[Daly87]

Hi i was just browsing gumtree and seen these seats for sale. ..

Old skyline seats 100


Monza seats


Unknown brand


All seats are around the 150 mark. But my question is do these look familiar enough to any of you to know if they will fit/ bolt to my original rails without any special welding, or even could I get some universal rails iv seen on ebay that I could use?

So, what would be best / work?

[tanshi]

they are all going to need fab work of some sort.

[Daly87]

Aw
Damn me and my lack of skills

So even universal rails need fab work

[tanshi]

yep, because suzukis have wierd rails, and different for the drivers vs passeger side seats

[Daly87]

Was getting excited about some comfy seats then!

would it be a big job (cost a lot) to have them welded on to my original rails?

[tanshi]

not a huge amount of work, can be done

[Gwagensteve]

But it's going to get potentially complicated.

Seat modifications always require some sort of approval - after all, if the seat/mounts break you're going to loose control of the car and/or have a big accident.

If you can do the work yourself you can side step the approval process, but if you have to pay someone, they're unlikely to take the job on without ensuring it's legal.

Additionally, you'd want to know the seats you were going to fit were actually any good.

I can't comment on the "old skyline seats" - they look like a cheap copy of a recaro to me, but those monza seats are pretty average from my experience. They also have poor quality reclining mechanisms IIRC, and the centre foam section comes adrift from the backrest.

Those bottom seats look to be a very odd shape - the shoulder support is VERY aggressive looking - as in the seat is both deep and narrow a long way up the backrest. THey look full hektik, but I doubt they'd be all that comfortable.

If you are going to spend $$ getting seats fitted, I'd be looking for a reputable aftermaket seat (Ideally something that's designed properly rather than just looking hektik) You'll pay more, but you're more likely to be happy with the outcome in the long term.

Steve.

[Daly87]

Hi Steve. I guess your right about the legality of welding them onto my rails. Maybe I could take the rails and seats without the car and that way they aren't responsible?

Great analysis of the seats haha Thanks. I assumed the skyline were copies of recaro as they were so cheap. I was leaning more towards the other two (the bottom pair are closest to me). By pretty average for the monza that has still got to be better than the stock crap I have, that's like a park bench with a blanket on it?

Have you any experience with SAAS seats? A pair are going for 300...

[Gwagensteve]

The "they'd have to be better than the…." argument is pretty flaky in my opinion. Maybe they are (but I doubt it) but that might not make them worth spending lots of money on fitting.

It's pretty hard to tell you how comfortable/supportive you are going to find an aftermarket seat from a photo. Personally, I don't like most of the SAAS seats I've sat in, although I sat in one fairly recently I thought was OK. With all of these seats, they've changed models over the years, recliner mechanisms get changed, and if they're second hand you'll need to take into account how they were used.

There's no substitute for having a really good look/sit/smell of any second hand seat.

PS I'd also buy good quality FACTORY seats from a different model (like a Skyline GT-R, BMW sport seats from an E36 3 series, or almost any Porsche for example) over almost any aftermarket seat except a Recaro.

Very few aftermarket seats are as well made as factory seats from a premium model, especially stuff from SAAS and Monza, who are primarily at the bottom of the aftermarket heap.

Steve.

[Daly87]

Thanks steve.

Went to see the saas seats to inspect. They are super hard, not comfy at alllllll. Now going to take your advice and look for some wrx seats or some cheap xr6 seats... See what comes up.

[Gwagensteve]

Oh god- I think WRX seats are appalling. The drivers seat in my '05 STi lasted a week before it was binned for a Recaro SP-G. If you like them that's great, but don't assume it must be a good seat because it has "shoulder support" and comes from a sporty car.

Steve.

[Marko_SJ]

Daly87 wrote:

Thanks steve.

Went to see the saas seats to inspect. They are super hard, not comfy at alllllll. Now going to take your advice and look for some wrx seats or some cheap xr6 seats... See what comes up.

People and car reviews say XR6 seats are comfortable and supportive.

Might be bulky to fit in a suzuki though?

[Gwagensteve]

If they are late (BA) seats they are both massive and have side airbags.

I nearly bought a tornado ute a few years ago and both the mrs and I found the seats too big and lacking in support. There's almost no support in the side bolsters- it just feels like foam

Steve.

[droverdave]

Dont put all WRX seats in the same category.

Agreed the later ones are pretty ordinary (pretty much from my01+), my MY00 seats (year 1999/2000, last of the "classic" shape) I reckon are very comfortable and supportive compared to most. I was considering putting a pair in my drover, but havent managed to find a pair at a decent price yet.

I've had recaros in the past, and the recaro SR3 is probably the best seat ive ever sat ive driven in, I should never have sold that seat.

[Gwagensteve]

How trashed is a 14year old WRX seat going to be?

[droverdave]

Depends how well it has been looked after or how good you clean them when you buy them.

Mine arent trashed though:) had seat covers on them all their life and are in great condition.

And they are going to be less trashed than a 30yr old seat from a 4wd.

oooh STI seats, they are swede im fairly sure, so those funny marks on the grey bit are just funny swede marks.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Subaru-Impre ... 27e013b297

[Daly87]

Yea that's true I have a 96 supra and the factory seats look like new. No fading no marks.... Maybe I should buy recaros for that and put them in the vit

Nissan Skyline R34 R33 seats ???

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/canningt ... 1041896798

[Sookie]

r34 gt or gtt seats,
just looked at old photos of my r34 gtt

[Daly87]

Are they worth looking at? How much should I offer him?

[krat]

I have a 95-96 SWB Vit that had the original seats still in it when I purchased it.
There was steel bits hanging through the fabric and I had to put a towel on them when we went for a drive.
I ended up replacing them with seats from a 97 SWB that were in excellent condition, obviously from very little use.
The difference was amazing and they are really comfortable with a good set of seat covers on.
The best thing was that they only took 1/2 an hour to change them over.
A good vit seat to me seems quite comfortable to drive in, but I am no expert.

Kev

[Gwagensteve]

No amount of fake suede could make an STi seat any good.

[Sookie]

Daly87 wrote:

Are they worth looking at? How much should I offer him?

I didn't really like them much in the way of support i swapped the driver seat for a recaro sr3 seat, and if I remember right I sold my mint drivers seat for $50
Hope that helps

[Sookie]

Gwagensteve wrote:

No amount of fake suede could make an STi seat any good.

No amount of sti will make a wrx seat good

[droverdave]

haha lots of hate for wrx seats. Suit yourselves, I think they are good for the price (specifically the MY00 ones). And the more haters there are, the cheaper they will be for me.

OP I think they would be worthwhile looking at, they will be better than any knock off seats that you suggest in your first post.

Getting a mod plate for seat rails is not difficult and not that expensive, I've done it before and as long as do a good job there are no worries.

[Daly87]

Thanks all for your opinions. I will give the wrx seats a look. Plus the r34 gtt seats. I agree with the comments about the knock off / saas seats. I dont think I could of drove anywhere with them - like sitting on bricks.

I think I may have lower standards than some of you as I have sat in the recaro sr3 seats in another supra. As good as they are I will never be paying that money on my vitara seats that get used to go a bit off road camping and beach with the dogs.

The r34 seats would take 200 but I seen them on eBay for 100! Wrx seats are going for 300 a pair. So ill see how I go bargain hunting.

Thanks for stopping me buyi g cheap aftermarket seats everyone! Glad I asked and didn't just order them, id be super pissed right now!

[Gwagensteve]

There's no question there's a great deal of personal preference when it comes to seats, however, some seats have a reputation I firmly believe is based on looks alone. Notice how there is no market for seats that don't have "shoulder support" even though in many cases (such as fpv/xr fords) it does absolutely nothing to improve support- it's just trendy foam.

There's also little correlation between softness of padding and comfort. My SP-G had exactly 19mm of padding, total, but was crazy comfortable. Bitch to get in and out of though, because it fitted me properly, and totally unsuited to a car used offroad.

Steve.

[Reubs]

Daly87, if you are looking for JDM spec seats, check out sites like SkylinesAustralia or Aus300ZX. Often entire interiors advertised there will be cheaper than a pair or seats from eBay.

P.S. R33 GTS-T seats are 5 way adjustable and not too bad IMO. I found the adjustable lumbar and side bolsters great to suit different drivers of completely different frame sizes.

[WAS12A]

Those Monza seats in the middle pic at the start of the thread are what I just replaced in my Zook.

Holes in the standard rails were drilled to suit the seats hole pattern...then they bolt straight in.

Mine have been engineered too.

[Daly87]

Any body had experience with these type of seats... leather prelude seats. I ca only get them tonight so dont have much time to ponder it. If they have good reviews ill get them if not I'll leave it.

He wants $100.

[jdk81]

Go and sit in them?