Vaders vs. Stock 325I Seats

[Eflat36]

Okay, I don't know about the rest of you guys, but damn near every chance I get I'm crusing in my vert.
The thing is, by the end of a large drive my ass is flat and bruised, along with my lower back absolutely killing me.
Has anyone else had this issue with the stock 325I E36 seats?
It seems like the leather is so damn hard that rather than the seats conforming to my butt it forces my butt to take the shape of the seats.
After 14 years I'd kind of expect the leather to be a bit softer, but no, just hard and cracking.
Are the Vaders much better in terms of comfort for long-distance driving?
Would a switch to the vaders relieve me of lower back pain?
For those of you who made the switch, was there really that much of a difference between the two?

[e36grant]

I couldn't tell you about the vaders but my manual heated black leather sport seats are amazing. They're very worn / shiny, but amazingly comfortable seats. I don't want to get up after driving for a long time.

[RebelScum]

I find the same as you; the stock seats kinda suck. They put my right leg to sleep a little bit.

No idea on the Vaders, but they do LOOK more comfy.

[whiteknight]

Vaders will still throw you around. They look cooler, but I think that the factory sport seats are better....I went and got reclinable racing/sport seats for my vert. They are a ton more comfortable than the factory sport seats and hold you in better too!
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc197/earl_the_squirrel/P1010433-1.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc197/earl_the_squirrel/P1010345.jpg

[RebelScum]

THREADJACK: White Knight, you've got a beautiful car dude.

Back to regularly scheduled programming

[lysergic9]

i used to have a E30 325es that had GREAT seats, they just sucked you in nice and soft, they look VERY similar to the vaders ive seen on this forum.

i have the IS seats, and they are ok, but they are hard and stiff. and the piece under your knees doesnt move out/in either, something i loved about my ES seats, butover all they seem fine for distance, not as good, but fine.

i wonder if the E30 seats fit the same rails as the E36, anyone know?

[amancuso]

If you want more comfortable seats, look for the non-sport seats, in cloth if you can find them. Also you can try to fit in the non-sport 330i/Ci e46 seats with lumbar support.

[estoril sultan]

honestly the vaders arent that comfortable yeah they look sexy but if your looking for comfort its not there i have both the vaders and a dove set and i can say my bum never felt more enjoyable then any other seats i sat in

[95325i]

I find the same as you; the stock seats kinda suck. They put my right leg to sleep a little bit.

No idea on the Vaders, but they do LOOK more comfy.

I have the same issue with my sports seats on long drives (3hours +)

[justaddwada]

I'm kind of on the thin side and the bolsters on the vaders don't really hug me tight. They don't have a lot of padding behind the leather so I can see how they would wear a man down on long drives.

Have you guys noticed that the seats are slightly offset from the steering wheel? At least on the vaders... I'm OCD so it is really really annoying.

[Reuffeo]

I'm kind of on the thin side and the bolsters on the vaders don't really hug me tight. They don't have a lot of padding behind the leather so I can see how they would wear a man down on long drives.

Have you guys noticed that the seats are slightly offset from the steering wheel? At least on the vaders... I'm OCD so it is really really annoying.

this was the first thing i ever noticed about an e36 the very first time i drove one. annoys me as well. i feel twisted up when i run the cruise control as my feet are twisted left, my torso is straight, and then my arms are ever so slightly turned for the wheel.


as to OP, i would say your best bet is cloth seats, unless 7 series seats fit in 3 series :)

[strad]

I do not have much seat time in Vaders, but I have spent considerable amounts of time in both sport seats (80,000 miles) and standard seats (1000 miles). The sport seats, at least for me, are much more comfortable and conforming. They just "fit" me better. I know people who like the standard seats better -- I guess it's a different anatomy.

[jijacob]

Only time I have that issue is on trips longer than 5 hours or so. Otherwise I love my sport seats.

[travis325i]

Have you guys noticed that the seats are slightly offset from the steering wheel? At least on the vaders... I'm OCD so it is really really annoying.

great i know exactly what im gunna do when i go out to my car later haha im gunna have to see this ha i cant belive i havent noticed that yet

i have the basic leather 325i seats and they arent that comfortable when on long drives my right leg always starts to hurt plus i have two shattered vertibre in my lower back from a bad accident i wish i could test out some vaders for like a week to see how my back likes them. my buddy has black leather sport seats and i love those they were very supportive

[z25is]

I got a great pair of vaders just a few days ago, because I had the standard seats, and honestly, they really suck! But at the cheap price I got the car with new seats in mind, well I got them pretty fast for $400, and I have no regrets at all, they really improvement the enjoyment of the car.

[PastrySnack]

At first, my vaders hurt my lower back. But once I got the angle adjusted right, they became very comfortable. :dunno

[helow]

I drive my sister's car half of the week to school. She has standard seats and my butt doesn't feel right in them:shifty... hahaha.

Haha but anyway, I do prefer my sports seats, but I haven't had to do any long trips (2hrs tops). My seats are hard too, I expect PO had water damage. He also somehow messed up the drivers seat, so the molding of the seat isn't flush. I don't know how to fix it, so my drivers seat isn't as supportive as the passenger but w/e. I haven't even sat in vaders:embarrasm.

[dnc026]

Same! My leather is so hard and it sucks for long drives and also in the heat. I had vaders in my last bmw and I loved them they were comfy and soft. But they were really really heavy.

[BMW525i]

i have the stock seats in my 325 and they are really comfortable. i picked up a set of vaders and put them in 6 months ago and immediately took them out. there the most uncomfortable seats ever..

[I Love My Car]

I had the sport seats they were broken in so they were amazing for long trips. Just made my back sweat in the summer haha. I put buckets in my car, and i got to say they arent as comfortable as the sport seats.

[jijacob]

i have the stock seats in my 325 and they are really comfortable. i picked up a set of vaders and put them in 6 months ago and immediately took them out. there the most uncomfortable seats ever..

Are you a large person? I can't imagine sport seats being comfortable for a big guy.

[whiteknight]

THREADJACK: White Knight, you've got a beautiful car dude.

Back to regularly scheduled programming
Thanx man!
A little history on the sport/racing seats- They are from Schucks (yeah I know but whatever) My dad and I custom made the brackets and yes the e36 has an offset seat. These seats are only $150 a peice and I have driven over 12 hours in these and was fine. My sport seats sucks for even short trips.

[iXguy]

I have (original) manual cloth sport seats in my 1998 328i. Yup, really. And I'm soooo happy because I've never been a fan of leather in cars, hot in summer, cold in winter. Yes they're heated too.

So yeah they are hard, but if you adjust them right, they can be appropriately supportive. I've had chronic back issues for years and I'm good right now, with these seats. But I also went through a really bad spell with them too. Its in how you adjuste them, for YOUR issues.

E30 seats don't fit, the rails are different. There are howto's for installing E36 seats in an E30, you could do it "in reverse" to do the opposite -- follow the same procedure to build the templates, just the bolts go in the opposite direction.

I understood vaders were the same seats with cool headrests, is that not so?

At worst, roll a towel up and put it behind your lumbar area, and see if your problems are reduced. If so, get an obusform insert or something while you scope out other seat options.

I wouldn't rate any of the E36 seats great for back issues.

[beem3]

I hope this answers your question. I had the non sports seats in my previous e36 325, and had the sport seats in my e36 328 before i made the switch to vader seats this year. I guess you can say there is slightly more lower back support with the vaders. The leather on the vaders is as hard as the leather on the sport seats. the non m non sport seats have the softest leather. The vaders hold you in better than the other seats.