So this Sirion I’m about to buy… I test drove it, and I fit, kinda, and I’m ok with it, but I’d much rather have 2-4cm more seat-steering wheel clearance than it has. Unfortunately they are non-adjustable from the factory.
Has anyone devised a bolt-in solution yet? NZ certification laws say that I can mix and match rails from anything without getting a technical inspection if I don’t have to weld anything. It says nothing about the steering column, but I can’t imagine welding it would be ok. If the car has spacers in the column they could be removed though, and I’m happy to shorten things and drill new mounting holes.
The rails look to be elevated off the floor a cm or two, so that space is available to drop the seat if the right rails/mounts could be found. I didn’t get a good look at the steering column because taking apart the dash isn’t a thing you do on test drives.
Thanks
Ben
*edit: Cert laws for stressed seat (which means any part of the belt assembly that attaches to the seat rather than the chassis, ie a seat belt buckle that moves with the seat), which I didn’t realise the Sirion has, say only OE seats and rails from the same make and model
I have devised a bolt in solution that isn’t technically legal for cert but I shouldn’t get pulled up on it or have any safety concerns.
Recaro make rails to suit the Storia (importantly they lower the seat 25mm from stock) and most, if not all, recaro seats (including many factory recaro options like on Mitsubishi vehicles) can bolt to any Recaro rail. So purchase that (approximately $300NZD plus freight) and a drivers recaro seat from something of the era with a similar trim colour that has an attached seat belt (i.e. Mitsubishi Recaros do), swap the buckle for a Daihatsu one, and it all bolts together into the Sirion.
Especially because everybody knows special JDM models like the X4 nearly always come with name brand seats to go with the extra power, brakes, and mechanical front and rear LSD… Right…? So I definitely just pulled a drivers seat from a Storia X4 and what do you know, it fits…
I can also space the lower bolts on the steering column (it appears to be bolted on with 4 bolts, two close to the wheel and two close to the pedals. Will need to remove trim to confirm though). I can’t do this much safely but I should be able to tilt the wheel up and gain 5mm or so safely, which will help.