Jump to content
HybridZ

Need advice for seats and seat belts. New foam inserts?


ZMONSTR

Recommended Posts

I have 2 sets of original seats.  The ones is my current 260 are HIGHLY uncomfortable.  After a 30min drive, my wifes and I's lower back starts to hurt.  There is zero lumbar support.

 

I cant tell you if the seat were ever comfortable, because this is a new Z to us.  Last Z I had was 20+ years ago.. I dont remember

 

My questions are:

 

1. Has anybody done the new foam for the seats thing and how did it work out?

 

2. Is there a recommendation for a seat that has the seatbelts built in?  Right now, the angles of the seating make the seats belts very high on the shoulder, rubbing our necks.  

 

Thank you

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never found the stock seats to be comfortable, but more because there was no support for me and I always seemed to fight to stay in place for turns. I second the aftermarket seat approach. some very comfortable ones can be had for cheap if you aren't racing seriously. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it all depends on what kind of driving you'll be doing in your Z and how much you want to stick to an OEM look. For true ergos and support your stock seats are definitely not the ticket but for cruising they are fine with new foam inserts. I bought the new foam from MSA and had my upholsterer manufacture new covers that were similar to the original 280Z seats. I'm very happy with the results. They almost look stock and are much more ergonomic and comfortable than the originals. Definitely not cheap though.

Original seats:

post-49397-0-45006500-1446505518_thumb.jpg

New custom seat covers with MSA foam:

post-49397-0-33774900-1446505110_thumb.jpg

Edited by dmoralesbello
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lack of lumbar can be a bummer, but if that is a problem they do make universal lumbar support cushions that just strap around the seat. 

 

No good seat will have seatbelts built in, the belts need to be attached to the chassis. I don't recall the stock three point very well, but it should be fairly close to your neck, too low on the shoulder and in the case of an accident you would slip right out. Maybe a belt cushion would be helpful. Or maybe the belt mounting plate needs to be rotated.

 

Edit: Also just saw something interesting. Some newer cars have a little strap that can slightly alter the direction of the belt sewn into the seat with a button clip, that would allow for comfort and in the case of an accident or if you really needed it it would snap off and assume the correct position. Also a picture would be useful to see if your belt is in the right spot or not.

Edited by seattlejester
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Aftermarket seats for the 260/280 are a pain in the ass. Make sure when you get suggestions from other Z owners, that they've gone through it in a later year car with the trans tunnel hump. The passenger side is easy enough, but drivers side requires work. At minimum you'll need to bash in (ugly and cheap) the tunnel in order to center the driver seat properly. To do it nicely would require cutting and welding, and all the associated prep and finishing work!

 

From there, you also have to make sure the seat is narrow enough to fit properly, and forget about wide shoulder bolsters. Just a warning. 

Edited by thedarkie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...