You've unlocked two free gifts
All two are in your basket at no charge.
Gift box
GSM Performance Customer Car Colouring Book Edition 1
Customer Question: Lightweight Seats For A Fiesta ST180, And What Actually Bolts Them In
Customer question, 2014 Fiesta ST180 Mk7
This one came in by email this week and it is a good question, so we have answered it as a full page instead of a reply. The short version: your 2014 Fiesta ST180 is a Mk7, you do not need all three of the parts you asked about, and the reason your last bucket seat felt too low almost certainly was not the seat.
You need a subframe. You only need side mounts if the seat you pick is a side-mount seat. Runners are optional. Pick a base-mount seat and it is two parts, not three, and it comes out cheaper and sits you higher. The rest of this page is why, plus the bolt pattern trap that catches people out on this car and the three combinations we would actually fit.
- A subframe is always needed, side mounts only for a side-mount seat, runners are optional
- Cobra base-mount seats are 291mm x 330mm, Sparco, Corbeau and OMP are 345mm x 271mm
- The frame decides your seat height, not the seat
- ST180 subframes run from £93.00 to £255.00 including VAT
- Subframes are handed, so order the driver side first if you are buying one at a time
The three parts, and what each one actually does
◫
Subframe, or fitting frame
The car-specific bit. It bolts to the floor mounting points where your factory seat runners currently are, and it is cut for one car and one side. You always need this. For your ST180 there are four to choose from and they are not interchangeable, see the bolt pattern section below.
☰
Side mounts
A pair of brackets that go between a side-mount seat and the subframe, bolting through the sides of the shell. You only need these if the seat you pick is side mount. Most composite FIA buckets are. A base-mount seat skips this part entirely and bolts straight down onto the frame.
⚙
Runners, or sliders
What lets the seat move forwards and backwards once it is in. Optional. A fixed seat with no runners is lighter and stronger, but you set the position once and live with it. If nobody else drives the car, plenty of people go without.
Our own listings put it bestEvery fitting frame page on this site carries the same line: the frame is the vehicle-specific base that bolts to the floor in place of the standard runners, and getting the frame right is what decides your final seat height and how far back you can sit. That sentence is the answer to most of your email.
And here is what the second and third of those parts look like as products, so you can see what you are and are not buying. Side mounts first, runners second. Sparco’s own FIA steel side mounts are out of stock at the time of writing, so the two side mount options shown are the steel ones we would fit in their place; ring us if it has to be the Sparco part and we will tell you when they are due back in.
-
From £34.80 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £84.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
So do you have to buy all three? No
Two routes, and the one you pick decides the parts list.
Base-mount seat. Subframe plus seat. Two parts. The seat bolts straight down onto the frame through four holes in its base. Cheaper, fewer things to work loose, and it sits you higher than the alternative.
Side-mount seat. Subframe plus side mounts plus seat. Three parts. This is the route most composite FIA buckets take, and it is the one that drops you lowest into the car.
Given what you said about your last seat, we would put you on the base-mount route. Runners are then a separate yes or no depending on whether anyone else drives the car. Worth asking us before you order though, because whether a specific frame will take a separate set of runners on top varies by frame, and we would rather check your exact combination than have you find out on the driveway.
The bolt pattern that decides which subframe
This is the part that catches people out on this car, and it is worth getting right before you spend anything. Base-mount seats are not all drilled the same, and the ST180 frames are not all drilled the same either. They have to match.
| ST180 subframe | Bolt pattern | Takes these base-mount seats | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco | 345mm x 271mm | Sparco, Corbeau, OMP | £93.00 |
| OMP | 345mm x 271mm and 405mm x 290mm | Sparco, Corbeau, OMP, Recaro | £143 |
| Cobra | 291mm x 330mm | Cobra | £255.00 |
| SW Motorsport | Steel, Mk7 fit | Ask us for your seat | £132 |
Prices include VAT. The Planted Technology ST180 bracket is a fifth option at £225 including VAT. Every one of these is handed, so you order a driver side and a passenger side separately.
The one mistake to avoidA Cobra base-mount seat is drilled 291mm x 330mm and will only go onto the Cobra frame. It will not fit the £93.00 Sparco frame, however much cheaper that frame is. If you have already decided on a Cobra seat, budget for the Cobra frame at £255.00 and not the Sparco one, because the two do not line up and no amount of washers will make them.
All five ST180 frames from that table, each in driver and passenger side options on its own page:
-
From £93.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £143.52 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £134.89 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £224.95 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Why your last seat felt too low
You said the Sparco Martini looked lovely but you sat too low and did not feel in control. That is a very common report and it is almost never the seat shell itself. Three things stack up to put you on the floor.
A composite bucket on side mounts is the lowest way to mount a seat, by design, because a race car wants the driver low for the centre of gravity and for helmet clearance under a roll cage. Your car has neither. On top of that, some frames are sold as a deliberately low or super-low fit, and if you end up on one of those without knowing it you drop again. Then a fixed bucket reclines you back a little more than a road seat does, which changes your sightline over the bonnet even when the cushion height has not changed much.
Cameron sees this most often with people coming out of a factory seat that had height adjustment wound most of the way up without them ever thinking about it. Going to a fixed seat on a low frame can be a drop of several inches in one go, and your sense of where the car is goes with it.
What we would do about it on your carBase-mount seat, standard-height frame, not a low or super-low one, and runners if you want a little more adjustment back. Tell us you want to sit higher when you order and we will make sure the frame we send is the right one, because that is the part doing the work.
What the light seats actually weigh
Weight was your main reason for doing this, so here are the seats we publish a figure for, drawn to scale.
Published seat weights, the light end of the range
Cobra Classic6.0 kg
Cobra Roadster SR6.3 kg
Cobra Roadster SS6.4 kg
Cobra Sebring Pro Ultralite, carbon6.9 kg
Cobra Interlagos7.0 kg
Cobra Nogaro Club Sport7.9 kg
012345678
Every figure here is the weight published on our own listing for that seat. Seats without a published weight are left off instead of estimated, which is why the Sparco Sprint further down this page has no bar. The two picked out in blue are the ones we would put in an ST180 for a driver of this size. We do not hold a published weight for the factory Fiesta Recaro, so we are not going to quote you a saving figure we cannot stand behind. Put the old seat on the bathroom scales before it goes on eBay and you will have the real number.
The three we would fit, for your size and your car
You are 5ft 9in and a 32in waist, which is comfortably inside the standard band on all of these. Worth saying what we ruled out and why: the Cobra Nogaro is a lovely seat at 7.9kg, but its listing is drawn for drivers over 6ft and Garreth would not put a 5ft 9in driver in one when there are better-suited shells at the same money.
★
1. Cobra Classic, the light one
At 6kg it is the lightest seat on this page and the cheapest, £249.00 including VAT. Base mount, rated to a 32in to 36in waist and drawn for drivers under 6ft, so it suits you on all three counts. Road and track rated, not FIA, which is fine unless you are going competing. Needs the Cobra frame at £255.00.
⚙
2. Cobra Interlagos, the comfortable one
7kg, £409.00 including VAT, and the one to pick if you want a bit more seat around you than the Classic gives. Listed as suitable for all heights and all waist sizes, so there is more room in it. Base mount, same Cobra frame at £255.00.
☰
3. Sparco Sprint, the FIA one
Sparco’s entry FIA 8855-1999 bucket at £252.00 including VAT, and the only one of the three with a competition approval. It is a steel shell and Sparco are upfront that steel is heavier than fibreglass, but they do not publish a kg figure so we are not quoting one. Drilled for base AND side mount, so it goes straight onto the £93.00 Sparco frame with no side mounts needed.
-
From £249.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £409.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £252.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
And a fourth, if you want the full racing look
The Mirco RS2. It is the odd one out here because it is a side-mount seat, so it takes the three-part route: subframe, side mounts, then the shell. FIA 8855-1999, fibreglass with an integrated headrest, vinyl over a grey shell, listed for all heights with a 32 to 36 inch waist, £492.00 including VAT, and it looks like it belongs in a rally car because that is exactly what Mirco build them for.
One thing the listing does not show: the RS2 can be ordered with a halo head support for the full racing look, the wrap-around wings you see on modern circuit seats. It is an order request, so say so when you ring and we will spec it with Mirco. Ask us to price the side mounts and frame with it and you will have the whole route in one call.
What each route costs, per side
| Combination | Seat | Frame | Total per side |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco Sprint + Sparco frame | £252.00 | £93.00 | £345 |
| Cobra Classic + Cobra frame | £249.00 | £255.00 | £504 |
| Cobra Interlagos + Cobra frame | £409.00 | £255.00 | £664 |
All prices include VAT and are correct on 13 August 2026. Per side, so double it for a pair, and note the Sparco route comes out cheapest overall precisely because that frame is the inexpensive one. No side mounts are needed on any of these three, because all three seats are base mount.
Buying one now and one in a few months
Completely normal and we sell seats this way constantly. Three things worth knowing before you do it.
The frames are handed. A driver side frame and a passenger side frame are different parts, so order the driver side with your first seat and make sure the listing option says RHD driver side.
Trim can drift between batches. Two seats ordered months apart come out of different production runs, and on a black fabric seat you will most likely never notice. On anything with a colour, a stripe or a contrast stitch it is a real risk. If you are going for a plain finish, buy with confidence. If you want something with colour in it, tell us when you order the first one and we will note the batch.
Your passenger seat does not have to match. Plenty of ST180s run a bucket on the driver side and the factory Recaro on the passenger side permanently. It saves half the money, keeps a comfortable seat for whoever you take out in it, and nobody has ever failed an MOT for it.
💬
Before you order anythingSend us the picture of the frame you liked
You mentioned a subframe on our site that you liked the look of. Send that back over, because which one it was decides which seats are open to you, and it is a five minute check at our end that saves you buying a frame and a seat that do not line up. Cameron will confirm the pair before you spend anything.
Common questions on this
Do I need a subframe, side mounts and runners?
A subframe always. Side mounts only if the seat you choose is a side-mount seat, which most composite FIA buckets are. Runners only if you want the seat to slide. Choose a base-mount seat and you need the subframe and the seat, nothing else.
Will any subframe fit any seat?
No, and this is the main thing to get right on an ST180. Cobra base-mount seats are drilled 291mm x 330mm and need the Cobra frame. Sparco, Corbeau and OMP base-mount seats are 345mm x 271mm and go on the Sparco or OMP frames. Check the pattern on both before you order either.
Why did my last bucket seat feel so low?
Almost certainly the mounting rather than the seat. A composite bucket on side mounts is the lowest way to fit a seat, and some frames are sold as a deliberately low fit on top of that. A base-mount seat on a standard-height frame sits you noticeably higher.
How much weight will I actually save over the factory Recaro?
We do not hold a published weight for the factory Fiesta seat, so we will not guess at it. The seats on this page run from 6kg to 7.9kg where a figure is published. Weigh your old seat when it comes out and you will know exactly.
Do I have to buy both seats at once?
No. Order the driver side first, making sure you pick the RHD driver side option on the frame. Plenty of people never do the passenger side at all and keep the factory seat there.
Is a road and track seat good enough, or do I need FIA?
For a road car and the odd track day, road and track rated is fine and it is what most of these are. You need FIA 8855-1999 once you are entering events where the regulations call for a homologated seat, and of the three above only the Sparco Sprint carries it. Tell us if competing is on the cards and we will point you at the FIA options.
Where to go next
We have written up this car before from a different angle. Which bucket seats will fit my Fiesta ST180 covers the wider and XL shells if support matters more to you than weight, and our top 5 reclining seat choices for the ST180 is the one to read if you decide you want something that still reclines.
If weight is the whole point, our top 5 bare shell fibreglass and carbon lightweight seats goes further up the range than this page does.
Ring 0115 9893488 with the car and what you have decided and Cameron will confirm the frame and the seat line up before you order either.
Need a personal recommendation?
We're here to ensure you pick the right seat.
Contact us today.