Swapping Seats in a BMW E46: The Best Bucket Seat Recommendations for Wider Fitment with Narrower Shoulders
Seat fitting guide
A customer brought a pair of OMP WRC XL seats in to us with a problem. The seats were comfortable and wide enough through the hips, but in their BMW E46 the shoulders of the shell were hitting the interior trim. They wanted to keep a wide fit for the body, with a shell that is narrower at the shoulders.
It is a common problem in the E46, and there is no single answer, because it depends on the driver as much as the car. This guide covers what to look for, four seats worth trying, and the PCI mounts we use to fit a bucket seat in the E46.
- The problem: a wide shell hitting the E46's interior trim at shoulder height
- Seats worth trying: Sparco Evo XL QRT, Mirco RTS-2 3D, Sparco Grid Q, Corbeau Pro Series X XL
- All four are fibreglass or composite, side mount and FIA 8855-1999
- PCI Racing make E46 seat mounts that bolt to the factory points
- Corbeau side mount seats use M10 fixings, so PCI mounts need their holes drilled out slightly
- The only sure test is to sit in the seat before you buy
What is on this page
Why seats hit the trim in an E46
The E46 is a popular car for track days and club motorsport, and plenty of owners replace the factory seats with a bucket. The cabin is not especially wide at shoulder height, though, and the door cards and B pillar trim curve in towards the seat. A shell that is wide all the way up, as many XL seats are, can touch that trim before it is anywhere near the right position.
The OMP WRC XL is a good seat, and for a lot of drivers it is the right size, but in this car it was the shoulders that did not work. So the question becomes which shells stay wide where the driver needs room, at the hips and the torso, while keeping the top of the seat out of the trim.
What to check before you choose
- Shoulder width against the trim. Measure across the car at shoulder height where the seat will sit, and compare it with the seat’s widest point near the top.
- Hip width against your waist. Each seat has a waist range. If the hips are tight, no amount of shoulder clearance will make it comfortable.
- Mounting. The seat has to bolt to a mount made for the E46, and the mount decides the seat height as much as the shell does.
- Approval. If you compete, check your championship’s rules against the seat’s FIA label and its expiry date.
We do not publish shoulder widths for every shell, and makers measure them in different ways, so Garreth’s advice is to sit in the seat before you buy. Many of the seats below are on display in our showroom, so ask us which are there before you visit.
Four seats worth trying
Sparco Evo XL QRT. The wide shell version of Sparco’s Evo, for drivers who find the standard Evo too narrow across the shoulders or torso. It is fibreglass, made with Sparco’s QRT process, FIA 8855-1999, HANS compatible and takes a four or six point harness. As it is the wider Evo, check it against the trim; if the standard Evo fits your body, it is the one to try first.
Mirco RTS-2 3D. A fibreglass fixed back seat trimmed in 3D mesh, which runs cooler than velour. It is FIA 8855-1999, HANS friendly and takes a four or six point harness, and it comes in two sizes, for a 32 to 36 inch or a 36 to 40 inch waist, so you can pick the width to suit you. Mirco build each seat to order, with a wide choice of colours.
Sparco Grid Q. A fibreglass FIA 8855-1999 seat with a fabric trim that breathes well. It is HANS compatible and made for a 32 to 36 inch waist, so it is the one to try if the hips of a standard size shell suit you and it is only the shoulders you are fighting.
Corbeau Pro Series X XL. A Kevlar and fibreglass composite shell, FIA 8855-1999, with a HANS zone and five harness slots, at 8.0 to 8.5kg. The XL is wider at the hip bolsters than the standard Pro Series X, and it keeps the lower shoulder height cut off that makes the Pro Series X a practical choice in tight and caged cars.
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Mounting a bucket seat in the E46
All four seats are side mount, so they need side mounts and a frame made for the car. For the Sparco and Mirco seats, PCI Racing make two E46 mounts that bolt to the factory seat mounting points, so nothing is drilled and the original seats come out whole.
The PCI sliding sub frame lets the seat move fore and aft after it is fitted. PCI’s slider bolts to the base with four bolts, where a conventional slider uses two. The PCI adjustable mount leaves out the slider to give the lowest seat position in their range, which suits a dedicated track car. Both are laser cut and formed from one piece of 1/8 inch steel, powder coated black, with grade 10.9 8mm hardware and five and six point sub belt mounting points built in. They are handed, so order one for each side.
The Corbeau is the exception. Corbeau side mount seats now use M10 fixings, while PCI and M2 Motorsport mounts are drilled for M8, so the holes need drilling out slightly for M10. It is a small modification rather than a straight bolt-on, so if the Corbeau is the seat that fits you, ask us and we will work out the mounting for it. If the seat ends up too low once fitted, our guide to raising the seat height in an E46 covers the options.
Why test fitting matters
The customer who started this question had already bought one seat that did not suit the car, which is exactly what test fitting avoids. Sit in each seat with your usual driving kit on, check the hips and shoulders, and bring measurements of the car if you can: the width across the cabin at shoulder height and from the floor to the headlining.
Once you have chosen, tell us the car and whether you want to slide the seat, and we will put the seat, side mounts and PCI frame together as one order.
Why does my bucket seat hit the trim in my BMW E46?
Many wide shells stay wide all the way up, and the E46’s door cards and pillar trim curve in at shoulder height.
Which bucket seats should I try in an E46 for a wide fit?
The Sparco Evo XL QRT, Mirco RTS-2 3D, Sparco Grid Q and Corbeau Pro Series X XL are all worth trying.
What mounts fit a bucket seat in a BMW E46?
PCI Racing make an E46 sliding sub frame and an adjustable mount, both bolting to the factory seat points.
Can I fit a Corbeau side mount seat on a PCI E46 mount?
Not straight on any more. Corbeau side mount seats now use M10 fixings, while PCI and M2 mounts are drilled for M8, so the holes need drilling out slightly for M10. It is a small modification; ask us if you are unsure.
Can I try these seats before buying?
Many of our seats are on display in our showroom; ask us which are there before you visit.
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Our adviceTry the shell, then fit PCI mounts
Sit in the shortlist first, then fit the seat on a PCI E46 mount.
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