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Random seats topic. 2013 BRZ seats in a NA miata say what???
Alright so lets preface this thread with a great in theory much harder in execution. I am not always the source of the best ideas but usually can fudge it enough to make it work. Now that's out of the way let us continue.
I had the bright idea of replacing my worn out 1996 seats with fresh new BRZ seats because I work for Subaru and we had a set laying around. No one wanted them so I got brand new seats for less than 400$ and I'd make the argument that they are one of the best factory seats on the market. I took the passenger seat out of my miata one day and dropped the BRZ seat in and it fit well enough so I bought them and proceeded to ignore the project for 3 months. The car is my daily driver so I couldn't be without it. Now once I did start I decided I was going to try and mount the BRZ seat to the miata seat pan. This turned out to be a waste of time so scratch that idea and now I definitely cant put the miata seats back in because I took a sawzall to the passenger seat pan. So I decided to make adapter brackets between the factory miata rails and the BRZ seats. This turned out to be the winning idea and what I did in the end. I measured out 4 pieces of 1/4 inch mild steel plate that was 3" wide and cut that to length to form crossbars between the factory miata rails. I drilled holes where the seat pan would normally bolt in and bolted the crossbars to the rails. (you can see in the pictures I was using scrap aluminum to make templates the final product is steel). After I had the crossbars mounted I drilled holes father out on the crossbars on the outer edges of the miata seats rails. This is where I could bolt the BRZ seats down to the rails after removing the sliders off the BRZ seats and most of the electrical connections and misc. brackets from the bottom of the BRZ seat in an effort to sink the BRZ seat down as far as I could. I did end up drilling through the BRZ seat frame in order to line up the rear crossbars and holes in the BRZ seat to attach them with grade 8 hardware.
Now I will say Now that before you embark on this adventure if you choose so be ready to take a hammer to the trans tunnel and clearance it a little for the front inner mounting point. Not much but you do have to push it in a little to mount the seat straight and true. Dont be scared to remove the plastic caps at the pivot point of the seat. This gives you a little wiggle room and allows the seat to slide farther back in the chasis.
Pros:
very comfortable and supportive seats. don't sit much higher than stock seats the way I got them into the car. They still have adjustability as they are mounted to the factory miata rails. Look kinda cool. they do fit with the top up on my glass rear window soft top.
Cons:
They do take away some room in the interior as they are larger seats. Not good for anyone taller than 5'10" as the seat doesn't slide back as far. Can look a little out of place due to pointy seats and a rounded car.
Overall my 200k mile original 20 year old seats were causing me pain and I thought this would be an interesting project to see if I could make these fit and still be usable. I find these seats to be much more comfortable and great for my daily drive I am 5'9" and a small body type so I do enjoy not being thrown around in the car when I take it out on a spirited drive or to drift events. Overall I spent about 450$ for the seats, mounting hardware, steel and other misc materials. took me about 5 hours to swap the seats.
Would be interested to see what people think. I can answer questions as this is my first write up and I'm sure its probably not the best one out there but I didn't know if anyone had fully committed to this idea before me.
I'm 6'5" and my problem with every seat swap/aftermarket racing seat is the same - the seat back is too wide to fit past the seat belt tower. Without being able to lay the seat back right on the firewall, I don't get as far back as I want. And the stock seat sets me up too high, even with a foamectomy. I keep looking in seat threads, hoping for a solution, but nothing yet!
I wonder how it looks with a rollbar. I've been looking for something similar to Elise seats where I could keep the factory belts/airbag and be low enough for a rollbar.
I'm amazed the BRZ seats fit, they are super super comfy though.
Originally Posted by Dann0
I'm 6'5" and my problem with every seat swap/aftermarket racing seat is the same - the seat back is too wide to fit past the seat belt tower. Without being able to lay the seat back right on the firewall, I don't get as far back as I want. And the stock seat sets me up too high, even with a foamectomy. I keep looking in seat threads, hoping for a solution, but nothing yet!
Elise/Exige seats with custom brackets are really the only thing that will get you close. I'm 6'5" and sold my Miata because even with Elise seats on the floor I didn't have enough legroom.
Elise/Exige seats with custom brackets are really the only thing that will get you close. I'm 6'5" and sold my Miata because even with Elise seats on the floor I didn't have enough legroom.
Yeah, I've got aluminum Kirkeys in it right now, on custom brackets, and I'm sitting directly on a 1/2" thick solid gel pad. I do have a local upholsterer making a better cushion, but depending on how much higher that gets me, I may mount the driver's seat directly to the floor. Not an elegant solution, but I haven't found anything else that works.
agreed that stock FRS/BRZ seats are some of the best in the biz right now. Love them. Thanks for sharing, kitty awarded despite the mention of drifting.
I wonder how it looks with a rollbar. I've been looking for something similar to Elise seats where I could keep the factory belts/airbag and be low enough for a rollbar.
Tillett B5s (designed for the Elise) are like Elise seats with much (MUCH) more bolstering and 6-point compatiblity. They also can be mounted absurdly low.
I have one on custom brackets that used to mount to the intact rear humps on the passenger side of my car. My head was about 2-3" lower in the Tillett than in my halo seat mounted to the floor with the rear humps cut out.
Tillett B5s (designed for the Elise) are like Elise seats with much (MUCH) more bolstering and 6-point compatiblity. They also can be mounted absurdly low.
I have one on custom brackets that used to mount to the intact rear humps on the passenger side of my car. My head was about 2-3" lower in the Tillett than in my halo seat mounted to the floor with the rear humps cut out.
I'm going to bump this old thread because I'm pretty sure that I know who the OP is and he actually let me test fit the drivers seat in my NB1.
Well, turns out it didn't fit. I think the NB may be narrower where all the brz seat hardware comes together. I got the bolts into the front, but the rear holes were being pushed towards the passenger side and it didn't line up no matter how hard I tried to shove things down. At 5'10, I also think I'd be staring at the windshield/frame junction. I think the trans tunnel and door jamb adjacent area might be wider in the NB relative to the NA. No issues with switching seats between NA/NB, but these seemed to cause some issues for me. I might see if I can figure something out re:fit the next time I see the OP, but I'm not that hopeful. I did not take a hammer to the trans tunnel and I'm on the fence whether I'd consider doing that to get these seats to fit.
What say you miataturbo denizens? Any issues with doing that?
I looked briefly at Tillets before deciding against them on price. Snagged a $1200 set of Elise Probax seats and now I can't stand driving a car without them.
I looked briefly at Tillets before deciding against them on price. Snagged a $1200 set of Elise Probax seats and now I can't stand driving a car without them.
A set just popped up for sale here but unfortunately I don't have the money at the moment. Anyone near Austin should grab these.
I have OP's brz drivers seat. The rails would like up, but I can't get the widest part of the seat to fit.
Does anyone know if the width of the NB near the rear seat bolts is narrower than the NA. I'd need to get atleast a half inch more clearance on the trans side as well as the door side. I know I can BGH the trans tunnel a bit, but I'm not sure if I can coax some space out of the door side as well.
I'm 6'5" and my problem with every seat swap/aftermarket racing seat is the same - the seat back is too wide to fit past the seat belt tower. Without being able to lay the seat back right on the firewall, I don't get as far back as I want. And the stock seat sets me up too high, even with a foamectomy. I keep looking in seat threads, hoping for a solution, but nothing yet!
agreed at 6’3” so I know your pain. Just sold my Brides that forced me too far forward.
08-20-2016, 03:41 PM
Random seats topic. 2013 BRZ seats in a NA miata say what???
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