are the seats that bad?

[moupe54]

everyone always complains about the seats in this car. are the seats actually that terrible as everyone says. and if so whats bad about them?

[hexagone]

They were designed by someone who took the term 'bucket seats' a bit too literally.

No hamstring support which in turn wreaks havoc on your lower back on long drives. Once you've been in the car for 5, 10, 15 hours you know what I'm talking about.

Oh lumbar support? Yeah, no.

I still love my car though.

[amancuso]

Nothing that one of these won't solve.
http://www.pier1.com/Lindon-Lumbar-P...1&kpid=2647966

[Zoupe6]

Yep, seats were made for some skinny German with a waist of about 30 inches or smaller. When I have the seats redone (long time from now as they still look great), I will have them made so an average person can actually fit in them. I'm fine for short trips, but longer trips can get to be painful. I tilted mine, which makes them a bit more tolerable.

[lokijibber]

I find the seats perfect with the "short guy" seat tilt. But, I'm 5'7" on a good day with a 30" waist. I had no pains or issues after the 2200 miles for ZFest this year. Literally 8-10 hours in the car each day traveling.

[BenFenner]

IMO the M seats offer great support for spirited driving, but their long-term comfort could use some work. Simple things that should have been done that weren't.

[ZGator]

There are 2 kinds of seats in the z3 - sport and regular - I have the regular - I love the regular seats, and find them more comfortable than the top of the line sport/luxury/lumbar seats in my 328xi. I don't know why exactly but I find the Z3 much more comfortable long distance, only downside is that you can slide a bit in the regular vs sport.

[dimm6]

I installed a set of M seats and they were a lot more uncomfortable than the regular base model seats. I'm by no means a bi guy and they fit me well, but there's something about the base seats that are more appealing to me. The M seats look better though.

[PbFut]

same reason the CDV is a problem, S54 Throttle lags, cooling system sucks and all the tranny pins need replacing. It's the internet

[z3papa]

I took my Recaros out the winter before last to be recovered and briefly put the stock non-sport seats in. I can state that while I miss heated function, the stock seats are horrible. Whether tilting them improves them a great deal is for others to comment on but they were tough to drive any distance greater than a few hours.

[hexagone]

Yep, seats were made for some skinny German with a waist of about 30 inches or smaller. When I have the seats redone (long time from now as they still look great), I will have them made so an average person can actually fit in them. I'm fine for short trips, but longer trips can get to be painful. I tilted mine, which makes them a bit more tolerable.

false.

I'm 6'1" 165lb with a 31 waist and the seats are still atrocious (but look great)

I'm starting to wonder if Recaro A8s fit in our cars...

[Phr34k]

Yep, seats were made for some skinny German with a waist of about 30 inches or smaller...

I find the seats perfect with the "short guy" seat tilt. But, I'm 5'7" on a good day with a 30" waist. I had no pains or issues after the 2200 miles for ZFest this year. Literally 8-10 hours in the car each day traveling.

I'm 140lb wet, 5'7" in my boots, 30" waist after a couple brews and I think they're insanely comfortable. M seats + tilt mod in a 3,300 mile trip from WA to FL and I have no complaints at all.

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false.

I'm 6'1" 165lb with a 31 waist and the seats are still atrocious...

It's that fine German engineering standard for low-tolerances, lose a couple inches around the waist and they'll feel great

[Randy Forbes]

I find the ///M seats to be plenty comfortable enough, proven on several 17 - 18 hour long drives. Oh, and I have two (2) compressed vertebrae.

[Bear Grylls]

Yep, seats were made for some skinny German with a waist of about 30 inches or smaller. When I have the seats redone (long time from now as they still look great), I will have them made so an average person can actually fit in them. I'm fine for short trips, but longer trips can get to be painful. I tilted mine, which makes them a bit more tolerable.

I'm 5'11 with a 31inch waist and a very German last name and these seats still murder me after an hour of driving.

[steve f]

same reason the CDV is a problem, S54 Throttle lags, cooling system sucks and all the tranny pins need replacing. It's the internet

Yep, The start on this thread about "everyone always complains" had me scratching my head. I have sport seats in 3 of the Z3s, standard seats in the other and they are all comfortable. I do get sore on long drives, but I also get tired driving the truck or X3 that far.

If I was worried about weight, then I might be concerned. They are heavy.

but I guess I'm not really someone or even a part of everyone. 5' 11", 170 lbs, 33" waist.

[ssbuchanan]

Mine came with either the sport or M seats (never worked out the difference, but I think they're M) and they're fine for me and the wife in terms of our back... my hip flexors get sore on long drives, but that would probably be fixed by the seat tilt mod.

On the other hand after a couple of hours in the WRX, the wife was complaining about lumbar pain :/

[z3papa]

I find the ///M seats to be plenty comfortable enough, proven on several 17 - 18 hour long drives. Oh, and I have two (2) compressed vertebrae.

Well there are small people and then there are regular sized people. I feel as though I fall in the latter but you would probably disagree.

[coolguy147]

Will the seat tilt mod generally fix all of these uncomfortable issues? I'm 5'8/9". 32 Waist. 140-145 pounds.

[KeysCoupe]

I'm 6' and 215lbs and can easily go 6 hours in my Coupe. After that, I need to get out and more around. Also, thank goodness for cruise-control out on the interstate! I'll be tilting the seat when I do the clutch pedal bushing and seat bushings.
My GF doesn't want to get back in the car on the second day of long trips.
By the way, I am pretty sure the sport seats and M seats are exactly the same, except for the upholstery pattern.
-Donny

[Terry F.]

I'm 6'-1" and I think I would find the seats to be more comfortable if I had more seat travel allowing me to keep the same position but it would allow me to recline the seatback a little more. Being reasonably tall and overweight, there not a lot of squirm room for me. Honestly, my old Miata had more room. But this lack of squirm room contributes to my occasional discomfort. I simply take more stops and stretch my legs by walking for a few minutes.

Bottom line: I like the seats but still need more room.

Terry

[dkindig]

5'8", 180 lbs, not overweight but muscular, 34" waist, I find the sport seats VERY comfortable and have made multiple 8-10 hour drives in complete comfort. I have a herniated disc and have never had a problem. The seat-tilt mod made ALL the difference in the world. The support under my thighs takes a lot of the strain off my lower back.

Yes, the sport seats are the same as the M seats with a different upholstery pattern, at least in the '01 and '02 cars.

[moonvan]

I traded my stock seats years ago for a set of sparcos and they are more comfortable than the stock seats. last year I added heating elements to them so the winters are nicer.

[z3540i]

I didn't think they were uncomfortable, in fact multiple 12+ hour drives and i had no issues....My issue was with the lateral support while spirited driving....kept feeling like i had to Hold myself in to the seat...that's the reason i swapped in the corbeau, well that and the leather bulster on the driver seat had worn off to just foam

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also
5-9
30"
150lbs

[moupe54]

it seems as if the bigger people have problem with fitting and comfort. im 5'8 and 130 lbs so i feel like they should be fine. i guess ill have to find out when i buy mine soon

[ssbuchanan]

6'5", 230lbs here and the Sport seats are fine