Free DIY sport seat project

[Jjcarr]

The e34 is great, but I've never been wild about the non-sport seats. I think for people with shorter legs they probably work fine, but my 34" inseam doesn't like them. So I tore the seat apart and cut out the horsehair backing in the center. This is free and completely reversable. It gains about 1/2" of leg room, much better side bolster support, and extra leg support. For me, this feels much nicer than the stock setup. Plus it only takes a little time, and you don't even have to remove the seat from the car.

Here is a pic, if anyone is interested in a more complete DIY write-up, post here and let me know and I'll see if I can get something together and post it here.

http://www.geocities.com/jjcarr.geo/cars/bmw/seats1.jpg

James
95 525it
00 Bug TDI

[TheEndIsNear]

Hmmm, sounds interesting... That is my one complaint as im 6"3' with a 36/38 inseam.

[bbig119]

ditto...6'6" 36 inseam. I may give this a try. Thanks

[ericcamaro]

yea im bout 6foot4 but dont mind the seat too much. I did go from driving an IROC to my bimmer so the improvement was already huge. Is there any negitive effects of doing this>? Will you feel those wires in the back of the seat?? This may be the perfect way for me to get a little more lumbar support. btw my back is f#$%ed up.

[Jjcarr]

yea im bout 6foot4 but dont mind the seat too much. I did go from driving an IROC to my bimmer so the improvement was already huge. Is there any negitive effects of doing this>? Will you feel those wires in the back of the seat?? This may be the perfect way for me to get a little more lumbar support. btw my back is f#$%ed up.

It changes the feel of the seats, but you don't feel the wires at all. There is also a slight "baggy" look to the center section, but it's minimal and you'd have to see a before and after to know the different. If you look in that picture you'll see that I cut it out part-way up. I thought for sure I'd feel this as a noticable ridge, but haven't.

With this mod, the seats really feel like they "snuggle" you for lack of a better phrase. Most car seats make me feel like they are pushing my back forward, so I like a slightly more "caved in" feel. I do notice that I adjust the seat back angle a little further back to compensate for this a little, but the overall feel, to me, is a very nice improvement over stock.

To me, there's no real downside, I'd been meaning to do this on the car for a while because I'd had great results doing it to a couple of other cars.

Here's a pic of the seat with the mod all buttoned up. Over time the leather will settle into it's new position so some of the gathering and bunching, although very minor, should go away. To look at the picture you can't really tell that there is much more depth in the center, but it's definitely there.

http://www.geocities.com/jjcarr.geo/cars/bmw/seats3.jpg

[Espen]

Im not that tall (about 185cm) But you are talking about too litle leg room?? This mod gives you 1/2 inch more?

When i push my seat all the way back i have like so much room for my legs i could have had 40cm longer legs..

[KenB]

I'm 6' and if I put my seat back all the way I can't touch the pedals...

[Jon K]

How did you get the leather off of the seat like that?

[Jjcarr]

Im not that tall (about 185cm) But you are talking about too litle leg room?? This mod gives you 1/2 inch more?

When i push my seat all the way back i have like so much room for my legs i could have had 40cm longer legs..

Well, I dare say this mod isn't for people with stubby little legs...:)

[Jjcarr]

How did you get the leather off of the seat like that?

I'll post some details. Basically the leather is held on by a combination of hog rings and metal spikes on the frame. I'll see if I can put something together.

[genphreak]

I'll post some details. Basically the leather is held on by a combination of hog rings and metal spikes on the frame. I'll see if I can put something together.Cool, I'm 5'9" and I'd say the lower part of the seat is too short for my liking.. I like the seat reclined at the top and angled a tad upwards on the base-front, baby in a crib style in comparison to a wheel-hugging bolt-upright granny venturing through the wilds of the open bitumen between home and the supermarket. I wonder what effect this could have on breathability, heat, sweat etc. I can't imagine any negative effect... unless the horse hair padding protects the upper coverings, so they are not over time affected by localised pressure around the support wires in the wireframe.
But don't mind me; I agree- the stock seats are for fat execs and I am always a naysayer...

[Alexlind123]

perhaps cutting out the horsehair, but attaching it to the wire frame in back would keep the padding while losing the support.

[trumpetr]

It changes the feel of the seats, but you don't feel the wires at all. There is also a slight "baggy" look to the center section, but it's minimal and you'd have to see a before and after to know the different. If you look in that picture you'll see that I cut it out part-way up. I thought for sure I'd feel this as a noticable ridge, but haven't.

With this mod, the seats really feel like they "snuggle" you for lack of a better phrase. Most car seats make me feel like they are pushing my back forward, so I like a slightly more "caved in" feel. I do notice that I adjust the seat back angle a little further back to compensate for this a little, but the overall feel, to me, is a very nice improvement over stock.

To me, there's no real downside, I'd been meaning to do this on the car for a while because I'd had great results doing it to a couple of other cars.

Here's a pic of the seat with the mod all buttoned up. Over time the leather will settle into it's new position so some of the gathering and bunching, although very minor, should go away. To look at the picture you can't really tell that there is much more depth in the center, but it's definitely there.

http://www.geocities.com/jjcarr.geo/cars/bmw/seats3.jpg

? Thats just what my stock leather seats look like in my 95 525--

[joshua43214]

I am 6'5", I just raise the seat for more leg room, I fit in easily and still don't hit my head. But I prefer to sit high for better visibilty rather than low for coolness.

[Jjcarr]

? Thats just what my stock leather seats look like in my 95 525--

It doesn't look very different in the pictures, and that's the goal, it looks pretty much stock, but definitely feel a lot better. Plus, worst case it's reversable. I'll do a write-up this weekend.

[Jjcarr]

OK, here's a breakdown of the steps required to do this project. Let me know if you have any questions.

James
http://www.geocities.com/jjcarr.geo/cars/bmw/seats.html

[grave77]

that's cool... I always felt that the seat lack more back grip than it should be, some other E34 models imported from Germany had more sport seats than leather types but it didn't have the arm supports ... if it feels comfy just as you mentioned then you did a wonderful job .. also you're so brave to do this cuz I wont think of doing this to a seat and end up with a torn seat :P

I wonder if any tried fixing something for the E31 seats ... the head support is bad !! the E34 seat or E32 was much comfortable than the 850i seats ... I would love to see something for it.

[Paul in NZ]

jeez i only 6 3 and with the sport seats my obly complaint is i have minimal headroom....I have shorter legs and a longer body I guess,legroom aint an issue

[Jjcarr]

jeez i only 6 3 and with the sport seats my obly complaint is i have minimal headroom....I have shorter legs and a longer body I guess,legroom aint an issue

Suppose I should clarify, this is intended to make normal seats more like sport seats, not a mod for factory sport seats. I imagine the factory sport seats do a much better job of providing adjustability and support than the non-sport ones.