learn me: replacing a drivers seat

I'm tall. 6'-5". Cars in general don't fit well. 35" inseam means the seat bottom support is generally too low and not long enough.

My new car seats basically = a medieval torture device. I know this today, because my first ride in the car was a 600 mile business trip. Just awful discomfort. A rolled up towel made it bearable, just barely.

I once rode in a friends 330i with the sport seats, and they were awesome. The front edge extended forward, the seat bottom tilted so I had upper leg support.

Some years ago, due to the same problem, I found a Recaro dealer and asked if I could demo a seat. I offered to buy the rails. They said no.

So how the hell can I test fit a better car seat?

What kind of car are you driving?

I know the feeling. If you have long legs, there are no better seats than the BMW Sport seats with the bolster extensions. Your choice is to buy a BMW (a great option IMHO) or fit a BMW sport seat in another vehicle.

There may be some street versions by Recaro with the extending bolsters, but they are sinfully expensive. Very hard to find a dealer who stocks such seats for you to try out.

6'2" with 34" waist and 34" inseam here. Get an ergonomic Recaro seat...you will never want another seat again! Absolute comfort for cross country trips and plenty of bolstering (as much as the stock seats in my FR-S). If I could fit the Recaro Trend I have had for a long time in my Tacoma into the FR-S without raising the seating position (because it's already way too high for me) I would have done it day 1... You can never go wrong with a Recaro Ergonomic seat... only problem is fitment into vehicle like an FR-S where the factory seats are already as low as they can be mounted basically.

My old Recaro Trend is just sitting in my living room now and I game/watch movies in comfort with it...even sleeping in it is really nice and comfortable! Unfortunately it is a discontinued seat but the Recaro Style XL model is basically the same, but pretty pricey compared to what the Trend went for (which was $900)...

Trend (discontinued):

Style XL:

As much as I'd love to put a Recaro in the FR-S, there is no reclining Recaro that doesn't raise the seating position, which is already about 2" higher than I want it. Pretty much the Bride Stradia II Sport with low cushion is the only option (need to save up the $$$$$ for it), compromising a little bit on the ergo and having a tight fit (34" waist is about as large as you'd want to go for that seat) compared to the Recaros, but will be more comfortable than stock and drop seating height about 1.5"...

Bride Stradia II

You have a couple other options:

1. Buy a BMW sport seat from a wrecked car and make/pay to get it fitted to your car.

2. Test drive a bunch of other vehicles to see what other seats fit your body, and use one of those seats to put in your car.

I didn't know much about seat comfort before I became a grassroots enthusiast, but since then, I have only found 2 seats that fit my body perfectly. One is the late 90s Thunderbird seat, and an early 4th gen Camaro seat, and I have driven/autocrossed a large number of cars. The E90 adjustable sport seat is my 3rd best I've sat in, but it didn't fit me perfectly.

If not for shipping, this would be a nice deal...

Recaro Style Model on Ebay...

JohnRW1621 wrote: What kind of car are you driving?

2015 mazda3

OHSCrifle wrote:

JohnRW1621 wrote: What kind of car are you driving?

2015 mazda3

Do you have advanced complexities like airbags built into the sides of the seat?

JohnRW1621 wrote: Do you have advanced complexities like airbags built into the sides of the seat?

If it's anything like the 2012 model i have then yes it'll have airbags built into it, and if they are anything like the 2012 seats they really do suck. Even 2 hours in them is not a comfortable place to be.

JohnRW1621 wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote:

JohnRW1621 wrote: What kind of car are you driving?

2015 mazda3

Do you have advanced complexities like airbags built into the sides of the seat?

Probably has side airbag, seatbelt sensor, and a seat position sensor as parts of the SRS system. My 2010 Transit Connect has all 3.

I want to put an aftermarket seat in the TC. I think I can use the original seat base retaining the seat belt sensor and seat position sensor but have to figure out how to get around the side airbag sensor part. I could just disconnect it but then none of the airbag system would work.

JohnRW1621 wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote:

JohnRW1621 wrote: What kind of car are you driving?

2015 mazda3

Do you have advanced complexities like airbags built into the sides of the seat?

But of course. I bought the base model, the 3i, because it's the only one without a sunroof. I don't fit in a sunroof car. And the seat sucks.

I'm thinking maybe I can try to source a nicer power seat from the 3s Grand Touring model.

Otherwise???

Any tips for finding something like that? No luck on ebay. Do I leave a request with junkyards or something?

www.car-parts.com is an online listing of junkyard parts.

Good tip. Thank you

Vracer111 wrote: 6'2" with 34" waist and 34" inseam here. Get an ergonomic Recaro seat...you will never want another seat again!

Looks like the Recaros in my Audi. I love em, very comfy: