Need a little more seat height

Search threads for increased legroom as there is a great one on using U-channel to give more adjustment laterally but this would also provide some additional height and could be managed by the size of the channel used.
Cheers,
Greg

 

Hi Fcarhappy,

Let us know where you're located for any recommendations that are location specific. Example of the relevancy of this - - if you asked me: who can completely change the measurements of my seats, including height ........ but make it all look stock?? !!! Sounds like a tall order, huh?? Not really ...... I would simply suggest you call Fernando @ Prestige
Auto Upholstery, located in North Hollywood, CA. - (818) 430-6659.

Then again, if you live in China, you probably don't need the above info

Merry Christmas,

Hank

 

Fernando is the best. Merry Christmas Hank.

 

I don't know how exactly a Mondial seat is mounted.

On my 330 2+2, I machined spacers out of aluminum, basically blocks with a center hole for the bolts to go through. I bought new metric bolts that held the seat gliders to the floor, longer by the same height as the spacers. This will ring the seats higher however much you want. You can also mill them at an angle to get a different rake or tilt from front to rear.

Matt

 

Congrats on the new car.

We had a similar issue on on of our F-cars. Ours were new, and we preferred to keep the cars themselves unmodified, so we opted for a booster cushion. We had them custom fitted, using color-matched OEM leather (and stitching), so while they are cushions, I would not call them cheesy! A good Ferrari-oriented upholstery shop should be able to do it, we used Coachtrim in Danbury CT, they are among the best in the US at upholstery restoration.

I do not need a cushion, so it's helpful to be able to put it in for her and take it out and stow it when I drive the cars. I'd consider whatever mods you do that others may need to drive the car at some point, being too high can be as tricky as too low.

One option to consider depending on the condition of the seats is to have them, or at least the bottom, rep added, with additional and/or firmer foam. I did this on my truck seats and picked up an inch of height.

 

I have this pic handy, hope it gives you an idea. It's for our FF seats, and it's less than great quality.

In the 458, we have race seats, so even with the booster my wife sits down inside the bolsters, plus the pad has the fancy stitching that matches the car.

Brendon at Coachtrim took detailed templates of both of our cars and made several prototypes, and even the pads we have include a mix of firm/softer foam that can be replaced and adjusted (we added some to the FF and took some out of the 458). She tried a few versions out before we nailed it down. The quality is as good as factory (Poltrona leather, OEM stitching....just no Ferrari label and/or price tag).

Someone in the Cali forum had a more complex pad, including a fiberglass seat pan, done up, but in the end we found that to be unnecessary.

As for use, there has been no sliding or shifting; they have worked really well. In fact, we bought the 458 pad to Mont Tremblant and she used them in the school 458s, Calis and FF's with no problems when she took the school.

In this pic, it looks like the pad is sitting on top of the seat; in reality, it sits "inside" the bolsters a bit more. A combination of body weight, the seat and the seatbelt seem to keep everything secure.

On the 458, with race seats the vertical height is fixed (adjustable only via bolting/unbolting the seat), in the FF we could raise her up pretty high with the electric adjustment, but it was at max travel so we decided to use the pad to keep the rest of the seat a bit lower.

Hope this helps. Am sure Brendon would be happy to try something out.
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Wow, an elegant solution above. I'm 5'5" and from a need to be safe and not constantly swiveling about to scan traffic, (plus having owned 15-20 exotics) I've dealt with this issue before. Short version below:

1. Go to HomeDepot or Lowe's. Find the metal tubing aisle. Pick a length of 3/4" or 1" square tubing.
2. Then get socket head bolts that are your 'original' length plus the dept of this new tubing.
3. Cut the tubing to exactly match the length of your seat runners.
4. Drill through the tubing to make them 'risers' that the seats now rest atop.
5. Install and feel tall!

I've done this in at least 4 different cars. The mounting is safe, reversible, clean, unnoticeable, and it works. I think you'll have like $30 invested in the whole project.

On a side note - you can also get aftermarket pedals that you'd mount atop the existing pedals. This adds about 1/2" or so. May not sound like much, but it is when safety and visibility matter.

Have fun. Hope this helps.

 

My wife is 5'2" on a tall day, and up until this year has merely tolerated my car and racing habits. While she has a lead foot and minor road rage, she would never dare to sit right seat with me on a track.

When we got "into" Ferraris, and our 10 year old daughter got serious in karting, her interest developed. While she loved driving the cars, she was a bit intimidated.

The Mont Tremblant FDE school was awesome, perfect for her. It's as much a "confidence building" course as anything. Nick Longhi and the instructors are phenomenal, really dial in the course to the needs of each driver. I've been to umpteen driving and racing schools, this was by far the most professionally run. Of course, the venue, the Ferraris and overall experience are off the charts.

I know it gave my wife some new skills, and ergo much more confidence and enjoyment when driving the cars. It's quite literally worth the (very expensive) cost in terms of helping her really get the most out of the cars, plus it gets her more infected and tolerant of my car passion. (to wit, she has put more miles on our cars than I have....almost every day in one of them)

Last comment - while pricey, trying to replicate the FDE (quality of instruction, quality of cars, track time, hotel/food, et al), the "Ferrari price premium" is reasonable compared to doing any other school....this wasn't a "big bucks for a few laps" course, this was at another level. <<you asked>> BTW, I went as the "spouse" and hung with the kids while she drove!

FWIW, my wife is equally comfortable in the 458 and FF, very different cars....Mondis are great, but am sure yours could get comfy with any of them.

 

Nope, I must've been unclear. I meant to remove the seats entirely, 4 bolts. Re-attached to raised rails. Works great.

 

I have a short family, and since I'm already over-posting in this thread...

We are building a race-spec Fiat Abarth, for my wife and daughter to learn on. My wife fits ok, but my daughter needs help with the fit.

We are having the shop do a variety of mods (extended seat rails, poured bead seat, etc) and pedal extensions. Since I won't need the extensions, they are adapting a set of removable go-kart pedal extensions to give her more comfortable reach. While they are usually "bolted on" with Allen bolts, he's adapting them so they are quick(er) release so we can change the car over quickly.

I have seen people put thicker pedals on, or even move the pedal box. Depending on her seating position (MOST important), then adjust the pedals. CRG, Birel, and others make extensions, though a good race/car fab shop can probably do something easy, cheap and local. Hope that helps.

At this point, post a pic of your wife driving! Hope she loves the car as much as my wife does.

 

This works on mine:
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