have one fixed back.

[Dell'Orto]

I've had them in previous cars. Fixed back ones are a bit of a pain if you want to get passengers in the back. Also the fixed back ones tend to be quite light/thin and give you a sore ass on long trips
I think there are laws regarding fixed back buckets in 2 door cars though?

If you've got a clue you can fit them yourself pretty easy, some brands will bolt up easier than others.

[snwtoy]

Also the fixed back ones tend to be quite light/thin and give you a sore ass on long trips

Yeah, if you're looking for comfort get a set of recaros.

[TruenoBZG]

yeh i saw that Recaro's are the more expensive ones to cop (quality i spose)

Why would there be laws with 2 door cars? Because its harder to get passengers out in case of emergency?

Also, do the better seats recline and move foward/backward?

thanks

[20v_rollaboy]

Yea recaros are pretty good I thnk. I spent the weekend in my mates Evo6 and their recaros are very comfortable, and recline.

But they would probably be near impossible to get??

[B1NZ]

yeh i saw that Recaro's are the more expensive ones to cop (quality i spose)

Why not go for a set of WRX seats, They seem to pop up on trade me quite a bit .
IMO they are one of the best Factory seats for comfort, Failing that look for a set of recaros out of an older EVO or similar

Why would there be laws with 2 door cars? Because its harder to get passengers out in case of emergency?

Yes one (i think passenger side) has to be reclinable for saftey matters. Its the law as far as im aware

Also, do the better seats recline and move foward/backward?

You can use your factory sliders and mount them to the seat that way which usually means butchering your factory seats, Or if you want you can just make up brackets and set them in a fixed position, Some higher end seats are reclinable but do cost alot more than the fixed back ones and depending on car type you can get sliders designed to fit the seats and your car.

Make sure you use the 4 factory mounting points that your original seats bolt to otherwise you may need a cert, although i think for memory you will anyway cos the seatbelt stalk is part of the seat which you will be removing unfortunatley

[TruenoBZG]

Thanks B1NZ - you seem to know your stuff - can i ask some more in depth questions?


-Would WRX seats fit my AE111?

-Does 'reclinable' mean they move back (e.g to sleep on) and also arch, then SLIDE foward? Just want to be clear - never seen one do that before.
Ive also seen many reclinable seats (yes, on trade me) for quite cheap.

-I'm assuming that if you have basic mechanical knowledge and some tools you could install these yourself, however with regards to seat belts, how would I go about getting the requirements to re install and where could I get them certed? (What would it cost too, if you know ..)

Or would it be easier for someone to re install the seatbelts and cert them in one go?

Thanks!

[Jebus]

Bucket seats over normal seats are such a massive increase, they will make the car feel ALOT better to drive, and you will be able to drive better/faster with more precision. Because as opposed to using the steering wheel to brace yourself from the lateral force of going round a corner you get full sensitivity and dont hang on to the steering wheel as such. From experince, for driving/racing a fixed back always offers alot more support ove relinables, but relining buckets are ok, theyre good for comfort and practicality, but those two points are really my thing

[touge rolla]

the feeling of the bride seat (fixed back and on a bride superlow rail) in my mates s13 is great you know you aren't going anywhere, more difficult to get and out of though and long trips wouldn't be the nicest. but practicality is over rated

[Dell'Orto]

Thanks B1NZ - you seem to know your stuff - can i ask some more in depth questions?


-Would WRX seats fit my AE111?

You can make anything fit with enough time and money

-Does 'reclinable' mean they move back (e.g to sleep on) and also arch, then SLIDE foward? Just want to be clear - never seen one do that before.
Ive also seen many reclinable seats (yes, on trade me) for quite cheap.

Reclining means they recline backwards...any seat will slide, provided you mount it on the factory runners, or some seats have their own runners.

[TruenoBZG]

Thanks, that makes the idea clearer, still need to know about certs though !

I was just looking at my seat beforehand, and the seat belt 'stalk' looks like it has one bolt to remove it - is this wat needs to be certed, or is it the fact of having them in a different seat?

cheers

[z|gen]

go have a look on the ltsa website, everything you need to know about the seats are there.

[TruenoBZG]

Alrite, found something i want to share:

".....It was all good until I just went for a W.O.F and got pulled up on them. The inspector basically told me that I have to have them certified before they can pass me, because of a number of variables like SRS airbags etc.... (not that my car even has them being a '93 model!).
...As far as I was aware, if the seat was of a reputable brand (and I'm assuming Recaro is!) and is fitted correctly you don't need to get an cert? Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, Ben.

Hi Ben,

Sounds like some confusion there. You can have your Recaro seats (yes, certainly a reputable brand!) without the need for a LVV cert provided that:

they've been bolted in to unmodified seat anchorages;
that the anchorage or operation of the seatbelts are not affected;
that the belts are still correctly located in relation to your hip and shoulder;
and that you have no airbag.
If you meet that criteria (which from your letter I'm sure you do) the WoF man should have issued you with a Warrant.

excerpt from letter to a magazine, from http://www.lvvta.org.nz/

does that sound right?

cheers

[LEV_101]

just dont get momo fixed back buckets if you want comfort ... unless you want a sore back everytime you drive but is definately very good when going around corners... holds you very tight

[bluemaumau]

when you get new seats just take ur seatbelt "clip in thing" off ur standard seats and put it on the new ones it aint hard.

thats what i had to do with the wagon and the gt-apex seats

[nmemr2]

for what its worth, my 2 cents
i have racepro fibreglass buckets and they are sweet as, really comfortable and not so bad on a long drive either, fixed them to the factory rails and thus didnt have any issues with the seatbelt mount.

[TruenoBZG]

thanks all, bought some seats.

[barryogen]

You can have your Recaro seats (yes, certainly a reputable brand!) without the need for a LVV cert provided that:

they've been bolted in to unmodified seat anchorages;
that the anchorage or operation of the seatbelts are not affected;
that the belts are still correctly located in relation to your hip and shoulder;
and that you have no airbag.
http://www.lvvta.org.nz/

wow, thats pretty hefty... I mean the first one you're almost always gonna need a cert(how many seats share exact anchorages with Toyotas?), although it would depend on what they consider to be part of the anchorages and what isn't, and the last one means that pretty much anything since 1997(probably earlier) needs a cert too.

Whats a cert cost these days?

[86_rolla]

$350ish i think