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Best Racing Seat For Tall Guys

Hey guys I am looking to get in to autocross pretty soon. My problem is that I am a pretty tall guy, 6' 3.5" to be exact, and I dont

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Old 08-05-2017, 05:16 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Exclamation Best Racing Seat For Tall Guys

Hey guys I am looking to get in to autocross pretty soon. My problem is that I am a pretty tall guy, 6' 3.5" to be exact, and I dont fit in my Z with a helmet on. I am looking to get an FIA approved seat to lower my position but am not sure which set up will get me low enough to fit. I know that I will need to side mount the seats and mount them to the floor, but dont want to buy anything without knowing if it will drop the seating position enough for me. The lower the better! Are there any other tall guys around 6'3" that autocross or track there car and can give me some insight as to what set ups allowed them to fit with a helmet on?? Thanks in advance!
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Old 08-05-2017, 06:41 PM   #2 (permalink)
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question, when you say you do not fit in the Z with your helmet on, what do you mean.
I am 6' 2" to 3", and with the regular seats never had a problem sitting in the car. Now getting in and out with the helmet on is something else so the helmet comes off.

I installed Recaro cross sportster cs, but they are more comfortable for me, look good, but did not really lower the seat.

Is the driving position uncomfortable when you drive?
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Old 08-05-2017, 07:23 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danegrey View Post
question, when you say you do not fit in the Z with your helmet on, what do you mean.
I am 6' 2" to 3", and with the regular seats never had a problem sitting in the car. Now getting in and out with the helmet on is something else so the helmet comes off.

I installed Recaro cross sportster cs, but they are more comfortable for me, look good, but did not really lower the seat.

Is the driving position uncomfortable when you drive?
What I mean is there is not enough headspace for me to sit in the car with a helmet on. Sitting in my normal position I only have about 1-1.5 inches of space between the top of my head and the headliner. I have the base seats as low as they will go and the back is fairly upright, where you would want it for a good driving position. For my daily driving I have no problem with the comfort of the seats, driving more than 2 hours my butt gets a little sore but nothing unbearable.
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Old 08-05-2017, 09:21 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skuuurt View Post
What I mean is there is not enough headspace for me to sit in the car with a helmet on. Sitting in my normal position I only have about 1-1.5 inches of space between the top of my head and the headliner. I have the base seats as low as they will go and the back is fairly upright, where you would want it for a good driving position. For my daily driving I have no problem with the comfort of the seats, driving more than 2 hours my butt gets a little sore but nothing unbearable.


Would really like to see what others are doing. I have the same issue.


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Old 08-06-2017, 12:10 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danegrey View Post
question, when you say you do not fit in the Z with your helmet on, what do you mean.
I am 6' 2" to 3", and with the regular seats never had a problem sitting in the car. Now getting in and out with the helmet on is something else so the helmet comes off.

I installed Recaro cross sportster cs, but they are more comfortable for me, look good, but did not really lower the seat.

Is the driving position uncomfortable when you drive?
It's not all about total height but proportion. I'm 6'1" and I can't even put my seat as uptight as I'd like and there's no way I'd fit with a helmet without scooching down considerably to a very uncomfortable position. I'd also love to see an option for lowering the seat as well and options for spacing out the steering wheel.
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Old 08-06-2017, 12:40 AM   #6 (permalink)
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I feel your guy's pain; as I'm 6'5.5" & is definitely a cockpit fit...with leather touring/heated seats & adjustments all the way down...snug fit.
And I have long legs & glad to have the 7A/T for extra room down bottom...38" jeans & 270lbs...so I fill everything up.
I currently have drivers seat out & rails off.
I've removed the electric motor & crossover connection.
I'm gonna drill out rivets that hold feet to rails (as all 4 are different) and make some new ones...Gonna start with the inward bracket/rail,,,(because it's already designed lower than outer rail) and see if I can make one 1-1.5"lower & then have the same amount removed from others.
I'm not planning to cut & weld these-just make some that will bolt to the rails w/good fasteners.
Been sidelined past 10 days w/knee replacement & good opportunity to spend some time here. I have dragraced a few times & helmet is against rooftop ,,,have to lean seat back to more uncomfortable position to make all fit....No-Way I could track the car like this.
I'll repost my findings;as I plan to do it this week.probably will seek a lighter/wider seat in the future for any kinda track raciyi may perform...but fabricating what I have for now.
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Old 08-06-2017, 12:51 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Unsure if seat rails are the same on all seats? Here's mine w/electric motors & worm screws out.


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Old 08-06-2017, 01:22 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I chose to get a base model instead of touring for that very reason! I had a g35 coupe a while back and had to lean my seat back much farther than I liked and still hit my head. Got the base model Z so I wouldn't have to deal with the motors and risk losing more head room. I'm currently looking at fixed back FIA approved seats trying to find the slimmest/lowest sitting one along with side mounting the seat and bolting to the floor with no sliders. I want to get the seat as low as absolutely possible to not have to worry.

Bonus is an easy excuse not to let anyone drive my car because the seat won't be adjustable lol!
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Old 08-06-2017, 02:59 AM   #9 (permalink)
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How many of you guy's have thought about removing rear-view mirror ?
or relocating it,,,also going to seek option's in that department also-as it's definitely is in my field of vision.
I do like the idea of a comfortable race seat; as when i go on a trip or long distance drive,,,about 2hrs. seat time is all i can do without a break, But I Love my ~Z~ & wouldn't swap it for nothing else!
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Old 08-06-2017, 09:20 AM   #10 (permalink)
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Yes dude! I have thought about moving the mirror farther up the windshield many times. It's definitely in my field of view, and creates a nasty blind spot when going around a corner that is going up a hill. I am hoping that a race seat would help with that problem as well but if it was still an issue I think I would find a way to remove it and reattach as far up as I can get it.
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Old 08-06-2017, 09:32 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skuuurt View Post
What I mean is there is not enough headspace for me to sit in the car with a helmet on. Sitting in my normal position I only have about 1-1.5 inches of space between the top of my head and the headliner. I have the base seats as low as they will go and the back is fairly upright, where you would want it for a good driving position. For my daily driving I have no problem with the comfort of the seats, driving more than 2 hours my butt gets a little sore but nothing unbearable.
know about the butt and lower back, not a problem with the Racro...

I have to check today on having the seat more upright, usually, I move the seat closer to drive, then farther back...
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Old 08-06-2017, 09:50 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by danegrey View Post
know about the butt and lower back, not a problem with the Racro...

I have to check today on having the seat more upright, usually, I move the seat closer to drive, then farther back...
Yea man I try to keep my seat in a good driving position all the time just in case I needed to make any quick reactions. Have it just the right distance from the pedals for my long legs and sitting pretty upright to keep a good bend in my elbows for steering. Will probably have to make some small adjustments when I get a racing seat as I will be sitting lower. I would just hate to go buy a seat and mounts and then it still not be low enough for me to fit with a helmet, which is why I'm asking here for anyone that has the same issue.
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Old 08-06-2017, 10:55 AM   #13 (permalink)
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well you are right, with the seat upright and the helmet on it is a problem...
thou all through the years, I have always had my seat tilted back a bit, and drove it that way..

And you are right about the long legs, it has been only recently, I have moved the seat up a bit. My son got on my case and I got tired of trying to re-adjusted when we autocross together...

it will also depend on whether it is autocross or track days, autocross is such a shorter period of time, and to tell the truth, the seat position for me is not the problem...

The problem is my right foot, and going way to fast, been that way for years, and now trying to unlearn its a pain...
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Old 08-06-2017, 11:57 AM   #14 (permalink)
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My seating position has changed a lot over the past 2 years actually. Every time I get in the car I am always trying to improve my driving ability, and sometimes that includes adjusting the seat to find a better position for my body type and style. I slowly started moving the seat closer and closer to find that perfect feel and reach of the wheel. Actually just yesterday I moved my seat back 1 notch and tilted the back forwards one more notch. Think this is the perfect position for me as it seems to give very good clutch/pedal feel while keeping my torso the right distance from the wheel. With my seat one notch closer I was finding it just a little tricky to let off the clutch smoothly because of the angle it put my knee and ankle.
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Old 08-06-2017, 11:58 AM   #15 (permalink)
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Controlling that right foot is definitely a hard task! I'm really looking forward to doing some autocross and learning how to better balance my throttle and grip
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