Audi A3 8V and S3 bucket seat guide

One of four vehicle specific frames. Planted make one bracket at 185.50 pounds, and Cobra make three at 212.50 pounds each, one badged A3, one S3 and one RS3. 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 all four frames take a base mounted seat as they come.

One per seat. The Planted bracket is priced per seat with a driver side or passenger side option, so changing both front seats means ordering it twice. Cobra list a driver side, a passenger side and a pair on all three of their frames, so if you are doing both sides the pair option is the tidier way to buy it.

Cobra publish 291mm x 330mm on all three of their 8V frames. That is the only pattern stated for this car. Planted do not publish one for the SB222, so if that is the frame you want, send us the seat you are pairing with it and we will get the number confirmed by Planted before you buy either part. We would rather tell you the figure is not published than repeat a guess.

Not on the published figures. Every Sparco reclining seat on this page is 345mm x 271mm and the Cobra frame is 291mm x 330mm, so the holes do not line up. The three that do match are the Corbeau VLS, the Corbeau Sportline RRS Low Base and the Cobra Daytona. If you have your heart set on a Sparco, talk to us before ordering, because the answer is either a different frame or a set of side mounts and we would want to look at your particular pairing first.

Only if the seat is base mountable. The Sparco Sprint, the Sparco Sprint L, the OMP TRS-X and the Cobra Monaco Pro are all listed for base mount as well as side mount, so those four go straight on. The other six buckets on this page are side mount only, and every frame made for the 8V takes a base mounted seat as it comes. For those shells it is the frame plus a set of side mounts at 75 pounds.

Cobra list them separately and they are the same price on the same 291mm x 330mm pattern. Buy the one that matches the badge on your car. If you are unsure which line applies, send us the registration and we will check it before anything ships.

Not for the 8V. OMP make frames for the 8L and the 8P, and Corbeau do the same, so anything you find under those brands with A3 in the title is for one of the two earlier cars and will not bolt to your floor. Planted and Cobra are the two makers covering this generation. That is worth knowing if you have been searching by brand and coming up with parts that look right.

Recaro list an A3, S3 and Sportback frame that says made from May 2003 onwards with no end date, which is not the same as saying it fits the 8V. Recaro version their frames per chassis and that part was introduced for the 8P, so we do not list it as an 8V fitment. If you want to run a Recaro seat in an 8V, ask us and we will get it confirmed with Recaro rather than reading an open ended date as a yes.

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 suits 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, so it is a road and trackday part, not something for a race car.

For width, start with the Sparco Sprint L at 40in to 42in waist, then the Corbeau Sprint X System 1 XL at 36in to 40in. The Corbeau VLS, the Sportline RRS Low Base and the Cobra Daytona all cover 32in to 38in and happen to be the three that match the Cobra frame. For height, the Sparco Sprint, the Sprint L, the Mirco RS2 3D and the Sabelt GT3 are 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.

No. Schroth build their QuickFit ASM belts for the A3 8L and the A3 8P but not for the 8V, so on this car you are fitting a universal harness and working out the mounting yourself. That is the part worth sorting first. Send us a photo of the area behind your front seats and we will tell you what the shoulder straps can bolt to before you spend anything on belts.

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. Custom Cages list a multipoint T45 kit for this shell at 1395 pounds, which is a weld in cage and the only one made for the 8V. Check the regulations for your class before ordering, because eligibility varies by discipline and by year, and ask us if you are not sure it suits your car.

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 each 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 8V a Takata or a TRS Clubman covers it for less, as long as you are not running a head restraint, because those four are listed as not HANS compatible.

Usually yes, and it is worth checking properly. 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 8V, the third generation Audi built from 2012 to 2020, in three door, Sportback, saloon or cabriolet form. If yours has the softer rounded nose of the 2003 to 2013 car it is an 8P, and the one before that is an 8L. Both have their own guides linked below and different frames, and the parts are not interchangeable. The S3 and RS3 of this generation sit on the same floor, so this page covers those too.