20 replies to this topic

[Dan]

Firstly, I'm a little confused as to why you think that a harness will work better than a seat belt with a Cobra Classic. They don't have harness holes so whatever belt or harness you fit, the lap part will always be stretched over the outside of the frame.

I used to say this all the time but I stopped because people seemed to be offended if I told them all this when they had already bought the seats. In this case though I'll tell you about my experiences. In my opinion Cobra seats are awful. The Classic in particular and when trimmed in this Rock fabric (as in your link) especially. They look great. For about a year. After two years they look absolutely terrible. For one thing, Rock fabric burns and bleaches in the sun. The outside shoulders of the seats that get the most direct sun will be crispy and scorched and most of the colour will have washed out. The seat is made of very little. The back is a solid board of MDF for example, it is not comfortable once the fabric has worn out a little. The frame is made of a single steel tube so those wings rally can't be cut as you suggest. There is one roughly 16mm steel tube running through there, wrapped in foam and fabric. The fabric from the rest of the seat is simply stretch out over this frame and once it's a litle tired it sags all over the place. If you were to notch the wings you would essentially be cutting the seat in half. When I had finally had enough of my Classics and got rid of them, I chopped them up and took some photos of what I found. I'll see if I can dig them out.

If you really want Cobra Classics then by all means get them. They were what I had in my car for many years, you do get used to them being less than comfortable. They are really supportive when new but when old they are quite painful. I had my rear bench re-trimmed by Cobra to match, have you seen the co-ordinated packs they sell at Mini Sport including a rear bench cover set? Well I had my seats trimmed to look like that long before Cobra started making those sets. Mine was properly trimmed, not a slip cover. There was only one other Mini I ever saw that looked the same before they went on general sale and that was a pickup (or estate, can't remember really) in the Silverstone parade for Mini 45. I think that car and mine were rebuilt around the same time (1999) and were very similarly trimmed. Since then, loads of people have bought the Cobra pack.

The seats will give you good service for a few years if you buy them, but don't expect them to last.

Also, bear in mind that they don't fit Cobra's own subframes very well and you will have to fettle them. Also, the Cobra subframe ruins the floor. It puts the loading on the floor in completely the wrong place compared to how the car is designed. It makes a big dent in the floor and in my case it caused the welding to break and tear where the cross member joins the floor. The whole floor then sagged down and I had to get it repaired when I bought new seats. It made the car very flexible and unsafe. To avoid this, cut a strong board of thick plywood to the shape of the rear floorpan and place it under the carpet. You won't have to secure it, just have it there to spread the load.

[Calman]

That was a good read Dan and i picked up a lot of usefull info our of it, Cheers.

Whats a good recommendation then? I do really like the style of the one i linked, so is there a way of getting hold of them and having them remade from the frame so that they are of good quality? (I know this kinda of defeats the point of buying them but if thats what it takes...)

If there is any other options, is there any variations to suit the 3 point belts?

Thanks

[Dan]

Other companies make similar seats. Shop around.

[Calman]

Ok i'll report back soon

[Calman]

Quick look found these two...

CORBEAU ALPINE STATIC SEAT

INTATRIM SEAT (Some diemensions on the site)

That second one i would need to confirm wether its a sutiale fit, but i was looking for some opinions really.

Thanks

[Calman]