Aftermarket Seat Install Possibilities?

Supraboi7

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Hey...has anyone upgraded to aftermarket seats yet? I want to install some Recaro SR7's but so far have only found Bride rails online which are still in the pre-production phase and don't really know the first thing about custom seat rail mounting or the implications of removing the stock seats (airbag sensor, etc). I've swapped stock seats for stock seats on an older American car, but I'm sure that's much simpler than trying to do this. I'm aware the stock seats are pretty nice but looking to save little weight and they'll look nice.
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jtsang25

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Hey...has anyone upgraded to aftermarket seats yet? I want to install some Recaro SR7's but so far have only found Bride rails online which are still in the pre-production phase and don't really know the first thing about custom seat rail mounting or the implications of removing the stock seats (airbag sensor, etc). I've swapped stock seats for stock seats on an older American car, but I'm sure that's much simpler than trying to do this. I'm aware the stock seats are pretty nice but looking to save little weight and they'll look nice.
Bmw software makes it a pain in the ass to replace. So much coding
 

KahnBB6

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^^ Some people are going to want to swap to more aggressive bucket seats in this car.

I donā€™t doubt it that BMWā€™s ECU coding would make this a pain.

Maybe more aggressive specialty bucket seats from limited run track special M2ā€™s and M3/4ā€™s could be made to play nicely with the MKV?
 

CJ-

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If anyone does this and ā€œneedsā€ to sell their red factory seats, please let me know ;)
 
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r35pect

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I would suggest looking at what other bmw owners have done for their newer cars in removing the error codes and see if it is something that is possible for the supra.

Keep in mind, the passenger airbag will not function and all you will be able to do is get rid of the error code on the cluster.

Any competent machine shop should be able to take some measurements for you and make brackets for the seats of your choice. Not rocket science.
 
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Supraboi7

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Oh man I hadn't even considered the loss of the passenger airbag functionality, but I suppose that's not surprising considering BMW's electronics and all.

I may even consider swapping my premium's full leather for some base seats for the alcantara, or go the factory red leather route as CJ mentioned if anyone would ever be willing to part with them. M2/M3/M4 seats don't sound like a bad alternative either assuming they can play nice with the system and its coding. Something about the flat black plain leather is bland and uninspiring haha.

Hopefully some vendors will be offering solutions soon now that MKV's are rolling out and I'm sure there are others looking to do something similar!
 

r35pect

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^not so much about the general electronics and more about the actual pressure sensors inside the seats themselves. Only way you could keep your actual airbags working for the passanger side is if you rip apart your factory seat and remove the pressure sensors and install them to your new seats. That will take some ingenuity on your end to install properly and make them not visible. As far as the driver side, the steering wheel airbag should deploy as normal, god for bid in any accidents, but you will lose side airbag capability if the side airbags are integrated into the seats themselves.

Another option is if bmw/toyota sells the pressure sensors separately (i highly hightly doubt that) you could always buy those and install them onto your aftermarket seats.

For the brackets, Planted Technology is a fantastic company that makes brackets for aftermarket seats. You can see if they have any available for the mkv yet.

I've used Planted Technology for seat brackets on my r35 and my mkiv using Recaro seats and they are some of the lowest and best quality seat brackets around.
 
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tedan628

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If anyone is selling their red launch seats...i d be interested
 
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Supraboi7

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Anyone else feel like the red LE seats aren't ''red enough''? They look like a softer pastel lipstick type red, maybe something more vibrant could be an eyesore over time but for comparison here's the red LE seats compared with the Recaros I was planning to swap in:

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EndlessProjectsSupra

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---SO MADE SOME PROGRESS WITH MY CAR LAST NIGHT!

I am using a P2uned Slider Rail Kit along with the Sparco HD Side Mounts.
The seat I went with is the Sparco Evo II US version.
I'm 6'3" 195lbs and have broad shoulders so I needed a wider seat.

I first tried the Macht Schnell Floor mounts available now for the A90 but that put me way too close to the wheel and I also couldn't close the door properly without the corner of the seat contacting the door impeding it from closing correctly. When those didn't work, I picked up a slider rail kit from someone local who had one on the A90 Marketplace FB Group.

First side mounts I tried the PlantedTechnology Aluminum 90 degree side mounts which did not work because the 90 degree bend bit into the side of the seat. The slight bends that the Sparco HD mounts have helped get a secure and proper fitment.
The P2uned slider came with OMP side mounts but were super thin compared to the Sparco HD's.

The combination of the P2uned Slider Rail Kit and the Sparco HD side mounts was perfect!

---THE NEXT THING WE HAD TO DEAL WITH WAS THE EYEBOLTS

After speaking with Randy at EvasiveMotorsports he emailed photos of Sam's car and where they drilled holes to mount the eyebolts.
I did NOT want to drill holes in the car just yet so we had to think of something else.

The Sparco HD side mounts are some of the thickest I've ever seen so we decided to bore out one of the rear holes not being used for mounting to thread the Sparco eyebolts included with their harnesses.
It took maybe 30 seconds to have both mounts bored out and eyebolts affixed with grade 10 bolts and lock washers.

INCLUDED PHOTOS OF EYEBOLT CLEARANCE WITHIN THE CAR. PLENTY OF SPACE FOR THE EYEBOLTS TO PROTRUDE AND HARNESSES

I spoke with some techs at Sonoma Raceway, showing them photos of the setup. Based on what they saw and the thickness of the side mounts it will pass tech. I would not try this with any other side mount except the Sparco due to the thickness.

---FINALLY WITH ALL THAT SAID AND DONE THE SEAT WENT IN

The final thing I was worried about was the door closing. I'd seen in person how close Sam's was to his door but was optimistic as far as using the Slider to push it further back. It worked! The door closes perfectly, I can fit 5 playing cards between the door panel and the seat. No movement between the seat or panel when it is closed.

I HOPE THIS HELPS SOME PEOPLE

STAY TUNED AS I HAVE SOME SPARE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT CONTROLS ON ORDER FROM TOYOTA AND WE WILL BE PLAYING AROUND WITH RESISTORS AND WHAT NOT TO TRY AND GET THE AIRBAG LIGHT OFF THE DASH WHEN AFTERMARKET SEATS IN INSTALLED.

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devarenacn

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I have mine installed this week. No major issues, fits and everything, only thing we havenā€™t figured out is how to deal with the side airbag light, but itā€™s not beeping/preventing you from turning off TC, I should say that I have put a resistor on the side airbag thingy and it didnā€™t do a thing.
 

tedan628

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I have mine installed this week. No major issues, fits and everything, only thing we havenā€™t figured out is how to deal with the side airbag light, but itā€™s not beeping/preventing you from turning off TC, I should say that I have put a resistor on the side airbag thingy and it didnā€™t do a thing.
which resistor you use? 2.2 ohms or 3 ohms? i heard bmw use 2.2 ohms
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