After doing much research, I finally made it to Oakland, CA and conducted some exhaustive research on Recaros by using my rear-end and also talked to the dealer who's been selling them for 30 years or so.
I'm not quite the racing type, so the most comfortable seat was the LXF model which he HIGHLY recommended as a great comfortable replacement seat. For you others, I'm sure the Speed model would be good for you (I like the way they look myself). It is quite popular and can be mail-ordered for a "resonable" price, although the Recaro rep HIGHLY recommended having them professionally installed due to the need for the transfer of passenger seat airbag sensors, etc.
He said that there are two ways to get brackets that will fit the Protege:
1) Use the brackets from Wedge Engineering. Basically, these guys make brackets for Sparco, Momo, etc. and their reputation is under debate. Sometimes, the fittment isn't the best, from what I hear. In any case, they haven't been crash tested and don't have any safety certifications.
2) Recaro brackets imported from Japan are 2 to 3 months away. This is what I'm waiting for. They will be shipped here, crash tested, VSS safety certified, and then offered for sale.
I've got a contact at Recaro who I spoke with and who is working with me on this.
If you have any questions about this or anything else regarding aftermarket seats for our cars, let me know as I've done A LOT of research on this already.
I'm not quite the racing type, so the most comfortable seat was the LXF model which he HIGHLY recommended as a great comfortable replacement seat. For you others, I'm sure the Speed model would be good for you (I like the way they look myself). It is quite popular and can be mail-ordered for a "resonable" price, although the Recaro rep HIGHLY recommended having them professionally installed due to the need for the transfer of passenger seat airbag sensors, etc.
He said that there are two ways to get brackets that will fit the Protege:
1) Use the brackets from Wedge Engineering. Basically, these guys make brackets for Sparco, Momo, etc. and their reputation is under debate. Sometimes, the fittment isn't the best, from what I hear. In any case, they haven't been crash tested and don't have any safety certifications.
2) Recaro brackets imported from Japan are 2 to 3 months away. This is what I'm waiting for. They will be shipped here, crash tested, VSS safety certified, and then offered for sale.
I've got a contact at Recaro who I spoke with and who is working with me on this.
If you have any questions about this or anything else regarding aftermarket seats for our cars, let me know as I've done A LOT of research on this already.
