So far, so good. S2000 seat weighs only 12oz more than insight seat.

 

Are you having to moify the tracks, or is it bolting in without mods?

 

Are you having to moify the tracks, or is it bolting in without mods?

The rails on the Insight are 14" wide and on the S2000 16". Length varies on both rails
also front mounts on S2000 are a greater angle. Not even close to matching.
Figured that $360 for the s2000 pair could afford to spend some time and money
to figure out how to attach them by fabricating a frame rather than bend the S2000 rails
and drill holes into the Insight floor.

Took out passenger seat and set in the s2000 seat. Height is good, comfort is good, also
looks good. Just a bit lower.

 

Considering the original MSRP was 20K and the s2000 seat weight difference
is negligable. Honda could have made and aluminum base for the s2000
seats, dropped the weight a bit. Added some new leather colors and
had a much more sporty cabin. After inspecting the Insight seats the
welds and construction appear to be all hand made.


s2000 rail width approx 16" Insight approx 14" photo was cutoff during upload.

 

The rails on the Insight are 14" wide and on the S2000 16". Length varies on both rails
also front mounts on S2000 are a greater angle. Not even close to matching.

Why dont you try to attach the Insight rails and hardware to the S2000 seat? I would imagine a 16" wide metal plate would give you a good mounting surface for the tracks and the seat bottom.

 

I spoke with Wendel at wedgeengineering.net.
He said he has an Insight base and should be able to modify
it to bolt S2000 seats including the rails direct.
That way both sets of seats are unaltered.

He's in Long BEach so not too far to take all the seats
to give it a try.

Will give it try.

 

Prior to purchasing my Insight I was anticipating low back pain, thinking the comfort would be similar to what my '88 Civic DX was like. (low seat height.) Now I drive 4 hours one-way RT each weekend, and NEVER had any problems, crediting the well supported seats. (I actually scratched the seat height elevation mod off of my list of things to do to the car.) So, I wonder what the seat height difference will translate to in terms of comfort for you.

I like the perforated leather a lot, but most importantly your reclining handle will be on the correct side.

Have you weighed the seats to see what the difference is?

 

Have you weighed the seats to see what the difference is?

So far, so good. S2000 seat weighs only 12oz more than insight seat.

 

So, I wonder what the seat height difference will translate to in terms of comfort for you.
quote]

I set the s2000 passenger seat into the insight and the height seemed OK but a little low. So with
the bracket it will probably raise it to about the same seat height as stock insight seat.

After inspecting the stock insight seat, it doesn't appear as though much effort was made to
reduce weight. All the metal is steel,steel brackets, steel springs, steel shell. For some reason
I was thinking it might have had some aluminum or plastic and would be pretty light weight.

The weight of the seat could have been dropped by at least 50% and still met safety standards.
So no great loss to replace the seats.

Note: I never felt the stock seats were too uncomfortable to warrant time and expense to
retrofit. However passenger complaint warranted a try. I think you get what I mean.

 

You'd better post some pics when the seats are in!

 

However passenger complaint warranted a try. I think you get what I mean.

:lol:

Thanks for the write up so far. I missed the weight difference in your earlier post, but now I see it's minimal. In fact I think it just accounts for the leather's extra weight over the poly material.

BTW: you are more motivated than I was with my Geo Tracker a year or so ago. (It was my "fun" project!) My driver seat was ripped, and I got a set of Suzuki Swift GTI sport-style buckets in near mint condition. The tracks didn't match up and I quickly abandoned the project. Duct Tape method of upholstery repair prevailed.

But I still have some more crazy ideas left in me: I am working on an arm rest for the left side door panel. The hard plastic molded and unpadded panel just kills my elbow on my 4 hour drives. Since my first prototype didn't pass my quality control test, I will probably end up taking it to the upholstery shop for professional assist. Then I thought I should also take my top piece to my center armrest, and have them recover that also in gray (maybe leather) material. Maybe even using red stitching! (The King armrest is very thinly padded also, and could use the added heft.)

 

Insight seat including rails weighs a little over 33lbs.
Lots of steel visible from the bottom.

Might have been able to cut down 50lbs total from stock seats by installing seats like below.
downside is the seats are $5000 ea.


The worlds lightest FIA approved head restraint seat

FIA homologated to 8855-1999 standards

Hans device compatible. Suitable for 6 or 7 point harness. Rear spigot for cold air duct with ducted air channels within the seat. Kevlar-carbon fibre shell. Removeable support cushions.

Comes in black fabric with grey suede wear patches and a clear gel coating. Call for info on other colors.


Section A B C D E F G Shell Weight
Inches 23 25 14 18.5 22 38 23.5
8.3 lbs / 3.6 kgs

 

This might be of interest

Fitting New Seats
http://autospeed.com/cms/A_110947/article.html

 

Have been following all the great Insight articles from the editor. Actually read this the first day it was posted
and sorry to hear that the seats had to be removed. Hopefully the s2000 seats don't cause this kind of problem.
That's why I wanted to not hack into the rails to fit them so I could re-sell them as complete in the event
that they don't perform as expected.

 

That's why I wanted to not hack into the rails to fit them so I could re-sell them as complete in the event
that they don't perform as expected.

And don't miss the points of needed strength. In case of an accident you don't want to end up wih ejector seats :!: :shock:

 

That's why I wanted to not hack into the rails to fit them so I could re-sell them as complete in the event
that they don't perform as expected.

And don't miss the points of needed strength. In case of an accident you don't want to end up wih ejector seats :!: :shock:

Ejector seat- that would be another mod. Could jettison the passenger if needed to raise the mpg. Ala Goldfinger DB5

 

Initial Test Run

Did an initial test run with the passenger seat unbolted in the body.
Testing for overall height and comfort for the passenger.
Preliminary comments are its a little bit more narrow and feels more like a sports car.

So will proceed with getting the bases fabricated.

 

never understood why Honda chose to put the back adjustment on the Insight, towards the center of the car, when their other cars have it on the outer edge. :!:

 

Me neither: http://www.insightcentral.net/forum...ms/modifications-technical-issues/17540-how-seat-levers-outside-swap-seats.html

 

Looking good! Will be interested to see how hard it is to get this done, would love to do it to mine.

 

Been driving around awhile with the s2000 passenger seat unbolted down in the car.
Seat height is very low and a bit hard to get in and out of because of the high lip
on the edge of the seats. Hopefully the base will raise up the seat 1-2 higher and
give a little more better angle and comfort. In the mean time just got to watch
sudden stops so as not jettison the passenger.

 

Ordered seats brackets from wedgeengineering.net for recaro seats.
Will have to do some fabrication on them to get the s2000 rails
attached. Might just directly weld the rails to the bracket.

Hopefully the bracket will raise the seats 2" and give a better
height position. Recaro seats are expensive, from a little
looking I saw them at about $800 ea. So the s2000 used
seats could be a nice alternative at a much lower cost.

Should have the brackets in a couple weeks so will keep
posting as this project progresses.

 

Picked up the seat brackets from wedge engineering. I ordered
them to fit Sparko or Recaro seats, they align perfectly with bolt holes. I will
try adding 1" square tubing on top of them and spot weld the S2000
brackets. This will raise the back by 2.5" and the front about 2". The
S2000 seats set over an inch lower to begin with. Will position them
in the car first to see if that height is too tall.

This way I don't hack up the S2000 rails and could in the future grind
the bracket off and return the original seats an also have good
S2000 seats.


Also..installed and S2000 sterring wheel. That wheel is a lot
nicer than the plastic wheel. And yes, the steering wheel is on straight.

 

Last weekend welded the seats to the bracket and bolted them in.

First it appears that the seat height might be too high. But doesn't come close
to hitting top of head to roof. After a few drives you get used to the
added height.

Overall very good results. Easier to get in and out. Better comfort in seat.
No vibrations from seats as previously indicated by writeup from editor of
autospeed

Feels more like you are driving a sports car. Hence mpg has gone down..
Next mod add MIMA for full assist to race down Pacific Coast Hwy.

Will take the seats out soon to paint the welded brackets and post some
photos showing the bracket position and welding.

 

Will take the seats out soon to paint the welded brackets and post some photos showing the bracket position and welding.

Me thinks it's high time for an update. Common guy, you're holding out on us.

 

Lenwardus,
Maybe I missed it, but was curious how much the brackets cost from Wedge?

 

i'm looking at this too....