Jerry,
I went the Mazda MX5/Miata route, and I was not too happy with the
result. They fit in width-wise, but the bottom of the seat base is
significantly higher than the original seats. This is partly because
the base is deeper, but also because the underneath of the base of the
original seats is suspended actually slightly below the bottom of the
runners, while the base of the Mazda seats is above the top of the
runners - must be an inch or two higher. The Triumph seats really make
the optimum use of every bit of space to get the seats as low as
possible.
The result of this is that, although the Mazda seats are more
supportive, particularly laterally, you feel slightly more perched "on"
the car rather than truly snug "in" it. Also, if you are as tall as I
am (6'2") you are peering out through the top couple of inches of the
windscreen, without the roof your head is in the windrush, and with it
(hard or soft-top) your head is brushing the roof. If you are 5'10" or
less they may be OK, but I wouldn't recommend them for anyone taller.
I don't know about seats from other cars, but I'd have thought it is
likely they'd face the same problem, I'd certainly check. There are
companies making seats for race cars and kits cars (Cobra is one in the
UK, I wouldn't know where to look in the US) who make seats that might
well fit, and have a thin enough base that you would sit as low as the
original seat.
If I had to do this over again, I'd have fitted new foams and covers to
my original seats, even if that did mean spending a bit extra compared
to the cost of the Mazda seats. The passenger seat probably would have
gone without new foams - not so worn as the drivers side, and rarely
used anyway!
Richard Gosling
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