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I think I am finally nearing the end of my search for seats. Today I discovered Cipher Auto seats and really like the CPA 1016, but they do not recommend these seats for track use. I also like the CPA 2009 that is recommended for track use, but has suede where you sit (still better than leather for heat, but not as good as cloth) and has a bolt pattern underneath that does not come close to matching the Bride rails. Bummer. I will say that John at Cipher was very helpful on the phone, even if a bit hard to understand.
Well, if nothing else this thread should definitely help people narrow down their choices for a sedan.
Cipher Auto CPA 1016 black cloth with gray stitching
Cipher Auto is actually right down the street from the place that does all of my body/paint work. I actually stopped in there last year to check out their seat. Was looking for a set for my Jeep and didn't want to spend a lot of $$. The seat are pretty nice looking in person and we found some that we both liked (wife and I), but overall they just seemed a bit too cheaply made to throw in a Jeep that has the top off most of the year, gets rained in, dirty, muddy, etc...
2GoRNot2G- I know one of the modules you plug in under the driver's seat allows you to keep the power mirrors, but what does the other one do? Do you need them at all to keep any lights from appearing on the dash? I am just trying to simplify what I have to hook up if possible and I was thinking that I really don't adjust my mirrors for anything.
That must be nice to live in an area where you can actually try out all of the aftermarket seats. The closest place to me is about a 4 hour drive and they only carry fixed back race seats- not what I want. So I am stuck with guessing on how the seats will fit me.
I will say that John from Cipher even called me back today to let me know that the coupe seat rails they have do not in fact fit a sedan. I already knew this, but I thought it was cool that he took the time to follow up as there are a lot of distributors who will not even return your messages.
I also noticed that Braum makes a really nice seat that is cloth, but has suede on the inside of the bolsters to hold you in place. I called to ask the mounting dimensions on the bottom and all Braum bottom mount seats are the same- which is to say they do not fit the Bride rails. Probably for the best as the seats have rather tall thigh bolsters which look like a real pain to get in/out of everyday. Nice looking seats though.
2GoRNot2G- Sorry to keep asking so many questions, but where did you get your Cobra seats? I was looking at the Daytona at Subie Sports and Chad, the owner, said he has them custom made to sit lower with 16" side-to-side mounting holes and 13" front to rear mounting holes. I thought your seats bolted right up to the Bride rails so did you have metal brackets attached to the seat that were more narrow than 16 inches?
All the Cobra seats I looked at including the Misano and Daytona (which are almost the same basic seat) have a 290mm (11-3/8" side-to-side) x 330mm (13" front to back) mounting pattern, so that mounted perfectly to the inner holes in the Bride seat rail plates (see below pic). I have no idea where the 16" dimension is coming... That would seem to be even wider than the entire base of the seat.
Keep in mind that the Daytona seat has the same basic dimensions as the Misano that I have, so that means 23" wide shoulder bolsters which are a VERY tight fit. I would suggest trying to find a seat that is a bit narrower in the shoulder area.
2GoRNot2G- I know one of the modules you plug in under the driver's seat allows you to keep the power mirrors, but what does the other one do? Do you need them at all to keep any lights from appearing on the dash? I am just trying to simplify what I have to hook up if possible and I was thinking that I really don't adjust my mirrors for anything.
That must be nice to live in an area where you can actually try out all of the aftermarket seats. The closest place to me is about a 4 hour drive and they only carry fixed back race seats- not what I want. So I am stuck with guessing on how the seats will fit me.
I will say that John from Cipher even called me back today to let me know that the coupe seat rails they have do not in fact fit a sedan. I already knew this, but I thought it was cool that he took the time to follow up as there are a lot of distributors who will not even return your messages.
I also noticed that Braum makes a really nice seat that is cloth, but has suede on the inside of the bolsters to hold you in place. I called to ask the mounting dimensions on the bottom and all Braum bottom mount seats are the same- which is to say they do not fit the Bride rails. Probably for the best as the seats have rather tall thigh bolsters which look like a real pain to get in/out of everyday. Nice looking seats though.
Braum S8 V2
If I recall correctly there's only one module (not two) under the driver's seat and the only reason you need to retain it is to keep your power mirrors and power mirror memory functions. If you don't care about any of that than you don't need to reinstall the module. I drove the car without the module hooked up because I needed to get another seat wiring harness and had no issues or dash lights, so you should be just fine without the module.
I'm not really familiar with the Braum seats, so I can't really comment on those. The only other seat I was considering for the G was the Bride Euroster II in leather.
2GoRNot2G- Thanks again for your help. The 16" is a custom seat they use at Subie Sports so it sits lower- I know, I thought it was strange too. You raise a good point about the width of the shoulders on the Cobra Daytona.
I am really only considering cloth seats right now due to the extreme heat/humidity we have here in the summer and extreme cold in the winter.
I like the Braum seats, and especially their price, but the S8 V2's have pretty high thigh bolsters for getting in/out everyday and the Venom would probably breathe the best, but I would need to do something with all the stitching in the car to match the red on the seats. This is all if I could drill holes in the Bride brackets to make them fit.
I should probably just get Sparco R333's or R600's since they should bolt up to the Bride rails no problem. The R600's seem better made- a little pricey compared to R333's (but I have seen online for about $200 off, so close to R333's) and probably a tight fit for passengers. The R333's would probably be good too- the styling just looks a little weird and alien like.
2GoRNot2G- Thanks again for your help. The 16" is a custom seat they use at Subie Sports so it sits lower- I know, I thought it was strange too. You raise a good point about the width of the shoulders on the Cobra Daytona.
I am really only considering cloth seats right now due to the extreme heat/humidity we have here in the summer and extreme cold in the winter.
I like the Braum seats, and especially their price, but the S8 V2's have pretty high thigh bolsters for getting in/out everyday and the Venom would probably breathe the best, but I would need to do something with all the stitching in the car to match the red on the seats. This is all if I could drill holes in the Bride brackets to make them fit.
I should probably just get Sparco R333's or R600's since they should bolt up to the Bride rails no problem. The R600's seem better made- a little pricey compared to R333's (but I have seen online for about $200 off, so close to R333's) and probably a tight fit for passengers. The R333's would probably be good too- the styling just looks a little weird and alien like.
That makes more sense. They are probably using the 16" and mounting the seat directly to the lower bracket and eliminating the sliders so the seat will sit lower. But if you want the sliders for adjustment then there's really no way to get them to sit any lower. Also, the sliders are welded directly to the frame on the Bride brackets so there's no way to eliminate the sliders if you use those.
I talked to some vendors and people at Sparco and Braum about the seats I narrowed it down to. This may be good advice if you are ever looking at any of these seats.
Everyone recommended the Sparco R600 over the R333, including the guys at Sparco. The R333 is a high volume unit produced in China or Taiwan at a non-Sparco plant. The R600 is produced in Italy or Tunesia (across the water from Italy) at an actual Sparco plant. Supposedly, the construction, fabric, padding, and comfort on the R600 are all superior to the R333. However, it is a bit narrow so I may order 1 and if it is narrow, but fits me, then I will probably order the wider R100 for the passenger seat.
Every time I call Braum I always get Peter (regardless of the extension you hit- weird). So either they are never busy or he is the only guy that works there. He gave me good advice about the seats, but it was troubling that he did not even know where the seats are made when he works at HQ. He told me to e-mail their support team for an answer. I got one long winded response that told me absolutely nothing from an "R. Mancini." I e-mailed him twice more, but never got a response. So this morning I called Peter again and asked him if he could find out since the "support team" was useless. He said he would find out and call me right back. Never heard anything from him all day. Not great news considering he is never busy...
Great Information, 4DRZ! Just from the picture the Sparco R600 looks like a more quality seat so it's nice to have confirmation of that directly from Sparco.
I did some detective work regarding Braum since I am not really familiar with them. Found out that the Braum Racing name was trademarked by a company called Heritage International here in Southern California. And Heritage International is an importer mainly for goods from China that is owned by Andy Deng of Deng Investments.
So based on the parent company's name, most likely these seats are being brought in from China (or somewhere else in SE Asia). They are also a very new company, as they didn't apply for registration of the name until May 2016 and just received their name registration on 5/2/17.
I'm not saying any of this is bad.. My Dad actually owns a company that imports high end audio equipment from Asia (China and Korea mainly), so I have nothing against importers. Just putting this information out there so you can make an informed decision on your future seat purchase.
Great Information, 4DRZ! Just from the picture the Sparco R600 looks like a more quality seat so it's nice to have confirmation of that directly from Sparco.
I did some detective work regarding Braum since I am not really familiar with them. Found out that the Braum Racing name was trademarked by a company called Heritage International here in Southern California. And Heritage International is an importer mainly for goods from China that is owned by Andy Deng of Deng Investments.
So based on the parent company's name, most likely these seats are being brought in from China (or somewhere else in SE Asia). They are also a very new company, as they didn't apply for registration of the name until May 2016 and just received their name registration on 5/2/17.
I'm not saying any of this is bad.. My Dad actually owns a company that imports high end audio equipment from Asia (China and Korea mainly), so I have nothing against importers. Just putting this information out there so you can make an informed decision on your future seat purchase.
Wow! Once again, you prove to be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to seats. 2 days and still no response from Peter at Braum Racing and 3 e-mails and over a week of no response from their "support team" about the simple question of where they are made. You are probably right about China. Nice looking seats, but it makes me a bit weary if no one can even tell me where they are made.
In contrast, Sparco customer service and knowledge is top notch. Pretty important when you sell a product that appeals to a very technical group of car people.
I was thinking the same thing about the Sparco R600 looking like it was higher quality than the R333. The padding looked a lot thicker and the fabric looked better. I just hope it is not too narrow. The best part is that they are on sale from a number of vendors for only about $150 more than the R333 (It lists for $350 more).
I think I will order one Sparco R600 first to test fitment. Then decide if the passenger will be another R600, an R100, or if I just decide to pull out the 75 lbs of passenger seat for track days. I wonder if they would let anyone ride in the back seat on track. I am hoping to find someone local at a race or car show in the next few months to actually be able to sit in a few seats. Fingers crossed...
05-24-2017, 10:33 PM
I am hoping to find someone local at a race or car show in the next few months to actually be able to sit in a few seats. Fingers crossed...