How To Add More Lumbar Support To A Cobra Nogaro Bucket Seat
Customer question, Cobra Nogaro
A customer rang this week wanting more lumbar support in his Cobra Nogaro. He likes the seat, it holds him properly through corners, but on a long run the small of his back was getting no help at all.
That is a normal thing to find with a fibreglass bucket, and it is a cheap thing to fix. There is a proper answer for a seat you already own and a better one if you have not ordered yet, so here are both.
- A fibreglass shell is moulded to one lumbar curve and nothing about it adjusts
- The Nogaro backrest cushion is velcro fixed, so it lifts off and goes back in minutes
- An inflatable pad sits behind that cushion and shapes with a hand bulb you can reach on the move
- Single cell £30.64 for one adjustable curve, three cell £37.00 for a taller spread of support
- The same approach suits the 415 fibreglass seats we list with a removable backrest cushion
- Still choosing a seat? 46 of ours can be built with the lumbar bladder fitted from new
Why a bucket seat has no lumbar adjustment
A reclining seat is built on a steel frame with springs and foam over it, so a maker can hang a lumbar mechanism off the back of the frame and give you a dial or a lever. A fibreglass bucket has none of that. It is one moulded shell with a curve baked into it at the factory, then a thin cushion over the top. The shape you get is the shape it was made with.
That is exactly why the seat holds you so well. The shell does not flex or settle, so it keeps supporting you in the same places lap after lap. The trade is that if the moulded curve does not match your back, there is nothing built in to change it. All the adjustment has to come from what you put in front of the shell.
This is a comfort problem, not a fitting problemWorth separating the two before you spend anything. If the seat feels too wide, too narrow or too deep, a lumbar pad will not fix it and you have the wrong shell. If the seat fits you and only the small of your back is unsupported, that is the problem this page solves. Ring us if you are not sure which one you have.
Where the pad actually goes
The Nogaro backrest cushion is held on with velcro. Peel it off and you are looking at bare shell, which means there is a slim pocket available that nobody uses. The pad goes in there, the cushion goes back over the top, and from the outside the seat looks exactly as it did.
Three layers and one of them is new. The shell never changes shape, the cushion comes off and goes back on, and the pad lives in between where it can push forward into the small of your back as much or as little as you want.
Because the pad sits behind the cushion rather than on top of it, you keep the trimmed surface you paid for and the foam still does its job. The bulb hose comes out at the side of the cushion where you can reach it belted in, so you can let a bit out on a long motorway leg and pump it back up when you get to the circuit.
Single cell or three cell
Both do the same job with the same hand bulb. The difference is how much of your back they reach.
Those three are examples, and the rest of the range sits in Real Race seat inserts. The spacer fabric on the end is not a lumbar part; it is a breathable layer people add at the same time because it stops a fibreglass seat feeling clammy on a hot day.
| Single cell | Three cell | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £30.64 | £37.00 |
| Part number | 13-001 | 13-003 |
| What it does | One curve, concentrated low | Three stacked cells covering more height |
| Best for | A specific spot in the small of your back | General support across the lower back |
| Adjustment | Hand bulb, infinitely variable | Hand bulb, infinitely variable |
| Our usual pick | Track use, where you want one firm point | Road and long distance driving |
If you can put a finger on the exact spot that aches, the single cell is the one. If the whole lower back just feels unsupported, the three cell spreads it out.
Fitting it, and the two things to check
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Nothing gets modified
The cushion peels off, the pad goes in, the cushion presses back on. No shell is drilled, no trim is cut and no structural part of the seat is touched, so it is reversible in the time it takes to make a brew.
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Measure the pocket first
Lift your cushion and measure the flat area behind it before you order. Shells vary and we would rather check your figures against the pad than have you send one back. Ring the measurement through and we will confirm it.
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Mind the hose route
Bring the hose out at the side of the cushion, away from the harness slots and away from anything that moves. It wants to sit where your hand falls, not where a belt will trap it.
If the car is competing, ask the scrutineer firstPutting anything between you and a homologated shell is not something we can sign off for you, and it is not covered by the seat approval. For road use and track days it is a cushion change and nobody minds. If you run under a regulation that specifies the seat, check with your club or scrutineer before you fit one, because that is their call to make and not ours.
It is not only the Nogaro
Nothing about this is Cobra specific. Any moulded shell with a backrest cushion you can lift off has the same unused pocket behind it, and there are 415 seats on our fibreglass seats list. Kevlar and carbon shells are built the same way and behave the same.
The one thing worth checking is that your cushion actually comes off. Some seats have the backrest trim bonded or stapled to the shell instead of velcroed, and on those there is no pocket to use. Tell us the seat and we will say which sort you have before you buy anything.
Buying new? Have it built in instead
If you have not ordered the seat yet, skip the retrofit. Cobra will build an inflatable lumbar bladder into the seat while they trim it, so the bulb comes out where it should and the bladder is sized to that shell. It costs more than a pad and it is a great deal tidier.
It is on the options list for 46 of our seats, which you can see on the inflatable lumbar support list, and every Nogaro is among them. There is a heated version too if you want the seat warm as well as supported.
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From £524.17 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £657.50 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £682.50 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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Those four are the Nogaro line as examples. Worth knowing that the Speedster shell is 700mm tall against 910mm for the other three, so the lumbar sits proportionally higher up a shorter back. If you are between the two heights, tell Cameron how tall you are on 0115 9893488 and he will tell you which shell suits before you commit to the trim options.
Common questions
Will the cushion still sit flat with a pad behind it?
Yes, deflated it is barely thicker than a beer mat, so the cushion sits as it always did. You only notice it once you start pumping, which is the point of it.
Can I adjust it while I am driving?
That is why it has a hand bulb on a hose instead of a fixed insert. Route the bulb where your hand falls and you can change the shape without unbelting.
What size is the pad?
We do not publish a figure because we would rather you measured than trusted a number off a page. Lift your backrest cushion, measure the flat area behind it, then ring the measurement through and we will confirm the fit.
Is this the same as the poly bead insert kits?
No, and they solve opposite problems. A bead kit sets a permanent moulded shape around you; a lumbar pad stays variable. Our post on which resin seat insert kit to choose covers the bead side of it.
Does it work on a seat with a bonded cushion?
No. If the trim is stapled or bonded to the shell there is no pocket behind it. Send us the seat model and we will tell you which sort yours is.
Would a lumbar pad fix a seat that is too big for me?
It would not, and it is worth being straight about that. A pad changes the curve of your lower back, not the width of the shell. If you are moving about in the seat, ring Garreth and talk through sizing instead of trying to pad your way out of it.
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The next stepMeasure the pocket and give us a ring
Lift the backrest cushion off your seat, measure the flat area behind it and ring 0115 9893488 with the figure. Cameron will confirm which pad suits and whether the single or the three cell is the better buy for how you use the car. If you are ordering a seat from scratch, ask Garreth about having the lumbar built in from new and he will price it with the rest of the trim.
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