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06-15-2023, 05:00 PM | #1 |
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Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
After picking up my M coupe few months ago, I've been slowly converting it to a dual duty track car. When everything is said and done, I’m hoping it’ll be a modern take of a Z4 M ‘CS’. I’ve addressed wheels, suspension, braking and engine so the only item remaining was interior, namely the seats.
I had Recaro Pole Positions on my previous coupe, so I wanted try something a little different this time around. With the goal of maintaining a factory look, I looked at different P-car builds and that's when I stumbled upon this beautiful 991 GT3RS built by GMG. The car is fantastic on every level but what really stuck out were those Sparcos. At $1499 MSRP the Sparco QRT Performance is hard to beat in terms of value. Its FIA rated, lightweight (9.9lb shell), offers very low seating positions and comes in that beautiful red leather. With any aftermarket seat install you’ll need mounts and brackets. Unless you buy all hardware from the same manufacturer, you should be prepared to modify (i.e. drill) some pieces. It’s almost unavoidable especially for our cars where spacing is tight.
Silverstone E92 w/ Fox Red interior, courtesy of EAS Last edited by 3002 tii; 10-16-2023 at 03:41 AM.. |
06-15-2023, 05:01 PM | #2 |
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
Hardware
Side Mounts My first preference is Brey Krause since they integrate with OEM rails. It's arguably the safest and the most cost effective since you don't need to purchase floor mounts, sliders or receptacle brackets. In other words, the BK kit is an all-in-one solution. Unfortunately for me, the BK side mounts were not high enough so I ended up getting Sparco's seat-specific mounts. Floor Mounts Floor mounts come in 2 flavors -- the first is the single piece frame offered by Planted, Sparco, etc. The second is the 2-piece rectangular mounts offered by VAC, Bimmerworld, etc. The advantage to the 1-piece mount is they are usually designed to be vehicle specific so they'll bolt in perfectly. However, they won't offer as much adjustment range like the 2-piece mounts. If you go with the 2-piece be sure to pay attention to its length. The longer (or further back it extends), the better your chance of fitting the seat with minimal fiddling. The downside is you may have less room to work with if you decide to install a roll bar. Since that’s in the works for me, I purposely went with the BW’s smaller footprint version. Sliders Most race shops will recommend avoiding sliders since they introduce a potential failure point. However, that may not be an option on a street car, so you just need to look for a high quality set withc features such as durable construction, double-locking mechanism, and ECE R17 (European crash standard) ratings. Last edited by 3002 tii; 08-29-2023 at 07:38 PM.. |
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E93Seattle (Racerbruce)799.50 |
06-15-2023, 05:23 PM | #3 |
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
Belt Mounts
On most BMWs, only the belt receptacle is attached to the rail, whereas on the Z4, both the lower belt and receptacle are attached to the seat rails. That means you will need to purchase 2 kits (or 4 brackets) for both seats. Your options include VAC and Rogue Engineering. The only downside with these is they both attach to a fixed point, instead of moving with the seat like the factory setup. Therefore I chose to go with PS Designs whose brackets sit in between side mount and slider, thus mimicking the factory setup. Note Planted floor mounts include welded fixed tabs for belts so you don’t need to purchase additional brackets. Belt Receptacle Unless you have Cobra Nogaros or Recaro PP ABE seats, chances are you will have difficulty routing the factory lap belt properly. The answer, however, should not be securing the belt over the side bolsters -- that is very dangerous and could lead to submarining during a crash. It's imperative you have the factory lap belts positioned over your pelvis. So there are two options I am aware of:
Occupancy Sensor The OC sensor can be dealt with coding on newer platforms but I don't believe that's the case for the E85/86. So the easiest option is to buy an aftermarket emulator from eBay. I did this on my prior Z and it worked flawlessly. Just be sure to have the seller confirm it will work with your Z4 as there are different versions for different BMW chassis. Alternatively, you can always find a spare factory OC sensor on eBay for ~$75. You just need to make sure you can access your seat cushion to install the sensor. Note you only need one occupancy sensor for the passenger side and the factory OC sensor part numbers differs for pre-facelift and LCI (06-08) Z4s. Last edited by 3002 tii; 08-29-2023 at 08:00 PM.. |
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E93Seattle (Racerbruce)799.50 |
06-15-2023, 07:34 PM | #4 |
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
Installation
Tools and Hardware I’m not going to lie, seat install on this car is one of the most annoying mods. 95% of the annoyance is due to the required trial and error of what you’ll learn along the way; the other 5% is not having the right tools. So I’ll try to document the key findings so your install is way more straightforward. As for tools, you’ll need a cordless 1/4 ratchet with hex sockets, 1/2 socket with extension, 16mm socket, metric wrench set and metric carbide drill bits. FYI most seats and brackets come with hardware but it won’t hurt to have spare m8x1.25 socket head screw of varying lengths (16-25mm), m8 fender washers and nylon lock nuts. Assembly There’s plenty of DIY write ups on how to remove the factory seat so I’m only going to focus on the bucket seat install. The key to simplifying the install is pre-assembling the brackets and seats first to ensure all the brackets line up and any required drilling is done beforehand. Once you’re confirmed that, disassemble the hardware and do the same thing for slider and floor mount. Depending on floor mount, some extend further behind the floor pan bolt whereas others end right around there. This is why you want to confirm your slider actually bolts in because there could be a scenario where the pre-designated holes on slider don’t line up with floor mount, which means you’ll have to drill a new hole in your slider rails. But once you’ve confirmed a) side mounts, brackets and sliders align and b) sliders align with floor mounts, you can now proceed with install. Just make mental note which threaded hole you utilized on the floor adapter.
Pics to follow but here’s a quick picture of passenger side. Last edited by 3002 tii; 09-17-2023 at 05:10 PM.. |
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Westersund499.50 E93Seattle (Racerbruce)799.50 |
08-26-2023, 06:32 PM | #6 |
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Did you weigh the components going in and those coming out? I've heard the weight advantage of aftermarket seats is not as big as expected once you've gotten everything installed.
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08-26-2023, 06:49 PM | #7 | |
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
Quote:
But weight saving aside, the biggest benefit is the side support and ability to run harnesses. Being strapped down and not sliding around helps immensely with lap times. |
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E93Seattle (Racerbruce)799.50 |
08-27-2023, 03:25 AM | #8 |
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Great post, really informative.
i went for the tillet carbon seats for weight ( massive massive saving over stock and that includes the hardware as well ) side mounted setup with siders too for ease of use. the seats are way way more comfortable than they would appear and can be driven in for hours on hours. The tillet is a extremely expensive option but the quality is GT3 Rs worthy ( the resins do kinda stink however, lol) and the support they offer is NUTS. Whats really cool is the lower seat is like a bowl so your sat super low and the seat is molded in a slight reclined position which extends your feel out in-front of you, difficult to describe but by far one of the best seating position Ive enjoyed. I used all the stock components such as seat belt reciprocals, tensioners , etc for an oem type finish. No wiring cut, all premade harnesses for a plug and play setup. combined with the Deep dish MOMO model 07 steering wheel the driver zone in this car feels so special. Setting it all up for the drive was a REAL pain and took weeks to get right, the passenger seat went in perfect on the second hit ( iv got it set slightly lower than the drivers seat , passengers always comment how cool it feels sat on the floor, lol). If you havent already i really recommend a proper steering wheel setup to get the most from your seat, the thinner rim just brims with feel and makes an already excellent rack feel so much more alive!
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Z4MR VT2 - Clubsport build.
Multi award winning Detailing | Wrap | PPF specialists UK based - www.topwrapz.com Last edited by Beedub; 08-27-2023 at 03:42 AM.. |
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3002 tii2285.50 |
08-27-2023, 07:18 PM | #9 | |
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Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75]
E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24] |
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E93Seattle (Racerbruce)799.50 |
08-28-2023, 01:43 AM | #11 | |
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Literally everyone says the same thing.... until they sit in the them. The way they mold to your body is pretty unreal. However their are some special order seat pads to make things alittle more comfortable , each seat came in at 4kg, lol! Fitting aftermarket seats in this car is a PITA as you know. The pedals are offset slightly so it takes some serious fiddling! One of the best mods we can do to this car as i find the stock seats just completely junk for back road thrashes!
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08-28-2023, 12:11 PM | #13 |
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once your in the seat your head rests against the tillet pad you see in the pic.... it couldn't hit anywhere , not sure what you mean tbh.....
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