e46 sport seats retrofit

[williamdefender]

Ive read a while back about fitting e46 msport leather seats to the e85 . Question is , can the heating bit be swapped over . Ive a local unmarked set i can pickup for £100 but they aren't heated . Its a deal breaker if i can't move the heating elements , anyone every done this ?

 

[Ducklakeview]

It's a PITA to swap the elements, and they are probably the wrong shape in your existing seats. Also, be aware that E46 seats are a fair bit "chunkier" than Zed seats, and as such can reduce legroom and headroom with the roof up..

Mike

 

[Monkeydonkeyratmagic]

46 seats don't look right at all. Way too big. What's wrong with the z4 ones? Have you got the plain cloth crap?

 

[williamdefender]

Got the standard se leather heated seats and to be honest i think they are crap . Real hard like sitting on a bench waiting to see the doctor .
Sounds like to much hassle though swapping heating elements etc , thanks duck

 

[Ducklakeview]

Got the standard se leather heated seats and to be honest i think they are crap . Real hard like sitting on a bench waiting to see the doctor .
Sounds like to much hassle though swapping heating elements etc , thanks duck

YUP SE seats are very bench like and offer zero side support...

Mike

 

[jamie_z4]

46 seats don't look right at all. Way too big. What's wrong with the z4 ones? Have you got the plain cloth crap?

If you've got se z4 seats and upgrade to e46 sport seats it transforms the driving experience. Way too big? Have you sat in an e46 seat in a z4?

 

[williamdefender]

I would tend to agree . Reakon a unmarked set for £100 is a bargain but the heating thing is a deal breaker . Might just buy them anyhow to make some cool seats for the man cave

 

[Monkeydonkeyratmagic]

46 seats don't look right at all. Way too big. What's wrong with the z4 ones? Have you got the plain cloth crap?

If you've got se z4 seats and upgrade to e46 sport seats it transforms the driving experience. Way too big? Have you sat in an e46 seat in a z4?

No I had poverty spec seats with the back plastic sticking out the bolsters. They were trashed. I toyed with the idea myself but they look too big. Like a fat man on a mini moto and according to American lore you need to be under 5"9 to be properly accomodated by them with the roof up.

In the end I just bought a decent set of leather z4 seats, heated only and swapped the bases and mine had cloth with electric, memory and heating and made a world of difference. Cost me £150 on fleabay.
Also can you match the door cards to these 46 seats?

I'm also pretty certain the s2k seats fit quite easily.

 

[Yorkie Z]

Isn't there loads of E46 heated seats for sale on eBay!

S2K seats and E89 seats also fit.

 

[jamie_z4]

46 seats don't look right at all. Way too big. What's wrong with the z4 ones? Have you got the plain cloth crap?

If you've got se z4 seats and upgrade to e46 sport seats it transforms the driving experience. Way too big? Have you sat in an e46 seat in a z4?

No I had poverty spec seats with the back plastic sticking out the bolsters. They were trashed. I toyed with the idea myself but they look too big. Like a fat man on a mini moto and according to American lore you need to be under 5"9 to be properly accomodated by them with the roof up.

In the end I just bought a decent set of leather z4 seats, heated only and swapped the bases and mine had cloth with electric, memory and heating and made a world of difference. Cost me £150 on fleabay.
Also can you match the door cards to these 46 seats?

I'm also pretty certain the s2k seats fit quite easily.

I'm 5ft 11 and fit in it no problem. The base was no different to the se one tbh. As I measured the height of the seat belt in relation to the transmission tunnel for another forum member.

Ive sold about 5 sets of E46 seats on here now some m3 seats and some m sport and everyone raved about how good they are.

At the end of the day it's a good alternative to z4 sport seats which fetch 800 plus and the black leather is a good match to the existing door card leather, not sure about other colours

 

[NickDE]

E46 seats work great in my Z4C. Weirdly I have Z4 sports seats in my E46 track car.

If looking for E46 seats choose a set with the features you want rather than modifying them. There's enough choice out there.

 

[Sticks]

I've been thinking about replacing the foam on my SE seats to see if there was more give but this would be an interesting option. Any photo's available?

Nick

 

[davros]

I've been thinking about replacing the foam on my SE seats to see if there was more give but this would be an interesting option. Any photo's available?

Nick

Not the greatest photo, but hopefully it will give you an idea what the E46 seats look like in a Zed. I was lucky enough to get a pair of M E46 seats in Nappa leather and inflatable side bolsters and lumber support. I absolutely love em

 

[Anmarube]

Love the bases but not the back. Anyone know if Z4 seat backs fit on a e46 base. if the base fits the Z floor pan with no problems could be a possibility. Leather difference maybe?

 

[Mr Tidy]

My daily is an E46 Sport, and it's seats are way better than Z4 SE seats.

Does anyone know if E46 and Z4 bases are interchangeable - just wondering if it would be possible to put E46 Sport seats into a Z4 using the Z4 bases to keep electric adjustment?

 

[davros]

My daily is an E46 Sport, and it's seats are way better than Z4 SE seats.

Does anyone know if E46 and Z4 bases are interchangeable - just wondering if it would be possible to put E46 Sport seats into a Z4 using the Z4 bases to keep electric adjustment?

When I swapped mine over, the E46 seats were ‘plug & play’ but did swap the seat runners over to retain the original seat belt fixings from the Z4.

Apart from the slight difference in seat belt mountings the bases and motors etc looked identical, so I’d gues they would be a straightforward swap.

 

[NickDE]

Love the bases but not the back. Anyone know if Z4 seat backs fit on a e46 base. if the base fits the Z floor pan with no problems could be a possibility. Leather difference maybe?

Have a look at E46 sports seats. The backs are styled differently from the M3 ones in the picture, and might suit you better. Sorry, no photo on me of my E46 seats, but I'm sure Google can help.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm intrigued mainly because my E46 has "Sport" seats like this:-

 

[Anmarube]

Love the bases but not the back. Anyone know if Z4 seat backs fit on a e46 base. if the base fits the Z floor pan with no problems could be a possibility. Leather difference maybe?

Have a look at E46 sports seats. The backs are styled differently from the M3 ones in the picture, and might suit you better. Sorry, no photo on me of my E46 seats, but I'm sure Google can help.

Cheers for that pal, Picked up a 325 CI Coupe M sport yesterday with exact seats in but unfortunately it's a sales car so can't pinch them..Plenty on the auction sites...Think I may get a pair and have a play when the garage gets warmer,,,So much cheaper than Z seats too and much more available.

 

[NickDE]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm intrigued mainly because my E46 has "Sport" seats like this:-

I don't think there is any difference between the sports seats in my E46 and the M3 seats in my Z4C in terms of comfort. Both are nappa leather so very similar. The M3 seats are styled slightly differently at the top so might suit personal visual taste differently. Some M3 seats have inflatable bolsters which I don't find that useful but others might. The big difference is E46 sports seats will be cheaper as they don't have the 50% M surcharge on them. Also ones from saloons and tourings will not have the tilting back rest that a Zed doesn't need anyway, plus I think they have the seatbelt mount on the frame that makes fitting into a Zed a little bit easier.