Fluidplay

Planning on getting more track days in next year and need to add more safety features e.g. roll-bar, seats and 4 or 5 point belts.

Anyone have any experience with the Corbeau A4 seats?

Seats: http://www.corbeau.com/products/reclining_seats/a4/

Roll-bars: Autopower race bolt-in vs Redline Price point and quality are about the same. Is there a safety difference one over the other?

Chris White

They are nice – not Sparco or Recaro level of niceness – but they are half the price!
You can get seat heaters installed at the factory for a fairly reasonable price.
I have installed a bunch of the CR1’s in 944s – a nice street / track seat

BTW – I am a Corbeau dealer if you want some help!

I like the Redline bar – it bolts into the factory seat belt mounting points so you do not have to cut up the interior. The Redline bar is really a ‘harness bar’ with some rollover protection. It may not be accepted as a Roll bar by some organizations.

If you are going to install a roll bar than why are you looking for a seat that hinges? A one piece seat is usually a better choice for stiffness and fit – plus one piece seats have holes for sub belts (check out the FX1 pro)!

chrenan

I have a Forza as my seat and a wider Forza II as a passenger seat. Like Chris says, they aren't top of the line, but I've been very happy with mine. Had them for 4 years. Ran them in my old 924 with an autopower 4 point "race" rollbar and it was a nice setup. The autopower rollbar is nice, good fitment. Rennlister JustinL is running it in his 951 now.

67King

I have an FX1 (Pro? whichever is the smaller of the two) for me, and a Forza for the passenger. They are great for being relatively new to this. If you go that route, you should get a lumbar bladder for driving on the street. My back hurt for WEEKS after driving it to and from Road Atlanta (~4 hours) before I started trailering it (yes, I have a VERY firm suspension, but the roads here are pretty decent).It also takes a lot to get a decent recline. I had to get sliders, weld tabs to them for the back, and build up a pedestal on the front to get the fronts up enough. The Corbeau brackets leave the seat very flat.

Anyway, I'd definately recommend the FX1 or FX1 Pro, depending on your size. The only caveat is that, unlike my Forza, there is no label indicating it is FIA certified (though their website claims it is), should you ever do more than just DE's.

Fluidplay

Chris - is there a significant difference between the A4 & CR1's. I'm leaning toward the A4 due to sizing. It appears the A4 may fit me a little better than the CR1. I'm 5'10" - 155#.

The car is still a street/track car, so I'm not sure if the positioning of a fixed seat is something I can live with 100% of the time. Though I did look at the FX1Pro. I would consider this if there's a way to adjust seat angles with a fixed seat? Spacers maybe?

Thanks for the offer...PM coming shortly.

BTW- I may have a great set of re-upolstered (3yrs ago) black leather sport seats available if I go this route.

Thanks to all for your input.

LS1Porch

I've been keeping an eye on the A4's too, nice looking seat. Any idea about weight and seating position? (Lower seating position would be a plus)

ritzblitz

Fluid, once you get the angle set right on the seat, there usually aren't reasons to change it. Side mounts are generally adjustable.

For instance, these have lots of possible positions-

Chris White

Lots of ways to get the fixed back seats just right. You can use the mounts with multiple holes (like the Sparco ones pictured above) or you can shim the mounts where they bolt to the rails or the floor. Either way you can get the mounting dialed in to exactly where you want it. BTW – the Sparco mounts that are made for the 944 have never worked well for me – in fact they drove me crazy on one project!

Reuse the stock sliders if you want adjustability – they are better than any of the aftermarket mounts. A fairly simple adapter can be made from some flat stock.

The CR-1 and the A4 are very similar in design, the CR1 has a little longer (front ot back) base and I like that – but that’s just me – its always better if you get a chance to sit in one. The Suede fabric is a real nice look for these seats.
BTW- for $29 Corbeau will add the sub strap holes to either seat.

xsboost90

i had a set of a4's in my n/a a few years ago. I paid extra to have the sub belt holes punched in them. Im 6'1" and with my helmet on i was touching the roof and had to slouch alittle to autox. This was with sliders. They were comfortable enough for awhile but after about a half hour, started to get kinda rough on my back. I never liked the Forza seats much either. Love my Sparcos.

Dr. Dynamics

Chris, I have CR1 on the drivers side. Is it normal that the driving position is significantly taller than stock?
Or is there something wrong with the bases that might need attention?

Chris White

If you used the Corbeau sliders it will be lower than stock. How was it mounted? I have seen some pretty wierd apadters...!