Call Garreth, Cameron & Jack: 0115 647 8650

FREE UK shipping on orders over £100.00 & FREE gifts on checkout

Blog | Established 2003

Your garage NewAdd your car and see the parts that fit
Useful Links
Vehicle Seat SelectorFind seats that fit your car Speed+ StockedReady to ship today Blog & NewsGuides and new arrivals Gift VouchersInstant email delivery Help and adviceSeat, bracket and harness guides
Your Account
Account Orders Wishlist

Talk to us

Garreth, Cameron & Jack · Mon to Fri
Call 0115 647 8650Free advice on your build
Thanks, that’s with us. We reply the same working day.
That didn’t send. Please give us a call instead.

Useful Links

Quick Access

Want to chat?

Call Garreth, Cameron, Jack
Today On: 0115 647 8650
Click Here For Our Contact Form

 

 

Social
Free UK delivery over £100
Check your number plate for seats that fit
Free gifts on orders over £100
Your garage: save your car, see what fits
Seat fitting guides for your car
Klarna available at checkout
Sit in the seats at our Nottingham showroom
Call the team: 0115 647 8650

BMW 4 Series Coupé F32 Bucket Seat Guide

Cobra and Planted fitting routes for the F32

The F32 is the two-door, fixed-roof 4 Series Coupé. Choosing a front seat also means deciding how you want to reach the rear seats through those long doors. Try the backrest movement and entry space before settling on a fixed shell.

We have Cobra and Planted fitting routes for the F32. Garreth would compare the seat shapes before choosing a finish. Cameron would match the vehicle frame, runner and any side mounts to the exact seat version.

Front three-quarter view of an illustrative modified white BMW 4 Series Coupé F32 with bucket race seats and yellow harnesses
Illustrative modified BMW 4 Series Coupé F32, not a customer installation.

At a glance

  • Vehicle: F32 Coupé; keep the chassis, year and physical side on the enquiry.
  • Cobra: tailored F3x frame route, with Nogaro-specific side mounts required for a Nogaro.
  • Planted: SB223 explicitly lists F32; select its pattern with the runner.
  • For sliding adjustment, check the complete assembly and avoid adding a second slider to a kit already supplied with runners.
  • Measure the seat in the car with the frame, runner and any side mounts beneath it.

The Cobra tailored frame for the F32

Our F32 Cobra listing is the tailored route to compare for a Nogaro or Cobra recliner. The maker’s reference sheet identifies the F3x family as SU-BMW-F3X-01L/R and maps it to FRM-06. Confirm the actual side and seat version with the order.

Cobra’s FRM-06 drawings show Premium runners with a narrow or wide handle, plus a spacer bar and seat-dependent belt bracket. Check the complete supplied assembly before adding a separate runner set. A Nogaro also needs its own Nogaro side mounts, ordered separately.

Nogaro Circuit, Street and Club Sport

Compare the Nogaro versions by belt routing as well as trim. The Street has no harness slots; the Circuit and Club Sport provide harness-slot options. Garreth would try the shell first, then choose the version that suits the intended belt arrangement.

All three need the fitting hardware checked with the actual seat version. The shoulder bolsters and lower sides are separate clearance checks in the car. A listed vehicle frame does not establish that every driver and seat position will suit the shell.

Nogaro-specific side mounts

Cobra specifies separate Nogaro side mounts for its tailored-frame Nogaro applications. Use the Nogaro-specific fittings when matching the shell to the lower assembly. Confirm the supplied quantity and the hardware needed for a complete seat position before ordering.

Cameron would trial-position the shell with the mounts and runner together. Check the release handle, door-side bolster and buckle clearance through the useful sliding travel. Set the driving position before judging the final height.

The Cobra Le Mans reclining route

The Le Mans is a base-mounted Cobra recliner to try alongside the fixed Nogaro shell. Its moving backrest changes how you set the seat for a longer journey. Check the actual seat version against the tailored frame and handle arrangement.

Garreth would sit in both before deciding which support feels right. Cameron would try the recliner controls beside the console and door with the complete lower assembly fitted. Include how much adjustment each driver needs when you send the enquiry.

Identify the Cobra runner and handle

Use the Premium runner listing to identify the slider and handle when checking a Cobra kit or an existing conversion. Check what is supplied with the tailored frame before adding another runner set.

Cobra base-mount centres, drawn to scale

Cobra’s mounting guide gives a narrow base pattern of 292mm across and 330mm front to back. The drawing below shows those seat-side centres to scale. It is a reference for the base-mounted route and does not describe a Nogaro shell’s side fixing holes.

Seat-side bolt centres 292 by 330 millimetres, drawn to scale292mm across330mm front to rearSeat-side bolt centres; outer frame outline is schematic

Cobra also publishes a 405mm-wide arrangement. Match the current seat and FRM-06 drawing before choosing the handle width. The outline is schematic and does not show BMW floor bolt positions.

The Planted SB223 route

Planted explicitly lists the F32 in its SB223 3 and 4 Series application. This bracket provides the vehicle connection for a separate matched seat assembly. Choose the seat and runner together before ordering the frame.

Keep the physical left or right side and steering position on the enquiry. Planted’s driver/left naming follows left-hand drive. Send photographs if the existing mounts have been changed.

Confirm the physical side of the car

Our Cobra listing offers UK driver and passenger selections. Cobra’s FRM-06 drawing shows the UK driver assembly, with the spacer bar and seatbelt bracket on opposite sides for the passenger arrangement. Keep the actual seat model with that side selection.

Cameron would trial-position the full assembly and check access to the buckle and runner release. Photograph the current mounts if an earlier owner has changed the interior.

Choose the Planted pattern with the runner

Planted’s standard pattern includes the RECARO slider connection; its alternate replaces that with the Cobra/Scheel-Mann connection. Choose the bracket version with the exact runner. The narrow and wide Cobra runners have different requirements in Planted’s instructions.

For a wide Cobra runner, compare the alternate-pattern SB223 before planning any alteration to the standard bracket. Cameron would want the runner model and photographs of its fixings if you already own the parts. Confirm the whole connection before ordering the remaining fittings.

Sparco buckets on the Planted route

The Sprint Retro and Sprint Sky give you two finishes to compare in the Sprint family. The Evo QRT Sky is a side-mounted shell and adds compatible side mounts to the assembly. Garreth would try the cushion and backrest shape of each before selecting the finish.

Match the actual Sprint version and mounting choice to its runner. With the Evo, check the side mounts at both the shell and slider connections. Trial-position the full assembly for pedal reach, steering-wheel reach and shoulder clearance in the car.

The sliding runner for a Sparco assembly

The Sparco sliding runner is the separate slider to compare for the Sparco examples above the SB223. Match the connection to the chosen seat base or side mounts. Try the release and locking action throughout the travel with the complete assembly in the car.

Side mounts for the Evo QRT Sky

Compare these Sparco steel side mounts for the Evo QRT Sky on the Planted route. Check both the shell and runner connections with the actual parts. The adjustment in the mounts helps establish the angle, with the finished height measured in the car.

Recliners to compare above the Planted bracket

The Sparco R100 and GT offer different cushion and backrest shapes to try, while the RECARO Expert S has adjustable backrest side bolsters. These examples use their own matched runner connection above the Planted bracket. The Expert S shown here belongs to this Planted route.

Garreth would set the backrest to a normal driving position and spend time sitting in each option. Cameron would then check the adjustment controls and the travel needed by each driver. Check the finished height with every fitting beneath the cushion.

A Recaro-width runner for the Expert S

The Endurance RECARO-compatible runner is the slider to compare for the Expert S on a standard-pattern Planted SB223. Match the actual seat and runner connections before ordering. Measure the finished height with the bracket and slider beneath the seat.

Measure the Expert cushion and the space above it

RECARO’s Expert S/M drawing gives a maximum cushion envelope of 520mm wide and 545mm deep. Those dimensions exclude mounting hardware. The maximum overall seat height is 820mm, with shoulder clearance checked separately in the car.

RECARO Expert S and M maximum cushion envelope, 520mm wide and 545mm deep, drawn to scale520mm maximum cushion width545mm maximum cushion depthExpert S/M cushionPlan envelope, not a seat templateRECARO dimensions exclude all mounting hardware

Use this cushion envelope when measuring the F32, then check the actual seat’s shoulders and controls separately. The frame and runner sit outside these seat-only dimensions. Measure the completed assembly in its intended driving position.

The mounting order through the car

Planted’s installation instructions start with a trial fit of the vehicle bracket, followed by the seat assembly and a check of the complete position.

  • Planted base-mounted sliding seat: F32 floor, SB223, matched runner, seat.
  • Planted side-mounted sliding shell: F32 floor, SB223, matched runner, compatible side mounts, shell.
  • Cobra tailored route: use the maker’s FRM-06 assembly layout for the chosen seat and physical side, adding Nogaro-specific mounts for a Nogaro.

Follow the current instructions for the actual components, checking the floor connection and every fixing above it before the assembly is finally tightened.

Select the harness around the completed seat installation

The TRS Clubman four-point options give you clip-in or bolt-in end fittings to discuss with the intended anchor arrangement. The Schroth Profi 3×2 is a six-point option for an appropriate shell and full installation. Choose the seat and belt routing together, including the crotch-strap provision needed for a six-point belt.

Send photographs of the space behind the seats with the enquiry. Follow the harness maker’s current fitting instructions for the anchors and routing. A cage tube or harness bar is an anchor only where its maker specifies that use.

Try rear access through the two-door body

Use the long door opening to try entry and exit with the intended bucket in position. If you use the rear seats, test that access with the actual seat and runner travel. A recliner’s movement and control clearance need checking in the car as well.

Details for your F32 seat enquiry

Send BMW 4 Series Coupé F32, year, steering side and physical seat side, plus the exact seat model and your height and waist. Include photographs of the current mounts and space beside the door and tunnel. Tell us how much adjustment each driver needs.

Include the area behind the front seats when discussing a harness installation. Choose the seat, belt route and anchor arrangement together before the order is finalised.

Common questions

The BMW 4 Series F32 Coupé. Include the chassis, body and year so the fitting route is matched to the car.

For a Cobra Nogaro, compare the tailored Cobra frame with Nogaro-specific side mounts. For the Sparco and Expert S examples, compare the Planted SB223 assembly with the matched runner.

Cobra’s FRM-06 drawings show Premium runners. Confirm the supplied assembly with the chosen seat and physical side before adding another slider. Nogaro mounts are separate.

The Street has no harness slots. Compare a harness-slot Nogaro version and plan the belt routing and anchors with the actual seat.

Planted’s driver/left label follows left-hand drive. Order by physical side and steering position to identify the right-hand-drive seat correctly.

Measure the complete seat and fitting assembly in the car, set for pedal and steering-wheel reach. Check the shoulder bolsters and controls separately from the cushion envelope.

Garreth’s top tip

I would try the Nogaro against the recliners, then check rear access through the long Coupé door. If the rear seats are used, bring that into the choice from the start. Choose the cushion and backrest support before deciding which trim suits the cabin.

Cameron’s fitting view

I would start with F32, year, physical side and the exact seat model. Keep the Cobra tailored assembly and Planted assembly as distinct choices when matching the hardware. I would trial-position the selected route for reach, height and clearance before final tightening.

Plan your BMW 4 Series Coupé F32 seat change

Drop us an email or click to open a chat through our contact page. For a full seat and fitting-kit recommendation, call 0115 647 8650.

Back to the Car Seat Selector guide.

Manufacturer references: Cobra mounting guide and FRM-06 drawings, Cobra application and Nogaro mounts, Nogaro versions, Planted SB223 application and slider patterns, Planted installation arrangements, Expert S/M dimensions. Model reference: BMW 4 Series body designations.

Free UK Shipping

On all orders above £100

Showroom

Try before you buy, by appointment

Delivery Tracking

Updates by email and text