On replica sport seats

Forgive the rather noobie questions below:

I am thinking of changing my seats, and I was looking at Recaros. Those things cost a pretty penny and being the poor bloke I am, I got to thinking about replicas.

Question is, are replicas worth it? Do they have any problems as opposed to the originals?

Then there are rails. These aftermarket seats don't come with rails. Question is, can we use our original seat rails or do we need to buy them or get them made?


Thanks in advance for the advice to follow.

 

Provided they have the suitable safety approvals and testing (FIA or AS) then no real problem. Though second hand recaro's aren't that expensive.

OEM rails will not fit at all.

 

What do you think of these Ryan, definitely cheap, on the SAAS page it claims "ADR compliant", not sure that the one on SuperCheap is.

Might be OK for street use.

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/on...ual-Recline-Sports-Seat.aspx?pid=271516#Cross

http://shopsaas.com/html/seats_main.html

 

True that I was thinking of replicas, but if the SAAS ones are cheap, and looks to be reasonable, that's a direction I could head rather then the replicas. I have seen lots of Recaro SR3s for sale too, but they are mostly from Hondas. Just a thought, if I get those, all I need will be the rails to fit our Zs?

 

Yeah SAAS is not a completely crap brand, they will be around next week so their claims will tend to be more respectable that is for sure, but the price is in the range of the other crap so yeah it does look reasonable.

I would email SAAS and ask if the SC one is "ADR compliant", should it come with a piece of paper or label ?

Are any of these rails compatible with the Z32 ?

http://shopsaas.com/html/seats_seatadaptors.html

or would these be the go ?

https://conceptzperformance.com/search.php?search=300zx+seat+bracket

Any other recommendations for adjustable seat rails to suit ?

 

Just for those who may be reading this thread and thinking cheap racing seats (particularly the ones above from Supercheap), those seats are NOT ADR approved. I just went and checked it out and have been advised by the staff in Supercheap of that fact, so that's a no go zone.

 

EDIT: Email to SAAS sent will post when I get a reply.



Thanks THEZED for checking, I was about to go down and have a look.

Mind you SuperCheaps policy on suitability for road use is:

The other SAAS seats that are listed on SAAS's website as "ADR compliant", sell for between $250 and $300, given that the SC seat is "mesh" covered it may be possible, as I said above worth an email to SAAS to find out. If it is, how is that substantiated ?

Even if the seat is "ADR compliant", it would still need inspection and certification to be legal.

If you search SC for "ADR compliant" the only things you will find are some lighting products and a few steering wheels. I am sure there is a whole lot of stuff in store that is "ADR compliant" but SC would sooner quote the above.

 

So on this basis, I could technically get Recaro SR-3s previously installed on Lancer Evos, Honda Intergras or any other car which has the Recaro as a stock option, and from there all I need is the rails to fit our Zs. Speaking of which, how does one go about getting rails? Are they from the seat manufacturers, or do we need to get them custom made?

 

Yeah you can indeed, ive got sr-4s out of an evo. Was a pain to fit though.
Mind you that is out of a newer evo. Any sr3 should both straight to a recaro rail easy.

 

Well there you go they are ADR approved.

Good thing about new seats is you know they have not been involved in an accident and can with stand the forces they have been designed to handle.

 

It would be great if someone made a kit to take the existing seats and change the foam and form of the design to something nicer.

 

As mentioned any recaro from any make will fit providing you source the appropriate rail. To which you can order from recaro I believe.

I managed to pickup a very good conditioned sr3 genuine recaro for $200. It came with out rails, but I plan on using the Oem rail as this is for my r32 rally car.

If you check out grizzly imports they've just received a shipment of copy bride seats to which are well priced. Now obviously these aren't ADR approved but for my purposes intended. The fixed back Kevlar low max bride will suffice perfectly well as the drivers seat. Threse come with rails also or suit r32/r33's. But are adaptable to zeds if needed. Price was $350 but under a group buy scheme.

In all honesty, have a search around for some genuine sr3's. Honestly my ass hasn't felt more comfort and or stability like what it provides in ages. I really like stock zed seats, and also my impreza buckets, but these are a next level up. Genuine recaro seats have triangular gear knobs for adjusting the back rest. So just keep an eye out as copy's don't have this.

 

I would have a lot more confidence in something new and or something with some sort of testing, but I guess it depends if you are buying safety equipment or pearl necklaces.

Anyone for a second hand or replica parachute ? :rofl:

 

Yeah, that would be my opinion. The problem with replicas that aren't certified under any standard is you have no idea what quality control or testing is is applied to them, in a crash a dodgy seat can be quite dangerous if it breaks too easily. Our seatbelts are attached to the seat so you're possibly compromising your seatbelt mount and if a dodgy seat breaks it may stab into you, fiberglass and carbonfiber products are still just reinforced plastic and require workmanship and the correct resins etc. to actually be tough.

I'm planning on getting a bucket at some point and will probably go with a Corbeau or Sparco rather than a 'fancy' brand, I want it for the track not the street though.