BMW 5 Series E60 bucket seat guide
2003 to 2010
Nobody bought an E60 for the styling and quite a lot of people now buy them because of it. They are the cheapest route into a big, fast, rear drive BMW, and the ones with the bigger engines are quick enough to make you forget what the boot lid looks like.
What ages fastest on a cheap E60 is not the mechanicals, it is the inside. The standard seats sag, the bolsters give up, and on a car with this much weight and grip you notice it in every corner. Replacing them is the single most effective thing you can do to one, and it costs a fraction of what the car is worth.
Mounting is straightforward. Planted make one bracket that covers the whole 2003 to 2010 run, so unlike the E36 there is no body shell puzzle to solve first.
- One Planted bracket covers the entire E60 run, 2003 to 2010, with no body shell split to worry about
- It is a base mount frame, so a fixed back shell needs side mount brackets on top of it
- No sliding sub frame is catalogued for the E60, so the seat position is set at fitting
- A runner under a base mounted seat gives back some adjustment at the cost of a little height
- Recaro shells use Recaro side mounts, and Recaro sub-frames are drawn for Recaro seats only
- The OMP ARS-R is the roomiest shell here, listed for a 36in to 38in waist and all driver heights
What is on this page
The frame, and what sits on it
Planted list a bracket for the E60 covering 2003 to 2010. One part, the whole generation. That is the base of every setup on this page.
A base mounted or dual fitment seat bolts straight down onto it. A fixed back competition shell hangs on a pair of side mount brackets which pick up on the frame instead. Both are normal, and the difference is the seat you choose rather than a different frame.
There is no sliding sub frame for the E60, so the fore and aft position is set when the seat goes in. If the car is shared, a runner under a base mounted seat is the way to get some of that adjustment back. It lifts you slightly, which on a car with this much headroom is rarely an issue.
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Watch the seat electronicsThese cars came with powered seats and, depending on specification, seat occupancy sensing. Swapping to a manual seat changes what the car sees. Tell us the specification when you enquire and we will talk through what comes out and what stays.
Reclining seats, the value answer
On a car bought for what it costs, this is usually the sensible half of the page. A reclining shell on the Planted frame fixes the support problem, keeps the car comfortable, and does not turn a bargain saloon into a project.
The Recaro Sportster CS carries no waist restriction in its listing at all, and the Recaro Speed goes to 38in. Both are road shells. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the dual fitment one, listed for base or side mounting, so it is the seat that keeps your options open.
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Our picksSpend it on the seat, not on the setup
On most E60s the Planted frame with a reclining shell is the whole job and it transforms how the car feels. Save the fixed back money for a car that actually does track time. Cameron works out the fit and the combination for a given car, so send your height, your waist and what the car is used for.
Fixed back competition seats
For an E60 doing real track miles, these are the shells, and all of them need side mount brackets to pick up on the frame.
Fit is what separates them. The OMP ARS-R is listed for a 36in to 38in waist and all driver heights, and the Cobra Suzuka T GT and Sabelt GT3 are also listed for all heights. The rest are drawn for drivers under six foot, which is worth knowing in a car most people buy for the space.
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Harnesses
The standard belt works with every seat here on the road. A harness is a track item, and it is what stops a big heavy car loading you into the bolsters lap after lap.
The shoulder straps are the part that needs planning. They want a solid anchor behind you at or above shoulder height, which means a harness bar or a cage. Tell us what is behind the front seats and we will confirm it before you order.
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Our recommendationsUndated belts unless a rulebook says otherwise
The TRS Clubman belts cover fast road and trackday use with nothing to renew. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates and are the right buy only inside a series that asks for them. Send us the class and we will tell you which.
What fits what
Waist, height and approval are from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recaro Pole Position | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Pole Position ABE | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Cobra Suzuka T GT | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Corbeau Sprint X System 1 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Mirco GT 3D Fabric | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP ARS-R | Side mount | 36in to 38in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco Evo QRT | Side mount | Not stated | Not stated | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt GT3 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Sportster CS | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Recaro Speed | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS Elite | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Auto Style Type AK | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
Questions about fitting seats in a BMW E60
Does one frame cover the whole E60 range?
Planted catalogue a single bracket for the E60 from 2003 to 2010, so unlike the E36 there is no coupe and saloon split to work around. Send us the registration if you want it confirmed against your car before ordering.
What happens to the electric seat adjustment?
It goes with the standard seat. A bucket seat on a direct fit frame is manual, and there is no sliding sub frame catalogued for the E60, so the fore and aft position is set at fitting. A runner underneath a base mounted seat gives some of that back.
Is a fixed back seat sensible in a road E60?
Only if you are doing real track time and running a harness. These are heavy comfortable cars and most owners are happier with a reclining shell that fixes the support without making the car hard work. The competition seats are on this page for the cars that have earned them.
Which seats suit a bigger driver?
The OMP ARS-R at 36in to 38in and all heights is the roomiest fixed back shell here. On the reclining side the Recaro Sportster CS lists no waist restriction, and the Recaro Speed, Cobra Daytona and Corbeau Sportline RRS Elite all go to 38in.
Can I put a Sparco seat on a Recaro frame?
No. Recaro sub-frames are drawn for Recaro seats only. The base mount pattern shared by Sparco, OMP and Corbeau is the flexible one, so any of those three seats will sit on a frame drilled for that pattern.
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