Bought seats; new seats will not adjust as low as old seats

[az3579]

So by now it's no secret. I have Natural Brown Seats. They are heated/powered and have lumbar support. They look great, they feel great, they are great. One problem, though.

The driver's side seat sits a lot higher up than my alcantara seat did. I did not compare the passenger side, however.

This is a problem because my head currently hits the handle above the door if I tilt my head slightly left. I can only imagine how big of a problem this will be with my helmet on...


Does anyone know if there is something I can do to fix this? Would this entail swapping seat components?

[Hornung418]

Did you physically compare the Alcantara seat? That would show you if there is a physical limitation between the two.

Sent from my GS3.

[slater]

were your old seats non-powered? that is likely the case - the motors need room.

one odd thing i've noticed about my pair of ZHP's is the coupe seats (powered) seem to go about 10-20mm lower than the sedan seats (also powered). bugs me as i'm 6'1" and would prefer to be as low as possible!

peter

[ELCID86]

+1 I told him he needed my NB coupe seats! (of course there is the issue with the heater and memory not working correctly :-/)

[az3579]

The only difference between my old seats and new feature-wise is that the NB seats have lumbar support. The old seats were also powered and heated. I don't see why lumbar support would change the physical height characteristics though...

[slater]

The only difference between my old seats and new feature-wise is that the NB seats have lumbar support. The old seats were also powered and heated. I don't see why lumbar support would change the physical height characteristics though...

yeah, it wouldn't.

lumbar rocks my socks. i can't drive long distances without it.

peter

[ELCID86]

I don't see any different part number on RealOEM for Alc. Vs. Leather.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=EV53&mospid=47725&btnr=52_2317&hg=52&fg=10

[alexandre]

Perhaps the lumbar parts ? I know there's an extra pump that sits under the seat...

About time. You've been posting about this forever!!!

[brettbimmer]

BP, can you compare seat brackets from old vs. new? Perhaps something is different there that's causing the difference. FWIW my non-lumbar NB seats go pretty low.

Sent from my pineapple under the sea.

[ELCID86]

Here is a pic of my NB coupe seats with lumbar. They seem to go pretty low.

15723

15724


And alc. sedan seats. I had to move the tape forward to sit at the proper level. They look about the same to me.

15726

Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[az3579]

Interesting. Thanks for the pics, Shawn; I'll have to find a measuring tape and see where mine sit. I'm hoping it's something stupidly simple like an installation error or something, though I doubt it. I mean, how hard can it be? lol

[ELCID86]

One more thing. :rofl

15729

[az3579]

What's really weird is that I came back to the car after work to go home and found that my head no longer hits the handle. The seat isn't any lower than it was before. WTH??

I guess I won't complain, but I'm definitely going down there to test with my helmet just to be sure that I have enough space...

[az3579]

Quick update.

I tried my helmet this past week and it is DEFINITELY going to be a problem. I have to lean the seat back for my helmet not to hit the roof, which will mess with my driving position when I'm on track. I have to reach for the steering wheel more if I tilt it back, which is not acceptable on track.

Anyone have any ideas??? Are the seat rails different, perhaps?

[ELCID86]

I'll swap you my coupe seats.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[az3579]

I'll swap you my coupe seats.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

You cray...


I found the solution.

So we all know about the horizontal knob that adjusts the seat height up/down. Even though mine is ALL THE WAY down, I found that adjusting the FRONT part of the switch all the way down actually lowers the seat height a bit more as well. I always thought that this only adjusts the angle of the seat, but it turns out that the actual height of the seat is also affected by this. It's such a subtle change in height; I'll bet this is why I never bothered messing with it. I just never noticed before...

I'll have to try it again tomorrow with a helmet to see if the problem truly is resolved. I know another member on here had the same exact problem with his M3 seats, I just don't remember who or what thread it was in so I could update him!

I do have to say, it's a little weird having the front part of the seat so far down. It feels like it's not making contact with my thighs when in reality it is. I don't care; as long as I don't have the height issue, I'm good!

[ELCID86]

Glad you sorted it out.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[terraphantm]

You cray...


I found the solution.

So we all know about the horizontal knob that adjusts the seat height up/down. Even though mine is ALL THE WAY down, I found that adjusting the FRONT part of the switch all the way down actually lowers the seat height a bit more as well. I always thought that this only adjusts the angle of the seat, but it turns out that the actual height of the seat is also affected by this. It's such a subtle change in height; I'll bet this is why I never bothered messing with it. I just never noticed before...

I'll have to try it again tomorrow with a helmet to see if the problem truly is resolved. I know another member on here had the same exact problem with his M3 seats, I just don't remember who or what thread it was in so I could update him!

I do have to say, it's a little weird having the front part of the seat so far down. It feels like it's not making contact with my thighs when in reality it is. I don't care; as long as I don't have the height issue, I'm good!

So did you always have the cloth seats tilted down? If not, sounds like there is still something off since both seats should be in the same position with the same settings.

My only thought is maybe it comes down to the seats themselves. I remember the cloth ZHP seats I sat in feeling much softer than the leather. Maybe the foam compresses more.

[az3579]

So did you always have the cloth seats tilted down? If not, sounds like there is still something off since both seats should be in the same position with the same settings.

My only thought is maybe it comes down to the seats themselves. I remember the cloth ZHP seats I sat in feeling much softer than the leather. Maybe the foam compresses more.
I had them adjusted about the same (you can only get so close with power seats).