Sacramento, CA
Hi all,
I've been looking into swapping the OEM seats in my Z4 to hold me in better on mountain runs and track days. I'm 6'3 170 lbs with long legs, so I end up sliding around everywhere with the OEM seats and smashing my knee into the bottom of the steering wheel position adjuster when trying to heel-toe downshift. I looked into E46 M3 Coupe seats as those provide better bolstering and retained the powered/heating functions, but couldn't find any in my area in good condition for under $1k USD.
I therefore started looking into aftermarket fixed bucket seats. I ruled out Recaro Pole Positions, which have been proven to fit the Z4 with a slight rub on the door card, due to the cost (1.5k in the most basic finish
). Ended up looking at the Corbeau FX1 and Sparco Evo QRT as those are similar in terms of dimensions to the Pole Positions, but much cheaper. I went with the Corbeau FX1 in suede with vinyl accents as the Sparco cannot be bottom mounted on sliders and has worse trim options imo.
In terms of installation, I used Corbeau's E46 sliders. The sliders raised my seating position up, but it goes further back than the OEM seat, so I gained about 1-2mm of clearance between my knee and the steering wheel adjuster. The seat feels like it is slightly to the left of the wheel, but having driven in the seat for around 6 hours, I do not notice it anymore. The shoulder support does touch the door card, but doesn't prevent the door from closing. Here are a few pictures of the seat in the car
I've been looking into swapping the OEM seats in my Z4 to hold me in better on mountain runs and track days. I'm 6'3 170 lbs with long legs, so I end up sliding around everywhere with the OEM seats and smashing my knee into the bottom of the steering wheel position adjuster when trying to heel-toe downshift. I looked into E46 M3 Coupe seats as those provide better bolstering and retained the powered/heating functions, but couldn't find any in my area in good condition for under $1k USD.
I therefore started looking into aftermarket fixed bucket seats. I ruled out Recaro Pole Positions, which have been proven to fit the Z4 with a slight rub on the door card, due to the cost (1.5k in the most basic finish
). Ended up looking at the Corbeau FX1 and Sparco Evo QRT as those are similar in terms of dimensions to the Pole Positions, but much cheaper. I went with the Corbeau FX1 in suede with vinyl accents as the Sparco cannot be bottom mounted on sliders and has worse trim options imo. In terms of installation, I used Corbeau's E46 sliders. The sliders raised my seating position up, but it goes further back than the OEM seat, so I gained about 1-2mm of clearance between my knee and the steering wheel adjuster. The seat feels like it is slightly to the left of the wheel, but having driven in the seat for around 6 hours, I do not notice it anymore. The shoulder support does touch the door card, but doesn't prevent the door from closing. Here are a few pictures of the seat in the car
North West Surrey
