Seats for street and track duty...opinions

My sport seats are getting a little worn so I've been thinking about getting some new seats. My driver's side bolster is getting flattened down.

I've looked at Cobra, Bride, Recaro and Corbeau.

I've narrowed it down to:

Recaro Sportster CS
Recaro Speed
Corbeau A4
OEM M3

I need a seat that is good at the track but is still comfortable for long x-country trips. Don't care about power adjustments. Lumbar is a plus. Cost is a concern but I am willing to spend some $$$ on some seats that will last the life of the car.

I'm 5'10" and about 160-170 lbs.

I'm kind of leaning towards the Recaro Speeds. I've sat in the Speed and Sportster and really like them. But I wonder if the Corbeau A4s will be just as comfortable, serve the same purpose and cost about 1/2 of the Speeds.

Also, the A4s have the option for Lumbar.

Looking for input. Thanks.

Sparco Torino seats are comfortable and are reclineable(have one as my passenger seat). They do a good job of holding you in too. I heard the Corbeau FX seat is really comfortable despite being a composite/fixed seat(I have not sat in one though).

Wow, we are almost the exact same build, but I'm an inch shorter. If it were me, and i wanted a reclining seat. My first choice for the $$ would be the Recaro Speed's. get the 5pt ones so down the road you could get better belts. Those sportster CS are nice but one of those is what both of your speed's would cost. I've never been a big fan of the Corbeau seats, and for my build I have yet to find a Sparco that I am happy with that fits me perfect. I would stick to recaro/racetech when it comes to seats.

ive heard someone that had E36 M3 vaders in their E46 M3. The E46 M3 coupe and vert seats are slightly different, in my case i have a E46 M3 vert, and i think the vaders hug better and are more suited for track purposes than my E46 M seats. Plus the head rest adjusts to put your harness through. just a cheaper alternative.

http://e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=737584

vaders in a E46

Originally Posted by drivrswntd

Wow, we are almost the exact same build, but I'm an inch shorter. If it were me, and i wanted a reclining seat. My first choice for the $$ would be the Recaro Speed's. get the 5pt ones so down the road you could get better belts. Those sportster CS are nice but one of those is what both of your speed's would cost. I've never been a big fan of the Corbeau seats, and for my build I have yet to find a Sparco that I am happy with that fits me perfect. I would stick to recaro/racetech when it comes to seats.

I've sat in a display model of both the Sportster and Speed. The Sportster was definitely a much closer fit.

Good info about the 5pt Speeds...didn't think of that.

I'll guess that the Speed is a more flexible and versatile track/street seat.

Good thing is my wife is pretty small (5'1" and 95-105 lbs) so the pass side seat is not an issue.

Originally Posted by AAblown

http://e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=737584

vaders in a E46

Great info! For me, I would prefer something newer which is why the E46M3 seats are low on the list.

Plus, I have some weird thing about used seats. Just to think someone has been had their sweaty @ss and balls in the seat, farting in it, and maybe even a couple of sharts grosses me out.

Nothing compares.

Originally Posted by MrMotorwerk

Nothing compares.

whoa! what are those and how much

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

I've sat in a display model of both the Sportster and Speed. The Sportster was definitely a much closer fit.

Good info about the 5pt Speeds...didn't think of that.

I'll guess that the Speed is a more flexible and versatile track/street seat.

Good thing is my wife is pretty small (5'1" and 95-105 lbs) so the pass side seat is not an issue.



Great info! For me, I would prefer something newer which is why the E46M3 seats are low on the list.

Plus, I have some weird thing about used seats. Just to think someone has been had their sweaty @ss and balls in the seat, farting in it, and maybe even a couple of sharts grosses me out.

buy some new E36 M3 vaders from the dealer if you dont like sweaty balls, my used e36 M3 with its sweaty ball vaders work perfect LOL

Originally Posted by MrMotorwerk

Nothing compares.

Are they MUCH better than the Recaro Speed? Are those leather or vinyl?

Originally Posted by AAblown

whoa! what are those and how much

Recaro Sportster CS ~$1300-$1800 depending on upholstery material.

Originally Posted by AAblown

buy some new E36 M3 vaders from the dealer if you dont like sweaty balls, my used e36 M3 with its sweaty ball vaders work perfect LOL

For that much, I'd rather get some Recaro's. Ideally, I could find some recently upholstered seats.

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Are they MUCH better than the Recaro Speed? Are those leather or vinyl?

I used to have the Recaro SRD, predecessor to the Speed. The SRDs were a lot better than the Speed. These, Sportster CS, are better than those two. Better bolsters, lumbar and shoulder support. The CS are probably even lighter too. Remember the Recaro Sport is based on the SRD which is a +20 year old design! SRDs were also better built than the newer Sports in respect to materials and quality. The CS has the same build quality as the older SRD as it is not an entry level seat like the Sport.

Sportster CS ~$1300-$1800 depending on upholstery material.

Mine are leather both mounted to Recaro E46 specific slider mounts.
I bought mine over 4years ago for around $3000 for both

For that much, I'd rather get some Recaro's. Ideally, I could find some recently upholstered seats.

True, I never looked back.

Originally Posted by MrMotorwerk

Mine are leather both mounted to Recaro E46 specific slider mounts. I bought mine over 4years ago for around $3000 for both

So do these seats feel on long trips. Once or twice a year, I will drive my car on a 750+ mile trip.

How is the leather wearing?

Originally Posted by MrMotorwerk

I used to have the Recaro SRD, predecessor to the Speed. The SRDs were a lot better than the Speed. These, Sportster CS, are better than those two. Better bolsters, lumbar and shoulder support. The CS are probably even lighter too. Remember the Recaro Sport is based on the SRD which is a +20 year old design! SRDs were also better built than the newer Sports in respect to materials and quality. The CS has the same build quality as the older SRD as it is not an entry level seat like the Sport.

On Recaro's website, the speed is listed as wider than the sportster (21in. vs 20.1in.) as well as lighter (30.9lbs vs 33.1lbs.)

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

So do these seats feel on long trips. Once or twice a year, I will drive my car on a 750+ mile trip.

How is the leather wearing?

These seats are very comfortable. I haven't driven long extended hours such as yours, but I have driven 3 hour sprints in these and have not had and comfort problems with them. These seats are not fixed back racing shells, so you do have the luxury of adjusting the seat backs to suit your needs. You can also opt to get a manual air lumbar inserted for the backs as well.

The leather wears a lot better than the BMW oem leather. A lot better!

Cool. I think I've made my decision to get the Sportster CS. My main hang up was how these seats would feel on a long drive. So didn't want to hang on to my sport seats since I don't need more car crap around the house.

Now can someone give me $3000???