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General Information => Upgrades (non engine related ) => Topic started by: ventureforth on September 23, 2010, 09:27:37 pm
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I've done some searching and have read good things about which seats are good for adding racing-style characteristics to your seated experience. But I'm wondering what the best swap would be when ultimate comfort is being considered? My '82 1.6NA Rabbit Diesel is a daily driver in which I spend at least 2-3 hours a day commuting and make extended road trips fairly often. Though I've been upping the performance characteristics of the Rabbit (bigger exhaust and intake, better suspension, performance pump, etc.), it's still just a 1.6NA and there's a limit to how much the seats really need to hug you in the corners. I would much rather have something orthopedically sound that will treat my road weary body right.
So, any suggestions? Looking for something that would be a relatively easy install. Go later Rabbit/Golf? Cabrio? Scirocco? Corrado? Do I leave VW and look for something out of a Volvo, Mazda...? I'm pretty tall (6'3"), so it would need to allow for no less room than I have right now (head and leg), as they are both adequate, but just adequate. I'm thinking there must be an inexpensive, salvage yard or craigslist, easy to install option just waiting to find its way into my beloved Rabbit. A lower seating position would be ideal, too, as I've installed one of those Wink 5-panel rear view mirror deals (which I'm loving), but it is pretty much at eye-level right now and I found if I sink an inch or two downward in the seat the forward visibility is much improved. Of course, that was just a test as it is not even close to comfortable to forcibly sink myself down in the seat. Very awkward position. But it got me to thinking about a seat built to seat you at that height...which I imagine a Scirocco or Corrado or sportier seat would do.
Thanks.
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im 6'7" first off...
and i had recaro seats in my rabbit, well, they have kinda followed me into any car i drive. they currently reside in my GTI. they are the shizz-nit.. even people who are not car people tell me i have comfy seats. and they sure are. 6 hour road trips are nothing in these things. they are simply amazing. probably the best direct bolt in seat for a VW ive ever had the pleasure of sitting in. NO MODS NEEDED TO FIT THESE SEATS! just bolt the drivers seat in the mass side, and the pass seat in the drivers side. dunno why mk1 and mk2 reversed the seat rails, but they did.
the recaros add quite a bit of head room too... my head touched the roof in my mk2 gti when i got it, now im inches away with the recaros installed.
only downfall is people usually know what recaros are worth, i got my 9/10 condition seats for $150. and they are my most favorite VW part i own. hands down. i will never get rid of my seats. EVER. they are that comfy.
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Sounds great, but which recaros exactly? Did they come out of a vw? Another make? Custom aftermarket? Do you have a model or year? Thanks.
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you can find them in the more options-rich mk2 GLI or GTI. mine came from a 92 Jetta GLI 16v car.
thats why they bolt right in a VW with no mods, because they are a VW seat.
be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for a set of nice recaros tho..
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Like these: http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/pts/1902291059.html
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Found these options, too:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/pts/1972395449.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/pts/1964649204.html
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/1933692800.html
Thoughts?
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Can't remember if you have 2dr or 4dr car.
If its 2dr, you want to make sure you get seats that will fold forward. If its 4dr, no probo either way.
What color is your rabbit interior ?
Those Truck seats are just like what are in my Trucks.
They are -okay- but nothing to brag about.
Mid'ish to later 80's Recaro look best.
They have black leatherette side bolsters.
Harder to find in good shape tho.
If the grey cloth works with your interior, or you don't care about colors, those late 80's early 90's full cloth Recaro seats are great seats.
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Mine is a 2dr., but I took out the rear seat and don't plan on ever putting it back in, so the forward tilt issue wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker.
Interior is dark blue, but I'm not too concerned about color, as I don't mind covering them.
So, if you could get the jetta gli recaros for $150 or the corrado seats for $75, what would you do? Both prices sound fair, so the question is if I would get the same comfort for half the price in the corrado seats? Plus, I'm guessing they would be forward tilt, since it's a corrado, in case I ever found myself wanting the back seat back in.
I'm okay with no tilt if the gli seats are significantly better, but don't mind saving money if the difference is negligable between the two.
Thanks for all the input so far.
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The corrado seats will get hotter parked in the sun.
Like scalding hot if its leatherette or vinyl.
And your back and arse will sweat more when driving.
And then they'll feel colder longer in the winter.
Hard to beat a cloth seat. Or at least a cloth insert.
With your Blue interior, try to find some Helios Recaro seats.
Not as popular, and they are Blue tones.
Helios was a special package and all were Blue/Blue.
Not sure what year(s) they were available. (90? 91? 92?)
And some GTI's had Blue toned seats in a Blue interior.
I wouldn't rule out the corrado seats, if they were close enough to drive to and install one and do a test drive. Without regret if they didn't pan out.
It sounds like you really need the Recaro tall guy benefit, like RoR.
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Mid'ish to later 80's Recaro look best.
They have black leatherette side bolsters.
Harder to find in good shape tho.
The ever elusive, and even more expensive Recaro trophys.
As an owner of recaros, I can endorse everything said above.
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I found Recaros on the Vortex after looking everywhere. Almost EVERY one for sale had the side bolsters crushed, seats torn or in bad shape, and crazy prices. I found mine in the Boston area in perfect condition for $400. The seller redid them himself in marine grade vinyl (excellent workmanship),along with the back seat, but added some home made logos I don't really care for. While I don't have a Mk1 (I have a Mk2), the seats came out of a 2 door VW, so they have the mechanism to move up letting you in the back seat. I plan on having them redone, is cloth the way to go? (I can imagine what leather would cost)
While I am sure that there is a good chance the upholstery shop will have the heat inserts, any idea where to get them if he doesn't?
Recaro has always been a top notch seat (many manufacturers have used them), IMO, but no doubt others here will differ on opinion.
Was cheaper to drive to Boston and have him install them by swapping my original interior than shipping to NY (fuel, food, and hotel included). Drove from Boston back home, and then to Delaware and back a few days later, and it was one Hell of a difference in comfort. Even in a 89 diesel with 200,000 miles. :)
Only complaint I have is those damn clips keep breaking and the seats rock. Guess I gotta lose a few more lbs. :)
Hope this helps. Good luck in your search.
Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy
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So I went with the Corrado seats with the cloth inserts. They were in really good nick, look really nice, and were very local and $100, so I figured why not give it a shot. I'll post on comfort, install, etc., when I get them in. Thanks again for the advice.
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Mine is a 2dr., but I took out the rear seat and don't plan on ever putting it back in, so the forward tilt issue wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker.
Interior is dark blue, but I'm not too concerned about color, as I don't mind covering them.
So, if you could get the jetta gli recaros for $150 or the corrado seats for $75, what would you do? Both prices sound fair, so the question is if I would get the same comfort for half the price in the corrado seats? Plus, I'm guessing they would be forward tilt, since it's a corrado, in case I ever found myself wanting the back seat back in.
I'm okay with no tilt if the gli seats are significantly better, but don't mind saving money if the difference is negligable between the two.
Thanks for all the input so far.
ive never seen seat covers that would fit good on recaros, the bolsters are super deep..
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So I got the seats in yesterday. Not too difficult, though it took a good amount of brute strength to get them into the rails. I took the seat belt setup off of my old seats and swapped them onto the new Corrado seats. I did the position swap mentioned (driver on passenger side, passenger on driver). Since I'm just gonna keep them all the way back or in one position, I guess it didn't matter. The upside is that I'm in what was the passenger seat, so there's less wear and tear on it. Comfort-wise, it's a big difference. I have a bit more legroom (I used to have the seat all the way back, but now I actually have it a notch or two forward and it still has a bit more legroom). More than the amount of legroom, the more reclined and lower seating position allows my legs to go more straight forward with less of a bend in the knee, if you get what I mean...which is more comfortable for me. Headroom is significantly greater, and I don't even have the tilt seat bottom all the way down. In fact, it's closer to it's top setting. The seats are firmer, which I like, but will take getting used to, and the lowered position will take getting used to as far as pedals and steering, but nothing a day or two won't take care of. They look really nice in the MK1. Might as well have been stock. I'll update with a long term review a few weeks from now. All in all, I'm pretty happy with them. Great seats, great price, and exactly what I was looking for. Totally solved my issues with the Wink rear-view panel mirror...doesn't obstruct my view at all now.
I'll try to post some pics later.
Thanks again for all the advice.
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really helps make the car alot nicer to drive..
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just bolt the drivers seat in the mass side, and the pass seat in the drivers side. dunno why mk1 and mk2 reversed the seat rails, but they did.
I have put the driver mk2 in driver mk1 and the pass mk2 in the pass mk1 with no problems. Wonder if its just a recaro thing?
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I have put the driver mk2 in driver mk1 and the pass mk2 in the pass mk1 with no problems. Wonder if its just a recaro thing?
Its supposed to be required to do the reverse switch-swap all across the board on mk1><mk2.
One rail is taller top-to-bottom, than the other rail.
And they switched those rail parameters from mk1 / mk2 models.
I "think" if you leave the plastic slider off the taller peg - it will go in the shorter track. But the shorter peg in the taller track will allow some wobble.
and still, as always ... P.O.I.N.H. :-X
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no guys.. you know how the adjustment handle for moving it back and forth is towards the middle of the car on an mk2/3
mk2/3
on the right for the D side.
and on the left for the P side.
slider handles are closest to the shifter.
mk1
on the left for the D side.
on the right for the P side.
slider handles are closest to the doors.
the outside and inside rails are the same. its the center rail. with the slide lock and all that happy stuff.. the handle that operates it is on the wrong side if you take and put a drivers side mk2 seat in the drivers side of an mk1.
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Corrado's here also
I had them torn down a re-done, used scirocco new old stock cloth for the insert's
GB
Paid 400.00 with the complete brakes also
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no guys.. .the outside and inside rails are the same. its the center rail. .
I'm sure you're right on that RoR.
I brainfarted all to he// on that one.
Was thinking about when i tried to swap driver to pass, and vice versa, on an mk2's existing front seats. One side had a shorter height rail than the other.
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Yeah, it's all about the center slider mechanism. The side rails are exactly the same on either side. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to swap the handle from one side to the other, but I didn't even bother trying since the passenger seat was in better shape (though they were both in excellent shape) and I don't really care that the seatback release mechanism is on the inside now. It doesn't take much to reach around if I ever want to tilt the seatback forward, and I have very little reason to do so since I removed the back "seat."
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same reason i never swapped the handles.. i know its possible, but i figured i would wear the passenger seat a little too. make my seats wear more evenly.. kinda like rotating your tires i guess.. and if you just swap the sides, you dont have to damage or modify the seats AT ALL!
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As promised, here is my long-term (well, short long-term) review.
Seats have been awesome! Little adjustments here and there with tilt bottom and seat back and slider position and we're totally in business. I now have many inches of headroom despite my height, my legs are much less cramped, and I feel really support by the seats. In fact, last Sunday I threw out my back and, despite a mountain of discomfort in all other situations, the hour long daily commute was just about the only time I was comfortable all week. They were that comfortable and supportive. I have no doubt an extended road trip would be a breeze in these seats. I have felt so much less road fatigue overall.
All in all, just about the best $100 I have spent on my Rabbit...and they would have been a bargain at many times that price!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOD!
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the seats with all the adjustments.. the back and bottom.. are pretty amazing in a little vw.. im a big guy too, 6'7"
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Yeah, it was your posts that gave me hope that there was a solution at all, since I'm "only" 6'4". If you could manage it, what need have I for concern?
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haha, yea, kinda one of my favorite points about vws. lots of leg and head room when properly equipped.. if you have plain jane seats, you sit up way too high..