Has any one installed corbeau seats in their C5? Are they hard to put in or is it a straight-forward job? Do you need any additional hardware or are they a bolt in seat with the original hardware that is already there from the factory seat?

 

Check out forum members' channel on YouTube 'My Corvette Life'. First thing he did after buying the car was put in those seats.

 

I had the A4 seats in my car. I just recently swapped them out for a set of C6 seats.
Make sure you have the sliders that go with your seat and are for a C5 corvette and also you have to install the seats with the recline lever towards the middle of the car.

 

I have A4s installed by the previous owner. I've taken them out and reinstalled twice now due to various things I was doing to the car and they are a very tight fit in the car. As the post above states they are installed with the seatback adjusters on the inside against the tunnel- basically the passenger and driver seats are switched with each other.

One other thing to mention- if you are a bigger guy the A4s may be too narrow. I'm ~6'1" and 200-ish and they are very snug. They are still comfortable and I love them, but I wouldn't if I ate a couple extra Thanksgiving dinners....

You can get them with a shaved base but I think this only gives a couple inches more headroom, not sure about butt-room I have no problem with headroom even with a helmet on.

Oh, incase you are interested, Corbeau makes seat heaters for them too. My back is a big fan of seat heaters....

 

Don't do it. Check out the Sparco R100 instead. I had the A4s and hated them. Here's the thread I just posted about seats:

Sparco R100 in C5 FRC

To answer your question, you would also need to buy seat brackets and, if you want adjustability, sliders. Corbeau has specific parts for the C5, but most people swap the seat brackets from side to side to position the seat better toward the steering wheel centerline.

 

Torque Obsessed: I see you couldn't drive but a few hours without the A4s hurting your back. I have a screwed up back and I've driven many long trips without issue in mine. I wonder if comes down to the difference in build? I see you are a couple inches shorter and at least 20lbs lighter than me. My buddy is probably another 20lbs heavier than me and he only complains a little on a long drive. He still wasn't too bad after our last trip to Mid Ohio (little less than 3 hrs.) Those Sparcos do like nice too.

Denny- maybe you need to try a few seats out to see what fits you specifically so you don't waste money on something that doesn't fit you? Maybe check out a local car show, autocross, etc to see what you like?

• EDIT: I see you have helmet clearance issues with the sparcos. The Corbeau frames must be much lower. At 6'1" i have plenty of helmet clearance up top.... it's the edge of the targa frame that I keep bumping my helmet on... there must be 30 white marks on it...

 

Corbeau Forza fits with Corbeau dual locking slider and the Corbeau C5 mount. No need for additional hardware.

 

That's me!

I have the Corbeau A4 seats. You will need to purchase the C5 specific slider brackets from Corbeau. Other then that, you can reuse the 4 bolts and washers.

Here are the videos of my install. The install was straight forward, but I had a hell of a time getting my passenger side OEM seat out.

 

I'm sure that's it. Every person fits every seat differently. My shoulders just happen to be too wide for the way the A4 seat wings curve in, so it forces them forward. Also the A4 seat back had no actual support in the middle; it's just cloth suspended from the sides, so that didn't help. Different people might like the A4s or hate them. The important thing is to do a lot of research, and then go sit in the exact seat before buying it. That's the only way to really know.

I think you're right, the Sparco frames look like they are taller than the Corbeau frames were. They're all pretty much the same design except for that.

 

Great video. It was very informative.

 

I got my C5 Z06 last May with Corbeau Evolution X seats in them. The previous owner (really great guy) said the seats were a easy fit and just required the Corbeau seat rails. The seats are super comfortable and very supportive plus they look great. I've driven a Z06 with the stock seats and didn't like them as much as these. I also have the stock seats as well.

Looks like you're about 90 miles south of me. If you're not in a hurry, you're welcome to come up and see mine (car is in winter storage but accessible).




You can see a shot of them in this walkaround ...

 

I have the A4s in my car. I do not find them uncomfortable for long trips, if anything I find once I sink into them a bit they mold to me and it's more comfortable. The initial sit down isn't super amazing, but it gets better.



As you see in this photo the A4 doesn't sit straight in my car. I don't know if I need to adjust the rails or if something is ever so slightly off, but it does twist my body just enough that it's a little frustrating. I noticed this after two years of having the seat. Other people have reported similar issues, but I don't know what, if any, adjustment there is in the seat.

These do sit higher than the stock seat. I wish I had sucked it up and purchased a shaved base. I went to a local upholstery shop and had the driver's side base shaved down. I'm just waiting to hear back and refit it to the car.

I really like how they look and how grippy they are, but part of me wishes I still had the stock seats and I hadn't sold them just to swap back and forth as needed. I may eventually try and track down a set of stock seats again just to have on hand.

 

I've got A4s in my '02 Coupe I love 'em!

Install was pretty straight forward. I ordered the brackets when I ordered the seats, and followed directions both from Corbeau and from other forum members.

Like I said, I really love the way they fit and look. They're a goon mix of performance and comfort.

As others have stated, if you're bigger, they may be a bit tight. I'm 5' 10" and ~195 lbs and fit fine, but YMMV.

Good luck.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ar-thread.html

 

I have A4s "shaved" - with lumbar bags on both. The thigh bolsters were digging on me for longer trips and I got a black memory foam cushion to sit on and they come out on track day

 

I put Corbeau Evolution X in both my Vettes (00 FRC and 04Z)
some thoughts:
- both sets bought through Vendor TPSMak http://www.tpsmotorsports.com/corvet...ack-seats.html
- Evo X are non-reclining. this is a deal killer for some, and I was hesitant, but it's awesome and I don't miss it. the seat is much more rigid without the reclining mechanism and you feel better connected to the car.
- C5 seat base area is very narrow because there are 2 belt tensioners. One of which is down there taking up some room. The A4 has to be pretty darn narrow to fit in that space + have the reclining handle. The EvoX is a bit wider in the butt.
- I had A4s in previous cars and I do prefer the Evo. I am 6'3" 215lbs; not fat but not petite either. I found the A4s quite snug, while the evo fits me well.
- Evo build quality I found to be higher. the materials and the entire seat looks more expensive.
- there are hacks to get rid of the lower seatbelt retractor and convert to single retractor. I did not do this.
- The A4s often have to be angled due to the narrow space. the Evo has a bit more wiggle room.
- there are plenty of other options. Both A4s and Evo are considered 'dual purpose' seats; they can handle DD duties (easy to get in and out, relatively wide etc) and the occasional track day. Plenty of other options are more agressive for track use. First thing you have to decide on is how aggressive a seat you want.
- I have an old thread + pics of evo installation in my FRC. many people have done it since.
- total cost is going to be $1000--1200 for any of the common lower-end seats 9A4, Evo, Spacro). it can get very expensive for the nicer seats. If your stockers are in good shape, you can probably sell them for $500-1,000


good luck!

 

Super helpful thanks, I plan on going with the Evo X soon for autoX/daily duties.

 

let me try to sway you with these:

https://www.murraymotorsport.com/gri...ibreglass-seat

I think its the best seat for the money on the market, seeing that it is a composite shell seat, and more importantly: FIA approved.

I have the 2018 version, this is the 2019:





in my FRC:

 

Lots of good suggestions from folks in this thread. Those Sparco Grid IIs look really cool.

 

I'm running LG1's