E46 Recaro Mounting

[bran.stum]

Hi all.

I'm looking at buying a pair of matching Recaro Pole Position Classics this year and am looking for some clarification/information on the mounts listed below. I've seen only a few forum posts about these along with very sparce information. I am wondering how they are specific to the E46 chassis and how they may differ from the usual floor mounts, side mounts, and sliders available from Macht Schnell/Recaro/Vorshlag etc. Does a setup like this already include E46 floor mounts or something? Is a setup like this worth the price increase over piecing them together from other vendors? Only asking here as I haven't heard back from the seller.

I apologize if this is a very basic question, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to mounting bucket seats. The Recaro I purchased years ago came complete so I didn't have to worry about a mounting solution.

Thanks in advance.

[zivagolee]

These are only rails and the recaro side mounts. You'll also need floor mounts (ie. BW, Macht Schnell) specific to the e46 that you will also need.

[samthejam]

I would highly recommend considering Brey Krause. They adapt the stock rail to side mount seats. I made a notes video of my installation. I hope it will answer all your questions about them. This is not for the manual rails, but is similar but you have to buy a specifc handle they make for manual rails to actuate the slider. I had very positive experiences ordering it all from DriftHq for the brackets and handle for the manual sliders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3bDXSGjlAw

With these you get OE rails, OE mounting for the seatbelts there is little to no downside IMO for a street car.

[9kracing]

These are only rails and the recaro side mounts. You'll also need floor mounts (ie. BW, Macht Schnell) specific to the e46 that you will also need.

Incorrect.

What the OP listed is the entire setup, mounts, rails, and all included.

Is it worth going with Recaro brand over 3rd party? I thought so. Only you and your bank account can decide that however.

You can definitely save about 500 bucks going with non-recaro brand. What is your safety worth?

[zivagolee]

Incorrect.

What the OP listed is the entire setup, mounts, rails, and all included.

Is it worth going with Recaro brand over 3rd party? I thought so. Only you and your bank account can decide that however.

You can definitely save about 500 bucks going with non-recaro brand. What is your safety worth?

didn't see the full picture. i've only bought the side mounts/sliders from them.

[bran.stum]

Great, thank you all for the information!

[usdmej]

I would highly recommend considering Brey Krause.
With these you get OE rails, OE mounting for the seatbelts there is little to no downside IMO for a street car.

with the Brey Krause option you have to do a lot more of your own legwork to make the setup work

- either disassemble your stock seat sliders and seatbelts or source a set of sacrificial seats
- source a slider switch and perform some DIY wiring to make the electric sliders work


all 3 options i think add up to similar amounts of time/money spent making them work tbh

[bmw m3 s50]

Question, I plan on getting Recaro Pole Position ABEs in the future with the Recaro aluminum seat brackets.

Which floor mounts and rails would be my lightest option when pairing to the Recaro Pole Position ABEs as well as the Recaro aluminum seat brackets?

Having the lightest seat setup is my goal.

[usdmej]

Having the lightest seat setup is my goal.

assuming you are running sliders and the 3pt factory seatbelt, the BK mounts are lighter overall than the swiss cheese options. i don't know how they compare to the full Recaro package though

i'll list the items (with the correct vernacular) and how it attaches to your vehicle starting from the top to bottom

Top:
Recaro PP ABE
BK Side mounts (you cannot use Recaro branded side mounts with the BK setup)
OE Sliders/wiring/switch/seat belt receptacle bolted to the floor
Bottom:


in comparison, the swiss cheese mounts get put together as such

Top:
Recaro PP ABE
Side mounts of your choice
Sliders of your choice
Seat Belt Receptacle adapter
Floor Mounts bolted to the floor
Bottom:

[Altaran]

Get Animal Racing Pulse Seat mounts. They have the best seating position and were actually crash tested.

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[///Marecki]

Seeing lots of great suggestions for equipment here. But what would be the move if I'm trying to mount the seat as low to the ground as possible? (am extremely tall and need headroom).

[bmw m3 s50]

assuming you are running sliders and the 3pt factory seatbelt, the BK mounts are lighter overall than the swiss cheese options. i don't know how they compare to the full Recaro package though

i'll list the items (with the correct vernacular) and how it attaches to your vehicle starting from the top to bottom

Top:
Recaro PP ABE
BK Side mounts (you cannot use Recaro branded side mounts with the BK setup)
OE Sliders/wiring/switch/seat belt receptacle bolted to the floor
Bottom:


in comparison, the swiss cheese mounts get put together as such

Top:
Recaro PP ABE
Side mounts of your choice
Sliders of your choice
Seat Belt Receptacle adapter
Floor Mounts bolted to the floor
Bottom:

Yes would be running sliders and OEM 3 factory seatbelt.

So if using the Recaro aluminum side mounts I would have to use swiss cheese mounts but use Seat Belt Receptacle adapter.

Any idea on the weight difference between the two?

[usdmej]

So if using the Recaro aluminum side mounts I would have to use swiss cheese mounts but use Seat Belt Receptacle adapter.

Any idea on the weight difference between the two?

yes recaro side mounts are incompatible with the BK setup. the swiss cheese floor mount makers sell their own respective seat belt receptacle adapters that your oe seatbelt/pretensioner bolts onto


from my notes

BK mounts, OE sliders, OE seatbelt receptacle - 15.6 lbs
Recaro steel side mounts, Recaro sliders, seatbelt adapter, Vac Floor Mounts - 22.1 lbs

[Projecte46m3]

The OE Reacro seat mounting from Maar is damn good but they do sit a bit high. They’re also very costly as you’re already aware.

Other Options Include:
Brey Krause side mounts - uses factory sliders electric or manual which are nice. I have this setup for my PPs paired with manual e46 sedan sliders.

PCI (Pro Car Innovations)
Animal Racing Slide/Track
Macht Schnell Clubsport

The above 3 options have a very similar design with the added center cross bracing between each side. This extra center bracing is damn nice IMO so the seat doesn’t flex. These options also allow a ton of ways to center the seat with all the flexibility on mounting position. I believe all of these options allow the use of the factory seat belt which is very important.


With all that said, the one thing that is problematic is the seat belt receptacle being sandwiched between the seat and center trans tunnel. The more you center the seat to the wheel then the wide PP ABE seat moves closer to the trans tunnel. This issue forces you to route the seat belt receptacle inside the seat which then creates another problem. Every time you get in the seat the seat, the seat belt receptacle will dig into your side. Trying to buckle up is also super annoying.