karter74

iTrader: (4)

So I'm looking to get replacement seats in my 2000 to give me more comfort/support. This car is 90% daily driver so I'm not sure a fixed back race seat would be appropriate unless someone can convince me otherwise.

First, I have a max budget of $700 for a pair. My current leather seats are actually in really great shape, but I just find them somewhat uncomfortable for longer trips. I suppose I could recover them and perform a foamectomy to help as this may be the cheapest/most realistic solution.

I also have access to a pair of 95M seats I could get for free, but they would need to be recovered which will cost me $700. The late model high back seats may also be a good option but I've never sat in one.

Other options I found were Bride Gias, the Vios (fixed back, not sure how good they would be for DD), or the Porsche GT3 replica seats (fixed back again, but hey if they came in a street car to begin with, perhaps they could be livable?).

Any and all input is appreciated!

Vilko

I find brides really supportive, but too harsh for daily. My sparco with stripped padding is more comfortable than my brothers bride, but theyre still a pain to get in and out of.
I have a seat out of a nsx which is a comfy and pretty light fixed back and probably a happy medium for daily, but its quite wide so I dont know how it would fit in a miata.
JUST DONT BUY A FAKE BRIDE! They're getting so dam good at imitating that there are only 1 or 2 tiny differences. So dont believe ebay, do your research and make sure you get as many pictures as you can of the actual seat your buying.

xjdesertfox

Why not buy a fake bride if theyre so close to a real one?

I'd rock a fake bride all day If i didnt need a FIA seat. And if i fit in one...

Racemiata

iTrader: (3)

Im running Corbeau Forzas and I have no problem with them. I really liked the Corbeau A4s too. Both were under $500 for two. A seat tends to get uncomfortable for me if I think about paying over $1000 for it.

Norms

Yo! DD'ing in fixed backs...well first of all, it's okay. Not great. Depending on the seat, it can be difficult to look behind you because the seat wants you to stay in a straight forward position. However with that said, there is no feeling nearly as badass as stepping out of your car out of race seats--bride VIOs, more specifically are FANTASTIC. I had one, but recently picked up two bride EXAS seats. I'm not sure if you're looking into what fits or not, but the VIOS while it will fit, may rub (that's why I went with the EXAS fixed back seats) -- but I'm also mostly using them for the track. IMO if it's just a daily driven car, find a nicer set of M edition or newer miata seats. Guaranteed fitment and less stress if you don't have to rip out aftermarket seats when you sell the car because the value of your pair of brides is almost greater than your car :P

fwMiata

i have 95 M seats and they are nice IMO. dont know about 700 to recover them though... there are cheaper kits out there. mine are black leather. i think from leatherseats.com, previous owner did it...

karter74

iTrader: (4)

I called leatherseats.com, they quoted me an over the phone price of $800, while they have an ebay auction with a BIN price of$700. They are the only place I can find that even do the 95M seats unfortunately.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Have you tried calling local upholstery shops?

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Sit in seats. Its important. There are a ton of different seat shapes. I HATE seats that have the shoulder wings, all they do it push me out of the seat so my upper back doesnt touch. I fit perfectly into my kirkey so even though its just a bent piece of aluminum with 2 inches of padding on it, its the most comfortable car seat I've ever driven in. Only seat ever that doesnt make my *** fall asleep or make lower back hurt. But for other people they're hideously uncomfortable.

fwMiata

yeah, from an old post, the PO of my car got the leatherseats.com kit on a group buy or something but it was still over 700 for the options. full leather and colored stitching. they are nice for an OEM

soviet

iTrader: (10)

I rock fake brides (low vios max ones) and they are super comfortable, in my opinion.

I drove close to 15k miles in them by now. And to add injury to insult, I paid $300 for them locally, with DIY brackets that bolt to stock seat rails.

2manyhobyz

iTrader: (4)

+1 on trying a bunch of seats. I didn't like my 00 SE seat. I'm currently using a NA cloth seat with a little more foam for my low back. Still not happy. I sat in some Honda Del Sol seats and liked the way they felt. Very light and the backs adjustable. Miata brackets should fit. Try to set in something that's already designed, having them recovered you don't what your gonna get.

karter74

iTrader: (4)

Anyone performed a foamectomy here? I really hate the idea of permanently modifying a seat just to find its not what I want.

I agree I need to go and find some seats to try out. The problem is, I'm not sure where to go, living in Dallas you'd think I would have endless opportunities to do this. I'm such a hermit.....

edough

Bride Vios 3 off ebay. 400$ for your skinny butt

Vilko

My reasoning to not buy a fake bride:
1) no quality assurance
2) no quality assurance
3 no quality assuarance. They are near identicle in appearance, not in material quality and construction quality. In an accident its your **** on the line. I dont really want to trust something that lies about being genuine. Also you cant garuntee the quality in terms of wear and tear.
4) Poor resale value.
5) I dont like running rip off parts, I would prefer not to support companies that reverse engineer other people design to sell to posers who want people to see the brand name. I would rather spend my money on second hand genuine bride, recaro or sparco than a new bride "style" seat. Second hand quality seats will also hold their resale value if you look after them which is another benifit. And on eBay they often try and pass the product off as genuine.

Im not saying that all copies are necessarily crap, but you cant vouch for their quality like you can genuine products. Also having good rails easily available that you know will fit and mount the seat low is handy if you dont have fab skillz.