John Meadows Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 SCENARIO:- 1974 CR TR6 Owner (me) 6ft 4ins Inside leg 35" TR seats badly worn - guess that equals lower and further back than standard seating position - BUT happy driving,,,, Disatisfaction with look and feel of worn seats - Moss Europe sale - cash burning hole in wallet. Purchase Moss seats - thicker, frimer, wider, fuller, comfier, happier. Seats fitted to std Triumph sub-frame using lowest fixing holes. PROBLEM(s):- Newer thicker seats equals (on drivers side): 1)Higher and further forward seating position a)knees hard against bottom of crash pads balancing act in seat when simmultaneously on clutch and brakes (i.e. both feet in action) & c)line of sight through windscreen almost off top of screen. 2) Hood frame fouls seats side on both sides of car when putting top down/is down. 3) Reel inertia seat belts won't retract due to seats trapping belt against A post or hood frame Moss seats VERY comfortable - much better than sitting on threadbare original seat frames. Welcome any advice/guidance on how to position seats further back without drilling holes in the floor etc? (Will not accept suggestions to a)return to old seats or use MX5 seats (yukky IMO) or c) medical height reduction procedures or d)shrinking pills etc John Meadows Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ntc Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 SCENARIO:- 1974 CR TR6 Owner (me) 6ft 4ins Inside leg 35" TR seats badly worn - guess that equals lower and further back than standard seating position - BUT happy driving,,,, Disatisfaction with look and feel of worn seats - Moss Europe sale - cash burning hole in wallet. Purchase Moss seats - thicker, frimer, wider, fuller, comfier, happier. Seats fitted to std Triumph sub-frame using lowest fixing holes. PROBLEM(s):- Newer thicker seats equals (on drivers side): 1)Higher and further forward seating position a)knees hard against bottom of crash pads balancing act in seat when simmultaneously on clutch and brakes (i.e. both feet in action) & c)line of sight through windscreen almost off top of screen. 2) Hood frame fouls seats side on both sides of car when putting top down/is down. 3) Reel inertia seat belts won't retract due to seats trapping belt against A post or hood frame Moss seats VERY comfortable - much better than sitting on threadbare original seat frames. Welcome any advice/guidance on how to position seats further back without drilling holes in the floor etc? (Will not accept suggestions to a)return to old seats or use MX5 seats (yukky IMO) or c) medical height reduction procedures or d)shrinking pills etc John Meadows Hi John You will not get the Moss seats far enough back they will hit the hood frame when down Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TIMS Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 John 6ft 3" 33.5" inside leg. Moss seats, but early version, in my 6 and very comfortable over the last 15k miles. 1)I'm not sure that the early seats had the same runners as now. 2) Never a problem with the hood sticks, and my headrest is as high as it will go. The seat belt gets caught between the seat back and the hood sticks on occasion but that is about rake and not about getting the seat back far enough. (I drive rather upright anyway, ex stock car driver) I always fold the seat forward when raising and lowering the hood and then put the seat back when finished. You will never get best seat travel if you set the backrest first and then push the seat back afterwards. Do it the other way around. 3) The front moutings are in the original holes but the rears are not. (Technical description coming up - not!) The seat and mountings, whilst the front bolts are in place, has been allowed to skew around so that the front edge of the seat is no longer at right angles to the front/rear line of the car. The tunnel side is about 1" further to the rear than the door side. New holes were drilled in the floor and the bolts go through spreader plates (about 3" round). This sounds odd and uncomfortable but I can now stretch my clutch leg out fully so that it rests comfortably on the bulkhead for cruising and is very comfrtable. NB the door side travel is limited by the wheel arch and some have suggested that some judicious reshaping of the arch could allow the seat to go back further, but I do not find I need it. So all I can suggest is take out the rear mounting bolts and have a good squirm around, it may help. Regards Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
88V8 Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 3) The front moutings are in the original holes but the rears are not. (Technical description coming up - not!) The seat and mountings, whilst the front bolts are in place, has been allowed to skew around so that the front edge of the seat is no longer at right angles to the front/rear line of the car. When fitting new runners to my original seats (later ditched for MX5s, sorry) I noticed that the TR6 seat had provision for skew mounting. I presume this was a means of getting more legroom, but it was difficult to avoid hitting the B post gusset, or the trans tunnel, depending which way it was adjusted. The TR6 seats do seem to be pretty low. My MX5s on TR Trader brackets sit about 1" higher and even at my height (6.0") it makes a difference to the wind over the screen, and the view under it. The original seats are also very narrow in the back, and although the MX5s don't foul the hood they do nearly trap the belts. I have sometimes wondered whether rebuilt originals might have been a better bet, but my back likes the MX5s. Ivor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Warrington Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 5 ft 8 ins tall, 29 inch inside leg!! TR Shop seats (same basic design as Moss ones, but with nicer finish). Fit to perfection! They are a very tight fit against the B post and as has been said, it really is best to fold the seats forward when raising / lowering the roof and to get the backs as vertical as possible when adjusting fore and aft. The new seats have been in my car for about 3 years and have done about 12000 miles with them. There's more adjustment with the roof up - obviously as the frame is out of the way. I did hear a story that the car that was measured up when the seats were designed was either a surrey or had a hard top with the rag top removed. Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I have sometimes wondered whether rebuilt originals might have been a better bet, but my back likes the MX5s. Ivor Problem is Ivor to rebuild the originals completely costs as much if not more than a set of modern replacements. Sometimes as much as a set of Ridgards which are the dogs whatsits. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Meadows Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thanks everyone - plenty to think about there.... John M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
67_gt6 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 I'm 5'8" and a slim 10 stones, on standard seats as far forward as they will go, which is great in all respects except lateral support when I am giving it full beans on the twisties. Is there a replacement seat of similar proportions to standard that cups the body better? Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crownwheel Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 John Since everyone is exchanging inside leg measurements................6ft 4in with 36 inside leg. Original seats gave OK legroom but due to degraded foam replaced with MX5 seats improved with leather covers. (Well I like them) Freedom to re-locate runners to maximise legroom is good opportunity but probably depends on seat chosen and if it has custom runners or uses originals. Installation of roll bar ate an inch or so of my available room but still very comfortable. If you are in no hurry to choose then ask to try out the various seating options no doubt available in your local group. A seat may be comfortable in a showroom but installation and driving position will play a part in final satisfaction rating. Decisions / decisions ! All the best with your search for the ideal seat. john Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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