boxofbits Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Good afternoon all I'm looking at the possibility of installing Racetorations bucket seats with standard vinyl trim to match original livery, to my TR4a. I wondered has anyone fitted these seats, and if they are comfortable for long journeys as opposed to the standard seat which also lacks a headrest ? The headrests are optional I believe. Looks like you can use a 5 point harness also if desired. They're quite expensive but if comfortable, a nice upgrade to the standard equipment. Any comments welcome. As a much cheaper option, have other TR owners found the MX5 seat comfortable over a long distance? Regards Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Don't know about the racestoration seats but the MX5 work well. I've done 440 mls. in a day with them without thinking about it. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndyR100 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 . As a much cheaper option, have other TR owners found the MX5 seat comfortable over a long distance? I am very happy with my choice to go the mx5 route - I went with the ones with detachable headrests - extreamely comfortable over both long and short distances. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I haven't used the Racetorations seat, but if it looks broadly similar to the Revington's seat (at least from the photos). The Revington's seat (made by Cobra) I can highly recommend for long distances. I'm 5'9" and around 180 lbs (er...about 13 stone) and my partner/navigator is 5' tall and about 130lb. The longest we have driven in them is 8-10 hours a day for 9 days straight and had literally no discomfort whatsoever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Well that's two excellent endorsements for the MX5's - cheers John and Andy. Btw did you need to, or CAN you get them reupholstered, as I've seen some pretty shoddy examples on Ebay. I'm booked on and hoping to do the RBRR2018 run with brother Dave. For charity I don't mind feeling knackered after the 2,000 miles but don't necessarily want lumbago to go with it! Can new covers be bought off the shelf or is it best left to an upholsterer? Regards Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I haven't used the Racetorations seat, but if it looks broadly similar to the Revington's seat (at least from the photos). The Revington's seat (made by Cobra) I can highly recommend for long distances. I'm 5'9" and around 180 lbs (er...about 13 stone) and my partner/navigator is 5' tall and about 130lb. The longest we have driven in them is 8-10 hours a day for 9 days straight and had literally no discomfort whatsoever. Hi Tim I'll have a look at those also..The RacetorTions seats are £450 each plus the dreaded , and then headrests, so not cheap. Do you know the Revington product number by any chance as maybe they come out cheaper? Regards Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndyR100 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Btw did you need to, or CAN you get them reupholstered, as I've seen some pretty shoddy examples on Ebay. They can be easily reupholstered, I chose to purchase a pair already done and I went the horizontal ribbed style, but others types were available ..... Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) I do have Racetorations seat fitted in my '3 Yes they are very comfortable if pricey. Mine are in leather, colour match to my original trim is near perfect. Infinitely better than the standard item. Photo taken before 2nd one installed ! Bob. Edited January 21, 2018 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Here's a link. They look even more expensive... http://www.revingtontr.com/tr4/interior/seats/replacement-seats Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevo_6 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 They can be easily reupholstered, I chose to purchase a pair already done and I went the horizontal ribbed style, but others types were available ..... Andy +1 for the MX5 seats with separate head rests, also have the horizontal pattern as Andy.We did a 6 1/2 hour stint up through France in 2015 and we both felt pretty good at the end of it. Best thing you can do in my opinion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ben Freer Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I too have the Racetorations seats. We have done over 10k in them including the 48 hour Round Britain. They are supremely comfortable. It was our fault that Lebro weakened and spent his hard earned on a pair for his car . We went for headrests, adjustable lumbar support and harness holes. Ours dropped straight in but Lebro had to do some fettling...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Boyd Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Don’t discount the Ridgard seats. I have spent many thousands of miles sat in one including the round Britain run in a tr4 fitted with them. Not the cheapest option but for me, up there with the best Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Here's a link. They look even more expensive... http://www.revingtontr.com/tr4/interior/seats/replacement-seats Thanks Tom They do look pricey I must say at around £180 plus vat each extra over the Racetorations seat. Andy, good to know they will reupholster okay if I go that route, but looking at Bob's seats they really do look the part and the covers with white piping will match in perfectly. Well I've already braced myself for the fact that I'll have to splash some on some decent seating, so if I can get the budget I'll go for Racetorations, if not Andy and Kev's options on MX5's. I've seen tatty MX5's for around £250/£300 on Ebay, so I guess this is around the right price for them? Regards Kev Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kob666e Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) Fitted MX5 seats a few years ago that I had reupholstered (the ones with the detachable headrests), and while I was at it I had electric heat pads fitted to them . Don't know if this is an option with Racetoration seats but there have been some evenings where I've been glad of a warm back and backside . They are extremely comfortable and sit lower than standard 4A seats so I can now see out the windscreen properly.....I'm 6'+ I decided to manufactured my own mounting brackets, which I believe are readily available from TR Trader, (don't know if the Racetorations are a direct fit) so this is an extra cost that has to be taken into consideration when making any comparison. You should be able to pick up a pair of MX5 cloth seats for a hundred quid. Edited January 21, 2018 by kob666e Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndyR100 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I've seen tatty MX5's for around £250/£300 on Ebay, so I guess this is around the right price for them? There is a wide variety of s/h pricing on eBay, some much cheaper than that, my fully reupholtered pair were just over £500 from Paul Bishop a while ago now.... he often advertises on eBay, username is pbuapp, so you can see plenty of examples. I think his current price for a pair with regular leather covers is £545 per pair. Enjoy, whichever path you choose Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Fitted MX5 seats a few years ago that I had reupholstered (the ones with the detachable headrests), and while I was at it I had electric heat pads fitted to them . Don't know if this is an option with Racetoration seats but there have been some evenings where I've been glad of a warm back and backside . They are extremely comfortable and sit lower than standard 4A seats so I can now see out the windscreen properly.....I'm 6'+ I decided to manufactured my own mounting brackets, which I believe are readily available from TR Trader, (don't know if the Racetorations are a direct fit) so this is an extra cost that has to be taken into consideration when making any comparison. That is a good point about the height, as I'm also just 6' and could do with sitting a bit lower. Also good for C of G..I think the Racetoration seat comes with mountings. My brother is the worst for back problems and I don't have the heart to watch him crawl out of the car 2,000 miles later after telling him we're only out going for a quick spin! Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
david ferry Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Kevin, I have a pair of the Revington seats available to purchase. Complete with headrests and runners. Black vinyl with white piping. I've sent you a PM. David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rockie51 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I put MX5 seats in my 4A some years ago after my wife expressed concern at the lack of headrests on the standard seats. I re-trimmed them myself in leather with an upholstery kit supplied by the Car Trimmers in the UK. Unfortunately, they do not seem to still be in business. They supplied instructions and the hog rings and I purchased a pair of hog ring pliers locally. It is a relatively straight forward job. We have driven the car from Melbourne to Noosa and back which is 3600km return, and across the Nullarbor to Perth which is 2700km. The seats are very comfortable. While the seats were disassembled, I had the bases sandblasted and powder coated. Mazda's attitude is out of sight, out of mind, and you will find that most used ones have surface rust. I had the mounts made to the pattern in Roger Wiliiams book "How to improve Triumph TR2-4A". There are numerous other brackets available. One advantage of the Mk 1 MX5 seats is the speakers in the headrests. We are never going to get hifi in a TR but at least having the speakers close to your ears allows you to hear them, and you do not have to cut holes elsewhere or have speakers blocked by luggage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
heckler Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) I have the racetoration seats ,I find them comfortable the brackets they sell fit onto the existing runners ( in a 6 ). I modified the standard runners to enable the seat to fit lower. I found the mx5 seats sat too high for me even when they were fitted as low as possible. Try a few different ones if you can though to be sure Chris Edited January 21, 2018 by heckler Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted January 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 Thanks for all the Interesting posts on the different types available. I suppose when you think about it the standard seats do look as though they belong in a Ford Anglia rather than a TR sports car, and though originality is a good thing, I guess you'd know all about it if you got a good whack up the tail-end sitting in the standard seats with no support for your upper body, neck or head. So I think I will change and perhaps I'll consign the originals to the loft for the time being! Regards Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 Hi Kevin, don't spend good money on seats without having first tried them out for more than a handful of miles . . . . one man's meat is another man's poison, and that's never truer than with seats. The more so when we buy a pair of seats that suit him, until she discovers that the British Standard Female Rear tends to be rather wider than that of the male . . . . . I had to get shot of our Vitesse Sport years ago because herself hated the Recaros . . . . almost as much as she hates the seats in our S-Type. Personally I found the Recaros superb, the Jag seats are decent enough. However, she loves standard Rover 800 seats and that's one reason why we still run ageing 800 fastback, shed with armchairs. As for Revingtons and Racetorations seats, beautifully made but I wouldn't have either as a gift let alone buy them . . . . just don't quite suit my frame and that's it, I'd much rather have early TR6 seats, for example. No criticism of the seats themselves, I have friends for whom they are absolutely perfect. Decent seats are expensive, it's worth the effort of test driving someone else's ! Cheers Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 I have MX ones in my 4a and regularly do long distances (well you have to from down her to get anywhere!) They are still in the original tatty cloth but with two Spannas riding shotgun I just fit a set of seat covers and bin them when they get worn. The Revington seats with the lower centre cut out for the harness are to my mind bloody uncomfortable and the newer Racetoration ones seem the same.It does also depend on your build, Im not that large in the frame but 6.4" so need the legroom and any slightly chunky seat doesnt go back far enough.The Moss seats not already mentioned are also not very wide so not comfortable. All in all I would go for MX every time and save the extra to spend on something more useful. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 .........and there you have sage words. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave I O W Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 All in all I would go for MX every time and save the extra to spend on something more useful. Stuart. +1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mark1965TR4aBRG Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 (edited) I have MX5 seats in my 4a and over 8 years and 10k miles (ish) they are Ok on comfort. the driver's seat needs a new base as it's a bit thin now and I do occasionally have to re-adjust on the move. They sit very low (I needed to knock in the base pan) which is a good thing I think and I have the TR shop runners which work well. Personally I find they lack support if you're really pushing on, so it does depend how hard you drive I'd say. Mine by the way are faux leather (came with all the other bits when I got the car) so good if they get wet/spilled on/sweaty etc . I would like to change my seats to something with more lateral support but as you're reading they are a subjective and very personal purchase.. there is a local upholsterer I keep meaning to ask if he can just increase a bit the bolsters on mine existing seats - must get around to asking. Edited January 22, 2018 by Mark1965TR4aBRG Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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