Recaro Pole Position ABE fitting

[Mikey_Boy]

Hi Folks,

For what its worth... I have fitted Recaro SPG seats to my car - the thread is still here but I got 'photobucketed' like half of the internet did so pics are blocked...

Here's the thread: https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=77724&start=30

From memory - I used VAC floor mounts (these are excellent), Recaro side mounts (steel as these are lower) and I welded an M10 boss to one side so that I could mount the standard pretensioner seat belt buckle - just plug that into the seat loom. For the passenger occupancy airbag sensor, I searched a generic online bidding site beginning with 'E' for an emulator and connected this to the right pins on the passenger side plug (again an online search helps here). Coding this out I believe is tricky but not impossible - BMW Coders were unwilling to commit to help as they saw it as a safety issue to actively disable an airbag (understandable). The only downside of the plug-in gizmo I have is that when driving alone I have buckle the passenger seat belt or the car shouts at me as it thinks there is someone in the passenger seat.

The seat is plenty low enough set up like this (in fact much better than the standard M seats - apologies to the purists!) with enough head room for me and my helmet for track days (I'm 1m 75 tall). The only issue is seat width, with the door panel fouling the seat slightly - that might be worse with Pole positions? I've stuck small high density foam patches to minimise damage to the seat and the door panel.

Overall, a bit of a pain in the backside, but well worth the effort - took me a day end to end.

Hope that helps!!

 

[mmm-five]

The PP ABE is the same 580mm shoulder width.

What happens if you don't have the occupancy sensor or occupancy mat (that I've been offered elsewhere in this thread )

The reason I thought I might be able to do away with any coding was the way the guy in this video installs the seats into an e46 and unplugs the big yellow plug, removes the seatbelt specific plug, then plugs that one back in when he puts the new seat in.

[youtube]72IhyV20gUY[/youtube]

 

[Vanne]

Airbag light comes on.

 

[mmm-five]

Airbag light comes on.

So sounds like a replacement mat would be handy to sit underneath the PP cushion then

 

[Vanne]

Dunno, Ive got a pax Sim, just haven't bothered to put it in. Pax seat sensor isn't an option for my seats, but just remember if you do grab the proper pax sensor, you gotta put it under the seat cover..

 

[mpm]

CA automotive have a sale on currently.
Discount on runners etc if you need them

 

[mmm-five]

CA automotive have a sale on currently.
Discount on runners etc if you need them

That’s where I’m planning on getting them.

Prices on the website are out of date (over £800 for floor mounts & hybrid seat belt mounts) vs the £590 I’ve been quoted. Don’t know if that’s at their current sale price though, so will check tomorrow.

 

[TomK]

CA automotive have a sale on currently.
Discount on runners etc if you need them

That’s where I’m planning on getting them.

Prices on the website are out of date (over £800 for floor mounts & hybrid seat belt mounts) vs the £590 I’ve been quoted. Don’t know if that’s at their current sale price though, so will check tomorrow.

Also take a look at pete's stuff which is very nice quality.
http://www.psdesignsglobal.com/products-services/psdesigns-bracketry/
For mine, I used some box section, perfectly happy with it and came to £100 or something all done.

 

[mmm-five]

http://www.psdesignsglobal.com/products-services/psdesigns-bracketry/

Thanks

Haven't ordered any of the bracketry yet, so will have to choose between Macht Schnell, VAC Motorsport, and PSD.

At least the PSD stuff is made in the UK.

 

[RedUn]

http://www.psdesignsglobal.com/products-services/psdesigns-bracketry/

Thanks

Haven't ordered any of the bracketry yet, so will have to choose between Macht Schnell, VAC Motorsport, and PSD.

At least the PSD stuff is made in the UK.

Holy thread resurrection...

Did you get these fitted in the end? Any pics? 8)

 

[mmm-five]

Definitely did...not long after my last post...still haven’t got around to fitting the champagne cushions though.

 

[RedUn]

Definitely did...not long after my last post...still haven’t got around to fitting the champagne cushions though.

They look lovely! That's made mind up!! :evil: How much lower than oem are they with the rails? I was thinking of just bolting to the floor to save 30mm or whatever it is?

 

[mmm-five]

They look lovely! That's made mind up!! :evil: How much lower than oem are they with the rails? I was thinking of just bolting to the floor to save 30mm or whatever it is?

As they are, with mounts & sliders, they're no lower than the standard seats - I got them simply for more support & comfort...without having to spend £4-5k on BMW M-Performance / Recaro Sportster CS / Tillet seats.

Without the slider and mount (there are slimmer ones available) then you'd probably save 25mm. But you could always fit some stick-on non-slip alcantara panels (about 2mm thick) instead of the foam cushions to save another 10mm - like they use in Tillets.

If I was to do it again, then I'd not bother with the sliders as I never move them - but they do make it easier to get to the bolts to remove the seats.

They were much easier to fit than I'd been lead to believe by the seat supplier (CA-Auto and Demon Tweaks). Both quoted 5-7 hours to fit the pair...it took me 2 hours for the first, and 1 hour for the second, and I've got no mechanical skills

Did find out the holes in the genuine Recaro sliders DO NOT match those in the Macht Schnell floor mount, which required me to drill out one hole in the sliders into a slot - so the PSDesigns one might have been the better purchase (slightly slimmer & more holes too).

 

[3002 tii]

Definitely did...not long after my last post...still haven’t got around to fitting the champagne cushions though.

Bump. I’ve been toying with putting Recaros in my coupe. I actually did the same almost 10 years ago on my first track build so I’m not entirely new to this but it’s been a while. However this time around I would go with the ABE because of the 3 point comparability. Back then I had to use an extender to route the side belt.

Couple questions if you don’t mind….

• 
  Did you go with the heated option?
  
  Are the Recaro sliders and side mounts their “universal” version or seat specific?
  
  Back when I did my install I found a seller on eBay who offered a passenger seat emulator. Is that still the best option? What did you use to get around the occupancy sensor?
  
  How did the MS floor mounts work for you? I used the same (not sure if design or quality has changed) but my holes didn’t line up so I had to bust out the burr. Hoping to avoid and find more PnP option.

Thanks!

 

[mmm-five]

Couple questions if you don’t mind….

• 
  Did you go with the heated option?
  
  Are the Recaro sliders and side mounts their “universal” version or seat specific?
  
  Back when I did my install I found a seller on eBay who offered a passenger seat emulator. Is that still the best option? What did you use to get around the occupancy sensor?
  
  How did the MS floor mounts work for you? I used the same (not sure if design or quality has changed) but my holes didn’t line up so I had to bust out the burr. Hoping to avoid and find more PnP option.

Thanks!

Didn’t go for the heated option as the alcantara covers don’t get cold

They’re Recaro sliders, but I just selected the ones offered on the same page as the seats

I fitted a spare seat occupancy mat from a seller on here - and that site under the cushions

Same for me with the Macht Schnell floor mounts…but I went the easier route of putting an extra hole in the slider rail - would probably go for PSDesign ones if I did it again.

 

[3002 tii]

Couple questions if you don’t mind….

• 
  Did you go with the heated option?
  
  Are the Recaro sliders and side mounts their “universal” version or seat specific?
  
  Back when I did my install I found a seller on eBay who offered a passenger seat emulator. Is that still the best option? What did you use to get around the occupancy sensor?
  
  How did the MS floor mounts work for you? I used the same (not sure if design or quality has changed) but my holes didn’t line up so I had to bust out the burr. Hoping to avoid and find more PnP option.

Thanks!

Didn’t go for the heated option as the alcantara covers don’t get cold

They’re Recaro sliders, but I just selected the ones offered on the same page as the seats

I fitted a spare seat occupancy mat from a seller on here - and that site under the cushions

Same for me with the Macht Schnell floor mounts…but I went the easier route of putting an extra hole in the slider rail - would probably go for PSDesign ones if I did it again.

Interesting I didn’t think the oc sensor was even sold separately. When I looked into it years ago I was pretty sure it was integrated into factory seat and there was no separate p/n.

Re PSDesign - how do you know those would be a better fit? Would you happen to have a link to their mounts? All I see is their anti-sub bracket

 

[mmm-five]

I only mention the PSDesigns floor mounts because that was the set I was recommended when I originally planned the install (along with the VAC motorsport ones).

My original plan was all VAC Motorsport items (except for the seats).

Unfortunately both the PSD and VAC were out of stock with no firm date for availability, so I swapped to Macht Schnell...on the basis that they were the same (as I'd seen them used elsewhere). But the fitting issue may be because of the sliders, rather than the mounts.

Plus their website doesn't even seem to list them now...

I got all my fittings (Recaro seats, side mounts & sliders, Macht Schnell floor mounts and hybrid belt mounts) from CA-Automotive in the end, as they offered a 10% discount for the bundle.

https://www.catune.co.uk/single_prod-cHJvZF9pZD00MTE2JmNhcl9tYWtlPWJtdyZjYXJfdHlwZT1lNDYmY2F0X2lkPTExNyZjb21wX2lkPTE3MA==.html

 

[3002 tii]

I only mention the PSDesigns floor mounts because that was the set I was recommended when I originally planned the install (along with the VAC motorsport ones).

My original plan was all VAC Motorsport items (except for the seats).

Unfortunately both the PSD and VAC were out of stock with no firm date for availability, so I swapped to Macht Schnell...on the basis that they were the same (as I'd seen them used elsewhere). But the fitting issue may be because of the sliders, rather than the mounts.

Plus their website doesn't even seem to list them now...

I got all my fittings (Recaro seats, side mounts & sliders, Macht Schnell floor mounts and hybrid belt mounts) from CA-Automotive in the end, as they offered a 10% discount for the bundle.

https://www.catune.co.uk/single_prod-cHJvZF9pZD00MTE2JmNhcl9tYWtlPWJtdyZjYXJfdHlwZT1lNDYmY2F0X2lkPTExNyZjb21wX2lkPTE3MA==.html

Good stuff, thanks for all the info. I suspect this will be a process, going to have to research and acquire parts slowly.

 

[Wursle]

Just to chime in on this thread, I recently installed some gosling racing mounts with a Recaro Abe. The install video is super simple and you only need 3 tools.

I’ve attached my video so you can take a look

Z4 Coupe E86 Recaro Pole Position ABE + Gosling Racing Adjustable Seat Mounts Install & Review
https://youtu.be/rlwHzfn_b-M

I have just made a video on installing the Recaro Pole Position ABE into my Z4 Coupe with the Adjustable Gosling Racing Seat Mounts.

In my opinion this offers the lowest adjustable seat option that is identical in height as solid mounts.

I’m new to doing YouTube videos, my content will be Z4 related with some bits on my E30 restoration

 

[Barty]

[ref]Wursle[/ref], gave it a watch just now, thanks for sharing! Interesting to see your ideas and findings when it comes to fitting the seats.

Any thoughts on how you could overcome the rubbing issue? Ive got a mate with these in his Z4 where they don’t rub, but that’s because they’re on a custom made floor adapter frame, putting them even lower into the cabin. Ideally I’d run sliders too, but if they rub that way I might have to reconsider that. Would they rub without the sliders too? So straight mounted onto the floor adapters.

On a sidenote, good to see another green machine getting t some love