BMW 1-Series Forum (F20) 135i - 1Addicts.com > Second Generation 1 Series Forum > 2012 BMW 1-Series Sporthatch (F20) Discussion > Recaro Seats and Install
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      01-19-2015, 01:52 AM   #1
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Recaro Seats and Install

Hi Guys, recently purchased these recaro seats !! Plug and play install for seat seatbelt and airbags !! Overall pretty happy with the results !!

Seats are the Recaro CS sportsters as per the BMW performance option !! Seats are finished in Alcantara and leather

First impressions are they are more comfortable than the stock option and of course more suited to performance handling 10/10
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      01-19-2015, 02:25 AM   #2
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Looks nice. Hard to believe that it is possible that any seats are more comfortable then the stock sport seats, though!

Did you consider other seatbelt arrangements? I used to have a Schroth Quickfit 4 point harness in my previous car. Worked very well on tracks, and it is was very easy to take in and out of the car.
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      01-19-2015, 02:42 AM   #3
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I actually really dislike the stock seats !! They hurt my back on long trips where these I have no such issues to date. Doubt I will track the car TBH...i did however drive home this afternoon through the hills on an aggressive burst and im now not rolling around in the seat like i was !!
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Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Looks nice. Hard to believe that it is possible that any seats are more comfortable then the stock sport seats, though!

Did you consider other seatbelt arrangements? I used to have a Schroth Quickfit 4 point harness in my previous car. Worked very well on tracks, and it is was very easy to take in and out of the car.
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      01-19-2015, 03:08 AM   #4
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The advantage of a 4/6 point harness is that it holds you firmly in the seat when you are braking hard, so you don't need to push yourself back from the steering wheels with your arms. That means you can have a light grip on the steering, and feel the available grip during corner entry.

Most people who never track their cars (and rookies on the track) never brake hard enough anyway. If the ABS is not working on all four wheels, you are not braking properly.
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      01-19-2015, 03:26 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Looks nice. Hard to believe that it is possible that any seats are more comfortable then the stock sport seats, though!
Agree I've never found a more comfortable I don't like BMW auto sports seats they are not as comfy as manual sports seats. The only other seat which has been great was last couple of years Mustang Convertible not sure about the latest but will find out in August.
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      01-19-2015, 03:28 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddy74 View Post
I actually really dislike the stock seats !! They hurt my back on long trips where these I have no such issues to date. Doubt I will track the car TBH...i did however drive home this afternoon through the hills on an aggressive burst and im now not rolling around in the seat like i was !!
do you mean stock or sports seats
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      01-19-2015, 03:49 AM   #7
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I dislike the stock seats !! I feel much more comfortable in the Recaro option by a country mile.
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      01-19-2015, 03:50 AM   #8
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Thanks mate I will look into the harness option ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
The advantage of a 4/6 point harness is that it holds you firmly in the seat when you are braking hard, so you don't need to push yourself back from the steering wheels with your arms. That means you can have a light grip on the steering, and feel the available grip during corner entry.

Most people who never track their cars (and rookies on the track) never brake hard enough anyway. If the ABS is not working on all four wheels, you are not braking properly.
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      01-19-2015, 03:54 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddy74 View Post
Thanks mate I will look into the harness option ...
The one I used was this type:
https://www.schrothracing.com/tuning/quick-fit/qf-bmw
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      01-19-2015, 04:01 AM   #10
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awesome thanks ... whats the install like ? I will need to ask a few questions from the supplier as obviously nothing listed for F series. Should all be interchangeable tho hey
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      01-19-2015, 04:21 AM   #11
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Quote:
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awesome thanks ... whats the install like ? I will need to ask a few questions from the supplier as obviously nothing listed for F series. Should all be interchangeable tho hey
It is just a matter of finding a model with the same seatbelt arrangement as your own car.

I had them in an E36 Compact, and it was compatible with an E46, for which they offered kits at the time I bought mine. I had to open one bolt by the back seat and attach a small thingy, that was all. When putting the seatbelt in, you just click them in. Takes a few seconds.
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      01-19-2015, 04:25 AM   #12
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Sounds like a wonderful option ! Thanks for this much appreciated
Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
It is just a matter of finding a model with the same seatbelt arrangement as your own car.

I had them in an E36 Compact, and it was compatible with an E46, for which they offered kits at the time I bought mine. I had to open one bolt by the back seat and attach a small thingy, that was all. When putting the seatbelt in, you just click them in. Takes a few seconds.
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      01-19-2015, 08:21 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwi View Post
do you mean stock or sports seats
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddy74 View Post
I actually really dislike the stock seats !! They hurt my back on long trips
The stock on M135i are the sport ones. The "back on long trips" issue could be due to the "lumbar support" option omitted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddy74 View Post
im now not rolling around in the seat like i was !!
This is interesting: the Recaro seem to lack the adjustable backrest width BMW have (although it's not really clear how many adjustments there are). The only BMW sport seats feature to be alert to, AFAIK, is they can be too narrow for wide people.

Here's an interesting link, incidentally: RECARO seat training.
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      01-19-2015, 09:53 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chaddy74
I actually really dislike the stock seats !! They hurt my back on long trips where these I have no such issues to date. Doubt I will track the car TBH...i did however drive home this afternoon through the hills on an aggressive burst and im now not rolling around in the seat like i was !!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Looks nice. Hard to believe that it is possible that any seats are more comfortable then the stock sport seats, though!

Did you consider other seatbelt arrangements? I used to have a Schroth Quickfit 4 point harness in my previous car. Worked very well on tracks, and it is was very easy to take in and out of the car.
How many long trips have you done in these to date?
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      01-19-2015, 11:21 AM   #15
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By the way

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
If the ABS is not working on all four wheels, you are not braking properly.
And if you didn't smash into anything, you braked too early! ABS must be just no good for racing driving.
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      01-19-2015, 12:42 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by No one View Post
ABS must be just no good for racing driving.
ABS is awesome for track driving. It allows for braking deeply into the corners.
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      01-19-2015, 01:03 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
ABS is awesome for track driving. It allows for braking deeply into the corners.
But doesn't it prevent you from controlling the braking process? You simply kick the pedal down as hard as you can and let the ABS do it all, stealing the fun of driving, don't you?

To me, it's not about braking deeply into the corners, it's rather about having the driving skills involved: kicking dumb hard is just too easy, applying the appropriate effort, finding the proper breaking/steering combination/sequence is more challenging. Otherwise it's just like having the faster car and claiming you're a faster driver.
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      01-19-2015, 01:28 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by No one View Post
But doesn't it prevent you from controlling the braking process? You simply kick the pedal down as hard as you can and let the ABS do it all, stealing the fun of driving, don't you?

To me, it's not about braking deeply into the corners, it's rather about having the driving skills involved: kicking dumb hard is just too easy, applying the appropriate effort, finding the proper breaking/steering combination/sequence is more challenging. Otherwise it's just like having the faster car and claiming you're a faster driver.
Yes, you have a point there. Driving without ABS requires more skill. In the really old days, the gearbox used to be unsynchronized, so the driver had to double declutch the shifts. There was also a lever on the steering wheel for advancing the ignition based on RPM and load. Modern cars a lot easier to drive. The F20/F21 is also notoriously well balanced, so there is hardly any work involved with the pedals to constantly fight understeer or oversteer, like I had to do in my previous cars.

Letting the car handle these task, leaves the driver focused on the core task of racing, which is to find the right line and speed around the track. In my older cars, there were some lines I wanted to take, but the brakes and suspension made it impossible. I got wheels in the air, understeer, oversteer or locked wheels on corner entry. The F20 goes whereever I want it to with no issues. At least in the summer it does.

For me the winter season is the car control season. It is about going sideways and sliding all over the track, not nevessarily going fast. For this type of driving, I could do without the ABS.
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      01-19-2015, 03:32 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
In the really old days, the gearbox used to be unsynchronized, so the driver had to double declutch the shifts.
No need for this: I have to wait for my gearbox to shift (synchronize?) already and it's annoying . In my previous car the gearbox was less precise but faster: I could shift almost as fast as I could, with quite a fluid motion, without losing too much revs. meanwhile. It seems it's getting better, hopefully, but still quite far from really good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
There was also a lever on the steering wheel for advancing the ignition based on RPM and load.
The modern Formula One cars appear to have similar controls on the steering wheel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
The F20/F21 is also notoriously well balanced
I appreciate that! I'm not really looking for complexity, especially the unnecessary, redundant one. I just want to drive the car rather than only ride it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Letting the car handle these task, leaves the driver focused on the core task of racing, which is to find the right line and speed around the track.
What about the ability to take the line at the speed? "I know the line, the speed and someone who can do it!"?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
In my older cars, there were some lines I wanted to take, but the brakes and suspension made it impossible. I got wheels in the air, understeer, oversteer or locked wheels on corner entry. The F20 goes whereever I want it to with no issues.
What's the fun of taking an easy line, no matter how good it is? I guess not much. A good line deserves both a good car and a good involvement to take it at a good speed, IMHO.
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      02-01-2015, 12:17 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by No one View Post
The stock on M135i are the sport ones. The "back on long trips" issue could be due to the "lumbar support" option omitted.



This is interesting: the Recaro seem to lack the adjustable backrest width BMW have (although it's not really clear how many adjustments there are). The only BMW sport seats feature to be alert to, AFAIK, is they can be too narrow for wide people.

Here's an interesting link, incidentally: RECARO seat training.
Agreed "lumbar support" should be standard
long distance drives can also be helped by adjusting the front cushion support and seat height and tilt to correctly support the lower back and legs.
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      02-01-2015, 02:08 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AusF20 View Post
Agreed "lumbar support" should be standard
Lumbar support is standard, but it is optional to have it adjustable.
I think the stock support is just right, so I would not adjust it either way.

For people with unusual sway in the lower back, it would be a good idea
to order the adjustability.
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      02-01-2015, 11:35 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam View Post
Lumbar support is standard, but it is optional to have it adjustable.
I think the stock support is just right, so I would not adjust it either way.

For people with unusual sway in the lower back, it would be a good idea
to order the adjustability.
Yes Ovk, I should have put 'Adjustable' Lumber support as standard.
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