Bimarco Race seats. Anyone seen them? Opinions?
 

Im looking for two bucket seats for my 92 NA.

Found these on ebay.

Bimarco Cobra II Racing Bucked Individualize Seat Momo Sparco OMP | eBay

They say they are FIA approved. Think that is true? I do want something safe as I do track the car, usually with my GF in it too or a buddy. Already have 5pt harnesses that I use with the stock seats. Not sure how safe that setup is though.

Can anyone make other recommendations? Im looking for a decent budget setup really.

I sincerely doubt they actually passed FIA testing. If you want a cheap seat, find something used or pick up a Momo Start or Sparco Sprint.

Those shoulder bolster's don't look like they'll fit.

So much fail in this post.

Why is my post fail? I want to know if anyone here runs them

Harness in a stock seat, no FIA cert on the seat your giving consideration to, and the lie that you've ever had a GF.

I can't decide what I like more: the swatches or the 45 degree shoulder holes.

they look just like any of the other knockoff seats.

They have no accommodation for submarine straps. 4-point harness = sux. 5-6 point or no go.

Just don't. The seats are no good.

Edit: 5 points with stock seats = sux. I am surprised that your organization passed you in tech with that. Go back to OEM seatbelts until you have real seats.

Thanks Hustler, your so kind.

The harness is more for auto-x. It came with the car when I bought it. Local track here the safety is non existent. It sucks because its actually a nice track. Now that I think about it I have a 4 point. Im looking to fix this.

So why is 4 point not that good?.....actually Im going to google it.

Im guessing you guys dont think these are actually FIA certed then? That isnt right to falsely claim something that has to do with safty.

The Schroth 4 point is the only good one as it allows the body to rotate correctly in an impact.

It's still retarded and I'd never trust one. I seriously doubt the FIA will cert a 4-point-only seat.

Hmmmm.....

Terms of use - BimarcoSeats
BIMARCO has gone through the difficult process to get their seats approved for FIA certification. Only the Cobra and Cobra II is not approved.

C

So that must mean the seats are good from a safety standpoint? Looks like they have some nice seats actually for decent prices no?

No ... you are looking at eBay Cobra II seats, and Bimarco specifically states the Cobra and Cobra II are not FIA approved.

You cannot tell with any confidence how those seats will hold up in a crash. I would pass.

Necropost - there are literally zero miata reviews that cover the Bimarco seats. After sitting in someone's OMP HTE-R at a track day, and noting that they are of very similar size (within 5mm in key dimensions on sizing charts) to the Bimarco Hummers, I ordered a set. I just received them - will post results here and on that seat sticky-post about fit in an NA with door bars. I ordered rails and an NA adapter from Bimarco as part of my order.

Bimarco seems to have been popular in rally forums for some time now. Bimarco makes FIA sests, this is not one of them but identified as "based on" the Bimarco Grips which are FIA certified.

I am fat at 230lb, 38 waist, 5'7. They are comfortable for me to sit in and likely too large for someone of a smaller frame. I bought directly from Bimarco in October, shipping took about a month from Poland. Total cost with rails was about $450 - this is an affordable option for a 6pt halo seat.

An affordable option for what, exactly? No FIA cert, no SFI cert. Are you planning to use these on the street?

An affordable halo drop in option for hpde. There are plenty of non certified seats out there. I believe these are well made / based off their FIA seat. If you've seen or handled one will be interesting to get your thoughts. I think this is a move in the right direction from stock seats, and is a snug fit that will hold me during cornering.

For the $1k I could have spent on HTE-Rs, I've chosen to get these, BBKs and hood louvers which I think is of better value.

I accept that they're less safe than HTE-Rs for 50% of the price. How much less safe, 99%, 50%, 40%? Dunno. We drive very fast 2,400 20+ year old crumple zones next to 3,500lb+ track day cars these days and 4500+ lb SUVs regularly so there's always a balance of safety, fun, value etc.

If these fit, someone can just as well get the Bimarco Grips which are FIA certified - just sharing my experience to order this long-lead time item and hopefully benefit others that have considered them.

https://bimarco.eu/en/4-fia-seats

https://www.soloperformance.com/BiMarco-FIA-Approved-Racing-Seats_c_535.html

Kinda wide for a Miata. FIA tho

I own a Bimarco Grip and have raced in a Bimarco Grip. They are not super high quality seats as far as fabric quality or fit and finish. Rigidity is low compared to more expensive seats. If they weren't FIA Cert. I wouldn't even look at them. They feel like Ebay seats honestly. But since they have the sticker, they're good to go! I personally wouldnt bother with a Non-cert Bimarco seat.

That's good info. I also thought the fabric didn't have as nice hand-feel as some of the premium seats I've sat in. I've not taken the fabric off yet to examine the quality of the fiberglass but also have a bit of flex on mine if I lean into it. Curious which vehicle you put yours in, if you did any hammering / cutting / drop floor pan?

One is in a Volvo C30. Big car, fits with tons of room. Currently installing one in an FC RX7. Its getting a 2 inch floor drop to get it fully under the cage.

I have a pair of bimarco seats. Dakar if I remember correctly. Couldn’t get them in an NB with a door panel. Maybe if they were mounted high.
the big problem for me was they were a little to tight for me. I’m a 34” waist.
they’ve never been installed. I’d love to sell them.

So ... I went back and re-read the rules for seats in HPDE for NASA. I was wrong. I thought that, like the belts, the replacement seats had to conform to the relevant rules for race cars with the exception of expiration date. That is not the case. You can, in fact, run any seat so long as it is installed per the manufacturer's instructions (and mounted securely). So you're good to go with these seats, by the letter of the law (for NASA, I don't know about other orgs).

Personally, I've bought used seats from people I trust. They're out of date, but they were a fraction of the price of new. I'm lucky to have an active racing scene near me and am built like a lot of other local racers. That makes it easier, I admit. That said, my car has until recently had more money in suspension and safety than pretty much everything else. Still not turbo. :giggle:

It sounds like regional culture differs - here in the Northeast, NASA /SCCA has less of a presence and locally operated event coordinators run the majority of events. The event operator that has the largest number of events does not have a seat certification requirement so your comment went over my head. There doesn't seem to be a wide selection of local expired seat availability - though admittedly i was kind of looking mid-season, and Greyhound recently stopped their freight shipment service which kind of shut the door on buying larger items outside of the area. Anyway - definitely taking a chance on these seats - but so far am happy with the purchase - will try to mount them Thursday.