26 replies to this topic

[Steve Scheifler]

Interesting that it didn’t fit your NA6. What seat brackets are you using?

I’ll post up my fitment tests once I get my seat and cage installed. I’m planning on using the PCI race bracket and Advanced Auto deluxe cage with my seat: https://www.pci-raci...5-mazda-mx-5-2/

No brackets, just dropping the bare seat in. But I had to stop by the shop today and spent a few minutes taking a closer look. Interference of the halo with the cage limits how far back, or leaned back, it can go, and the front width of the seat limits how far forward it can go. So with the tail of the seat all but touching the floor (absolutely necessary for my height) there is exactly one position the seat can go. The front most edge is about 1/4” behind the front edge of that stock cross support and wedged slightly crooked between the left door sill and the front of the tunnel notch. That’s it, not even enough play to wiggle it facing straight. With a BFH deftly applied to the interior it might be able to straighten but I’m not sure I’d be able to get it in there with mounting brackets attached. Regardless, it’s too far forward for me but I may be putting a short driver in that car so I’ll mess with it a little more when time allows.

I’m not faulting the seat, there’s just not enough room for a halo seat to go far back with that cage. If the seat were an inch narrower I’d still fit in it and could at least get it straight in the car. That’s one advantage of aluminum seats, the come in finer increments and there is very little extra width since strength and rigidity are from creases and beads, and in a pinch they can be tweaked slightly.

[Dennis_]

I’m not faulting the seat, there’s just not enough room for a halo seat to go far back with that cage. If the seat were an inch narrower I’d still fit in it and could at least get it straight in the car. That’s one advantage of aluminum seats, the come in finer increments and there is very little extra width since strength and rigidity are from creases and beads, and in a pinch they can be tweaked slightly.

You may want to try a Sparco Pro Adv TS, that has a 3.5” narrower halo vs this seat

[Steve Scheifler]

You may want to try a Sparco Pro Adv TS, that has a 3.5” narrower halo vs this seat

Thanks, I’ll do some measuring. I have a very similar Sparco in another car and I think the shoulder wings were too wide for this cage, but it wouldn’t take a big difference. What I don’t like about that Sparco is that my helmet is slightly compressing the halo pads even looking straight ahead so it feel too restrictive when I turn even a little. I’d probably get use to it but combined with H&N protection it’s a little unnerving.

I’m not unhappy with the new seat. It seems like good value at the introductory price and it will absolutely go into something eventually. Probably not my vintage 510 though.

[Jason J Ball]

I have similar issues Steve. The seat is ~19 1/4" at the front and the drop floor is 18 1/4". I took a BFH to the tunnel and was able to get it to sit flat without seat brackets. There is no way to use standard L style seat mounts. They are ~20.5" wide when mounted to the seat. The other problem is that the front down tube will go over the top of the halo right by my head basically nullifying the reason for the halo. It's a shame really since it is a really nice seat. 

[Steve Scheifler]

In the car with a shelf-mount cage we typically have a similar Momo seat on the slotted brackets from East Street. It’s a tight tricky install and we actually use two Left brackets (or Right depending on how you would use them) with the one on the right/inboard side going under the seat making a narrower footprint and allowing the seat to be closer to the tunnel. We could mount the left side the same way but it’s easier with the bottom mount facing out. Anyway, it’s a tight fit with the Momo but that seat has a narrower halo which allows us to go back a critical inch or two more. The new seat actually fails to clear in three different places at about the same time. The bottom of left shoulder wing hits the upper door bar, the left side of the halo hits roof as it comes down at what would be the B pillar, and the top center of the halo hits the diagonal for the main hoop. It could slide forward to accommodate shorter legs but not far enough back for me to be comfortable. The left halo on any of these is useless for a tall person because my helmet hits the cage padding first anyway so the wing needlessly obstructs my peripheral vision with no benefit. My first composite was a Sparco Ergo with removable wings for that reason. That’s in the 510 now but I’m liking it enough to buy another. The other thing I probably won’t like if I use this in another car is the limited shoulder support. It interferes with the cage because it’s splayed out flat and wide enough that it offers less support than I’d like.

So I’m sorry to say that overall I’m pretty disappointed. Given the percentage of Mazda race cars that are probably NA and NB Miatas I would have thought Papis would design one which would fit a little better with more cages. It can be done, I’ve got a Momo and a Sparco to prove it. This will likely end up a passenger seat in the loaner/school car.

[bmarshall1]

How about a little necro-posting.  Anyone have the new(ish) Mazda Seat in their NB?  I bought a new Sabelt X-Pad and although a nice seat and fits fine, it just doesn't fit me right in the back (bad back).

[Sphinx]

Anyone else have trouble installing this seat in an SM? My biggest problem seems to be that it is a bit wide at the halo, which will necessitate an adjustment to the window net bar. (I don't have a dropped floor).