Why The Recaro Sportster CS is a Terrible Aftermarket Option
The Recaro Sportster CS in the Nismo dress is a beautiful, comfortable, and functional seat. So if you're like me looking for a set or the next best thing, you've stumbled on the non Nismo edition of that seat.
You'd think it's a no brainer fitting the Sportster CS into the Z, but it's much more complicated than that. For anyone who doesn't know, the Nismo Recaro is the sportster CS, but the seat base mechanics are built by NISSAN and features an airbag. I've seen a post here of someone with a Sportster CS that featured an Airbag, but I was not able to find one stateside. That said, the Recaro edition is ALL Recaro.
Ordering from Z1Motorsports, it was recommended that I purchase the recaro Sliders and the Sparco seat bracket with the understanding that I will have to drill a couple holes to fit the Recaro slider to the bracket. The gentleman explained he had the same setup and the seat feels great. Okay, say less!
What no one tells you is that all said and done, the slider set uses 3/4 inch spacers to distance the sliders from the seat base. This is due to a lateral bar running underneath and center of the seat. You cannot physically bolt the seat directly to the bracket or the seat + sliders to the bracket without that spacer, otherwise there will be clearance issues. If not for the 1.5 inch increase in heigh with the sliders/spacers, the seating position could be okay.
All assembled, I mocked it up in the car, sat down, and realized the seating position was shifted up roughly an inch - inch 1/2. The arm rests were now too low, the steering wheel was too low and awkward in general. my knees were bent at the same angle as they would be sitting in an F150. I felt as though I'm sitting on top of the car rather than in it.
In addition, the Recaro + sliders + bracket is heavier than the stock manual seat.
As a regular track enthusiast, I'm pretty disappointed. I've not been able to find alternative seat brackets/sliders that fit the Recaro in the Z. If anyone has information regarding a working solution, please advise. I'll be looking at either modifying the seat bracket to fit the seat directly to the bracket or exchanging everything for a side mounted setup.
Last edited by Iammeowwwwww; 11-06-2022 at 10:46 AM.
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