Tall People Solutions?
 

I am interested in buying a 2022 BRZ base to replace both my 13 FRS and 09 335d but the seating position is terrible compared to my 13 FRS and previous 14 BRZ. I like to sit quite upright and close-ish to the wheel and find my head has zero room for a helmet (not even enough head room without a helmet) and my right knee hits the column plastic with it all the way up. I figure minimum an inch lower is what I need to consider the car, but I also am not sure what’s going to be involved wiring/warning light defeat wise to change seats and brackets. Also do we know yet eta for aftermarket seat/rail options or whether 1st Gen aftermarket parts are likely to fit?

Anything aftermarket will not have a side airbag, which IMO is a non-starter for a daily driven car.
On top of that, many argue that fixed-back bucket seats are unsafe at the track without a roll bar / half cage.

Previously I looked into fabricating a custom bracket for the 1st gen to mount the stock seat an inch lower, but couldn't figure out an easy way to do it.
The good news is the 2022 seat is attached to the seat rails differently than '13–'20. This time they went with four horizontal bolts, so perhaps two L-shaped brackets is all that's needed to mount the stock seat in a fixed lower position.
The challenge might be to figure out how to bolt the brackets to the floor when the seat is in place. Might require some serious car yoga!

Another possibility is to do foamoctemy to the lower seat cushion.

I would suggest reverting to your teenage form to reduce your height. But I'm not qualified, nor tall enough, to give a good solution.

I have the same problem. I also prefer to be sitting more upright, and the BRZ does not allow for this, nevermind with a helmet on. I will also be looking at many different solutions, custom brackets or a different seat, maybe remove the headliner? Every millimeter counts at this point.

Recaro sportster CS has airbags.

How tall are you guys?

I don't think we can get those in North America. I would love a pair though.

First gen stuff bolts in, supposedly.


That said, I definitely felt like the seat sits higher too in the second gen, but I still have decent headroom even with a helmet at 6'4" and I'd love to keep stock seat and lower it, like the Aurora Auto Designs lowering rails for the ND Miata

There are a shit ton of us tall people in these things because we're all would-be mr2/s2k/miata owners had we fit in any of those.


That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Truth!!!!! K-swapped MR2

Im 6'1 and I sight directly upright as well I fit just fine however I would not be able to wear a helmet unless I move the seat back. Do you have more leg length or more torso length? I actually sit further up in the BRZ than I do my Z3 as the pedals in my BMW are so much closer to my feet I can push the seat back a bit. Also do you have the pitch of the seat cranked down? Ive found you can gain a little more clearance by pitching the seat a bit

So, just confirming, seat bottom as low/tilted back as it can go, steering wheel pulled as far out as possible? I've found you can get a few more millimeters longitudinally on the gen1 steering wheel if it's tilted a few degrees down from the topmost setting. Might want to try a couple clicks back on the seat and tilt the wheel down a bit. Aftermarket steering wheel might help too.

When I did my test fit at the dealership, I actually wished that the steering wheel would have come out further.

In 1989, I sat in a Miata and my head just touched the cross bar on the convertible top. I knew instinctively that several miles of my head bouncing off that bar would be a big pile of regret. Over the years I would try out the next iteration of the MX5 and no dice. I am only 6' tall. The BRZ fits like a glove, problem solved.

Just sold my ND Miata of 3 years for the twin and not because I'm too tall, haha.

Shorty


https://i.imgflip.com/56ilpe.jpg

What the previous poster said -- the Recaro Sportster CS does come with airbags and iirc was offered as an option for the JDM version of the car.

Yeah due to regulations on aftermarket safety equipment you'd have to import them. Essentially $6k for new seats.

It's a mod I plan on doing because even at the lowest height the stock seats feel a little too high for me and I feel like I'm sitting on them rather than in them like I did with the MKV Supra (I'm 6'2"). I won't remove a safety device without replacing it with another so that's my only choice it looks like.

Why are you driving every day with a helmet on?

I am 6’2” and there’s zero chance I can make a second gen work without at least an inch or so minimum of seat base drop. Not only does my head touch the roof without a helmet, but my right knee is hitting the column pretty good as well. Seat all the way down, wheel all the way telescoped out, and tilted up. I can not move the seat back or tilt the base down because I will not be close enough to the controls and I won’t have any thigh support which is uncomfortable.

Sounds like I should just look elsewhere, keep my 13 and replace my 335d with something else.

6' 4" but ok

Too subtle? 'Twas the joke.

Everyone is missing the real issue. It isn't the height. It's the distance between our belt lines and our heads. If you are tall with a long torso then it's a problem. If you are tall with long legs it may not be an issue. I am 6 foot 2 with somewhat of a long torso and I just barely fit. I will not be able to track the car though.

I'm the long torso kind, 6'4". Can barely fit into a gen1 car with a helmet on, having to slouch quite a bit.

Yes, the 2nd gen is a bit better. I have to slouch a bit less with my helmet on.

Ahh.. My people.. The too tall gang.

I'm checking in with 949racing this week or next to try out the steering wheel spacer they use - I've had it on my NC Miata and 8v S3, works excellent in my opinion. The only caveat - your turn signal indicator and windshield wiper stalk won't be within finger distance anymore, but I find it charming. Either way, it clears up some space under your knees and prevents me from having to slide the seat as far forward, so my knees aren't as bunched up against the console/dash.

I've also emailed Aurora Auto Design (Blackbird Fabworx) asking about interest in developing a lower seat rail for the factory seats similar to their ND miata offering. I'll post back when I receive a response.

If still nothing, this spring I'm going to have a local upholsterer take a peak at the seat bottom and see if a foamectomy is in order.

Does anyone have suggestions for thin helmets? Google search suggests Arai helmets are the smallest...

I hope the spacer isn't made of the same material they use for their wheels.

Which is very very bad in the event of an accident.

Exactly, hence my interest in lowering the seat.

I tried their spacer, didn't help with the headroom at all, as the back of my helmet was hitting the reinforcement of the roof as soon as I leaned back slightly. It did make reaching the steering wheel easier though.

Yeah Timurrr, for long torso folk it can have a bad effect if you're pushing the seat further back and hitting the slope with your head. But for the long legged tall folk, it's a great help.

btw I think the shape of the ceiling in the 2022 has been simplified, so that slope might be less of an issue.

You just made my day with this post. I searched and searched for something like this when I got my NC. I thought for sure it would be possible, but evidently 949 had not yet released it. Thanks!

I will buy for the BRZ too. I don't need 2in with the telescoping steering wheel all the way out, but I can slide it back in a bit if need be.

Very cool. NC part already ordered!

I would also take an inch lower seat on the BRZ. I have about an inch above my helmet, but I would like more. Blackbird or 949 can have more of my money if they make something.

Lots of good comments. I’m a tall torso guy so that’s my issue. Haven’t ruled it out yet (mostly because with the car market these days I literally just don’t see anything good to buy) but will keep an eye out for updates and continue thrashing my 13 for now.

So for taller guys, what about a seat replacement? I normally don't mess with that stuff do to all the safety things you can change but it seems for this car I will prob need a bucket being that I'm 6'2" and like to go racing so will need room for a helmet!

I'm 6'2, I brought a helmet along on my test drive to see how well I Fit. The helmet just touches the headliner. So yeah, it will depend on your specific anthropometry. You won't know without sitting in one to find out for yourself.

That's a possible solution (and a common one among existing 1st gen owners), but not without compromise.

For starters, you lose side airbags.
Well, ok, you might be lucky if you live in Europe, or willing to pay ~$6k to import these seats into the US:

Even then, it's an open question whether an airbag in a generic aftermarket seat will work correctly/effectively in a tight interior like ours in case of a side accident.

If you get a fixed-back bucket seat like most do, some would argue that it's unsafe to use them at the track without at least a half cage; and some orgs/techs might not let you out on track. There's probably 15 existing threads on this forum where people discuss whether it's safe or not.
Getting a proper half-cage will also cost you a few thousand dollars if you decide to do it.

I guess some of us will have to drive practically laying down, like Formula 1 drivers lol.

Is it me or do we have two different takes on gen 1 vs. gen 2 headroom?

Isn't there a spring mod that can be done like on gen. 1s?

Otherwise, a cheaper way to get Recaro CSs is to look up gen. 3 FL Renault Clio RS used seats from Europe, as they could be fitted with optional Recaro CSs with airbags. However, I have no idea whether the airbag would connect to our wiring harness, whether it would actually help safety in the 86's interior, and whether the seat would bring any headroom improvement.

I'm 6'4.5" (35" inseam) and I ordered the 22 BRZ in July and picked it up in late November. I took a gamble on whether the car would fit me or not and whether the prior performance issues would be corrected. That gamble paid off. It fits me ok, barely. The seat is slid back to it's limit and reclined to the point of leaning against the back seat platform. I could not wear a helmet in this or most other cars. The seating position is ok; it's comfortable; I'm used to it. I have to recline the seat in every car I get into.

A racing seat could mount directly to the floor and sit lower and be mounted back a bit. I don't particularly want to go that route.

I would not recommend the car to someone my size and risk being blamed if they decided to whine and moan about the fit, However, I would absolutely buy the car again and will likely keep this one a very long time.