Audi A3 8P bucket seat guide

One of five vehicle specific frames, and which one depends on the seat you are fitting. OMP make one at 106.37 pounds, Planted at 185.50 pounds, Cobra at 212.50 pounds, Corbeau at 245 pounds and Recaro at 288.75 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 every one of these frames takes a base mounted seat as it comes.

One per seat. The OMP, Cobra, Corbeau and Recaro listings all state that the price covers a single frame for one seat, so changing the driver and passenger seats means adding it to the basket twice. OMP, Planted, Corbeau and Recaro also give you a driver side or passenger side option, so check you have picked the right one on each. There is a Recaro pair listing at 550 pounds if you would rather buy both sides on one line.

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

OMP say so on their own listing, which names Corbeau, OMP, Recaro and Sparco base mount seats. That is unusually open for a frame listing and it is a large part of why we point people at the OMP frame on this car. Base mount Sparco, OMP, Cobra and Corbeau seats do share a bolt pattern, and Sparco say the same thing on their side mount brackets, which they list as fitting OMP, Cobra and Sabelt seats. Send us both part numbers and we will confirm your particular pairing, so you are not reading it off two product pages.

They are listed separately, and you should buy the one that matches your car. Cobra do an S3 Mk2 8P and an RS3 Mk2 8P frame alongside their A3 Mk2 one, all at 212.50 pounds and all on the 291mm x 330mm pattern. OMP do an S3 Mk2 frame at the same 106.37 pounds as their A3 part, with the same two bolt patterns. Recaro cover the A3, S3 and Sportback on one listing. If you are unsure which line applies to your car, send us the registration and we will check it.

Yes, on this generation. Planted list an Audi A3 Hatchback bracket dated 2003 to 2013, which is the 8P, and it is 185.50 pounds with a driver side or passenger side option. They also make a separate bracket for the 2012 onwards A3 and S3, which is the 8V, and neither one covers the 8L before it. Planted version their brackets per chassis, so an A3 in the title does not mean it fits every A3.

That depends whose frame you buy. Cobra include the sliding runner with their frames, so on a Cobra frame you keep the adjustment as it comes and there is nothing to add. On a Sparco, Planted, OMP, Recaro or SW Motorsport frame the runner is a separate part. 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, and it is priced per seat like the frames. It is not FIA approved for competition, so it is a road car part, not something for a race car.

For width, start with the Sparco Sprint L, which is listed at 40in to 42in waist and 237 pounds. The three Corbeau reclining seats cover 32in to 38in. For height, the Sparco Sprint, the Sprint L, the Mirco RS2 and the Sabelt GT3 are all listed for all heights, and the OMP TRS-X covers over and under 6ft. Avoid the under 6ft shells if you are tall, because the harness slots end up below your shoulders and the straps then pull down on your collarbones instead of holding you back in the seat.

Yes. Schroth build the QuickFit ASM specifically for the A3 Type 8P, 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, with a driver side or passenger side option. Because it is built for this shell the mounting is already designed in. It is listed as 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, SW Motorsports list a half cage kit for the A3 and S3 8P at 265 pounds with a hoop cross harness bar option, and a full cage for the same car at 480.83 pounds, and Custom Cages do a multipoint kit at 1395 pounds. Check the regulations for your class before ordering any of them, because eligibility varies by discipline and by year.

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 carries a date 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 8P the Schroth QuickFit made for the car, or a road and track rated Takata or TRS Clubman, is the better spend.

Usually yes, and it needs checking properly on this car. The original buckle stays where it is while the seat around it moves, so 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 instead of an evening.

Only if it is the 8P, the second generation Audi built from 2003 to 2013, in three door, Sportback or cabriolet form. If yours is the earlier car with the small grille it is an 8L, and if it has the sharper creased bodywork of the 2012 onwards car it is an 8V. Both of those have their own guides linked below and different frames. The S3 and RS3 of this generation are the same 8P floor, so this page covers those too.