Extreme Seat Room
 

Hello All,

I'm looking to see if anyone has taken the leg room mods to the extreme. I'm 6'4", and while I can fit, it could still be improved. I tried the classic foam-ectomy on the stock seats, moved quickly to a real race seat (Sparco Sprint V). Then I worked with a friend to make some brackets to bolt it straight to the floor to get rid of the slider height.

Here are my three ideas, advice or experience would be fantastic.

1. Basically create a lower floor that the seat fits into, I would then sit more upright, and not worry about headroom as much, allowing my legs to have more room.

2. Two part foam seat, giving me slightly more room because of the way the rear bulkhead reclines, (This wouldn't give me much, but it is probably the cheapest)

3. Massaging the rear bulkhead to allow me to slide the seat back even farther. Would most likely look into combining with the foam to give the most room.

(I've also gone from my normal NB door cards to a flat piece having nothing but the door lock and opener to give me the extra left knee room.)

You can pull the "humps" out of the floor, thus mounting a bit lower.

I'm not sure you can massage the rear bulkhead much without hurting over all structure. Not sure though.

I've seen someone here move the e-brake to the other side of the tunnel for a smidge of space.

Do you have a smaller after market wheel? That helps too.

Has anyone changed the peddle positions? I mean cut them and make them just a bit shorter, not enough to change where they bottom out.

I had assumed that was true about the bulkhead, was just hoping it wasn't the case. I do have a slightly smaller wheel, and it does help considerably (my biggest problem is knee room, followed by leg length room.)

I'm 6'3".I have an OMP HTE seat, which may be extreme for the street, but its by far, the most comfortable bucket seat I've been in. I've done 4 hours of driving on this seat, and enjoyed every minute of it.

I welded mounts on the floor and back to support it. It literally sits 0.1 above the floor, and I have room so that I don't feel cramped anymore, my kneed don't hit the steering and I have tons of headroom.

This is extreme!

Attachment 185670

Malcolm seat Photos by alta_racer | Photobucket

Malcolm on mx5 nutz forum, amazing build.

I had a lowered floor in my last one (6.4") and will have one in the current one as soon as I find the funds to have the cage shop weld one in. Its the only way to get to a safe height at 6+ inches. The rest is just a lot of wishfull thinking and serious slumping.

Oooooooorrrrrr you could quit dicking around with stock and fiberglass seats and get an aluminum seat (Ultrashield, Kirkey, etc.). Bolt it directly to the floor.

I'm 6'2" and can pass the yardstick rule with a helmet on.

I couldn't pass the yardstick rule even when sitting directly on the floor. 2 inches in the right place are a big difference ;-)

I'm 6'4" 260 pounds and I fit fine. We removed the humps from the floor and pounded the floor down a little and directly mounted an ultrashield seat to the floor with no sliders. To clear the steering wheel get a deep dish wheel that come back to the driver to clear your knees. This was my biggest issue but the wheel that comes closer to the driver solved that.

I'm only 6'1" but with the rear of the Kirkeys bolted directly to the floor (with the rear risers removed) I have PLENTY of headroom and actually had to move the seat further forward than I anticipated to be able to do heel-toe braking with the pedals properly on the track. Way back when I had the stock seats my hair would annoyingly brush the underside of the soft top constantly, and my hair doesn't really stand up much. And I cound never get the stock seat pushed back far enough to be comfortable. Now I can wear a helmet and put it on while sitting in the car without touching the ceiling.

A buddy of mine is 6'3" and a has a lower rollbar than mine, so he notched the floor to drop his seat some more. He fabricates and builds hot rods so he is adept at sheet metal fabrication. I don't have any pictures of the final product.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1358100190

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1358100190

I have my Ultrashield bolted to the floor but because it's a 10 degree seat the front is a bit higher than optimal. It works and is safe but a 20 degree seat is probably better for tall people.

Interesting solutions. I'm a foot shorter than the OP, but even then it's difficult to get the seat properly reclined for my gangsta-lean. So maybe an ultrashield with the right bolsters cut out. My track days will then have to consist only of reverse ovals.

Someone else who has performed some radical surgery on their Miata floor pan. I'm still unsure how you would reinforce this to maintain rigidity after cutting up the frame rail.

MX-5 Miata Forum - View Single Post - Tall Person Miata track car

Thomas

Don't forget that you can gain an inch by adjusting the pedals a little (especially the clutch height), but that's obvious use of OEM adjustment of course.

Probably the best way to mount a seat with a drop down pan is to use square tubing at the front for reinforcement and weld that tubing into either the side frame or even better into the cage mounting pads. I doubt that a drop down pad (providing the right gauge steel is used) is any less rigid than the stock floor pan after welding it in.

did you guys ever think about trying not to be so tall?

Seriously. Be 5'10" like the rest of the average american males. Loosers.

Damn, why didn't I think of that! So this is me sittingon the floor pan of my miata. And it has been pointed out that I must have an extra neck vertibrae.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1358217070

you need steering hub spacers and a gangster lean. serious face.

Agree. That extra neck vertebrae requires some gangsta compensation.