Aftermarket seats/rails discussion

86 (BlueZ)
Seats - Corbeau A4's
Rails/Sliders - Corberu
Opinion - Cheapest aftermarket option available for the z31. Was a pretty straight bolt and go operation. The rails and sliders make the seats sit higher. Rails came with a spot to mount seat belt clip. I really wish everything was mounted 3" lower giving more head room against the ttops and would make ones legs much more comfortable. Seats are a bargin but you get what you pay for. After a few years they definitely show some wear and tear, especially for something that is just a fair weather car.

Shiro (Shiro)
Seat - Bride Gias 3 Low Max
Rails - Custom Slider - Bride universal bottom mount
Opinion - You can read what I posted in Brian's thread. Anytime you take on custom anything there are always growing pains. The floor/seat mount for the rails on a z31 is not flat. There are offsets, studs and everything else to consider to make the seat sit parallel. I took as much effort to mount everything as low as possible. Which turned into 2 hour mounting puzzle on something that should be a quick install. The seat belt clip actually mounts to the rails in the z31. I went with harnesses so it didnt really matter making it work with custom rails. In the end it was fully tailored to my height and ergonomics perfectly. Loved the shit out of that setup. Just took a few iterations to get everything correct. In the end the seat is pretty aggressive. Awesome for when you slinging the car around. But on long drives trying to adjust one's package, back sweating and needing to remove the steering wheel to get in and out was getting a bit old.

Shiro (Shiro)
Seats - Bride Eurosters
Rails/Sliders - Bride
Opinion - Bolt in, everything you need. Rails come with spots for the stock seat belt clips and all hardware is included. Height is good, comfort level vs lateral support is right on. EXPENSIVE AS ALL HELL, AND TOOK 7MO+ TO RECEIVE THE RAILS. The complete setup for the Corberu's were cheaper than the Bride Rails/Silders

85t (Mr. Tickles)
Seats - 964 Porsche Recaro's
Rails/Sliders - TBD
Opinion - Seats are awesome and fit the era. Much more supportive than Shiro Recaros. Still working on the setup. Pretty sure I have a straight forward easy solution but holding off until everything is finalized.

Honorable Mention - Shiro Recaro's are really nice seats. Some lateral support, very sporty and comfortable. Probably one of the best bang of the buck bolt in options if you can find a set.




I guess I am kind of a seat whore? On anything stiffer than stock suspension, OEM seats suck a fat one. Hell I really like the ones in my 85t, but I cannot stand driving because they bounce everywhere. Stupid sprung seats.

Awesome info adam! you never fail to deliver haha!

do you know what the corbeaus run? I may go that route as my stock seats are pooched and the Brides are big$

What I found with Corbeau they are pretty much list price to what you find on the internet. There are not many deals to be had buying them from distributors, maybe a 10% off here and there. The entire bolt in setup was under $900. I still feel they say pretty high in the car. I am 5'11" and cannot wear a helmet without it hitting the ttop. My other complaint is the bottom leg cushion does not do well on long drives. Mainly due to the seat being too high. Like a mentioned before, being 2-3" lower would make a world of difference. Said and done though, far superior to any stock z31 sprung seat.

Depending your resources or creativity, there are a lot of OEM seats from other cars that are bargains. A lot of euro's came with Recaro's stock over many years. Its just a matter of finding a clean set and figuring out how to mount. If you have blue interior I have always been interested in the evo8 oem Recaro's. You can find them for under 500 in decent shape. This is what I would like to replace the Corbeaus with the 86 some day.

I still say, for ease of installation and performance, if you can find a good set of Shiro Recaro's for under $700, that will be the bread and butter.

I'm currently running a set of gray Z32 seats in my 86. Mounted them using the stock Z32 rails and some flat bar and bolts I got from Lowes to adjust for the width differences between the mounts. Biggest issue is that the Z32 seats sit a little crooked in the car. You can see it if you look at them from outside (they lean toward the center of the car), but it's not really noticeable once you're sitting in the car. I plan to see about cutting the stock mounts on the seats and adjusting them to make them sit flat, just haven't done it.

Im running Corbeau Forza "wide" seats. got them pretty cheap from a friend, but without rails. I had left over rails from my Civic (what I was running them in) that I adapted/cut/welded to suit the Z. as low as possible, and positioned nicely! the seats are incredibly comfortable! I was daily driving in them for most of a year, which was 45min+ each way! Im planning now to swap them out for some adjustable back MOMO's I just snagged from a Z32 buddy, which have aluminum plate (3/8" thick possibly) attaching the rails. I will be swapping the Z32 rails to Z31 rails, and fitting in my red Z31, for easier street driving. the momo's fit excellent, and are plenty comfy, and more supportive than I expected!

The EVO8 recaros is a great idea, I do kinda want a fixed back bucket as the car will see more track/spirited driving than long cruises (unless I plan for branson one day haha)

I will not be able to use the corbeau rails as I am 6'2 and plan to wear a helmet on the track days!! looks like I may grab 1 or 2 corbeau forza's and make my own rails.

thanks for the info man!

not a huge fan of Z32 seats, but that's a decent option if I don't go full race buckets!!


hmm interested in letting go of the forza's if they are black?

good info, those were the seats I look at yesterday!

I didnt say I was getting rid of them!! Just swapping out for while it's a street/daily kinda car. FYI - Im 6'3" and wore a helmet while racing, notice my sig pic, with the Forza's and MY brackets.

ahh ok!! ususally swapping means selling I find haha! its all good!

while looking for corbeau distributors I came across NRG seats. the rest of their products seem to be good? so I may try these out @ 250/ea new with brackets and they are local!

then I just need to make sliders!

DAMN, thats cool! had no idea they made seats! would be a good idea to drop by and put your ass in some to make sure you fit/they feel right for you!

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PR…c08f11/50-4010

Keep in mind, if it's a legit track day they are going to make you take your T-Tops out before you go on the track anyway.

FYI - direct from other Corbeau dealers, you can get the seat rails for close to $90 each for these cars…