Found a few threads but not really applicable to my situation. I have a long torso so when I get into a good driving position my helmet hits the roof. If I recline the seat far enough for clearance then I'm hanging onto the steering wheel and it's a horrible position.

I need to lower the driver's seat in my EF for helmet clearance, it must remain stock and must stay on sliders.

I'm thinking remove the padding?

 

the padding isnt really thick enough to make a difference if you were to remove it. The only real way to drop the seat is to take the sliders off. They are roughly 2 inches high and will give you enough clearance. Its not very difficult to fab up a solid seat bracket the bolts on just like the stock sliders

 

JLK, the wife also rallycrosses the car so it has to remain adjustable. Her not being able to drive the car isn't an option, I did suggest I get another car for her to RX. That didn't go over well.

 

Which chassis do you have a crx or civic? I just had the seats out of my crx this weekend and I know for a fact that I couldnt sit in it with a helmet on regardless unless i removed the sliders, Im 6'1". A civic has a good bit more head room and the rails sit up higher. So if you have a civic you may have more room to drop the seats. The floor of a civic has over 2 inches of bracing in the front and rear where the seats bolt down that you could cut out to lower the seat but you would have to get creative how to secure the seat to the floor then, bolting it or welding the sliders to the floor.

 

What about modding the floorpan? If you have some basic fabrication skills, I would think putting a deeper pan in would not be out of the question. Just make sure you have the skills needed to make it safe. You don't want your seat busting loose in a crash. (Been there in my dirt tracker....it wasn't fun)

 

Flood and JLK, thanks for the ideas. I've got to check with SCCA if either of those mods will be legal. Pretty sure the floorpan mod is out in Stock FWD but I'll check with the head RX scrutineer.

Running a DX hatch.

 

Ever consider a slight dome over the drivers head like corvettes? Might look pretty dumb on a civic though. Does your civic have the headliner in still? you may gain some by removing it.

Like i said before, my crx has less than 1 inch of headroom between the top of my head and the roof without a helmet with stock Si seats. Id never be able to lower my seat enough to fit comfortably without gansta leaning

 

Da seats sit really low. Have them in my sedan.

 

remove headliner?? or drill some holes in the side mounts..or remove padding orrrr all 3

 

I think a couple elements are missing here.

What kind of seat are you using now? Stock as in OEM stock(seat) or aftermarket seat attached to the stock attachment points?
This is important because there are products out there that change the seat geometry.
I cant imagine rallycross would be that against a simple modification such as seating?

Have you looked into the Buddy Club low down seat mounts?
If that doesnt work for you then look into Wedge Engineering solutions too.
Lastly if you are just that tall you, will have to custom fabricate something to accomodate your seating preference/comfort.

Google search using "honda tech" in the thread so it brings only HT web pages.
This has been covered many times, and there is good information on seat issues.

I know this because I have posted on the threads applicable to your situation.
I may not be tall but I have an issue with sitting low enough that my head isnt in the roof area and too close to my cage.

FWIW: I think its great that your wife is involved in rallycross too.
A family that races together stays together.
Also it makes it easier to buy toys for the car because she benefits from them too.

 

What about del-slow seats? Those seem to sit low-ish? They're a stock honda seat so shouldn't be out of the rules. Just a thought I'm not sure if they in fact sit any lower.

 

The mods moved this from the EF forum and I guess it's for the best.

It's an EF Hatch that I'm running in SCCA RX Stock FWD. It is the OEM seat, ripped cover and all

I have to retain the car as stock or I'll be moved into another class. I've spoken with the SCCA Scrutineer and I can modify the seat as is (not sure about rails yet) can't remove headliner or modify pan.

SCCA RX rules actually state that the car must stay as shipped. For example, if you change a part to an SI part then the whole car has to be changed over to SI or move out of Stock. We have a large ummm discussion going on about some of these issues.

Yeah, the wife used to drag race when she was in HS, something about a good looking young lady that drives decent to attract attention for sponsors. My youngest daughter (13 years old) loves to "co-pilot" and she doesn't mind chasing cones when it's my turn to be a worker.

Thanks for all the ideas, sorry about not searching this more thoroughly.

 

As shipped with no regards to safety?
How stupid.....
A seat isnt going to help your car perform any better, and adds a level of safety.
Whoever makes the rules is really missing the boat here.

 

The rules allow you to cut a hole in the seat to fit a 5 point without regards to the rest of the proper mounting of a harness but I can't swap seats for proper fitment. Heck, there's arguments about radios...

In the SCCA's defense it's still a fairly new category and there will be growing pains. They want the rules to be fairly simple to avoid the 9000 classes they have in AX.

 

Are you serious? cut a hole in a seat to accomdate a 5 point harness?
I hate to ask where you are able to mount the shoulder straps? and the 5th point?
Roll bars allowed?
Seems this class needs a serious review for safetys sake.

 

Those points aren't covered... although down here in Alabama the odds are the scrutineers won't allow you to run with an unsafe harness set up.

Roll bars are allowed in stock.

 

Just the idea of cutting a hole in a seat nauseates me.
Stock seat with a back that can collapse and putting holes in it with no place for the straps to sit on.
How unsafe is that?
I feel for your delema.

 

ditch the sliders and mount the side plates to the floor via 1/8" plate welded to the floor pan. trust me when i say its the only way. i have been through it all in 3 chassis. that way is the absolutely lowest.

 

Another trick that I used in my civic was to replace the steering wheel, and add a quick release. It effectively increases the length of the steering column, which allows you to recline the seat, which gives you a little more head clearance. If steering wheel replacement is legal in your class, this may be a good option.

 

The trick I use (6'5") in my CRX SI w/ sunroof is to actually move my seat up a little. Not all the way back, but maybe 3 clicks from the farthest back, and then recline the seat a little. That gives me room from the slope of the roof. When i drive the car normally, i just have the seat all the way back. I have a couple civic hatches too, and i have good clearance in the DX(no sunroof), but the SI is pretty tight too. It is well known that a sunroof removal and headliner swap will give you an extra inch, but it sounds like you already have a DX, so that is out.

Unfortunately there are very few bolt-in options (i am not aware of any, actually) to make the stock seats lower in the civic/crx, and retain adjustability. all the aftermarket mount setups I am aware of, even non-adjustable types, are going to make the problem worse. The corbeau and sparco rails all mount the seats higher.

EG seats are taller. Not sure about Del Sol seats.. I have heard they are really low also, but getting them to mount in using stock hardware and still be low is not possible if they are exactly the same as the civic EG seats. FWIW i have EG seats in my civic DX, mounted with stock hardware, and they are about 1.5 inches taller and about 7 degrees crooked from dead straight, to get the sliders to work without welding/cutting.

Being in a stock class, you are really pretty out of luck in terms of what you can do. Removing the minimal padding in the seat is one way. I think the way i will go when i get to that point is to buy some aluminum Kirkey seats and bolt them to the floor in my driving position. I am not at this point yet though.

I am all ears if someone can point out a non-custom engineered option that does the job, with bonus points for being adjustable. I have not yet seen anything for the EF civic or CRX.

 

try slouching

 

I keep tossing up the idea of a 4 point mostly so I can mount my 5 point harness but headroom is a concern. I was going to put the seat directly on the floor but that would require the pedals to bottom mounted because of the angle and height they are from the factory. So that was a no go. Then I thought I could remove the sunroof, have a new skin welded in and gain an inch or two of clearance but with that much work and money put into it I could probably buy another chassis without the sunroof lol. Being tall is nothing but a disadvantage to motorsports.

 

+1.

Recline the seat and bring the steering wheel closer. Also probably the easiest solution given your design preferences

 

You have to also factor in where the shifter is located. I tried reclining the seat more by propping the front up and I could barely put it in 1,3, and 5th gear when strapped in tight.

 

Extending the steering column via a quick release sounds great but I'll have to check on 2 things;
1. Is quick release considered a "comfort/convenience" item
2. Would I be able to shift, although most driving is done in 2nd.