Time to start the Seat install - UPDATE PICS ADDED

[Beedub]

Ok guys,

ive literally been sitting on these for months now ( pun intended ) ive finally got all the needed pieces together to make this happen. Its taken 6 months of research, researching the best seats, what i want from the new seat install, sourcing hardware from across the globe and trial and error. The install should be complete by next weekend. My seat bases have welded in tabs for the seat belt mount point Plus the the tensioner. Due to TOMK mentioning how low these TILLETS sit in the car , i went with the raised planted bases , the sliders add additional height , plus ive got the taller TB3 tillet side mounts. From my calculation even with all that additional height i'm still going to be lower that the stock seat at it lowest setting. The B5 seat has a big dip in the base and you simply don't realize how low they position you. All bolts are titanium and everything needed to be to an OEM level of finish. The custom seat pads have not arrive as yet. So far the seat project has cost around 4k so a significant investment, these seats will bring the car under 1400kg with its current output of around 540hp giving a supercar level of Power to weight.

Heres some pics of things coming together, next weekend will see the install finally happen , ill be recording the install for my YT channel.

I need the car ready for two reasons, 1) got a BMW magazine shoot at my workshop , 2) i want to get on my first track day by the end of the month

 

[Beedub]

Bases being built up..... What a PITA.

i'm going to save the final pieces of the puzzle for the YT channel but will post the finished pics here also. At this point i'm very happy with the look of it all , its really going to make the cabin feel special.

 

[Beedub]

also thanks to ED, Tom, and others that have given advise on getting this together. Shame as I LOVE the stock seats but simply hate the lack of support. i'm expecting the final result to shave off 40kg ( at a minimum )

 

[Ed Doe]

Looking good dude! As before any pics I can take of mine as fitted to help out gimme a shout!


I was out fiddling with the setup of mine yesterday funnily enough - pulled the rear up one mounting hole so the seats are more upright. Will be road testing hopefully this week once I've got my suspension back from intrax!

 

[Beedub]

Looking good dude! As before any pics I can take of mine as fitted to help out gimme a shout!


I was out fiddling with the setup of mine yesterday funnily enough - pulled the rear up one mounting hole so the seats are more upright. Will be road testing hopefully this week once I've got my suspension back from intrax!

thanks ED, i was actually going to run mine one down on the rear, but i think ill try it level... R.E the bolts / Nuts for the seat belt mounting and the tensioner, im guessing the nuts for each are captive to the seat and ill need to source a few new bolts, i don't suppose you know what size they are? unless the nut comes off once they are unbolted? how do you find the seats on a longer drive? despite how they look are actually very snug and hold way more than they look like they would.

 

[Ed Doe]

thanks ED, i was actually going to run mine one down on the rear, but i think ill try it level... R.E the bolts / Nuts for the seat belt mounting and the tensioner, im guessing the nuts for each are captive to the seat and ill need to source a few new bolts, i don't suppose you know what size they are? unless the nut comes off once they are unbolted? how do you find the seats on a longer drive? despite how they look are actually very snug and hold way more than they look like they would.

I'll try and double-check but fairly sure mine was actually 2 holes lower at the rear, and following my fiddling about on the weekend is now set to one hole lower. The issue I have found with these seats is the fixed angle between the backrest and lower squab is a little more obtuse than other seats, meaning that when fitted in the more upright position, the lower squab doesn't actually offer a huge amount of leg support when you're moving around on the pedals to heel and toe etc. The solution to this is to 'recline' the seat by lowering the rear to increase the seat base / lower squab angle. This improves leg support, but this comes at the cost of the backrest angle being a bit too inclined (for my taste anyway), and the steering wheel being a little further away from my chest than I'd like (again for my body-shape / taste).

I'm going to try and see how it is in the current setting, hopefully I'll have found a good middle-ground but we'll see - alternative solutions include buying a split lower squab cushion from Recaro/Sparco to increase the lower squab support but will cross that bridge when I get to it!

On the subject of fitting fixings - I'm fairly sure the required size is M10. there are captive nuts/threads in the seat, so you'll need plastic spacer washers (Tillett do a variety of these in different thicknesses - I have some spare kicking about if you need some, let me know), countersunk washers and (?M10?) countersunk Hex Head screws. I can't recall the length required, but I'd suggest getting a few different lengths so you have flexibility with regard to the spacers required to centralise the seat relative to the steering wheel within the mounting brackets.

Hope this makes sense - gimme a shout if you need any more info - I can take pics of any aspect of mine you like to help

Generally I find the seats very comfortable, even on longer drives, and my wife (with a slipped disc in her back no less) also has commented on various occasions how they're actually more comfortable than her car - once she's got in them! I drive the car up to Derby a few times a year for work - that's a 3-4h drive and I've never suffered from any discomfort even when not stopping en route). I've also taken the car (with the wife in the passenger seat) to a wedding in Shropshire - that was a 3.5h drive, and no complaints from her, only surprise that she wasn't uncomfortable!

Not sure if you've already sorted them, but if not I highly recommend getting the alcantara seat insert/cushions - one slightly less desirable aspect of non-fabric solid seats is they don't breathe, so you may find you sweat a little in them when it's warm...! I've never tried them without the alcantara inserts in place, but I'd imagine this is exacerbated significantly without them!

 

[craig3.2]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

 

[Ed Doe]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

These are the same seats as mine

 

[mmm-five]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

No, mine are Recaro Pole Position ABE...as I was too tight/poor for Tilletts

 

[Beedub]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

No, mine are Recaro Pole Position ABE...as I was too tight/poor for Tilletts

Every time i ring tillet for additional parts my heart sinks, and every time i go to install i realise i need more parts LOL.

 

[Beedub]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

These are the same seats as mine

IMG_20210327_093456.jpg

i mean, they just look so cool!.... i don't think ive seen these installed in a MR cant wait to finally get them in the car!

 

[Beedub]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

im going with custom nappa leather pads with BMW tri stitch, these will be a while as the leather want is on back order.

 

[Beedub]

thanks ED, i was actually going to run mine one down on the rear, but i think ill try it level... R.E the bolts / Nuts for the seat belt mounting and the tensioner, im guessing the nuts for each are captive to the seat and ill need to source a few new bolts, i don't suppose you know what size they are? unless the nut comes off once they are unbolted? how do you find the seats on a longer drive? despite how they look are actually very snug and hold way more than they look like they would.

I'll try and double-check but fairly sure mine was actually 2 holes lower at the rear, and following my fiddling about on the weekend is now set to one hole lower. The issue I have found with these seats is the fixed angle between the backrest and lower squab is a little more obtuse than other seats, meaning that when fitted in the more upright position, the lower squab doesn't actually offer a huge amount of leg support when you're moving around on the pedals to heel and toe etc. The solution to this is to 'recline' the seat by lowering the rear to increase the seat base / lower squab angle. This improves leg support, but this comes at the cost of the backrest angle being a bit too inclined (for my taste anyway), and the steering wheel being a little further away from my chest than I'd like (again for my body-shape / taste).

I'm going to try and see how it is in the current setting, hopefully I'll have found a good middle-ground but we'll see - alternative solutions include buying a split lower squab cushion from Recaro/Sparco to increase the lower squab support but will cross that bridge when I get to it!

On the subject of fitting fixings - I'm fairly sure the required size is M10. there are captive nuts/threads in the seat, so you'll need plastic spacer washers (Tillett do a variety of these in different thicknesses - I have some spare kicking about if you need some, let me know), countersunk washers and (?M10?) countersunk Hex Head screws. I can't recall the length required, but I'd suggest getting a few different lengths so you have flexibility with regard to the spacers required to centralise the seat relative to the steering wheel within the mounting brackets.

Hope this makes sense - gimme a shout if you need any more info - I can take pics of any aspect of mine you like to help

Generally I find the seats very comfortable, even on longer drives, and my wife (with a slipped disc in her back no less) also has commented on various occasions how they're actually more comfortable than her car - once she's got in them! I drive the car up to Derby a few times a year for work - that's a 3-4h drive and I've never suffered from any discomfort even when not stopping en route). I've also taken the car (with the wife in the passenger seat) to a wedding in Shropshire - that was a 3.5h drive, and no complaints from her, only surprise that she wasn't uncomfortable!

Not sure if you've already sorted them, but if not I highly recommend getting the alcantara seat insert/cushions - one slightly less desirable aspect of non-fabric solid seats is they don't breathe, so you may find you sweat a little in them when it's warm...! I've never tried them without the alcantara inserts in place, but I'd imagine this is exacerbated significantly without them!

thanks for this ED much appreciate all this info! i think i haven't been clear on the part i need info on. , ive got all the mounting for the new tillets and spacers etc....

im talking about the stock seats, i need to remove the stock seat belt anchor and the stock tensioner and bolt to my welded tabs on my seat bases ( see above pic ) is the nut / bolt for those pieces captive to the stock seat, hope this makes sense. Does the stock belt sit nicely when route through the tillet seat whole at the top?

Last question do you find these really low ? a pre-test even with the higher hardware shows i may be just a tad lower id like but not terribly so. I guess i cant really compare as all our mounting hardware is different.

 

[craig3.2]

Looking good,Byron.
Think these are the same ones Tony has in his M Coupe?

Agree with Ed,sounds like the Alcantara Inserts are a must.

These are the same seats as mine

IMG_20210327_093456.jpg

Nice looking seats,Ed

Must resist temptation,lol..... especially after just spending over 4k in recent weeks on mine,lol

 

[Ed Doe]

thanks for this ED much appreciate all this info! i think i haven't been clear on the part i need info on. , ive got all the mounting for the new tillets and spacers etc....

im talking about the stock seats, i need to remove the stock seat belt anchor and the stock tensioner and bolt to my welded tabs on my seat bases ( see above pic ) is the nut / bolt for those pieces captive to the stock seat, hope this makes sense. Does the stock belt sit nicely when route through the tillet seat whole at the top?

Last question do you find these really low ? a pre-test even with the higher hardware shows i may be just a tad lower id like but not terribly so. I guess i cant really compare as all our mounting hardware is different.

Ah. On the standard seats I'm afraid I don't know! I can check to see how mine are fitted (mine retains the tensioners etc) but that's all.
The Seatbelt route works nicely through the top outer belt hole - I'm average height (5 11-ish) - the only thing I have noticed a bit is it can irritate my neck if I don't locate it carefully, but this is more due to the height of the seat in the car I think, which conveniently leads into your last question...

Yes these are markedly lower than the OEM seats, even with my different mounting hardware (I'm fairly sure mine are recaro sliders/bases with tillet side mounts but can check if you wanted to know for sure). Personally I like how low they are - you feel so much more 'in' the car - it's brilliant. Good for CoG too, if you care about that sort of thing haha. I think there are options for raising the seat up using different mounting brackets etc, but my advise would be to try it first - I think it really adds to the feel of the car.

Nice looking seats,Ed
Must resist temptation,lol..... especially after just spending over 4k in recent weeks on mine,lol

Haha it's a nightmare isn't it! I'm trying to resist the temptation for an aftermarket steering wheel - I really like the Momo Mod 07 they used in 996/997 Cup cars, but it's just money I should be spending on driving the thing really!

 

[Beedub]

thanks for this ED much appreciate all this info! i think i haven't been clear on the part i need info on. , ive got all the mounting for the new tillets and spacers etc....

im talking about the stock seats, i need to remove the stock seat belt anchor and the stock tensioner and bolt to my welded tabs on my seat bases ( see above pic ) is the nut / bolt for those pieces captive to the stock seat, hope this makes sense. Does the stock belt sit nicely when route through the tillet seat whole at the top?

Last question do you find these really low ? a pre-test even with the higher hardware shows i may be just a tad lower id like but not terribly so. I guess i cant really compare as all our mounting hardware is different.

Ah. On the standard seats I'm afraid I don't know! I can check to see how mine are fitted (mine retains the tensioners etc) but that's all.
The Seatbelt route works nicely through the top outer belt hole - I'm average height (5 11-ish) - the only thing I have noticed a bit is it can irritate my neck if I don't locate it carefully, but this is more due to the height of the seat in the car I think, which conveniently leads into your last question...

Yes these are markedly lower than the OEM seats, even with my different mounting hardware (I'm fairly sure mine are recaro sliders/bases with tillet side mounts but can check if you wanted to know for sure). Personally I like how low they are - you feel so much more 'in' the car - it's brilliant. Good for CoG too, if you care about that sort of thing haha. I think there are options for raising the seat up using different mounting brackets etc, but my advise would be to try it first - I think it really adds to the feel of the car.

Nice looking seats,Ed
Must resist temptation,lol..... especially after just spending over 4k in recent weeks on mine,lol

Haha it's a nightmare isn't it! I'm trying to resist the temptation for an aftermarket steering wheel - I really like the Momo Mod 07 they used in 996/997 Cup cars, but it's just money I should be spending on driving the thing really!

enjoying this thread , it feels so so so soooooo good to be tinkering again after a year of fighting illness , feels so amazing i can't really express it. how the little things become total joy.

ED, ok ill give it a go and accept the lower position, i did however purchase the TB3 tillet side mount which is 3cm taller than the normal mount the tb2 , ive got the sliders these add another 1.5cm and ive got the planted raised seat mount. i think I'm going to run the rear one down and the front at the top setting, i'm hoping this will give me the leg support that you mention.

if you find the time, please could you snap a pic of the seat belt anchor point and the tensioner.... I'm not fussed about how they are added its the Nut and bolt arrangement for each item I'm trying to visualize. For everyone attempting this , the z4 cockpit is not easy to work with because its so narrow so lots of popular seat fitments simply don't work too well and foul the door!

 

[craig3.2]

thanks for this ED much appreciate all this info! i think i haven't been clear on the part i need info on. , ive got all the mounting for the new tillets and spacers etc....

im talking about the stock seats, i need to remove the stock seat belt anchor and the stock tensioner and bolt to my welded tabs on my seat bases ( see above pic ) is the nut / bolt for those pieces captive to the stock seat, hope this makes sense. Does the stock belt sit nicely when route through the tillet seat whole at the top?

Last question do you find these really low ? a pre-test even with the higher hardware shows i may be just a tad lower id like but not terribly so. I guess i cant really compare as all our mounting hardware is different.

Ah. On the standard seats I'm afraid I don't know! I can check to see how mine are fitted (mine retains the tensioners etc) but that's all.
The Seatbelt route works nicely through the top outer belt hole - I'm average height (5 11-ish) - the only thing I have noticed a bit is it can irritate my neck if I don't locate it carefully, but this is more due to the height of the seat in the car I think, which conveniently leads into your last question...

Yes these are markedly lower than the OEM seats, even with my different mounting hardware (I'm fairly sure mine are recaro sliders/bases with tillet side mounts but can check if you wanted to know for sure). Personally I like how low they are - you feel so much more 'in' the car - it's brilliant. Good for CoG too, if you care about that sort of thing haha. I think there are options for raising the seat up using different mounting brackets etc, but my advise would be to try it first - I think it really adds to the feel of the car.

Nice looking seats,Ed
Must resist temptation,lol..... especially after just spending over 4k in recent weeks on mine,lol

Haha it's a nightmare isn't it! I'm trying to resist the temptation for an aftermarket steering wheel - I really like the Momo Mod 07 they used in 996/997 Cup cars, but it's just money I should be spending on driving the thing really!

Haha,yes ,very true

 

[Vanne]

Nice

 

[Ed Doe]

Hi Byron, sorry for the delay, busy week wrapping up before holiday with the family, chaos over here! Managed to snap some pics of my seat belt mounting points, I'll have to grab some time to measure thread size but those are just fia eye bolts I think...






EDIT: difficult to see but the euebolt for my harnesses actually bolts through the tensioner onto the seat base. My fingers are pointing to it in the pics above, difficult to make out due to space and light though!

 

[Beedub]

Finally got them in .... Guys , what a freaking nightmare.

Firstly getting this all bolted in is incredibly fiddly work. Passenger side is relatively easy , but the driver's side , my lord. Take a look how far over the seat is to the transmission tunnel.ans this still isn't totally bang on Centred with the wheel I've done some research and this appears to be quite common when fitting bucket seats . Once you get a racing bucket that's alot slimmer you realise the z4m has a strange feature that I've never noticed before. The pedals are offset to the right of the steering wheel. So... You've got a choice , be alittle better aligned with the pedals and slightly off-centre of the steering wheel OR dead on the wheel and the pedal offset feels even more offset .... I've currently got it set slightly offset the steering with a better pedal placement this gives much better left foot braking feel. If I get Centred with the wheel these narrow seats make left foot braking feel awkward. So this bit is going to take alot of tinkering . I now see why tillet don't recommend the sliders for racing use as they do allow a very small amount of movement ( you can't feel this when driving ). I've got to either get the airbag light coded out or get an occupancy mat , I'll most likely code the light out.

Now the good bit. The seats feel insane , you so connected to the car , that it feels like a different vehicle , you really wear the car like a jacket totally cacooned . I love the OEM look of the hardware , and I reused all the stock bolts and seat belt bits such as the tensioner, it literally looks factory . I'm still waiting for my seat pads to arrive which is important.

Lastly these I'm sooooo glad tomk mentioned the height as I re ordered all taller mounting hardware and these still feel a touch too low but something Im quickly getting used to and enjoying. Excuse any typos guys , this is a phone post and I'm not great with mobiles and typing large amounts.