That seat won't fit, its too wide. You should use the EVO, EVO 2 or EVO pro 2000. There a few other that will fit. But those are most folks 1st choice.
Joe
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556.2 rwhp / 544.5 torque on 93 pump gas
ALL MOTOR, hydraulic cam, 427 C5r Block MTI Z07 package,
Kooks 1 7/8 headers, FAST 90mm Intake and TB, through the mufflers
Just went thru the whole seat thing. Sparco Milanos or Torinos will not work due to the width created by the seatback adjusters. I think the Corbeau A4 (their equivalent to the Milano) will fit because you can dis-assemble the adjuster on one side, but I did not think this was a high quality seat. I would advise that you find a dealer store and sit in the different seats, because each is different. I wound up choosing a totally different seat than my original choice.
In addition to the seats named above, the Sparco Roadster seat fits and is the one I chose. It is a street seat that is based on the race shell. What that means is it retains all the race support, but was designed to be easier to get in and out of making it practical for everyday use. It has excellent shoulder support, and has a bit more rake than the Evos. Also, the side bolsters on the bottom are not as high. Race bolsters can become a real pain on a race seat if you use that seat in everyday use are are exiting/entering the car multiple times. Another neat feature of the Roadster is that you can remove the bottom cushions and just use the shell for track use. At that point, you are totally secured in place. It feels more like a Kirkey when used like this. However, be advised that the anti sub and side belt slots are deleted. On nice feature of this seat is the fabric, which is a nice, super-grippy velour as opposed to Sparco's "race fabric", which is inferior IMO (but probably meets FIA flammability standards).
On the issue of mounting...I wasted a lot of time fabbing up some adapters so I could retain the stock power rails. What I discovered is that half of the floppiness in the stock seat is due to the poor design of the rails, which flex a lot when they are "perfect" and eventually rock, then fail. The rocking, which had already begun on mine, was accentuated by the more rigid seat. The other problem was that the seat sits up very high on the stock rails. I would think about both these issues before opting for the Caravaggio.
The Caravaggio products are super nice, but are really re-worked Sparcos. I am not sure how they mounted them on the stock rails without the seat sitting excessively high, so that is something I would want to know in advance. I did not bother because they are asking 2X the price of the Sparco and because I hate leather on car seats. It is nice on my couch but isn't worth **** for keeping you in place around a curve. That said, the Caravaggios are gorgeous and of outstanding quality, like all their products.
I wound up making steel fixed mounts and now have a totally rigid seat. I also saved 24lb in the process. You can also pony up $200/seat for Sparco's mounting hardware which is supposedly drop-in, but I suspect it is not that simple. A third option is the Hardbar.net product. A nice thing about light fixed rails is that it allows you to just swap the OEM seat back in when you sell the car or if you are taking a long trip. Takes no more than 30mn to do this. I had feared error codes from disconnecting the power harness or even a permanent seatbelt alert, but none of that happened.
I also went with the Sparco Roadsters. I have them on Sparco's brackets and they are indeed "a drop in". Seat removal (hence swapping) is quite simple. I also take the bottom cushion out for track days. I like being a littler lower and the tactil feedback via my arse
Great seats!
Last edited by sleepless : 10-06-2004 at 03:40 PM.
Ok sleepless, good for others to know. Sure saves time.
BTW, do you have the tilt feature as well?
Also, how is height compared to stock?
SexyLex: those do indeed look like Milanos, but I can't imagine how they would fit, unless Caravaggio modifies the recliner. I looked at this and major surgery is involved. The other option is that they mount the seat farther away from the tunnel than stock, but you are no longer centered on the pedals at that point. I'm sure you could just call and ask.
If you intend to cover with leather, then you should just get the Caravaggios.
The comment about race seats on stock rails increasing the rocking problem is absolutely correct. In addition, the movement in the stock base causes my Caravaggios to pop and creak like an old sailing ship on a rough sea. I'm about ready to lose the power feature and go with aftermarket rails.
You might also want to consider Sparco Pro 2000's with Sparco's bottom mount and adjustable sliders. The seat is a bottom mount assembly and is similar in shape to the Evo's. Works great with their 3" 5 pt belt assembly and 4 pt bolt in AutoPower Roll bar that has the diagonal brace and harness bar. The seats are great for track days but are a snug fit for driving around town. Be advised, Some people just don't fit in the seats which is not a pretty sight. I went with the Pro 2000's as they are FIA approved and complied with the SCCA regs. The Evo's are also compliant with the regs but at the time I was looking at this, were side mounted and required non-adjustble seat HardBar seat mounts. I like the slider adjustability and it only adds 1/2" to the overall seat height. Overall seating position is lower than the stock seat and very driveable. You will have visibility issues and if you opt for either the Pro 2000 or Evo along with a roll bar and diagonal brace; your right side visibility will diminish significantly. I am experimenting with a parabolic mirror attached to the right side view mirror and am looking for a good around car video camera, but have not found one I like yet. (I look out the windshield anyway while driving, so this is not an issue, ...who looks behind them anyway???).
By the way, I tried to retain my stock seat belts and ended up dumping them. The spaghetti cluster you know what of belts and buckles was ridiculous and unsafe. The seat belt module unplugs and the only DTC you receive is seat module -No Communication- the fasten seat belt light in the dash does not light up.
Good luck. The seats will improve your driving experience on the track. Around town its a personnel decison. Looks cool, but its an issue with those who don't always fit in the seat. Visibility is also a factor if you drive alot in crowded Cities.
Last edited by dailydriver : 10-06-2004 at 08:10 PM.
Reason: spelling
Ok sleepless, good for others to know. Sure saves time.
BTW, do you have the tilt feature as well?
Also, how is height compared to stock?
With the Sparco brackets you adjust tilt by selecting the mount holes in the bracket. The seat cushion height is a little higher than stock when the rear bolts are at their lowest setting. I had another set of holes drilled about 3/4 lower so now the height is lower than stock (and lower yet when the bottom cushion is removed).
I forgot to mension that the Roadster does not have a sub-belt hole; but, it is easy to cut the hole yourself.
Note: I highly recommend that if your waist is over 34" to first sit in the Roadster because the lower supports are relatively narrow so if you have a large arse you may find them unconfortable.
The Evo's are also compliant with the regs but at the time I was looking at this, were side mounted and required non-adjustble seat HardBar seat mounts.
I've heard of a few people using other brackets, but haven't heard much more. I knew Hardbar brackets work well, so I too went with Hardbar for my Evo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver
You will have visibility issues and if you opt for either the Pro 2000 or Evo along with a roll bar and diagonal brace; your right side visibility will diminish significantly.
I'm not soo sure. I'm 5'10" with a 30" inseam. I have my Evo as far down as it'll go in the front, which is still only the 3rd from the bottom hole. In the back it's also as low as it can go, which is the 2nd hole from the bottom. The seat is at the 2nd from the rear hole. Anyway, I can't go lower, and can only go back another 1/2". I think visibility is fine for a daily driver. The only visibility problems I have come from having a six-point harness, but not the seat. For example when I back up, the harness doesn't allow me to rotate my torso, so I rely solely on my mirrors and a prayer. Other little buggers are that if I forget to grab the door handle before I tighten my harness, I have to grab the door by the air vent. Also if I put my wallet in my back pocket, I have to unbuckle completely and raise my steering wheel to get enough room to grab my wallet so I can show my ID to get thru the base gate....now I put my wallet in the door handle before I get in the car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver
By the way, I tried to retain my stock seat belts and ended up dumping them.
I also tried, but the buckle was pushing way too hard against the tunnel, and the stock belt wouldn't even touch my hips, much less make me safe in the event of a crash. Now the buckle and stock driver belt has been completely removed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver
The seat belt module unplugs and the only DTC you receive is seat module -No Communication- the fasten seat belt light in the dash does not light up.
I didn't get a code. What's up with that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dailydriver
The seats will improve your driving experience on the track.
I'm sure this is true, but I had my Evo before I ever raced my Vette. I know I can now drive hard for hours without having bruised knees and sore wrists from trying to stay still in those slippery leather seats.
The main reason I bought this setup is that it'll improve my crashing experience when and if that ever happens. The Evo has a pronounced anti-sub hump. I've outfitted it with a TeamTech six-point harness, the 5th and 6th points are there to prevent submarining, which to my surprise go around the jewels rather than smashing into them. I'm also a fan of real harnesses because when I flipped my first car ('93 Formula), the seat belt was so loose that when the car rolled over, I was able to lift out of the seat and hit my head on the ceiling. I thought that broke my neck so I stayed in the car for a few moments to do a self-check to see what parts of my body were paralyzed. It took FOREVER before I checked my toes, and fortunately I was perfectly fine except for a sore butt from when the car landed right-side up. I spent time checking myself when I should've been trying to get far away from a car that had a good chance of blowing up and causing certain death.
I figure a real racing seat with harness setup improves the chance of surviving a serious crash, almost eliminates the chance of serious injuries to the point that causes of potential injury would probably cause death....like oh say, the seat getting ripped out of the floorboards, crashing soo hard my is shredded by the harnesses, are the car getting utterly smashed.
Anyway, I've gone off topic. SexyLex, if you do it, I know the looks of race type seats are cool, but keep an eye on safety which will allow you to more fully reap the handling capabilities of our cars.
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