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Thread: Race Seat Fitment in E36 Sedan Track Car

  1. #1
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    Race Seat Fitment in E36 Sedan Track Car

    All,

    Recently, I made the decision to transition my e36 325i from a fun HPDE/Street car to a GTS2/BMWCCA JP capable/competitive car. With that comes a bunch of tear down, harness thinning and cage building.

    One of my friends added a cage to his car a couple winters ago and with both of us being larger than the avg male, we need a wider seat. From our view, this creates a tighter fit on the E36 sedans and quite possibly, some additional modification.

    For the larger folk out there, can you confirm the seat you used and maybe some pics of the cage build in your sedan? Issues you ran into during the build? Is the seat offset from steering center? We are just trying to fine tune the plan and purchase before the construction begins in Nov/Dec.

    I am currently looking at a RaceTech RT4009WHTR (6'4" 230 lbs so not only need the width but also height).

    Thanks in advance for your help.


    Pic of the car in action for attention.
    325i Attention.jpg
    Alex

    [SIZE=1]BMWCCA# 368302

  2. #2
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    Friend of mine has that seat in his GTS2 M3 sedan, seems to fit fine. I have Recaro SPG XL's in my coupe, they also fit fine. I'm using the VAC plates with recaro sliders and recaro side plates and my seats are centered on the steering wheel.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by DocWyte View Post
    Friend of mine has that seat in his GTS2 M3 sedan, seems to fit fine. I have Recaro SPG XL's in my coupe, they also fit fine. I'm using the VAC plates with recaro sliders and recaro side plates and my seats are centered on the steering wheel.
    Do you have any pics you can supply? Thanks for the quick response!
    Alex

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  4. #4
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    i don't have a cage in my sedan yet winter is coming.
    but i can help with the seat in a sedan, my OMP WRC-R is 620mm at the widest shoulder (A) measurement and it hits or rubs the B Pilar. aft side where its got a lip.
    the seat you mention says 600. 20mm -.78 so you should have room. mine is all the way back on VAC mounts. I'm 6"1 235 . my seat is tight in the thigh. 390mm on mine. 420 yours. that inch will help great.
    i have my seat full right as i can get it. though VAC mounts don't allow much movement side to side.
    the wheel favors driver right of the seat its not center for me. don't think you can get steering center with out some banging of the tunnel.
    you have stock seats in now?

  5. #5
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    I'd suggest selecting your seats, mounts, and steering wheel setup (wheel, hub, QR, etc) and then working with your cage builder on seat placement. Be mindful of belt angle requirements and all of that stuff. With a sedan you'll want to put the main hoop in line with the vertical wall where the rear seat pan goes down along the front of where the fuel tank is rather than in line with the B-pillar to give more room.

    Upside is there are so many E36's out in the wilds of the racing world that you'll have tons of cars to look at.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by poweredbyg60 View Post
    i don't have a cage in my sedan yet winter is coming.
    but i can help with the seat in a sedan, my OMP WRC-R is 620mm at the widest shoulder (A) measurement and it hits or rubs the B Pilar. aft side where its got a lip.
    the seat you mention says 600. 20mm -.78 so you should have room. mine is all the way back on VAC mounts. I'm 6"1 235 . my seat is tight in the thigh. 390mm on mine. 420 yours. that inch will help great.
    i have my seat full right as i can get it. though VAC mounts don't allow much movement side to side.
    the wheel favors driver right of the seat its not center for me. don't think you can get steering center with out some banging of the tunnel.
    you have stock seats in now?
    The car currently has Sparco Evo and Evo Plus with a rollbar in the back. This is merely going the next step towards racing. I have VAC floor mounts but like you said, they don't quite allow a significant I may look at something like the BK or MM mounts.

    Quote Originally Posted by dmw16 View Post
    I'd suggest selecting your seats, mounts, and steering wheel setup (wheel, hub, QR, etc) and then working with your cage builder on seat placement. Be mindful of belt angle requirements and all of that stuff. With a sedan you'll want to put the main hoop in line with the vertical wall where the rear seat pan goes down along the front of where the fuel tank is rather than in line with the B-pillar to give more room.

    Upside is there are so many E36's out in the wilds of the racing world that you'll have tons of cars to look at.
    The steering wheel is a Momo 280mm.. I will need to get a QR (probably an NRG style for the time being)... seat and mounts are the key concern at the moment.. Just looking for images, inputs based on what has worked.
    Alex

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by purplem3pursuit View Post
    The steering wheel is a Momo 280mm.. I will need to get a QR (probably an NRG style for the time being)... seat and mounts are the key concern at the moment.. Just looking for images, inputs based on what has worked.
    I had the NRG style and wasn't very happy with it. If this is going to be a dedicated track/race car take a look at some of the weld-on options for the hub and some of the other QR's. Just my opinion, but the NRG style feels flimsy.

    Might be worth checking the BMWCCA or NASA schedule against whatever your nearest track is and go. I'm sure people would be happy to let you crawl around their cars and see what they've done.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by dmw16 View Post
    I had the NRG style and wasn't very happy with it. If this is going to be a dedicated track/race car take a look at some of the weld-on options for the hub and some of the other QR's. Just my opinion, but the NRG style feels flimsy.

    Might be worth checking the BMWCCA or NASA schedule against whatever your nearest track is and go. I'm sure people would be happy to let you crawl around their cars and see what they've done.
    I have a fitment check in Atlanta this weekend to take a look at some options.. May request from a few others in the area...
    Alex

    [SIZE=1]BMWCCA# 368302

  9. #9
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    Here is the Cobra Suzuka GT (wide) seat that I fit into my E36 M3 sedan. I have a 36-38" waist, and the seat fits me comfortably.

    The seat wing would hit the B pillar if I had to slide the seat back farther, but actually being 5'10" I have the seat set with about 1" of clearance to the front of the B pillar trim and the seat is probably slightly too far back for me. The inner thigh support does come into contact with the center console, but I could rotate the seat a bit to get it free and move it farther forward. As the seat sits now, it is well centered on the wheel (or at least no less centered than the stock seat). It is mounted with VAC floor mounts and Motion Motorsport side mounts.

    I also was able to retain the stock seatbelt and receptacle. The receptacle had wires that ran underneath the seat padding in the stock seat that were held in place with zip ties; I was able to cut the zip ties and pull the wires through the seat to remove them, then I used the VAC seat belt adapters to mount the ends of the lap belt to the VAC floor mounts. This lets me use my existing Schroth Quick Fit harnesses and the factory 3 point belt on the street, and means I also have functioning airbags.













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  10. #10
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    I've got a sedan with a full cage and a Sparco Ergo (something like that I think) I had to get my seat custom mounted to push into the transmission tunnel to help center me with the wheel, but also move me away from my door bars which were very close and all up in my business.

    With my seat pushed over, I've been very happy with the placement and spacing. When I had my other seat, a Sparco ProADV, I had 0 issues with the same mounting so I'm not sure what happened with the new seat, but either way, you can get your seat in there, but your results may require some adjusting to get the best setup that you can in the car.

    Good luck!
    Andrew Elmore

  11. #11
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    Bumping cause I need some help. Looking to get a fixed back seat in the near future but everything I sit in doesn't fit right. I'm 6'1" with a 32" waist but have wide shoulders. Race tech tall fits for height and waist width but not for shoulder width. Everything I've tried seems to roll my shoulders forward which is uncomfortable even sitting in it for just a few minutes.

    Is there a seat I should check out that might fit my shoulder width without having to go to a wider seat?

  12. #12
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    mslevin is offline Have you checked RealOEM? BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by bjh102 View Post
    Bumping cause I need some help. Looking to get a fixed back seat in the near future but everything I sit in doesn't fit right. I'm 6'1" with a 32" waist but have wide shoulders. Race tech tall fits for height and waist width but not for shoulder width. Everything I've tried seems to roll my shoulders forward which is uncomfortable even sitting in it for just a few minutes.
    Quote Originally Posted by bjh102 View Post

    Is there a seat I should check out that might fit my shoulder width without having to go to a wider seat?


    I'm 6'5", 300lbs with pretty wide shoulders. I use a Sparco Sprint L and it is very comfortable. If you're ever in the Sunnyvale area, message me and I'll be happy to show you the seat.

    Edit: after re-reading your post, this might not be that helpful. That being said, the Sprint L is somehow narrower than other large seats, but with a wider seating area. Offer still stands to you or anyone who would like to test the seat.
    Last edited by mslevin; 05-02-2017 at 02:35 PM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by mslevin View Post

    I'm 6'5", 300lbs with pretty wide shoulders. I use a Sparco Sprint L and it is very comfortable. If you're ever in the Sunnyvale area, message me and I'll be happy to show you the seat.

    Edit: after re-reading your post, this might not be that helpful. That being said, the Sprint L is somehow narrower than other large seats, but with a wider seating area. Offer still stands to you or anyone who would like to test the seat.
    Sending you a pm now.

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