Sport/Race Seats (Sparco v. Recaro v. ?)

[TIATO]

I had Recaro SRDs in my Z3. Overall cost for both sides was about $1400. That included the seats, sliders and TC Kline adapter brakets.

SRDs are available in two versions - Sub strap and non substrap. The substrap version is obviously a bit more expensive, $50 or $60 IIRC.

IIRC the seat weighs in at 28lbs.

The SRD is very comforatable. I have been on 12+ hour road trips without any discomfort whatsoever. Besides, if you lift the side of the material on the seatback you can slide in supplied foam lumbar supports.

Support wise the seat is awesome both on the street and track. The fabric material elminates any and all sliding. You will NOT go anywhere Any person up to 225+ lbs will feel very comfortable in this seat.

As great as these seats are, there is a slight issue with them IF you your harness has 3" wide shoulder belts and you have a thicker than average neck.

The belt routing holes in the seatback are to narrow and keept the belts too close together. As a result, a 3" wide belt combined with a thick neck will cause the belt to chafe your neck. Additionally, it the belts may press against you neck tight enough to impede the flow of blood to your head. It took me only one time to get out of the car light headed to decide to change the shoulder belts to a 2" wide version.

That said, 2" wide harness schoulder belts are a MUCH better fit for the SRD belt guides.

Of course if you are a thin necked individual, then you may not have any issues.

[rwh11385]

I had Recaro SRDs in my Z3. ....... The SRD is very comforatable. I have been on 12+ hour road trips without any discomfort whatsoever. ......Support wise the seat is awesome both on the street and track. The fabric material elminates any and all sliding. You will NOT go anywhere Any person up to 225+ lbs will feel very comfortable in this seat.

Thank you for sharing! Your input is really informative and helpful. :D

What do you have in your 318is?

[SlammedE30]

What do you have in your 318is?

If you look at his sig pic, the seats appear to be stock sport seats.
-Ted

[rwh11385]

What do you have in your 318is?

If you look at his sig pic, the seats appear to be stock sport seats.
-Ted

oh, duh :oops: ...... guess that compliments the E30 sport seats!

[318daily]

So i got a question about the airbag sensor wire for underneath the seat.

What did you to with it when installing an aftermarket seat ? Or do you need to do anything but unplug and hide it ? And if i leave it unplugged, will it cause any funkyness with my 12 year old airbag ?

[Bryson]

Isn't it part of the seat belt buckle? AFAIK you retain your stock buckle, at least that's what I've had experience with.

[318daily]

nah man, underneath my drivers seats is a plug w/ two wires. i assume it's the sensor that can tell if someone is in the seat and tells you to buckle up.

anyway, i'll figure it out next week when my seats arrive :D

[whakiewes]

I have SRD's in my car now. I drive alot in them and love them. I am 5'10" 170lbs and I don't move one inch. They feel great, but I am a fan of the E30 M3 seats a little more. They fit me better, and are easier for everyday use. The SRD's also get "white" spots on them from wear and the stitching comes undone after a lot of use and sloppy sitters. I have sat in Sparo Torino's and Milano's and they are merely for looks. Personally, the thigh support sucks, they are too narrow, and there is a lack of upper body support. The Corbeau CR1???'s are the exact same way IMO. I would never buy either of the seats if you are going for a true race inspired seat. Another seat no one mentioned was the Bride Brix. Its support is incredible, and made quite a bit better than the SRD. They are rather expensive, but the best fitting adjustable seat I have ever been in.

I paid $450/each for my SRD's from On-Track. Delivery was awesome, and everything came as expected. The owner told me that he couldn't ship them out until the next day becuause UPS had already came, but he called me back an hour later and said he went on ahead and brought them to the UPS store to ship them out. My total was $1090 shipped with sliders, and $165 for custom brackets. They look fabulous, and ride great. I am just offering my honest opinion.

[chris_leo]

I have Sparco Pro2000s in my car. Great seat if you are a slim build, but if you autocross they'll put you into SM because they don't recline.

[318daily]

Isn't it part of the seat belt buckle? AFAIK you retain your stock buckle, at least that's what I've had experience with.

That was exactly it, the other end of the wire attached to the buckle receiver.

[Werksmini]

http://soloracer.com/corbeautargars.html

640 for a pair of SRDs.
Best price Ive found.

[Brian 89 325i]

Wow, but you know what sucks about that deal, those arent SRD's those are Corbeau TRS'. An ok seat but they push your shoulders TOO far forward.

Brian

[Bryson]

nice seats Neil, I'm glad to see that the 318 is still getting the attention it deserves :)

[cramer]

I also have a set of SRD's. Now my suggestion would be to visit a store that has several seats you can sit in. Everybody is different so you need to find one that is comfortable for you.

And yes, the SRD's are no longer made. I'm sure you will have no problem finding some in exisitng inventories but if you can't, they are repaced with the SPEED seats. Basically the same seat, just a higher back.

[KenC]

Recaro SRD's are definately the way to go. Because they came standard in the E30 ///M3 EVO (I think it was the EVO III model but I'm not 100% sure), with the proper mounting brackets, they should be easy to install and fit very nicely. They also look dam good and whilst I haven't sat in the SRD's, I have sat in many other Recaro made seats and my overall opinion of them is that they make some extremely nice products.





--Pete

All I have to say is... GOD DAMN those are good looking! I'd consider them for aesthetic reasons alone! :D