slater
12-19-2014, 09:45 AM
hey guys,
i recently picked up a set of black nappa E46 M3 seats that are powered and heated, with kidney bolster adjust and lumbar support. my ZHP seats are black leather and powered/heated/lumbar'd, but honestly felt too wide for me (as soon as there were any significant lateral g-forces, i was sliding and bracing with my leg). i have a wonderful black w/ houndstooth center recaro SRD here, but i like OEM fit and finish, and i wanted to retain lumbar support (i have neck issues and it really helps), and seat memory (my wife and i drive the car equally), so i figured i had to find a set of these rare M3 seats...
well, a set came up for sale semi-locally and after 8 weeks of communicating with the seller (he and i were both really busy - it took a while!), and subsequently picking them up (they were 2.5hrs from my house), i finally have them.
install was a snap. google research suggested that i was going to need to swap the outboard bottom seat rails, as the outboard lap portion of the seat belt bolts to the rail on sedans, but to the floor on coupes - so on the M3 seats, there's no lap belt bracket there. swapping the rails appeared to be a bit of a fiddly mess, so after studying the brackets on my ZHP seats for all of about 5 minutes, i realized with some steel L-brackets and offset 10mm holes, i could replicate the factory piece.
the photo below depicts the passenger side bracket, which is the same thickness as the factory piece, installed in 2mins with some 8mm class 8.8 bolts and nylock nuts. i realize now that i put the seat belt portion on the outboard side of the bracket here, whereas on the driver's side it's on the inboard side of the bracket (which is how the factory piece works). these two brackets are crude-looking now but i just installed them to test, so i will be removing them, grinding them down to be a bit less 'jagged', and will paint them black. i also do not have the lower plastic coupe rail covers installed, as i need to modify them a bit to fit the L bracket.
the rails themselves lined up perfectly, as expected. i had to move the giant yellow electrical plug receiver and inboard belt receiver from ZHP seats to M3 seats, but that was easy (the plugs from the seat motors just click into the yellow receiver). total install time, with brackets, electrical connector swaps, AND removing the stock seats, was about 1.5hrs. i love this car - so easy to work on, nothing is more complicated than it should be.
driving impressions? well, the adjustable bolsters are just perfect. at their widest they are a bit narrower than the ZHP seats, and then you can cinch them in and they really hold nicely. the lower thigh bolsters are actually a bit taller near the front of the seat than the ZHP seats and do a better job.
the nappa leather is very soft and a bit slipperier, so seat ingress/egress is actually really nice. heat is the same as the ZHP seats. the lumbar adjustment is about the same. i actually do not like the headrest much - it is harder than the ZHP headrest and does not come forward as much, nor have the same rounded-at-the-top-front-edge profile that the ZHP headrest does, so i may opt for finding some ZHP headrests for them (as mine will be going to charlie ;) ).
i also noticed that the M3 seats sit a bit lower at their maximum lowest position than the ZHP seats, and this is welcome for me as i have a long torso and generally have a fairly upright driving position. here's a good video from recaro that demonstrates 'correct' posture and seat adjustment - however, keep in mind that the attractive woman in the video is likely a bit shorter than us dudes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLKdubxRcI
ultimately i think their 'glove-like' feel and security in driving position really improve the whole experience, as you feel more of what the chassis is doing, and even things like the shifter feel more positive. it just makes everything a more special-feeling and rewarding experience.
two thumbs up. :) some pics below - sorry for the iPhone quality, and the general filthiness of the car. it's winter!
now - to recover my ZHP's steering wheel in gray alcantara w/ red time stripe, or go full-black perforated leather?!?! :)
peter
i recently picked up a set of black nappa E46 M3 seats that are powered and heated, with kidney bolster adjust and lumbar support. my ZHP seats are black leather and powered/heated/lumbar'd, but honestly felt too wide for me (as soon as there were any significant lateral g-forces, i was sliding and bracing with my leg). i have a wonderful black w/ houndstooth center recaro SRD here, but i like OEM fit and finish, and i wanted to retain lumbar support (i have neck issues and it really helps), and seat memory (my wife and i drive the car equally), so i figured i had to find a set of these rare M3 seats...
well, a set came up for sale semi-locally and after 8 weeks of communicating with the seller (he and i were both really busy - it took a while!), and subsequently picking them up (they were 2.5hrs from my house), i finally have them.
install was a snap. google research suggested that i was going to need to swap the outboard bottom seat rails, as the outboard lap portion of the seat belt bolts to the rail on sedans, but to the floor on coupes - so on the M3 seats, there's no lap belt bracket there. swapping the rails appeared to be a bit of a fiddly mess, so after studying the brackets on my ZHP seats for all of about 5 minutes, i realized with some steel L-brackets and offset 10mm holes, i could replicate the factory piece.
the photo below depicts the passenger side bracket, which is the same thickness as the factory piece, installed in 2mins with some 8mm class 8.8 bolts and nylock nuts. i realize now that i put the seat belt portion on the outboard side of the bracket here, whereas on the driver's side it's on the inboard side of the bracket (which is how the factory piece works). these two brackets are crude-looking now but i just installed them to test, so i will be removing them, grinding them down to be a bit less 'jagged', and will paint them black. i also do not have the lower plastic coupe rail covers installed, as i need to modify them a bit to fit the L bracket.
the rails themselves lined up perfectly, as expected. i had to move the giant yellow electrical plug receiver and inboard belt receiver from ZHP seats to M3 seats, but that was easy (the plugs from the seat motors just click into the yellow receiver). total install time, with brackets, electrical connector swaps, AND removing the stock seats, was about 1.5hrs. i love this car - so easy to work on, nothing is more complicated than it should be.
driving impressions? well, the adjustable bolsters are just perfect. at their widest they are a bit narrower than the ZHP seats, and then you can cinch them in and they really hold nicely. the lower thigh bolsters are actually a bit taller near the front of the seat than the ZHP seats and do a better job.
the nappa leather is very soft and a bit slipperier, so seat ingress/egress is actually really nice. heat is the same as the ZHP seats. the lumbar adjustment is about the same. i actually do not like the headrest much - it is harder than the ZHP headrest and does not come forward as much, nor have the same rounded-at-the-top-front-edge profile that the ZHP headrest does, so i may opt for finding some ZHP headrests for them (as mine will be going to charlie ;) ).
i also noticed that the M3 seats sit a bit lower at their maximum lowest position than the ZHP seats, and this is welcome for me as i have a long torso and generally have a fairly upright driving position. here's a good video from recaro that demonstrates 'correct' posture and seat adjustment - however, keep in mind that the attractive woman in the video is likely a bit shorter than us dudes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLKdubxRcI
ultimately i think their 'glove-like' feel and security in driving position really improve the whole experience, as you feel more of what the chassis is doing, and even things like the shifter feel more positive. it just makes everything a more special-feeling and rewarding experience.
two thumbs up. :) some pics below - sorry for the iPhone quality, and the general filthiness of the car. it's winter!
now - to recover my ZHP's steering wheel in gray alcantara w/ red time stripe, or go full-black perforated leather?!?! :)
peter