A lot of M3 and M4 owners come to us after their first proper track day. The car delivered, and the M Sport seats held up for the first couple of sessions. By the third or fourth, the lateral support starts fading and the body begins working to hold itself in place rather than doing anything useful with the wheel. A reclining sport seat fixes that. You keep the back seats, keep the adjustment, keep the ability to drive home at the end of the day, and you get proper shoulder and thigh support in the process.
The fitting is handled by Planted Technology’s SB223 bracket, which covers the entire F-series generation. Nine chassis codes: saloon, coupe, touring, convertible, Gran Turismo, Gran Coupe, plus both M cars. One bracket per side, bolting straight to the factory mounting points.
We sell one fitting bracket for the F-series chassis: the Planted Technology SB223. It is a flat base that replaces the standard seat runners and bolts to the factory floor mounting points. The same part number covers every bodystyle in the generation, from a 2011 F30 318d to a 2020 F82 M4 Competition. What changes between your car and the next is the side, not the bracket. You need the RHD driver side for the left seat and the RHD passenger side for the right. Both are listed separately, so two seats means two brackets.
Before ordering, tell us the registration. The frame listing flags two things worth checking: whether your car has side airbags built into the seat structure and whether it has occupancy sensing in the base. Both are common on this generation at higher trim levels. In most cases the bracket works around them, but specification varies by build date, so it is faster to confirm once up front than to find a fitment question after delivery.
Part SB223, £222.60 inc VAT a side. Sold individually, RHD driver and passenger listed separately. Flat base that accepts any recliner in this guide with matching runners. Covers F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F36, F80, F82 and F83 (2011 to 2020).
Every seat in this guide is a base-mount recliner, and the Planted bracket accepts all of them. The bolt pattern at the base of the seat is the number that decides which runners go between seat and bracket, not which seat you can run. Pick the seat first. The runner follows from it.
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Planted bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | 291 or 345 | Fits |
| Sparco R500 | 345 x 271 | Fits |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | Fits |
| Recaro Sportster CS | 405 x 290 | Fits |
| Sparco SPX | 345 x 271 | Fits |
The PSR pair is the combination most F-series owners land on when they want a meaningful upgrade for regular circuit use without committing to a specific bolster shape or trim direction. Two seats in the basket, 32 to 38 inch waist, all heights. The base is drilled for both 291mm and 345mm, so it works with either the Corbeau 345mm runners or the Cobra Premium Sliding Runners depending on stock. Either pairing puts the seats straight on the Planted bracket.
Cloth trim, adjustable recline, belt slots in the backrest, Road and Track approved. It is the seat that gets people out of stock M Sport seats most often because it does the job without asking for a dozen decisions upfront.
The R500 is Sparco’s step up from the R100: taller backrest, more shoulder support, and dual density foam in the base and backrest that holds its shape better over a full day at the circuit. Available in fabric or Sky vinyl, with a fit range that matches what the M3 and M4 community tends to run: 32 to 38 inch waist, all heights. Cheaper per seat than the PSR pair, though you are ordering two seats separately rather than one line item.
Bolt pattern is 345mm x 271mm, which pairs with the Sparco sliding runner kit. One kit per seat is how they are sold.
The Daytona is the seat to pick if you want more lateral support than the PSR without going to a bucket. The shoulder bolsters are more pronounced and the base brings the thighs in a few degrees compared to the PSR’s flatter profile. You notice the difference in long-radius corners where the body needs to resist lateral load for a few seconds rather than absorbing a quick twitch.
Cobra’s Signature programme means the Daytona is made to order: any one or two colour combination in spacer fabric, vinyl or leather, with stitching to match or contrast. Black spacer fabric all over is the standard spec and the quickest to order. Bolt pattern is 291mm x 330mm, so the Cobra Premium Sliding Runners go between seat and bracket.
BMW owners ask about this seat more often than any other, and M3 and M4 owners are no different. The Sportster CS holds you through the shoulders and thighs without the aggressive bolster squeeze of a full bucket, which means it stays comfortable on the motorway run to a circuit as well as on it. Recaro publish it as suitable for all waist sizes and all heights, which is not common for a seat with this much lateral structure.
On the F-series it goes on the Planted bracket with the Endurance Recaro Compatible Runner Kit, which cuts to Recaro’s specific 405mm bottom bolt spacing. The heated version is worth the extra if the car sees winter miles. We have shipped a lot of these into BMW owners’ garages and the pattern is consistent: people keep them rather than swap out.
The SPX is the best seat Sparco make in the reclining range and the one Cameron would put in an M4 Competition. Carbon shell, fabric or vinyl trim, Road and Track approved. It weighs less than most seats in this guide and the SPX profile holds you more positively at the shoulders than the R500. Fit range is 32 to 38 inch waist, all heights.
Two things to know before ordering. The SPX has no integrated head support by design, so on track with a harness you need a bar or cage behind the seat. Bolt pattern is 345mm x 271mm, so the Sparco sliding runner kit pairs with it exactly as it does with the R500.
The Planted bracket bolts to the F-series factory mounting points, no drilling on a standard floor. Torque the floor bolts properly and check seat belt buckle clearance before you drive, since a sport seat often puts the buckle somewhere different to the factory position. Between seat and bracket go the sliding runners, which follow the seat’s own bolt pattern.
One ordering note: the Sparco runner kit and the Corbeau 345mm runners are sold as a pair (two runners per order, which is one seat’s worth of slides). The Cobra Premium Sliding Runners and the Endurance Recaro Compatible Runner Kit are sold per seat. Two seats means two of each.
| Your seat | Runners to order | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR | Corbeau 345mm sliding runners, £117.60 a pair | 345mm |
| Sparco R500 | Sparco sliding runner kit, £78.00 per seat | 345mm |
| Cobra Daytona | Cobra Premium Sliding Runners, £84.00 per seat | 291mm |
| Recaro Sportster CS | Endurance Recaro Compatible Runner Kit, £95.04 per seat | 405mm |
| Sparco SPX | Sparco sliding runner kit, £78.00 per seat | 345mm |
| Seat | Bolt pattern | Waist | Height | Weight | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbeau PSR (pair) | 291 or 345 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £558.00 |
| Sparco R500 | 345 x 271 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | From £328.99 |
| Cobra Daytona | 291 x 330 | 32 to 38in | All heights | 13.5kg | From £682.99 |
| Recaro Sportster CS | 405 x 290 | All sizes | All heights | Not published | From £1,581.30 |
| Sparco SPX | 345 x 271 | 32 to 38in | All heights | Not published | £2,815.79 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 29 October 2026. Where a weight says not published, the manufacturer does not give one. Waist and height figures are the manufacturers’ published fitment ranges.
No. The Planted bracket bolts to the factory mounting points at both seat positions. Torque the floor bolts properly and check seat belt buckle clearance before you drive, since a sport seat often puts the buckle somewhere different to the original position.
Yes. One bracket, part SB223, covers the F30 saloon through to the F83 convertible and every M3 and M4 variant in between. It is the same bracket for all nine chassis codes in the generation.
We covered this in the Clubsport Look guide for the M4, which walks through the fixed-bucket route for a car that is track-focused most of the time. A reclining seat is the better answer for a car that does both road and circuit work. If the car is primarily on track, that guide is worth reading first. There is also the M2 reclining guide if you are working through both cars.
Every seat in this guide is listed as 4 point compatible with belt slots in the backrest. The Sparco SPX has no integrated head support, so on track with a harness you want a bar or cage behind it. If you are planning harnesses, tell us when you order and we will make sure the combination works.
This guide is for owners replacing the standard seats. If you have factory carbon buckets or any non-standard seat arrangement, drop us an email or click to open a chat and we will talk through your specific situation before you buy anything.
If it were my money on a standard F-series M3 or M4: the Recaro Sportster CS, on the Planted bracket with the Endurance runner kit. BMW owners keep coming back to that seat for good reason. It has the lateral support for a circuit day without the trade-offs on the motorway run home, and Recaro publish it as suitable for all sizes rather than most.
Budget is the constraint? The Corbeau PSR pair at £558 inc VAT does the job for both seats with no trim decisions to make. Grab the 345mm runners and bolt it on.
Tracking the car regularly and want the best seat in this guide: the Sparco SPX, and Cameron would tell you the same. It is £2,815 a side and it earns it.
Not sure which one suits your spec? Ring us on 0115 9893488 or drop us an email and Cameron will work through the combination for you.
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![Planted Technology BMW 3 & 4 Series / M3 & M4 [F30 / F31 / F32 / F33 / F34 / F36 / F80 / F82 / F83 Chassis] (2011+) Seat Bracket](https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SB223DR-2-300x300.jpg)
![Planted Technology BMW 3 & 4 Series / M3 & M4 [F30 / F31 / F32 / F33 / F34 / F36 / F80 / F82 / F83 Chassis] (2011+) Seat Bracket image 2](https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SB223PA-2-300x300.jpg)
