Faux Ostrich Skin Vaders Suck: E36 seat time

I hate to know what the PO paid for these seats. They look great against Avus Blue. They match my wheels kinda. They suck. Vaders are uncomfortable and provide no support for somebody of my frame. Faux Ostrich Skin does not breath so my back sweats with the AC on full blast in the middle of winter. But damn do they look good. I have many lofty goals but my summer goal is only to replace my seats. I think I can handle that.

My goals are for seats that don't make my butt fall asleep, support me well and look good. Tall order I know.

Because this is a Ti I will not be able to just swap in an e36 interior. Whatever I do the rear will have to be redone to match. That's fine as I would like to take on that task. My mom's a seamstress and will help me. God bless her. 

I'm not sure there's a bolt in seat that will fit the bill other than maybe e46 M3 which might be pricey. I'm okay with an ugglier set though as I do plan to reupholster. I've also not sat in an e46 Coupe with nice seats. Are they any good? Are there any other BMW seats that will bolt in and actually fit a small person?

So what about an aftermarket seat? My favorite car seat I've ever sat in is a Sparco Sprint and there is a Sparco tilt mechanism. I drove our racecar from Daytona Beach to Spartanburg and was never uncomfortable. Hell, I love how Kirkey's feel and wouldn't be against a Kirkey if I could still access my rear seat and could make a decent cover for it. After 2.5 hours in one I never gave it thought. Way more than I can say about my Vaders.

Are there any other possibilities or good ideas out there? I'm open to listen but I'd like to start my project earlier than later in the summer.

I recently put a set of SPARCO Chrono Road seats in my M3 and love them.   They aren't super squishy and luxurious, but they are comfortable, fairly light, and extremely supportive.  They also recline.  I agree--- Vaders suck, and they are heavy.   I'm 5'8" and about 170 lbs and I've  been very happy with the SPARCOs.  They do make getting in and out of the car a bit more challenging, and I have to keep the door open when I buckle up---- but the slight inconvenience is worth it.   

SPARCO Chrono Road seats

M3 Update

Needs more whale penis. Whale penis leather solves all the problems. 

I've got a set of E46 manual sports seats in my E36. Near bolt-in (had to elongate the bolt holes), plus they are lighter and much better bolstered than the old ones. More comfortable than any E36 seat, imo. I bought them to sit lower (I'm tall), but unfortunately the driver's seat isn't any lower. Passenger one seems to be, though. And if you're not a monster like me, the seats do raise and lower.

Like this. 

I've seen people use Vaders in the older e28 and e30 BMWs, so it stands to reason you could adapt the sport seats from those cars into the e36.  They're sort of vintage Recaro styled, although they aren't Recaros.  I find them quite comfortable and they have plenty of bolster to hold you in place.

you can swap an E36 sedan dash into a Ti, the coupe' dash has different crash supports. The door cards are unique to the hatch

@mad_machine

Kinda irrelevant to the topic at hand but I've already got a sedan dash swap. Love it.

@bigev007

I need to find an e46 Coupe with manual seats to sit in. Those look the ticket.

My issue(not an issue) is that I'm 6'0" and 140lbs. That's why small racy seats fit me great. Anybody DD with fixed back seats? Anybody use the sparco tilt seat mount?

I've also thought about Z3/Z4 seats but I'm sure they don't flip forward for back seat access.

not to mention the Vaders are HEAVY. I had a set I almost put in my Ti, Fully manual and they still weighed 60+ pounds each

Ive dd a fixed back aluminium kirkey in an s10 once.

It sucked donkey balls. 

But im short, fat, and dont bend well.

mad_machine said:

not to mention the Vaders are HEAVY. I had a set I almost put in my Ti, Fully manual and they still weighed 60+ pounds each

Came in here to post that. I replaced the worn Vaders in my M3, and holy crap, are those things heavy.

Appleseed said:

Needs more whale penis. Whale penis leather solves all the problems. 

Please accept this correction.   It's whale foreskin leather,not whale penis leather.  It's much softer. I couldn't afford to upholster my M3 with it.  I could afford a coin purse made of whale foreskin leather.  If you rub it a while it becomes a carry on bag.

So, I go to the GRM forum for skillz to learn and trade, and am left with the existential question of if whales habe foreskins?

@ the OP

My personal opinion of you current seat is at first I thought it was a leather seat that got chicken pox but that then lead me to the feeling that some one skinned a lightly roasted chicken and made seats out of it.  Greasy partially cooked chicken skin seats.  That is about the most nasty thing ever.  Just no I would rip those out and set them on fire.

This thread, I think, finally answered for me why they're called "Vader" seats. I don't think I'd ever seen a head-on shot that showed the Darth Vader helmet shape so clearly.

That's a seriously weird looking seat.

The Sparco Chronos Joe linked look sweet.

stuart in mn said:

I've seen people use Vaders in the older e28 and e30 BMWs, so it stands to reason you could adapt the sport seats from those cars into the e36.  They're sort of vintage Recaro styled, although they aren't Recaros.  I find them quite comfortable and they have plenty of bolster to hold you in place.

 

I want to put a set of those into my saab 900

That's some serious Vader hate gusy. Don't tell any potential buyers that.

Those Sparco seats are a pretty penny new but the look hella comfy and really classy for a racy seat. I prefer to rehuposter some older seats though because I've got some fabric in mind.

Do Miata seats fold forward?  Those are small and light, and I've found decently supportive.

I mean, Miata is always The Answer, right?

I'd like a pair of those e30 sport seats for my car as well. Those look great. 

buzzboy said:

I've also thought about Z3/Z4 seats but I'm sure they don't flip forward for back seat access.

 

You are correct about the Z3.  They "negative recline" but only by about 10 degrees.