Speed 3 seats in a Speed 6?

[USAFVMI08]

Hey all, not really sure where to put this so I'll just put it in here...

I'm probably not going to do this to my car but I did notice that after riding in my buddy's Speed 3, there is a lot more side support (can't remember the term for that) than our Speed 6 seats. I know for a fact that when I throw my car around, I tend to have to hang on pretty tightly to the wheel to stay in place in my seat.

So, having experienced all that, I began to wonder if the Speed 3 seats might be a direct swap into our cars. Part of me thinks that they're narrower than ours are but the other part doesn't.

Any insight on any of this? Has it been done before?

Thanks in advance!

 

[wannabe]

term you are looking for is bolsters.

not sure if they are swappable or not, do you have power seats?

 

[USAFVMI08]

Yeah, that's it.

No, no power seats. I have the Sport.

 

[ms6acton]

i actually thought about this too the other day. im only 5 9 and 155 pounds and the ms6 seats do not hold me well at all. when i had my ms3, they held me much better!

maybe down the road, get some nice red sparcos!

 

[tunersteve]

As I've told people considering seat swaps before, since our cars have SAB, taking the seats out would require you to 'defeat' the SAB plug underneath by adding a resistor of some value to the plug. With the MS3 seats, you may have to do this as well, as I'm not sure if the connectors and/or resistance of the seat is/are the same.

Anyone bother to take measurements of the MS3 seats to see if the rails match up?

 

[VRMS6]

Im in the middle of researching this as we speak... Hope to have an answer soon...

 

[tunersteve]

Im in the middle of researching this as we speak... Hope to have an answer soon...

I like having you on the inside now, seems like a lot of good knowledge to be had. Carry on!

 

[USAFVMI08]

As I've told people considering seat swaps before, since our cars have SAB, taking the seats out would require you to 'defeat' the SAB plug underneath by adding a resistor of some value to the plug. With the MS3 seats, you may have to do this as well, as I'm not sure if the connectors and/or resistance of the seat is/are the same.

(squinty)I think Speed3s have SABs as well. I'll double check on that, though...

Thanks in advance for looking up the info VRMS6!

 

[tunersteve]

(squinty)I think Speed3s have SABs as well. I'll double check on that, though...

Thanks in advance for looking up the info VRMS6!

Why the face? I was just giving a heads up. IIRC, MS3's do have SABs, but I'm bringing up something that would have to be looked at if the rails and whatnot mount up.

Not to mention that the MS3 seats are have red stitching, where the MS6 have silver. If you got them reupholstered to match, that would be real hot!

 

[Evolved]

Subscribed.

I've thought about this from time to time. Red stitching on the rear seats would be a must, in my opinion, for it to look right.

 

[VRMS6]

As some of you know Im a service writer. I've transferred to a Mazda dealership a short time ago. As such I get to see a few MazdaSpeed3's come thru regularly.
Today with permission from the owner I took some measurements and made some observations. Unfortunately they show that this would not be fesable to be done.
First the seat rails on the Speed3 are narrower than the rails on the Speed6 not permitting the bolt hole to line up so custom rails would be needed.
2nd the SRs connector is different between the 2 cars so you would have to rewire the SRS wiring connector.
The seat itsself is narrower than the Speed6 seat which isnt a biggie unless you need the extra width.....

 

[USAFVMI08]

Why the face? I was just giving a heads up. IIRC, MS3's do have SABs, but I'm bringing up something that would have to be looked at if the rails and whatnot mount up.

Not to mention that the MS3 seats are have red stitching, where the MS6 have silver. If you got them reupholstered to match, that would be real hot!

Ah! I used that face in a different context than what you were thinking. It was the quizical, pondering squint. Not the slightly annoyed squint. My bad!

I really like the red stiching that the MS3 has. Wouldn't mind doing my interior in that way. Expensive I would think, though...

As some of you know Im a service writer. I've transferred to a Mazda dealership a short time ago. As such I get to see a few MazdaSpeed3's come thru regularly.
Today with permission from the owner I took some measurements and made some observations. Unfortunately they show that this would not be fesable to be done.
First the seat rails on the Speed3 are narrower than the rails on the Speed6 not permitting the bolt hole to line up so custom rails would be needed.
2nd the SRs connector is different between the 2 cars so you would have to rewire the SRS wiring connector.
The seat itsself is narrower than the Speed6 seat which isnt a biggie unless you need the extra width.....

That answers my question. Thanks a bunch!

 

[tunersteve]

Well that makes more sense. Unfortunately it sounds like more work than its worth.

On the other hand, this got me thinking. You could add more bolstering to the stock seats, but heres what I think it would take:

-additional padding into seat and back of stock seats
-additional fabric in said sections to fit properly
-accommodation for side air bag deployment

I would think any hot rod upholstery shop could do the first two without a problem, since they should be able to custom fit a seat to your specifications. There is a specific method to setting up the seat side to 'blow out' when the SAB is deployed, and you have to find a shop that knows what they're doing. I think an additional inch or so of padding protruding from our seats would be awesome. Keep in mind, our seats are different than the regular 6, where the thigh pad is extended, and the seat/back bolsters are thicker than the basic ones.

USAFVMI, see if a local shop can quote you for front seat upgrades. Might be cheaper than you think.

 

[USAFVMI08]

Yeah, that's a good point. I'll have to look into that!

 

[tunersteve]

Yeah, that's a good point. I'll have to look into that!

Some additional things to consider:

- you will most likely have to get it load tested. Any additional bolstering would induce more load on the base of the seat, which it wasn't designed for.
- you can fake out the SABs with a resistor, but without knowing exactly how the specs are set up, the regular airbags may not deploy properly.

 

[needforspeed6]

I have read that the speed6 cloth seats have more bolstering than the leather seats. Maybe this would be a good option for those looking for more bolstering.

 

[tunersteve]

I have read that the speed6 cloth seats have more bolstering than the leather seats. Maybe this would be a good option for those looking for more bolstering.

Where did you read that? I've sat in both, they feel identical.

 

[keymaster]

I have read that the speed6 cloth seats have more bolstering than the leather seats. Maybe this would be a good option for those looking for more bolstering.

It might feel like that because the cloth has more friction than the leather, so when you drive the cloth will seem to hold you in place better...and people assume more bolstering. Might also have to do with where the lumbar support is set.

I sat in both while looking for my car, and I think they are the same.

 

[ScratchNSniff]

Anything is possible...go for it...I am sure you will have to swap out rails in the front to wedge brackets, but that is pretty easy...as for the rear you will need to hack up the seats to make them fit...I know it is a completely different car, but here is a look at them in my Protege5...they are front and rear...

 

[tunersteve]

Yes, but taking seats from a compact and putting them into another is more plausible than taking them from the MS3 and putting them into a bigger MS6.