E46 M3 seats

[jarmsie]

Hi all,

Ive become interested in seat options for my e86. They’re not in bad shape, slightly worn but it’s more of an aesthetic / individual taste thing I suppose.

Been reading on the forums that some people have had success with swapping in the e46 m3 seats and I like the idea of this both for the look and the comfort. I see quite a few black leather ones up on eBay but I was wondering;
- Were the e46 m3 seats available in other colours? Specifically I’m interested in lighter ones ie cream or light brown
- and if the above is true, do these come up for sale much or is it a bit of a hopeless endeavour trying to find these?

Also I assume only the coupe version would work? Not the saloon or convertible ones?

Cheers

 

[paddy wright]

They fit- @Keyper had them in his e85. Quarry motors in Sheffield could be a good place to try.

 

[Mr Tidy]

To avoid the M Tax it might be worth looking for seats from any 2 door E46 Sport model, although some are less likely to be heated and only 330i models had electric adjustment. I had these in my 325ti Sport Compact.

 

[john-e89]

M3 seats in an E85/6 fit easily, however they sit much higher than standard seats, too high tbh, I know, I’ve tried them and I’m only 5’6”.

 

[Bolle]

To avoid the M Tax it might be worth looking for seats from any 2 door E46 Sport model, although some are less likely to be heated and only 330i models had electric adjustment. I had these in my 325ti Sport Compact.

I'd say with E46 sport seats, the main priority would be to get heated ones as the heating mats are integrated into the leather covers, so probably very hard to add later. Manual to electric (or reverse) seat conversions are pretty simple, just swapping the backrest and seat bottom on to the base you want.

Regarding seating heights, I now have two electric adjustable seats in my car. One stock SE, and the other modified with a E46 sport seat seat bottom/cushion. Some rough measurements show that the E46 cushion puts you about 1,5 - 2 cm higher.

Also I find on the continent decent condition heated black leather E46 sports seats are becoming pricey too, I'd say in the 500 - 700 euro range.

 

[jarmsie]

Thanks for the info chaps. Can’t you just lower the seat via the controls to offset that extra ~2cm height?

E46 sports seats rather than m3 looks like the way to go then, for the cost and availability.

 

[RMB]

Just to point out that E46 M3 coupe had the nicer M3 seats whereas the E46 M3 convertibles had the same seats as the non M E46s. I always found them too big and lacking support. The coupe seats are probably better and more supportive. There were colour options. Avoid grey-imho

Are you in a sport or SE E86?
The E86/5 M sport seats are lovely and quite supportive I find at least.

 

[Bolle]

Thanks for the info chaps. Can’t you just lower the seat via the controls to offset that extra ~2cm height?

E46 sports seats rather than m3 looks like the way to go then, for the cost and availability.

Unfortunately not, the base and seat pan are identical between E46 and E85. The difference is all in the shape and thickness of the cushion itself. So with the seats set at identical height, the E46 cushions will put you higher. I have both of them lying around, and just measured roughly (as the cushion shape makes exact measurement difficult) about a 2 cm difference.

In terms of side support and under thigh support the E46 seats are better which is why I'm experimenting with using them.

Installed my first 'Frankenseat' last weekend.

• E85 seatbacks with the 'side bolster mod' for more lateral support.
• E46 sport seat bottom. Combination of cheapo cloth E46 sport seats for the cushion and pan, and leather heated covers from E46 convertible sport seats.
• OEM BMW lumbar support as used in E46/E53 and more.

All in all a somewhat budget friendly solution to improve seat comfort, although the little tidbits do add up. Seeing as both E85 sport seats and leather heated E46 sport seats are quite expensive on the continent, I tried this project. Also as I need the seat to go fully back, I preferred to use the slimmer E85 seatbacks over the bigger E46 ones.

Biggest learning point - the convertible seat covers have a more different shape where they meet the backrest than the E46 sedan/touring/coupe/compact, so the leather ended up a bit pushed together and wrinkled there. More a 'looks' issue than comfort or functionality. I knew the convertible shape was a bit different but I couldn't find any other covers at a reasonable cost in the timeframe I was looking so I gave it a try, but the difference in shape was a bit more than I expected.

First seat probably took me if you add it all up about a weekend, but spread out over 3-4 weeks as I was learning, waiting for tools and little parts. Fun project though! But therefore I started with the passenger seat first to give me time to figure it out, drivers seat should be done in a weekend.

View attachment 298290
View attachment 298291

 

[futureZ4buyer]

Probably due to my body, and restoring original seats with new foam and re-paint, but I find normal/comfort seats really tight now. I don't know how I would fit in original sport seats (183cm, wider shoulders, skinny)...

And E46 seats don't fit properly in a Z4, for me. They are beautiful seats for themselves like all M seats, but look out of place and too big for the Z4 dimensions.

 

[jarmsie]

Just to point out that E46 M3 coupe had the nicer M3 seats whereas the E46 M3 convertibles had the same seats as the non M E46s. I always found them too big and lacking support. The coupe seats are probably better and more supportive. There were colour options. Avoid grey-imho

Are you in a sport or SE E86?
The E86/5 M sport seats are lovely and quite supportive I find at least.

It’s a sport. I do like the m sport seats, but I find the shoulder bolsters dig into my shoulders quite a bit. I don’t feel like I’m “in” the seat if that makes sense? I’m pretty average size but my shoulders don’t seem to fit that well for some reason

 

[jarmsie]

Unfortunately not, the base and seat pan are identical between E46 and E85. The difference is all in the shape and thickness of the cushion itself. So with the seats set at identical height, the E46 cushions will put you higher. I have both of them lying around, and just measured roughly (as the cushion shape makes exact measurement difficult) about a 2 cm difference.

In terms of side support and under thigh support the E46 seats are better which is why I'm experimenting with using them.

Sorry what I meant was, lower the seat about 2cm more than you’d normally have it on the old seats, so you’re technically sat at the same height

 

[Bolle]

Sorry what I meant was, lower the seat about 2cm more than you’d normally have it on the old seats, so you’re technically sat at the same height

I'm already at the lowest in the normal/old/SE seats, so can't go any lower!

 

[RMB]

Just found this link with pictures of M3 coupe seats in a Zed….

 

[Jollygiant]

I’d go E89 personally and the look fits the car better and less wide across the shoulders. Much comfier than the original sports seats too.
Follow to how to on here (just search for it) and it easy enough.

 

[jarmsie]

Just found this link with pictures of M3 coupe seats in a Zed….

Thanks, it’s very helpful to see the side by side like that. I quite like the way the seat looks there and it looks a lot more comfortable just looking at the shoulder area

 

[jarmsie]

I’d go E89 personally and the look fits the car better and less wide across the shoulders. Much comfier than the original sports seats too.
Follow to how to on here (just search for it) and it easy enough.

I did consider that but based on the guide(s) I saw posted it looked much less of a straight swap (potentially some fabrication required etc?) so I was less keen on that really due to time and also being new to all this sort of stuff

 

[peter1450]

Have to say I prefer the original, the M seat just looks too chunky in there , maybe if they were both in with no comparison it would look better?

 

[Bolle]

I did consider that but based on the guide(s) I saw posted it looked much less of a straight swap (potentially some fabrication required etc?) so I was less keen on that really due to time and also being new to all this sort of stuff

There is some fabrication as the seat rails are narrower, but I'm led to believe these adaptors would work too.

Seat brackets Amazon

The main hassle for me seems to be to get the electrics working, with the need to keep the bus connection 'alive'.