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Audi A6 C5 bucket seat guide

C5, 1997 to 2004, saloon, Avant and allroad, including the S6 and RS6

On most cars the seat is the decision and the frame follows. On a C5 it is the other way round, and it is worth knowing that before you fall for a shell. The C4 before it has three frames made for it and the C7 after it has one that covers the whole range. This car sits in a gap.

That does not mean it cannot be done, it means the order of the job changes. Sort out what your car can mount first, then pick from what that leaves. There is a Cobra subframe, a Recaro pair, and a Planted bracket that only covers the RS6 built between 2002 and 2004. Which of those applies to you depends on the badge and the build date, so this page starts there.

Audi A6 C5 on track with a helmeted driver
Audi A6 C5 on a trackday

Start with what your car can mount

A frame bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners. A standard floor needs no drilling, and the seat sits lower than the seat and runners you took out. The question on a C5 is which frame is available to you, because the answer depends on which version you have.

If yours is an RS6 built between 2002 and 2004, Planted make a bracket for it, part number SB212 at 185.50 pounds. That is a narrow window and it is genuinely RS6 specific, so do not read it as a C5 part. The old version of this page did exactly that, which is one of the reasons it is being rewritten.

For everything else there are two routes. Cobra list an A6 subframe at 193.05 pounds, base mount on a published 291mm x 330mm pattern, which is the most useful number on this page because it tells you exactly what will bolt to it. Recaro list a pair of 97 onwards A6 sub-frames at 480 pounds, and those take Recaro seats and nothing else.

Cobra do not publish a year range on their subframe. It is listed simply for the Audi A6. Before you order one for a C5 we would want that confirmed, and we will do it rather than let you find out on the driveway.

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Frame plus a base mount seat

The main route on this car, because every frame here is built for it. A reclining seat or a base mountable bucket picks up the four holes in its own base and bolts on. The Cobra pattern of 291mm x 330mm is the one to work to, and the Corbeau seats further down are listed for that pattern as well as 345mm x 271mm, so they are the natural partners. The Recaro sub-frames take Recaro seats, and the Recaro Expert S is the one on this page that pairs with them.

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Frame plus side mounts

The competition route and the lower of the two. The frame bolts to the floor, a pair of side mounts picks up the sides of the shell, and the seat is fixed where you set it. Every frame here takes a base mounted seat as it comes, so a fixed back competition shell needs mounts added on top. The Endurance multi point set is 39 pounds, the Sparco set 75 pounds with its own FIA approval and a listing covering OMP, Cobra and Sabelt shells.

The fitting kit for a C5

Three parts, three different situations. The Planted bracket applies only if you have an RS6 from 2002 to 2004. The Recaro pair applies only if you are running Recaro seats, and it is the 97 onwards part, which is this generation rather than the C4. The Cobra subframe is the general purpose option and the one most C5 owners end up with, subject to us confirming the year range with Cobra.

The Recaro listing is a pair, so 480 pounds covers both sides. The Planted and Cobra parts are per seat, so a full pair means ordering twice. Planted also offer a driver side or passenger side option, so check the side selected on each line before you check out.

The Planted bracket on this page is RS6 onlyThis is the trap on the C5 and it is worth being blunt about. Planted part SB212 is titled for the Audi RS6 C5 and covers the car built between 2002 and 2004. It is not a general A6 C5 bracket, and the fact that RS6 and C5 appear in the same title does not make it one. If you have a 1.8T saloon or a 2.5 TDI Avant, this is not your part. The Cobra subframe or the Recaro pair is where you should be looking, and if neither suits the seat you want, talk to us before you buy anything, because there are usually options that do not appear on a product page. Cobra also publish no year range on theirs, so we would confirm that with them before it ships.

Bucket seats that fit

The Cobra Monaco Pro at 235 pounds is the only bucket here listed for base mount as well as side mount, so it is the one that goes on a frame with nothing added. It is also the cheapest FIA shell on the page and, since the Cobra subframe is the most likely frame on this car, the two make an obvious pair.

Everything else is side mount or does not say. On width, the Mirco RTS-2 Velour at 349 pounds and the Sparco Circuit II QRT at 468 pounds both cover 32in to 36in and 36in to 40in on the same listing, the Corbeau Sprint X System 5 XL at 800 pounds covers 36in to 40in, and the OMP ARS-R covers 36in to 38in. The C5 is a wide car inside, so those are worth a look rather than an afterthought.

On height, the Mirco RS2 3D, the Sabelt GT3, the Sparco Circuit II QRT, the OMP ARS-R and the Corbeau Sprint X are listed for all heights, and the Mirco RTS-2 Velour covers over and under 6ft. The Cobra Monaco Pro, the OMP Champ-R and the OMP RT are under 6ft.

Two seats need a word. Motordrive list the Club Pro at 395 pounds and the Club Race at 495 pounds as FIA 8855-1999 but publish no mounting type, no height and no waist figure for either. They are good seats, but we are not going to tell you how they mount when the maker has not told us. Ask and we will get it confirmed with Motordrive before you buy.

Reclining seats

On a C5 this is usually the better buy. The car is quiet, roomy and still a comfortable thing to cover distance in, and a fixed back shell throws that away for support you may not need on the road. It bolts to the frame with no side mounts involved. Everything below is base mount and carries a road and track rating.

If the Cobra subframe is your frame, work to its 291mm x 330mm pattern. The three Corbeaus are listed for 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm, so they line up with it, and the Cobra Misano Anniversary is 291mm x 330mm. The Sparcos are 345mm x 271mm, the Auto Style Type JW is 345mm x 280mm and the Type AK is 405mm x 280mm, so those want a different frame or a conversation first.

If you went the Recaro route, the Recaro Expert S at 997.50 pounds is the base mount Recaro on this page and the pairing those sub-frames are designed around. Three listings here are pairs as well: the Corbeau PSR at 465 pounds, the two Sportline RRS at 830 pounds and the two SVR Vinyl at 850 pounds are each two seats on one line, which makes the PSR the cheapest way to change both front seats on this car.

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Our picks, not the whole listOn a C5, tell us the badge and the build date first

This is the one Audi on the site where we would rather you asked before ordering than after. Whether you have an RS6 from the 2002 to 2004 window, whether you are running Recaro seats, and whether the Cobra subframe covers your build are the three things that decide what is possible, and none of them can be answered off a product photo. Send us the registration along with your height and waist and whether the car still does road miles, and Cameron will work out the fit and the best combination for the car. On this chassis that conversation is worth more than on any other page here.

Harnesses

There is no car specific harness for the C5, so you are fitting a universal belt and the mounting is yours to work out. Do that part first.

The shoulder straps want a fixing behind the seat at roughly shoulder height that can take the load in a shunt, and the factory rear belt mounts were not put there for that job. A big saloon gives you a bulkhead behind the rear seats and plenty of structure to work with. If yours is the Avant or the allroad the load area changes the answer, so tell us which body you have and send a photo of the area behind your front seats.

The Sparco Competition H-3 at 185 pounds is the cheapest current FIA belt here, a 6 point steel set rated FIA 8853-2016 and listed HANS friendly. The Schroth Profi 3×2 and the TRS Magnum 6 Point Superlite are the same standard at 370.01 and 245 pounds, and the TRS Magnum 4 Point is FIA 8854-1998. Each carries a date that ends its competition life whether the belt has been worn or not.

For a fast road C5 a Takata Drift II or III or a TRS Clubman covers it for a good deal less. If you run a head restraint, both Takatas and both Clubman belts are listed as not HANS compatible, which leaves the Sparco H-3, the Schroth and the two TRS Magnums.

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Our recommendationsSort the mounting before you buy the belts

With no belt made for this car and no cage made for it either, the mounting decides which harness makes sense. Tell us whether the car is road, trackday or competition, whether the body is a saloon, an Avant or an allroad, whether a head restraint is going on, and what is behind the seats at the moment. We will tell you what the shoulder straps can bolt to and which belt suits it, which saves buying twice.

Mounting the shoulder straps

Nobody makes a vehicle specific roll cage or harness bar for the A6 in any generation, and we would rather say so than point you at something built for a different Audi.

What that leaves is a fabricated harness bar made to fit the car, which is the usual answer if all you need is a proper anchorage for the shoulder straps, and a much smaller job than a cage. If your class requires a full cage it will be a custom build. On a C5 that is a realistic thing to have made, because the cars are cheap enough now to justify the work.

Ask us either way and we will tell you what we have seen work on this shell. If a cage does go in, read the current regulations for your class first, keep any sign off paperwork with the logbook, pad any tube within reach of a helmet, and tell your insurer, because a cage is a notifiable modification.

What fits what

Everything below fits a C5 on one of the frames above, with side mounts where the mounting column says side mount, and with the Recaro seat on the Recaro sub-frames. Where a cell says not listed, the maker does not publish that figure and we would sooner say so than fill it in for them.

SeatMountingApprovalDriver heightWaistHANS
Bucket seats
Cobra Monaco ProBase or side mountFIA 8855-1999Under 6ft32in to 36inHANS friendly
OMP Champ-RSide mountFIA 8855-1999Under 6ft32in to 36inHANS friendly
Mirco RTS-2 VelourSide mountFIA 8855-1999Over and under 6ft32in to 40inHANS friendly
Mirco RS2 3DSide mountFIA 8855-1999All heights32in to 36inHANS friendly
Motordrive Club ProNot listedFIA 8855-1999Not listedNot listedNot listed
OMP ARS-RSide mountFIA 8855-1999All heights36in to 38inHANS friendly
Sabelt GT3Side mountFIA 8855-1999All heights32in to 36inHANS friendly
Sparco Circuit II QRTSide mountFIA 8855-1999All heights32in to 40inHANS friendly
Motordrive Club RaceNot listedFIA 8855-1999Not listedNot listedNot listed
Sparco Evo L QRTSide mountFIA 8855-1999Not listedNot listedHANS friendly
OMP RT CarbonSide mountFIA 8855-1999Under 6ft32in to 36inHANS friendly
Corbeau Sprint X System 5 XLSide mountFIA 8855-1999All heights36in to 40inNot listed
Reclining seats
Auto Style Type AKBase mount, 405mm x 280mmRoad and trackAll heightsAll sizesNot listed
Sparco R100 VinylBase mount, 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed
Auto Style Type JWBase mount, 345mm x 280mmRoad and trackAll heightsAll sizesNot listed
Sparco R500 FabricBase mount, 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed
Sparco R333Base mount, 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackUnder 6ft32in to 36inNot listed
Corbeau PSR, pairBase mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed
Corbeau Sportline RRS, pairBase mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed
Corbeau SVR Vinyl, pairBase mount, 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed
Recaro Expert SBase mount, 405mm x 290mm, Recaro frameRoad and trackAll heightsAll sizesNot listed
Cobra Misano AnniversaryBase mount, 291mm x 330mmRoad and trackAll heights32in to 38inNot listed

Common questions

It depends on your car. The Cobra subframe at 193.05 pounds is the general purpose option, base mount on a 291mm x 330mm pattern. Recaro list a pair of 97 onwards A6 sub-frames at 480 pounds if you are running Recaro seats. Planted make a bracket for this chassis but it is RS6 specific and covers 2002 to 2004 only. Send us the registration and we will tell you which of those applies before you order anything.

Not in the way people read it. Part SB212 is titled Audi RS6 C5 Chassis 2002 to 2004, so it is for one variant across three model years, not for the C5 range. If you have a 1.8T, a 2.4, a 2.5 TDI or any of the ordinary A6 of this generation, it is not your part. The old version of this page listed it as the C5 bracket, which is one of the reasons this guide was rewritten.

Cobra list it simply for the Audi A6 with no year range published, which is not enough for us to promise it fits a specific build. We would confirm that with Cobra before it ships rather than let you find out on the driveway. Send us the registration and we will get it checked. It is the frame most C5 owners end up with, so it is worth the phone call.

The 97 onwards one, listed as a pair at 480 pounds. Recaro do two A6 parts, a pre March 1997 version for the C4 and this one for the car after it. A 1997 car could be either side of that change depending on build date, so check the build date rather than the plate. Recaro sub-frames take Recaro seats only, and that is one of the few fitment claims of that kind that genuinely holds.

Cobra publish 291mm x 330mm, which is the most useful figure on this page because it tells you exactly what will bolt on. The three Corbeau reclining seats are listed for 291mm x 330mm or 345mm x 271mm, so they line up with it, as does the Cobra Misano Anniversary. The Sparcos are 345mm x 271mm and the two Auto Styles are 345mm x 280mm and 405mm x 280mm, so those want a different frame or a conversation first.

Only if the seat is base mountable. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the one bucket here listed for base mount as well as side mount, so that goes straight on. Everything else in the bucket list is side mount and needs a set of mounts, which start at 39 pounds. Every frame on this page takes a base mounted seat as it comes.

The Mirco RTS-2 Velour at 349 pounds and the Sparco Circuit II QRT at 468 pounds both cover 32in to 36in and 36in to 40in on the same listing, so they suit a range of builds rather than one. The Corbeau Sprint X System 5 XL covers 36in to 40in and the OMP ARS-R 36in to 38in. Among the reclining seats the three Corbeaus cover 32in to 38in. The C5 is wide inside, so there is usually room for the larger shell.

Motordrive do not publish a mounting type for either the Club Pro or the Club Race, and no driver height or waist figure either. Both are listed FIA 8855-1999. We are not going to guess at how they fix, so if one of those is the seat you want, ask us and we will get it confirmed with Motordrive before you order.

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 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 any generation of A6, so you are fitting a universal harness and working out the mounting yourself. The saloon is a good shape for it, with a bulkhead behind the rear seats and plenty of structure. The Avant and the allroad change the answer, so tell us which body you have and send a photo of the area behind your front seats.

No, and we would rather say so than point you at something built for a different car. If you need an anchorage for the shoulder straps, a fabricated harness bar made to fit is the usual answer and a much smaller job than a cage. On a C5 a custom cage is realistic if your class requires it, because the cars are cheap enough now to justify the work.

Usually yes, and it is worth checking properly on a car of this age. 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 it one handed and that the shell is not fouling the stalk. While you are in there, look at the condition of the belt itself, because a twenty five year old inertia reel deserves a proper look.

The page covers the whole C5 range, but the mounting differs. The RS6 built 2002 to 2004 is the one variant with a Planted bracket made for it. The S6 and the ordinary A6 are on the Cobra or Recaro route like the rest of the range. The Avant and allroad are the same chassis. Send us the registration and we will confirm which applies.

More help

If your car is the 1994 to 1997 A6 it is a C4 and that guide covers the three frames made for it, which is better choice than this generation gets. The C7 guide covers the 2011 onwards car. If you want the fit on your C5 confirmed before you spend anything, or you want us to get the year range on the Cobra subframe confirmed, the contact link is the quickest way to get it looked at.

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