Sitting in a C4Z..

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

I recall reading some car magazine back in the 70's that talked about the bucket seat option.
The author said he preferred the car with the bench seat because not everyone had the same size "bucket".
How true.

Marty

[Growler]

Originally Posted by EvanZR1

I'm not 100% positive, but I believe all the ZR-1s came with sport seats. Then there were different versions of the sport seat by year:

• 90 sport seats are the narrowest you'll find in a ZR-1 (carried over into a few early 91s as well). These are very tight, and if you have more than a 36" waist, you are probably not going to be comfortable in them.
• 91-93 were slightly wider than the 90s, but not by much.
• 94+ is when the C4 sport seats got a full redesign to fit a much wider (haha) buyer.

My advice would be to try a 91-93 with sports seats and a 94+ with sport seats to see how you fit in them. Then you can narrow your choice based on the results.

So I gave it another shot with the C4.. Opened up the seats as wide as they went and it was marginally tolerable.. My midsection fit fine, no issues there, but my upper back just wont fit.. I can live with that, but my legs are too thick for it to work.. I love the car, and the Lingenfelter I was ready to buy is gorgeous and very unique.. But it would be miserable to drive, so it would just sit and collect dust.. Im very disappointed, but it is what it is.. Thank you all for the feedback, this site is great

[Vette73]

Originally Posted by Growler

So I gave it another shot with the C4.. Opened up the seats as wide as they went and it was marginally tolerable.. My midsection fit fine, no issues there, but my upper back just wont fit.. I can live with that, but my legs are too thick for it to work.. I love the car, and the Lingenfelter I was ready to buy is gorgeous and very unique.. But it would be miserable to drive, so it would just sit and collect dust.. Im very disappointed, but it is what it is.. Thank you all for the feedback, this site is great

You can go with many aftermarket seats....Plenty available on fbook marketplace...You can offset the cost by selling yours.....Lingenfelter Z's don't come around that often...

[spork2367]

Originally Posted by Erik

I'm 6'4 and usually run between 230-240. The C4 is about the only Corvette I fit into. Maybe the C8 will be different, but I don't have enough seat time yet to tell. Plus it's off my radar because no manual.

Anyhow, I own a C3 and tried C5 and C6, and the C4 was the only one I could get comfortable in. I could manage the C5 Convertible, but not the coupe or hard top. In the C6, my legs were crunched pretty hard against the lower dash.

Anyway, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. About an hour of work to do, but then 996 will get another good run!

I'm not sure how the C4 is about the only Corvette you fit into...

The C5 is easier to get into, out of, has more cockpit width and the most leg room front to back of any Corvette. My dad is only 6'2" but has long legs and has noted that the C5 has the most leg room beating out C6s,7s, and 8s, by about an inch or so. The seat seems to go back just a hair further than others.

That being said, I'm 5'9" and 150 lbs. I could put two of me in the drivers seat of most Corvettes...lol.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by Growler

So I gave it another shot with the C4.. Opened up the seats as wide as they went and it was marginally tolerable.. My midsection fit fine, no issues there, but my upper back just wont fit.. I can live with that, but my legs are too thick for it to work.. I love the car, and the Lingenfelter I was ready to buy is gorgeous and very unique.. But it would be miserable to drive, so it would just sit and collect dust.. Im very disappointed, but it is what it is.. Thank you all for the feedback, this site is great

Dave McLellan once told a group of us at a Bowling Green Gathering that the initial C4 sport seats [I]in the '90 [/I]were based on a manikin model of a male (if I recall correctly) around165# and somewhere between 5'7" and 5'10" tall. That seems pretty reasonably true (to me). That made me think more of an oriental male than a typical US male driver (especially given that most of us Vette guys are "full figured" (shall we say!)).

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by DRM500RUBYZR-1

And a great solution without resorting to "after-market" seats, maintaining a stock look.
Kudos to you!

Marty

Maintaining the "stock look" didn't really "weigh in" on the decision at that time. But, yeah...now that U mention it, they DO maintain the "C4 Corvette" appearance - quite nicely! And, several ppl familiar with stock 90 sport seats who have sat in my seats have commented on how much better they feel than the sport seats. By 95, if not 94(?), they had the sport seats "figured out".

But, that said, prolly some of the best seats I've seen that still have the Corvette appearance and yet have more room - not to mention beauty - are those in -=Jeff's =- car. Jeff is a "full figured" boy too, and he took the time to sculpt the seats and have custom skins installed as well. WOW! Do they ever look sharp. (I'm jealous. Maybe he'll see this thread and post a picture of 'em?)

But! OP: So as not to hyjack your post completely, you might sit in a '94-95 C4 before making any final decisions. And, too I feel the C6 seats "hit the mark" as well: cockpit feel, yet roomy for bigger dudes as well.

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

initial C4 sport seats [I]in the '90 [/I]were based on a manikin model of a male (if I recall correctly) around165# and somewhere between 5'7" and 5'10" tall. That seems pretty reasonably true (to me). That made me think more of an oriental male

So, Chevy designed C4 ZR-1s for me!? No wonder I I have been perfectly at home with these cars! Actually, I have been contemplating retro fitting my 94 with 91 sport seats (I miss earlier seats). It?s just a lot of work reconfiguring electrical wiring.