Recaros vs Non-Recaros

[johnny1]

An old fart like me (73) I definitely appreciate the heated/cooled leather seats in my 2017. I don't track the car and I can drive a long trip and am totally comfortable all the way. I set in a 2017 at dealership with the Racaros and thought omg like sitting on a rock and the seat boasters are to close together. I do understand though if your younger and plan to track car a lot that the Racaros would be best.

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[MikeMM]

I had a different experience at the Track Attack when I drove a GT350 with Recaros. They worked fine if I cinched the harness super tight, but with it only moderately tight I had to use my arms and legs to hold myself in position. I can use a harness with my convenience seats and with the harness tight enough I'm held in place similar to the Recaros. The Recaros are probably good for street driving and 80% cornering, but IMO they aren't supportive enough and the bolsters aren't deep enough for the track. IMO it's better to go with an aftermarket custom seat for the road course.

I'm about 6'4" and 240.

Honestly I guess it really depends what you’re going to use the car for. I don’t track mine and I have no intention of tracking it so the Recaros perform to the level I need them for during my sprited drives in the mountains. Were I going to track it I’d see how they worked at the track because the bolsters hug me tight, and go from there. If anything I’d just swap out the drivers seat for something better. But honestly I feel a performance car deserves performance seats. They may not be the end all be all for the track, but they’re a better seat than the couches for daily driving.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Ingress and egress with my recaros are a chore to say the least, and once in you're locked in.

 

[rj45]

My car is a dd and I have the Recaro seats. As already mentioned, ingress/egress does require more effort (and I’m not big), but it’s worth it. The bolsters are very supportive and overall comfort is good for a track-style sport seat. Plus, they look great. That said, larger folks probably won’t be comfortable in them.

 

[Zcobra1]

One thing with the sofa seats, as they break in, and I am a heavier guy, they do sink down and start to conform and snug up a bit as the miles add up. Obviously not like a true track seat, but adequate for a multi use car.

 

[Zcobra1]

Yeah, except people are price gouging the crap out of the Recaros so you're looking at 3K minimum even for a used set... New from ford they're closer to 4K. And god help you if you think you're going to get a set out of an R, because those are over 6K used; if you can even find them. I think you'd be better off to start with the Recaros because you're way more likely to be able to sell/trade them to another owner with "sofa seats" as you call them lol.

I don't know what area you're from Zcobra1, but a solid 90% of the cars I found on the east coast; especially in the New England area have the Recaros. I find it kind of interesting that some areas have such a high concentration of one or the other. In my state, there was only one dealer in the whole state that had a convenience package 350, they were all base and electronics package.

Ya people want a whole lot of coin for both types of seats. The thing is that if you have Recaros and you want to switch out to sofa seats it is a whole lot more complicated, can be done, but a pain as connections are not there....

A advantage to getting a extra set of Recaros and switching out for track season is that the air bags are intact, interlock connections, etc. makes it plug and play.
Now that does not address the fact that the Recaros are not the same level as a true track seat, but again with a true track seat you have no airbags and loss of sensors to deal with, so not a simple plug and play. May not matter to some.
Also, if you did acquire a set of Recaros and used them as such, switching out for summer or track season, when the time comes you should be able to get a decent amount of your money back when you sell.

Either way, too much hassle for me personally, I will roll on with the sofa seats !

 

[AeschyA]

I have the Recaro seats, and my first drive in the car was a 8+ hour drive back home from the dealership on the interstate. The seats were much more comfortable and supportive than I was expecting. As others have mentioned, getting out of the car requires a bit of work; getting in is not really an issue.

Having never sat in either seat before I submitted my build order, I made my seat decision mostly on aesthetics; the Recaro seats just look "right" with the car. To each their own when it comes to that.

For perspective, I am a middle-aged guy (40) with no back or knee issues (6'0" 175).

For someone that did have a back or knee ailment, I could see the seats being more of an issue.

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