From digest.v5.n100 Mon Aug 12 16:31:18 1996
From: John Browne <johnbro_at_microsoft.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 12:06:03 -0700
Subject: RE: Racing Seats and Harness in E36 M3

>>From: YuTung AuYeung <auyeung_at_cig.mot.com>

        I am interested in putting in a racing seat and 5-point harness
        in the E36 M3, and am wondering if anyone has any experiences
        with brands and prices.  I was interested in the Recaro SPG, but
        was told that it does not fit the E36.  Now I am considering MOMO
        MOMO as well.

        If you have done this before, can you give me a rough estimate
        on how much I should spend on a particular brands, as well as
        installation costs for the seat and harness.  Any help is greatly
        appreciated.  Thanks.

        - YuTung<<

I have done both with PeeKay. Seats are tough; harnesses are easy. Let's start with the easy stuff. Get the European Autosport harness kit (they advertise in the Roundel). Comes with everything you need and it's a simple bolt up installation. Can easily be removed in <15 minutes. Or, if you want to leave it in, do what I do to keep the belts from whanging into the seatbacks: I roll them around the harness bar and tie them all up tightly with velco straps. Looks tidy too: your Mother would be happy.

Seats are tougher. We went with Sparco Revs (fiberglass--Kevlar is _expensive_). Then you have to get the seat rails, and the seat brackets, and oh, yeah, you got some fabrication etc to get it all to work. One of the harder problems was mounting the seat so the OEM seatbelt could still be retained. This is a necessity, IMHO: at first I tried using the car with just the 5 point harness and it was a major PITA. But leaving the stock mounting point for the buckle (the seatbelt itself isn't in the way, it's the attachment gadget for the buckle) meant the Sparcos had to be slightly to the left and angled away from the centerline of the car. It's not troublesome, but I would have preferred to move toward the centerline, rather than away from it.

Unless you're a contortionist, you'll want some sort of mechanism to tilt the seat forward for access to the rear seat. I've taken to climbing in through the trunk for stuff like mounting my video camera or cleaning the rear windshield. It's not as bad as it sounds...

Cost: I spent $2K out the door for the seats. Mounting hardware and labor was almost as much as the cost of the seats.

Result: It's real awkward to get in and out (I slide the seat all the way back before doing either). Driving position isn't as comfortable, and it can hardly be called adjustable. The lack of cruise crontrol on PeeKay is felt on any long trip. (I hardly ever use cruise on cars when they have it, but then you can fiddle around with the driving position.) After an hour of immobility my right leg is just a memory. Fat people can't ride in my car, and seeing them try is hilarious, although certainly uncomfortable for them. I'm less likely to jump in the car to run errands, because extracting myself is too much effort.

OTOH, I absolutely don't move at all when cornering. You have to experience that to appreciate it. I can go around a balls-out turn with just fingers on the wheel, legs totally relaxed. I "feel" the car better, since I've removed the 6 inches of padding under my butt and back. To me it makes a big difference.

Cheers,

John Browne
BMW ACA Puget Sound Chapter
BMW CCA
95 ///M3 LTW (PeeKay)
95 ///M3 (gone, alas!)
91 iX (Spunky the Brave Little Car)
96 Suburban 2500 (needs a name...)