A question of seating . . .

[DaveMorris]

In something of a quandary, and in need of help . . . .

 

Have got nice shiny black “Caterham 7” race seats fitted in my ex-Graduate series car.

 

To say the least they’re “snug”. My hips are just o.k. but 44” chest has trouble getting wedged into position and thigh muscles interact with the seat such that my knees often knowck togethor.

(Wife is slightly more “hippy” so tends to sit ON rather than IN the passenger seat).

I also have shortish legs for my height (5’10”). Car is fitted with full racing cage, which I intend to leave on even though I also have FIA roll bar available.

 

I need a seat which keeps me quite laid back so that I can –

a/. reach the pedals whilst

b/. keeping my head well inside the limits of the roll cage (which also helps me look thru the screen rather than over it).

 

Conversely, my wife, though also approx 5’10” has longer legs and a shorter body – therefore needs to keep her back more upright in order to fit her legs in.

 

I also have 4/5 point harnesses fitted – and again would like to keep these.

 

The above leads me to believe that a bench back + 2 drop in seats would not be suitable (Comments?

 

I’ve seen the seats which Caterham sell and, being close to Wrexham, have walked around Demon T’s and looked at the range that they have on offer. Can’t see anything which might fit the bill.

 

I’m not made of money (hence the x-flow Graduate) but need to get something a little more suited to my shape, whilst maintaining some sort of padded support.

 

If anyone out there can make enough sense of the description above to visualise the problem . . .

Is there anything available out there that might suit?

 

Dave.

 

 

[murph7355]

If the race seat is too tight, bench seats will work. Surprisingly comfortable for those larger of frame as you get wedged between transmission tunnel and side of car. Karting rib protectors help for track work though (as the side of the car can leave bruises).

 

You can get several options with the bench seats. Thin or thick rear, and I think 3 thicknesses of seat base. I have a thin rear and base plus thick base for the passenger side (for more comfort for the shorter passengers I tend to carry).

 

If you're near Dorking or the City you could try them out for size. At 5'10" you might want the thick rear section too though.

 

Another alternative would be to use some two part foam and make a seat up, one each for you and the missus. You could get it covered nicely and then when you want to switch just swap the whole seat over. Search the site for "foam seats" and you'll get loads of tips, suppliers and prices. This will ultimately give you the best of all worlds I think.

 

Your race seats should sell easily to fund the foam purchase or bench seat option.

 

Keep an eye on the floor panel rivets when going this route. They have been known to give way (mine have twice - last repair put whoppers in there to stop it happening again), especially if you stand on the seat as you tend to do (well I do anyway) with this seating arrangement.

 

 

 

 

[MikeW]

I agree with the above posting. 2 part foam seats would be the way to go. Should give you a perfect fit and is pretty inexpensive. Get enough to have a couple of attempts as the first is likely to go a bit wrong. Works best if you do the bottome seat pad first and remember to make a board up to stop the foam (in the bin bag ) moving too far forward.

 

 

 

MikeW

 

W89 TVV Car no 79

[Nick Chan]

Hi Dave,

 

Agree with the suggestion of two part foam seats. I have these in my car and they are excellent and supportive for me and the wife. Moulded for a previous owner, they happen to suit us perfectly 😬. My side (drivers ) has a completely different profile to the wifes 😳. They are finished in a grey suede and look pretty well done as well.

 

You are very welcome to try them out if you want to pop over to Newcastle (Staffs) or come over to the Swan at Wybunbury on Wednesday night (9th) for our local meet - this is a short run over from Wrexham in about 30/35 minutes - as I expect to be there

 

Cheers

 

Nick

 

Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

[David Ward]

Surely it is now time for someone to reprise the famous canoe story - I know it's in one of the foam seat threads somewhere......

[mike ashurst]

Yes the canoe story was a classic! 😬 😬 😬

 

It's here

 

Scroll down till you come to it, Mike Bees posted it originally back in 2000.

[Graham Sewell]

Asking the first obvious question, does your wife drive the Seven or is she just a passenger. If she does drive, then surely your difference in leg measurements would indicate that you need adjustable seats so that you can both reach the pedals.

 

If that is the case, then maybe look at the standard Caterham seats (leather or cloth) as they are adjustable for length and do not have any sides to grip the hips/thighs so that you should fit. Then it comes down to whether you are looking through the windscreen or over it.

 

Failing that, as Andrew says the bench seats are surprisingly comfortable. I have a spare (brand new) slim bench seat back that I could sell you if you are around the Berkshire area - It would cost too much to post to make it viable to send. THen you would only need to source a couple of bases.

 

Low tech luddite - xflow and proud!

[N Longson]

Dave - i've got a Classic fitted with the Caterham adjustable leather seats. If you want to try them for size drop me an e-mail - I'm just down the road in Gresford.

 

Neill

 

 

[tony pashley]

A couple of points...

 

If you make 2-part foam race-style seats (one each) they won't be swappable left-to-right - the two sides of the cockpit are mirror images of one another but not individually symmetrical... if you share driving/passengering duties you'd need four seats...

 

The bench seat back with the sculpted shape (if it's still made) is way way better than some people tell you (usually people who haven't used one) - I used one for years and for ordinary road use I'm tempted to put it back. The squabs that go with them can be improved on greatly though.

 

 

[Mark Durrant]

Dave

 

I have a pair of Black Leather Caterham S-Type Leather seats for sale if your interested. These come with adjustable runners and head rests and are very comfortable. Send me an e-mail if your interested. I visit the midlands fairly regularly so getting the seats to you would not be a problem.

 

Regards

 

Mark

[Bricol]

Dave,

 

if you do decide to get shut of the race seats, I'm in the market for some -being on the thin side of slim, I rattle around in mine!

 

Bri

[DaveMorris]

To all of you,

 

thanks for all the information - and indeed the link to the canoe story. Not a dry eye in the house (though no children woken up).

 

1/. Will try and "test-sit" in as many se7ens as I can before deciding which way to go.

2/. Making own expanding foam seat looks and sound FAR TOO DANGEROUS for me.

3/. Being a hoarder by birth and still in the process of trying to convince my wife that I won't kill myself if allowed out on a track, I intend to keep the racing seats (short term at least). Sorry to those who may have been interested.

 

Thanks again for the highly informed, and helpful replies,

 

Dave

[Morls]

😬 Canoe story ...brilliant 😬

 

Can anyone making a seat in this way use a webcam? just in case

 

Mark

 

Still not 'spotted' ☹️

[Morls]

Doh...once is enough 😳

 

Edited by - Mark Jackson on 10 Oct 2002 15:04:46