Cobra Nogaros In!

[GaryF]

I ordered these back in November, but due to a long lead tiime and various delays due to incorrect fixings, I've managed to get them in.

I've still got wiring to sort as regards airbags, seat belt tensioners and seat belt warnings, plus heating installation, but I'm really happy with
a) how they provide support, and
b) just how fabulous they look!

Feast your eyes

[D3nso]

Loving those, might even get them in the GP. Let’s know how you get on with wiring them in 👍

Denso

[RichDS]

beautiful seats and tastefully done

[MrC986]

GaryF said:

Nice, I’ve got a pair of Nogaros in my 911 - they’re more comfortable for me than the standard seats

[GaryF]

Just to wrap up, I fitted the heating elements, resistors for airbags, seat belt tensioners, seatbelt warnings and passenger seat occupancy sensor bypass and got the airbag light put out by my TVR mechanic (after I had to start up with one seat out - something to note as a DO NOT DO if you have anything SRS related disconnected, even temporarily.

The seats are lovely and sit really low - so low that the centre armrest is right in the way of your elbow when changing gear. It can be left flipped up all the time but that hinders access to the large storage area behind the seats for coats and the like. I may have a look at removing that.

Wife happy that seat heating is unaffected from OEM items - something I worried about due to thickness of pads. So all good. Must stop modding now!

[rigga]

GaryF said:

Must stop modding now!

Yea ......no, its a mini, that's not gonna happen.
Nice seats, would like something more supportive in my R56, but would have to be tiltable, and as yours heated, can't be without that feature now.

[GaryF]

rigga said:

Nice seats, would like something more supportive in my R56, but would have to be tiltable, and as yours heated, can't be without that feature now.

Suit you sir. Maybe some nice red stitching? Reclining and available with heating and lumbar.

That's another thing I added retrospeciviely actually - inflatable lumbar support bags whilst putting the heating elements in and they have helped just to give the lower back a little more support.

[rigga]

GaryF said:

Suit you sir. Maybe some nice red stitching? Reclining and available with heating and lumbar.

You got me figured out

Nice

[MrC986]

GaryF said:

The seats are Cobra Misanos that GaryF has posted - I had a pair in a previous 911 & they were so much more comfortable than the OEM seats.

[GaryF]

MrC, that's two sets of different Cobras in two different 911s - good work. Which were more comfy / supportive?

I went for the Nogaros but almost went for the Misano initially as they reclined and I was worried about the lack of adjustment with the fixed bucket Nogaro. Luckily I am getting on fine with them in their most tilted back position (via the mounting holes in the side mounts). I am quite lean and the shoulder support is actually quite tight so I fear that larger-shouldered drivers may have an issue..

Both seats look really good though and fair play to Cobra for producing them.

Edited by GaryF on Monday 29th June 19:57

[rigga]

Gary F, I see your also a TVR owner, mini's and tivs do go together well.

[rigga]

MrC986 said:

The seats are Cobra Misanos that GaryF has posted - I had a pair in a previous 911 & they were so much more comfortable than the OEM seats.

Thanks, ill do some research on those.

[MrC986]

GaryF said:

MrC, that's two sets of different Cobras in two different 911s - good work. Which were more comfy / supportive?

Both seats look really good though and fair play to Cobra for producing them.

My Nogaros are also slightly tilted back too. The Nogaros are definitely more "sports" focused vs the Misanos being a slightly more "tourer" type seat though the Nogaros centre sections can be easily changed if you decide to change the appearance slightly (I've now both leather & separate alcantara covered centres) or want to add some extra cushioning. I decided with my latest 911 that I wasn't going to use the rear seats in my car & hence liked the fixed backrest position of the Nogaros - I've done a good day's driving with them with no issues & the only downside is that I've mounted them as low as they'll go so getting in/out can be fun on say a ferry (that could be an emerging age thing though )

Here’s my seats with the alcantara centres and matching Porsche leather....

Edited by MrC986 on Wednesday 1st July 08:20

[TameRacingDriver]

Good lord, those seats look wonderful!

[GaryF]

Indeed they do. Good cutomisation options with the Cobras. Enjoy!

[Stradagene]

GaryF said:

I've managed to get them in.

Feast your eyes

Those look fabulous! Congratulations

I'm trying to order some for myself... but it is hard to get clear information re: mounting and wiring, so finding your post was a lifeline.

It looks like you were able to mount directly to the stock OEM sliders/rails. Is that correct? Did you use the Cobra universal side mounts, or the Lohen Cobra side mounts for MINI?

Did you happen to weigh the original seats that you removed? How heavy were those (with mounting brackets)? And how heavy were the Nogaros (with side mounts)? Basically, "What was the net weight difference between the OEMs vs Nogaros"
(I'm also hoping to order the Nogaros with heating elements.)

The seats I'm ordering are going into a street car (vs. one used primarily on track). How did you end up working out the wiring situation so that your ECU wasn't constantly throwing codes, warning lights and seatbelt chimes?

Thanks!

[MrC986]

Stradagene said:

Those look fabulous! Congratulations

I'm trying to order some for myself... but it is hard to get clear information re: mounting and wiring, so finding your post was a lifeline.

It looks like you were able to mount directly to the stock OEM sliders/rails. Is that correct? Did you use the Cobra universal side mounts, or the Lohen Cobra side mounts for MINI?

Did you happen to weigh the original seats that you removed? How heavy were those (with mounting brackets)? And how heavy were the Nogaros (with side mounts)? Basically, "What was the net weight difference between the OEMs vs Nogaros"
(I'm also hoping to order the Nogaros with heating elements.)

The seats I'm ordering are going into a street car (vs. one used primarily on track). How did you end up working out the wiring situation so that your ECU wasn't constantly throwing codes, warning lights and seatbelt chimes?

Thanks!

The Cobra & Lohen side mounts are I think one in the same. The seat belt/air bag lights are apparently deals with by a resistor install and the lights being reset I believe.

[GaryF]

Hi there, glad you like my seats - they are fantastic

I'll make a start at answering your questions, but please come back with any others, or if I haven't answered in enough detail for now...

My original seats were the lounge leather (in JCW black / red trim). They weighed a ton. Not literally, but sooo heavy to man-handle out compared to the Cobras, which are much lighter. Sorry I don't have exact weights. If you want to spend a packet to save weight, you can have the Cobras in carbon fibre, but that swells the cost immensely.

I originally called Lohen about the seats to ask about price for full leather and with heating. They told me it was not possible to have heating, but I already knew it was... Anyway they said they would come back but never did so I ordered them from GSM here :-

https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/product/cobra-nogar...

I also ordered the side mounts :-

https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/product/cobra-bmw-m...

Note, that rather than the ones in the pic, they send me ultra-low jobbies and also sent a pair of Cobra seat bases complete with sliders. So you get the benefit of being able to slide them back and forth rather than having them fixed directly to the floor with just side mounts. I'd give them a call so you get sorted with exactly what you need.

As regards seat heating, I wanted to keep my original wiring and switches so wanted the OE Mini heating pads installed. I spoke to Mark at the Cobra factory and he recommended not fitting those but rather use the ones that they source as they worked better but that would mean different switches and wiring (which was not for me). In the end they said they would be happy to install OE Mini items if I sent them (which I did - GSM gave me the details of whom to send to). However, there was a mix up and that person was on leave and my seats arrived without heating. In the end, I got the elements back and fitted them myself. If you get them done at the factory you get a slightly different cushion design and they are sew in. Mine work, but not as hot as OE seats due to the thickness of cushion and my fitting them underneath rather than within the cushions.

If you do go with OE heating, order the R56 JCW bucket elements rather than the standard Mini elements to make sure they are narrow enough to fit - I had to trim mine slighty (hold up against window and draw around the elements and then cut).

I have no warning lights as I fitted resisters for seat airbags, seat belt tensioners and seat belt chime / warning light. You also need a passenger seat occupancy sensor bypass. Or, you can I believe have most of this coded out instead.

I can dig out links to all the bits you need should you go ahead. I also have a helpful diagram that I had the Cobra factory send on.

One thing - I recommend you go for adjustable lumbar support. I didn't and found I wanted a little support right at the base of my spine so I ordered a pair of inflatable lumbar supports off the GSM site as a retro-fit and they work really well :-

https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/product/real-race-s...

Cobra also supplied their own rather small and neat seat belt clips so I could ditch the large Mini ones, including the seat belt tensioners.

If you need any more info, please ask.

[Stradagene]

GaryF said:

Hi there, glad you like my seats - they are fantastic

They look fantastic! And they look even better installed than they do by themselves!

I contacted Lohen as well, several times, and I still have yet to hear back from them. I asked for almost the exact specification that you ended up going for: full leather and heated. I also asked if I could specify a darker orange stitching to match the exterior paint of my JCW (spice orange). I don't think the red would look very good in my car. I would go for black if orange is not available ~ and since I was already asking for color matched stitching I also asked for no embroidery (i.e. no logos). The seats are really handsome, and I feel like the branding detracts from the good looks of the design (although, in your case, not as much as I thought it might ~ but it matches your interior). My guess is that maybe Lohen has the Nogaros in stock in Lohen trim and format, and that they are not that interested in selling custom versions of the Nogaros when they have inventory on hand. IDK, but that's my guess.

I love how low your seats are mounted and that they still sit on rails. That is exactly the height and function that I want for my installation. Did I understand correctly, that with the mounting brackets and slider that you got from sportsseats4u, that you were able to mount directly to the OEM rails? (As an aside, it was a pleasant surprise to see that you did this in an R58. That's the exact same model that I have. BTW - nice shift knob! Where did you find that? Do you like the feel of it in your hand?)

Like you, I also want to keep the original wiring both for the heating elements ~ and for the various airbag and seatbelt sensors. You pulled the OEM heating elements out of your lounge seats? Does this mean you had to destroy them/cut the cushions? Or were you able to find the heating elements elsewhere? Please share the link/source for the resistors and sensor bypass that you used. And the installation diagram sounds incredibly helpful.

Just to confirm, you ordered the seats and installation hardware from sportsseats4u but were also in contact with Cobra directly to plan out the trim, finish and features? How did you arrange that between the two? And did you have to request the small seat belt clips from Cobra, or did they just include them as part of the package?

Thanks you so much, Gary!

BTW - Out of curiosity, were the side mount brackets steel or aluminum? The Cobra brackets that I see advertised are all listed as being aluminum whereas the Lohen bracket is listed as steel. Even at this level it's incredibly difficult to find information nearly as clear as you have laid out. Finding your post was a godsend! Ha ha!

[You might have guessed, but I'm located in the US ~ California to be more specific.]

Cheers!
Christopher

[GaryF]

Hi Christopher,

I would get in touch with GSM (aka Sportseats4u) and ask about Orange stitching / no Cobra logo. They will get in contact with Cobra to confirm if necessary - it will be possible, based on my reading up on customisation.

When speaking with GSM ask them to ensure you get the following:-
- Pair of Cobra Nogaros (either street or circuit) to your specification (fabric/leather/colour(s)/painted back/carbon/GRP and stitching colour / logo /no logo)
- Pair of seat bases
- Two pairs of ultra-low side mounts
- Two pairs of runners
- Pair of Cobra seat belt clips
- All required fixings
- Installation diagram
- Agree on whether you are sending heating pads to Cobra for install

The heating elements that I used are OE MIni from the dealer (I did not strip my seats). Make sure you get the JWC bucket elements as I believe these will be narrower and are the ones I used.

My side mounts are steel.

If you are not coding out the errors for seat airbags, pre-tensioners, passenger seat occupancy, seatbelt warning then you will need the following :-
- 2 x Seatbelt Chime and warning light stoppers/resistors: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chime-and-warning-light...
- 4 x resistors for seat airbags and pre-tensioners: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-9-OHMS-SRS-AIRBAG-RES...
- 1 x passenger seat occupancy mat sensor bypass: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Airbag-passenger-seat-o... NB. If you buy this one, it includes one free seatbelt chime and warning stopper/resistor so you only need to order one separate one instead of two.

My gear knob and handbrake (emergency brake to you) handle are from Doug Whalen from your side of the pond - have a look at my post here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... They are fantastic quality and the the weight of the know makes the shift much better and it looses the 'rubberiness' of standard. Doug was a pleasure to deal with.

Good luck!