Need more headroom!!

[RCNet]

Hi all,

Yesterday was a bad day for me. I've had dreams of taking my coupe to track days with the local BMW club, but yesterday my dreams came crashing down when I went to the local race shop and started looking at helmets. I've discovered that there is just no way I'm going to be able to fit myself with a helmet on in my coupe. It's terribly depressing.

I'm 6'3" and since having vertebrae removed probably isn't a suitable option, I'm now wondering about doing something to lower my butt in the car. I know sixspeed installed Recaro Pole Position seats in his M coupe, and I'm hoping that might be an option for me as well since it looks like the PP can be mounted almost touching the floor and hopefully give me the headroom I need. What I'm considering is getting a Pole Position driver's seat for track days only and swap back the OEM seat for the other 99% of the time. I really do like the frills and features of the M Sport seats which includes the heat and memory features (my wife is short).

I was wondering how difficult it is to remove the OEM drivers seat and install the PP seat. Is it a job that can be reasonably done in an hour or so when prepping for a track day and then swapped back afterwards? I'm thinking of going with the VAC mounts (like sixspeed) and no sliders in order to get the seat as low as possible (I'm assuming I'll be the only one driving it during that time). Does anybody have a similar setup, and how much additional headroom did it provide relative to OEM?

Any thoughts, comments, and ideas will be greatly appreciated to "keep the dream alive".

thanks,
RCNet

 

[cj10jeeper]

Can't comment on the race seat specifics but I can get a Z4 seat out in under 3 minutes as it's 2 bolts, 2 nuts, a connector and a seatbelt bolt

Issues you would have to resolve include

1) the seatbelt fastens to the outer seat rail so would need relocating
2) if the ignition is turned on with the connector off then the airbag system will tip off. You'd therefore need to either fit some sort of jumper or loop?

I'm sure there are more challenges, hopefully nothing too much though I know you won't be the first so it can all be done

 

[RCNet]

Jeeper,

Thanks for the info. I'm encouraged!!

I spoke with my BMW service advisor about my plans and he went off and did some research for me. He too said that I was going to have problems with tripping SRS codes and BMW-NA wouldn't allow him to share any info with me because of liability. He said the dealership would charge $200 to "diagnose and reset" the code. He also checked with a couple of third party upholstery places in town as well and they didn't have any better solution. Unfortunately there isn't a Peake scanner that works with the Z4 to reset the SRS codes. I knew about the bolt holding the belt to the outer seat rail. Most of the seat mounts I've looked at already have a hole drilled in them to accommodate this bolt

So if I understand you correctly, as long as I have the battery disconnected (I don't think I'd play with the pyrotechnics any other way) I can disconnect the pretensioner, and then reconnect it before reconnecting the battery, and I won't throw any SRS codes. My train of thought is now to consider getting a new pretensioner and figure out how attach it to the inner racing seat mount. It appears from realoem.com that it is only a single bolt holding it, and the seatbelt connector to the inner seat rail. If there is enough space between the mount and the center console, then that just might do it for me. That way it makes the swap as quick and easy as possible. If that doesn't work, the alternative is to figure out how to trick the SRS system with a dummy load.

I guess I've got more research to do....

Thanks,
RCNet

 

[cj10jeeper]

Sounds like you're on the right track.

You'd have to research the airbag issue in much greater depth than my superficial comment. I do not know what it's picking up from each seat. No doubt the seat pretensioners, but possibly also a passenger seated and likely the seatbelt fastened.

If you do any change with the ignition off you won't trip codes but for anything connected to the airbag circuit I'd want the battery disconnected for 30 minutes for safety reasons

Let us know how you get on