The bug finally bit me. I have had my mx6 seats for about a year now, and i have heard all the rave about mx3 seats. after seeing Bruce had a set of Recaro, and sitting in David page's car with the other mx3 seats, i finally jumped in and said WTF, why not.
so i pick up a pair of mx3 seats. the plan is to sell off the seats, but before i do i wanted to compare them.
i did have a stock dx and lx seat around, but after i went for a rip in the GT seat, and concluded that it was not a woth my time to post a pic of the dx and lx seat in my car. OEM the GT seat was so far superior to the DX seat it wasn't even funny.
The GT seats
well the GT seats had a nice feel to them. They were supportive and were stylish. the fact that there are only 3500 of them avalible in N/A might have influenced me a little.
to be honest. of the 3 seats i tested i rode the highest in the GT seat. the lateral support, was not as apparent as i though it would be. the side lumbar support has very steep banks. i thought this near ninety degree side suport woud keep me in. But look can be decieving. the real support on the seat comes from the base. your thighs are locked in. for you women racers, My signifigant other, Kathleen, ranked this seat the lowest in terms of "hip room", though i ranked it second. So for you guys this is a grest seat in terms of keeping your ass planted.
the style of the GT seat really sings. it is a true rare seat. after a carful look over i realized that shares many construction que's with the mx3 seat. i would go as far as to say that the mx3 and GT seat are brethern.
The GT seat had the same seat rail as the DX and LX protege's stock seats. after swapping seat rails and a test with a level i will stand by my findings.
The GT's seat realy gave my back a run for it's money. in the rougher roads i felt every bump. the construction of the seat reminds me of the LX seats i used to have, and the ride reflected that of an lx seat in terms of vibration.
mind you for racing condition wher a steal seat welded to the floor would be ideal, for feeling _everything_. I on the other hand am on a waiting list for back surgery, so i am not a big fan of pain or bumps that cause pain.
The price to aquire a GT seat was what did it in. with only 3500 ever made, and most of them scattered across canada, the seats are very rare. these seats were not sold in the USA in a protege. So to get your hands on one state side you have to find a willing canadian to find someone parting out a GT, and pull the seats for you. break them down and ship them.
all in all the GT seat just edged out the MX3 Recaro seat at 56 points, but it would be safe to say that they tied.
The MX3 seat
Well for starters the MX3 seats had this racer quality. The low stance of the seat really added to the feeling to the car. With these seats you either love them or you hate them. and if you air on the shorter end of the height spectrum, you really aren't going to be all that impressed. The seat provides a large drop in ride height. almost 2 inches when measured from the base of the steering wheel to the seat.
The lateral support pretty much matched that of the GT seat. Kathleen found that it had more hip room. after a quick chat. if the back of a GT seat could be mated to the mx3 seat you would have a better gripping seat for a female. i concluded the oppisite, a better seat would have been the GT bottom with the mx3 back. i guess that is just anatomy for you.
both Kathleen and myself found the ride to be identical to that of the GT seat. the vibrations were there, and the lager bumps did ride up our spine. But the look fo the seat struck a note in my heart. it looks soo beautiful in the car. i do have a bone to pick. I found the inability to adjust the head rest a bit of an issue. and when compared to the mx6 seats, the seat felt too ridgid in terms of personal comfort. and i do have some issues with the construction of the seat. the infamous lean.
this is caused by a 3cm discrepency between the inside and outside seat frame. the mx3 seat rail is built around this lean, so swapping seat rails is out of the question. 3 cm is too big a gap to cover with washers. so either you take the mx3 seat rails or you dont buy the seats.
This seat is a lot easier to find in a junkyard. most junkyards will have 2 or 3 pairs in it. Which mkaes it nice and availible. at 55 points it is a true winner of any seat found in a junk yard, for a racer, for a touring seat, that will see little racing i'l look elsewhere.
The MX6 seat.
of course i save the best for last. comming in at 65 points, 9 points above the GT and mx3 seats.
The mx6 seat had most of the qualities i look for in a seat. comfort, absorbtion of shock, vibration resistance, grip, construction, and of course the fact that very few protege's if any will have one it. you cannot swap in an mx6 seat without a little custom work. the car the seat was designed for is almost 6" wider than the protege. So to get this seat in is a tight fit. the MX6 seat rail is 2" wider than the stock protege one. so a deck is needed to mount the seat. even with a custom deck and seat rail i still sit 1/2" lower than the GT seat.
The Mx6 seat weight a good 15 to 20 lbs more than a GT seat. this is due to the full metal constuction of the seat. ther is no metal "springs" under the seat to keep you from falling through, but a full metal pan. the seat is of true bucket construction. You sit into the seat. it's ability to absorb shock an vibration well surpassed that of the mx3 of GT seat. Which for me is important. as frequent 8+ hour road trips are norm, the kidneys dont hurt. there was more structure under my ass, and more of the shock was sent throght the back of the seat insead of my spine.
with so much depth in the bucket, the seat did it's job in holding you in. The latereal supports were adjusted "in" to make the seat have sharper profile and hug you more. for a all out racing seat... i would question it. it has everything needed to keep youin, but if you drive by the seat of your pants, there is a lot there to dampen your senses. a great seat if you do just a little racing, but also drive for more than 2 hours.
The mx6 seat had 2 more ways to adjust than the GT seat. the seat can be moved vertically, and maintain the tilt of the seat. also the lumbar, support was adjustable. making the MX6 seat adjustable in 3 more ways than the GT seat.
The mx6 seat, is a custom seat, so very few people will have it. so it scored well in rareity. but it's style is out of the earyl 90's. not a lot of ohhs and ahhh. the seats would more likely dock you points in a pure looks car show. but to a fellow enthusiast, the seat is custom, and that should score some points, for fitting something in a car that isn't suposed to fit.
I found the seat a pain to move. the 50lb seat was not fun to get from the car into the house. and if you are weight minded, get the mx3 seat. it weighted the least(24lb). the GT seat in my opinion had the best wow factor, and weights in at an almost identical (25lb). it is so much more sparce than the mx3 seat. but to me the mx6 seat took the cake. it had the support i looked for and required, in a daily driving seat, caused pain to the fewest female pressure points, and had the grip needed for the occasional weekend run on a solo2 track.
all in all. the 3 seats i tested all make for better seats than stock. i found the Racaro mx3 seats more apealing than the "other" mx3 seats. had i tested the other seats i would have placed them just in front of the DX seat.
I did not weight the DX or LX seat, I could only fit the mx3, 6 and GT seats in my car. all weights are +/-2lbm due to the scale i used.
My final concluding thought is that you can not go wrong with the mx3 Recaro, GT seat. they are rally inspired seats. The mx6 makes a great all around seat, and the DX seat is well .... a great excuse to get new seats.
Shock abosorbtion: 4(GT) 4(mx3) 8(mx6) 4(LX) 3 (DX)
Latereal grip: 6 6 8 4 3
Vibration dampening: 6 6 8 4 3
Style: 8 9 5 4 3
Construction: 5 4 8 4 3
rareity: 9 4 8 4 1
hip room: 4 4 8 4 4
Adjustibilty: 6 4 10 4 3
Aquirbiltiy: 3 10 2 8 8
Comfort: 6 5 9 2 1
total 56(GT) 55(mx3) 65(MX6) 38(LX) 29(DX)
please if you have any question just ask i know for a fact i left a few things out.
so i pick up a pair of mx3 seats. the plan is to sell off the seats, but before i do i wanted to compare them.
i did have a stock dx and lx seat around, but after i went for a rip in the GT seat, and concluded that it was not a woth my time to post a pic of the dx and lx seat in my car. OEM the GT seat was so far superior to the DX seat it wasn't even funny.
The GT seats
well the GT seats had a nice feel to them. They were supportive and were stylish. the fact that there are only 3500 of them avalible in N/A might have influenced me a little.
to be honest. of the 3 seats i tested i rode the highest in the GT seat. the lateral support, was not as apparent as i though it would be. the side lumbar support has very steep banks. i thought this near ninety degree side suport woud keep me in. But look can be decieving. the real support on the seat comes from the base. your thighs are locked in. for you women racers, My signifigant other, Kathleen, ranked this seat the lowest in terms of "hip room", though i ranked it second. So for you guys this is a grest seat in terms of keeping your ass planted.
the style of the GT seat really sings. it is a true rare seat. after a carful look over i realized that shares many construction que's with the mx3 seat. i would go as far as to say that the mx3 and GT seat are brethern.
The GT seat had the same seat rail as the DX and LX protege's stock seats. after swapping seat rails and a test with a level i will stand by my findings.
The GT's seat realy gave my back a run for it's money. in the rougher roads i felt every bump. the construction of the seat reminds me of the LX seats i used to have, and the ride reflected that of an lx seat in terms of vibration.
mind you for racing condition wher a steal seat welded to the floor would be ideal, for feeling _everything_. I on the other hand am on a waiting list for back surgery, so i am not a big fan of pain or bumps that cause pain.
The price to aquire a GT seat was what did it in. with only 3500 ever made, and most of them scattered across canada, the seats are very rare. these seats were not sold in the USA in a protege. So to get your hands on one state side you have to find a willing canadian to find someone parting out a GT, and pull the seats for you. break them down and ship them.
all in all the GT seat just edged out the MX3 Recaro seat at 56 points, but it would be safe to say that they tied.
The MX3 seat
Well for starters the MX3 seats had this racer quality. The low stance of the seat really added to the feeling to the car. With these seats you either love them or you hate them. and if you air on the shorter end of the height spectrum, you really aren't going to be all that impressed. The seat provides a large drop in ride height. almost 2 inches when measured from the base of the steering wheel to the seat.
The lateral support pretty much matched that of the GT seat. Kathleen found that it had more hip room. after a quick chat. if the back of a GT seat could be mated to the mx3 seat you would have a better gripping seat for a female. i concluded the oppisite, a better seat would have been the GT bottom with the mx3 back. i guess that is just anatomy for you.
both Kathleen and myself found the ride to be identical to that of the GT seat. the vibrations were there, and the lager bumps did ride up our spine. But the look fo the seat struck a note in my heart. it looks soo beautiful in the car. i do have a bone to pick. I found the inability to adjust the head rest a bit of an issue. and when compared to the mx6 seats, the seat felt too ridgid in terms of personal comfort. and i do have some issues with the construction of the seat. the infamous lean.
this is caused by a 3cm discrepency between the inside and outside seat frame. the mx3 seat rail is built around this lean, so swapping seat rails is out of the question. 3 cm is too big a gap to cover with washers. so either you take the mx3 seat rails or you dont buy the seats.
This seat is a lot easier to find in a junkyard. most junkyards will have 2 or 3 pairs in it. Which mkaes it nice and availible. at 55 points it is a true winner of any seat found in a junk yard, for a racer, for a touring seat, that will see little racing i'l look elsewhere.
The MX6 seat.
of course i save the best for last. comming in at 65 points, 9 points above the GT and mx3 seats.
The mx6 seat had most of the qualities i look for in a seat. comfort, absorbtion of shock, vibration resistance, grip, construction, and of course the fact that very few protege's if any will have one it. you cannot swap in an mx6 seat without a little custom work. the car the seat was designed for is almost 6" wider than the protege. So to get this seat in is a tight fit. the MX6 seat rail is 2" wider than the stock protege one. so a deck is needed to mount the seat. even with a custom deck and seat rail i still sit 1/2" lower than the GT seat.
The Mx6 seat weight a good 15 to 20 lbs more than a GT seat. this is due to the full metal constuction of the seat. ther is no metal "springs" under the seat to keep you from falling through, but a full metal pan. the seat is of true bucket construction. You sit into the seat. it's ability to absorb shock an vibration well surpassed that of the mx3 of GT seat. Which for me is important. as frequent 8+ hour road trips are norm, the kidneys dont hurt. there was more structure under my ass, and more of the shock was sent throght the back of the seat insead of my spine.
with so much depth in the bucket, the seat did it's job in holding you in. The latereal supports were adjusted "in" to make the seat have sharper profile and hug you more. for a all out racing seat... i would question it. it has everything needed to keep youin, but if you drive by the seat of your pants, there is a lot there to dampen your senses. a great seat if you do just a little racing, but also drive for more than 2 hours.
The mx6 seat had 2 more ways to adjust than the GT seat. the seat can be moved vertically, and maintain the tilt of the seat. also the lumbar, support was adjustable. making the MX6 seat adjustable in 3 more ways than the GT seat.
The mx6 seat, is a custom seat, so very few people will have it. so it scored well in rareity. but it's style is out of the earyl 90's. not a lot of ohhs and ahhh. the seats would more likely dock you points in a pure looks car show. but to a fellow enthusiast, the seat is custom, and that should score some points, for fitting something in a car that isn't suposed to fit.
I found the seat a pain to move. the 50lb seat was not fun to get from the car into the house. and if you are weight minded, get the mx3 seat. it weighted the least(24lb). the GT seat in my opinion had the best wow factor, and weights in at an almost identical (25lb). it is so much more sparce than the mx3 seat. but to me the mx6 seat took the cake. it had the support i looked for and required, in a daily driving seat, caused pain to the fewest female pressure points, and had the grip needed for the occasional weekend run on a solo2 track.
all in all. the 3 seats i tested all make for better seats than stock. i found the Racaro mx3 seats more apealing than the "other" mx3 seats. had i tested the other seats i would have placed them just in front of the DX seat.
I did not weight the DX or LX seat, I could only fit the mx3, 6 and GT seats in my car. all weights are +/-2lbm due to the scale i used.
My final concluding thought is that you can not go wrong with the mx3 Recaro, GT seat. they are rally inspired seats. The mx6 makes a great all around seat, and the DX seat is well .... a great excuse to get new seats.
Shock abosorbtion: 4(GT) 4(mx3) 8(mx6) 4(LX) 3 (DX)
Latereal grip: 6 6 8 4 3
Vibration dampening: 6 6 8 4 3
Style: 8 9 5 4 3
Construction: 5 4 8 4 3
rareity: 9 4 8 4 1
hip room: 4 4 8 4 4
Adjustibilty: 6 4 10 4 3
Aquirbiltiy: 3 10 2 8 8
Comfort: 6 5 9 2 1
total 56(GT) 55(mx3) 65(MX6) 38(LX) 29(DX)
please if you have any question just ask i know for a fact i left a few things out.
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