Audi A5 1st generation bucket seat guide

The Planted A5/S5 1st generation bracket at 185.50 pounds per seat, listed for the car built 2007 to 2016. It bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners, so a standard floor needs no drilling. It is priced per seat, so changing both front seats means ordering it twice. It is the only frame made for this chassis.

The 8T was built from 2007 to 2016. It has a softer, more rounded nose, a trapezoidal grille and headlights with a slim LED strip running along the bottom edge on later cars. The 2016 onwards car has a wider, lower hexagonal grille and sharper headlights with a stepped, almost jagged lower edge, plus a hard crease down the flanks. The frames are different and do not swap, so if there is any doubt send us the registration.

Usually yes, and on a coupe that is half the point. The frame replaces the standard seat and runners and sits the seat lower, so you gain height above your head. How much depends on the shell, because a seat with a high base gives some of it back. If you are tall and going on track in a helmet, tell us your height and we will point you at the shells that suit rather than the ones that photograph well.

Planted do not publish one for this frame. That is the honest answer and we would rather give it than repeat a guess. It matters because the reclining seats on this page sit on two different patterns, 291mm x 330mm and 345mm x 271mm, with some Corbeaus listed for either. If you are pairing a base mount seat with this frame, send us both part numbers and we will get the pattern confirmed by Planted before you buy either. If you are using side mounts it does not apply.

Only with a reclining seat. The backrest tipping forward is how anybody gets into the rear of a two door, and a fixed back bucket removes that completely. If the rear seats are ever used, buy a recliner. If the car is a track car and the back is full of tools, a fixed back shell is the better seat and the access does not matter.

Three options here. The Endurance steel M8 set at 29 pounds is the cheapest and is listed FIA approved and road and track. Cobra do their own steel set at 62 pounds. The Sparco set at 75 pounds carries its own FIA approval and their listing names OMP, Cobra and Sabelt shells as well as Sparco, so if you want the mounting hardware matched to a specific shell they are worth the difference. For most builds the Endurance set does the job.

The Corbeau Sprint X System 5 XL at 800 pounds covers 36in to 40in waist and is listed for all heights. The Mirco RTS-2 Velour at 349 pounds covers 32in to 36in and 36in to 40in on the same listing, which makes it the better value of the two and the most adaptable shell here. The OMP ARS-R covers 36in to 38in. Among the reclining seats, the three Corbeaus cover 32in to 38in.

Only if you add a runner. Side mounts on their own hold the seat in one place, which sits lower and suits a car one person drives. The Sparco sliding runner kit at 34.95 pounds is the usual answer under a base mounted seat, and the Cobra premium runners at 70 pounds are the better made option under a Cobra seat. Neither is FIA approved, so treat both as road and trackday parts.

No. There is no car specific belt for either generation of A5, so you are fitting a universal harness and working out the mounting yourself. A coupe is a slightly awkward shape for it, because the rear seats sit close behind the fronts and the strap angle is harder to get right than in a saloon. Send us a photo of the area behind your front seats and we will tell you what will work.

No, and we would rather say so than sell you something made for a different car. The cages listed for the A4 of the same era are built around a different bodyshell. If you need an anchorage for the shoulder straps, a fabricated harness bar made to fit the car is the usual answer and a much smaller job than a cage. Ask us and we will check whether anything has been added for this shell since.

FIA means the belt passed a test to a written standard. Whether it suits your car is a separate question. The Sparco Competition H-3 at 185 pounds, 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. Buy FIA if your class requires it. For a fast road 8T a Takata or a TRS Clubman covers it for less, as long as you are not running a head restraint.

Usually yes, and it is worth checking properly on a coupe. The original buckle stays where it is while the seat around it moves, and in a two door the belt feed is often on the seat or just behind your shoulder, so check the reach with the door shut before you finish the job. Sort it while the trim is still out and it costs you two minutes instead of an evening.

Yes. The Planted frame is listed for the A5 and the S5 together and the floor is the same car, so everything on this page applies. The Sportback and the cabriolet of this generation are the same chassis too. If you want the fit confirmed against a specific seat, send us the registration and we will check it.