Audi A3 8L bucket seat guide

One of four vehicle specific frames, depending on the seat you are fitting. Sparco make one at 72.50 pounds, OMP at 102.92 pounds, Corbeau at 245 pounds and Recaro at 367.50 pounds. All of them bolt to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners, so a standard floor needs no drilling. If you are fitting a fixed back shell you also need a set of side mounts, because the frames take base mounted seats as they come.

One per seat. The Sparco and Recaro listings both state the price is for a single frame that fits one seat, so changing the driver and passenger seats means adding it to the basket twice. Sparco, OMP and Recaro all give you a driver side or passenger side option to pick as well, so check you have chosen the right one on each before the order ships.

No. Planted list an Audi A3 Hatchback bracket and it is dated 2003 to 2013, which is the 8P, the generation after this one. They also make one for the 2012 onwards car. Neither covers the 8L. Planted version their brackets per chassis, so an A3 in the title does not mean it fits every A3. Use one of the four frames on this page instead.

Only if the seat is base mountable. The Sparco Sprint, the Sprint L and the Cobra Monaco Pro are all listed for base mount as well as side mount, so those three go straight on. Everything else in the bucket seat list above is side mount only, and the Sparco and Recaro frame listings both say they will not take a side mounted seat without side mounts or adaption bars. So for most shells it is the frame plus a set of side mounts.

Usually yes, and the listings understate this. Base mount Sparco, OMP, Cobra and Corbeau seats share a bolt pattern, and Sparco say as much on their own side mount brackets, which they list as fitting OMP, Cobra and Sabelt seats too. Recaro is the genuine exception, where the frames and the mounts really are Recaro only. If you have a pairing in mind, send us both part numbers and we will confirm it instead of leaving you to read it off two product pages.

It depends which Recaro. The 160 pound set fits the Profi SPG and SPA and the Pro Racer SPG and SPA. The 179.50 pound set fits the Pole Position in FIA and ABE form plus the Pro Racer SPG XL. The 155 pound FIA set covers the Apex, the Profi SPG and SPA and the Pro Racer SPG and SPA. All three are priced per seat, so a pair means two sets.

Only if you add a runner. Side mounts on their own hold the seat in one spot, which sits lower and is fine in a car one person drives. The Sparco sliding runner kit at 34.95 pounds sits between the frame and a base mounted seat around 345mm wide. The Recaro double locking runners give 220mm of travel and, unusually, their listing covers Cobra, Corbeau, Sparco and OMP motorsport seats on side mounts as well as Recaro ones, so that is the part to look at if you want a fixed back shell that still slides.

The Recaro Profi SPG and the Profi SPG XL are both listed for over 6ft, and the Mirco RTX-7 covers over and under. The Sparco Sprint, the Sprint L, the Mirco RS2 and the OMP ARS-R are listed as suiting all heights. A taller shell puts the harness slots level with or above your shoulders, so the straps pull backwards instead of dragging down on your collarbones. Get that wrong and the seat works against you in every corner.

Start with the Sparco Sprint L, which is listed at 40in to 42in waist and is 237 pounds, or the Recaro Profi SPG XL at 36in to 40in. The OMP ARS-R covers 36in to 38in. Most of the rest of the page is 32in to 36in, and the Cobra Suzuka T Pro-Fit is narrower still at 28in to 32in, so that one is worth avoiding if width is your issue. A fibreglass shell gives you nothing once you are in it, so buy the size up rather than hoping.

Yes, and it is the reason the 8L is easier than most. Schroth build the QuickFit ASM specifically for the A3 Type 8L, a 4 point bolt in belt at 2in shoulder to 2in lap with a clip buckle, rated road and track, in black or red, at 232.55 pounds. Because it is built for this shell the mounting is already worked out. It is not HANS compatible, so if you run a head restraint you want the Schroth Profi 3×2 or one of the TRS Magnum sets instead.

Not always, but you do need a proper mounting point behind the seat at shoulder height, and the factory rear belt anchorages will not do. The Schroth QuickFit made for this car sidesteps the question because its mounting is designed in. If you want a cage, JP Cages list a half cage for the A3 8L, though its fitment is weld in, and they list a DIY half cage kit and a bolt in dash dodger under the Audi S3 Mk1, which is the same generation of car. Ask us before ordering any of them and we will get the fit confirmed against your shell.

FIA means the belt passed a test to a written standard. Whether it suits your car is a separate question. The Schroth Profi 3×2 and the TRS Magnum Superlite are FIA 8853-2016 and the TRS Magnum 4 point is FIA 8854-1998, and every one of them has a date printed on it that ends its competition life whether the belt has been worn or not, so you are buying a clock along with the harness. Buy FIA if your class requires it. For a fast road 8L the Schroth QuickFit made for the car, or a road and track rated Takata or TRS Clubman, is the better spend.

Usually yes, and on this car it needs checking properly. The Sparco frame listing states it does not include a seat belt clip anchor point, so the original buckle stays where it is while the seat around it moves. Once the seat is bolted down, make sure you can reach the buckle one handed and that the shell is not fouling the stalk. Sort it while the trim is still out and it costs you two minutes.

Only if it is the 8L, the first generation Audi built from September 1996 to 2003. If yours has the big single frame grille it is an 8P or later and the frames on this page will not fit it. The 8P is 2003 to 2013 and the 8V from 2012, and both have their own guides linked below. The S3 of this era is the same 8L shell, so this page covers that too, and the Recaro frame is listed for the A3 and S3 up to April 2003.