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BMW 5 Series F10 bucket seat guide

2010 to 2017

Most F10s that come to us for seats are still doing a proper job. They are somebody’s daily, they cover motorway miles, and the owner wants more support without making the car worse at the thing it is actually for.

Before any of that, though, there is a detail on this car that catches people out. The Planted bracket for the F10 is the pre-facelift part, listed for 2011 to 2013, and the M5 has a bracket of its own. On the E60 one part covers the whole run. Here it does not, so the year and the exact model have to be right before anything is ordered.

Get that settled and the rest is simple. It is a base mount car, the seats are the same broad range the rest of the 5 Series gets, and the decision is really about how much of the car’s civility you want to keep.

  • The Planted F10 bracket is the sixth generation pre-facelift part, listed for 2011 to 2013
  • The F10 M5 has its own separate bracket, so the model matters as well as the year
  • The same pre-facelift bracket covers the F10 saloon, the F11 touring and the F07 Gran Turismo
  • 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 F10, so the seat position is set at fitting
  • A runner under a base mounted seat restores some adjustment, useful on a car with two drivers
BMW 5 Series F10 on track with a helmeted driver
The F10 on a trackday

What is on this page

  1. Year and model
  2. Reclining seats
  3. Competition seats
  4. Harnesses
  5. Fit table
  6. FAQ

Get the year and the model right first

This is the step to take slowly on an F10. Planted’s bracket for this car is described as the sixth generation pre-facelift part and listed for 2011 to 2013. BMW updated the car in 2013, and that qualifier is there for a reason.

The useful half of that same listing is what it does cover. The F10 saloon, the F11 touring and the F07 Gran Turismo share the floor, so one part suits all three body styles within those years. And the M5 on the F10 chassis is catalogued separately, so if that is the car you have, that is the part you want.

Once the frame is right, the rest follows the usual pattern. Base mounted and dual fitment seats bolt straight down onto it. Fixed back shells hang on side mount brackets that pick up on the frame. There is no sliding sub frame for this car, so a runner underneath is how you keep some adjustment.

Send us the registration on this onePre-facelift against facelift, saloon against touring against Gran Turismo, and standard against M5. That is four things that change the answer, and a registration settles all of them at once. We would rather check it than have a frame come back.

Seats for a car that still does the miles

An F10 is usually still earning its keep, so the reclining options are where most owners land. You get the support the standard seat stopped giving without ending up in something you have to climb into every morning.

The Recaro Sportster CS lists no waist restriction at all and the Recaro Speed covers to 38in, and both are road shells built for exactly this use. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the dual fitment seat, listed for base or side mounting, so it is the one that leaves the door open if the car’s job changes later.

💬
Our picksKeep the car good at what it already does

On a daily F10 the pre-facelift Planted frame and a reclining shell is the answer nearly every time, and it leaves the car quiet and comfortable. Fixed back shells are for cars doing real track time. Cameron works out the fit and the combination for a given car, so send your height, your waist, the year and whether it is the M5.

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Fixed back competition seats

For an F10 that has become a track car, these are the shells, each needing side mount brackets to pick up on the frame.

Fit is the deciding factor. The OMP ARS-R is listed for a 36in to 38in waist and all driver heights. The Cobra Suzuka T GT and the Sabelt GT3 are also listed for all heights. Most of the rest are drawn for drivers under six foot, which matters in a car this size where owners often are not.

Harnesses

On the road the standard belt is right and works with everything here. A harness earns its place once the car is on circuit and you are otherwise bracing yourself against the wheel.

Sort the shoulder anchor before ordering. The straps need something solid behind you at or above shoulder height, which means a harness bar or a cage. Send us a photograph of what is behind the front seats and we will confirm it.

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Our recommendationsBuy the belt the rulebook asks for

For fast road and trackday work the TRS Clubman belts do the job and have nothing to renew. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates, which is money well spent only inside a series that requires them. Tell us the championship and we will confirm.

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What fits what

Waist, height and approval are from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so.

SeatMountingWaistHeightApproval
Recaro Pole PositionSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Recaro Pole Position ABESide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
Cobra Suzuka T GTSide mount32in to 36inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
Corbeau Sprint X System 1Side mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Mirco GT 3D FabricSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
OMP Champ-RSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
OMP ARS-RSide mount36in to 38inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
Sparco Evo QRTSide mountNot statedNot statedFIA 8855-1999
Sabelt GT3Side mount32in to 36inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
Cobra Monaco ProBase or side mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Recaro Sportster CSBase mountAll sizesAll heightsRoad and track
Recaro SpeedBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Sparco R333Base mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
Cobra DaytonaBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Corbeau Sportline RRS EliteBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Auto Style Type AKBase mountAll sizesAll heightsRoad and track

Questions about fitting seats in a BMW F10

The Planted bracket is listed as the sixth generation pre-facelift part, 2011 to 2013, and BMW updated the car in 2013. Send us the registration before ordering and we will confirm what suits a later car rather than have you find out after it arrives.

Within the pre-facelift years, yes. That Planted listing covers the F10 saloon, the F11 touring and the F07 Gran Turismo, because the three share the floor. The M5 is the one that is catalogued separately.

Yes. The F10 M5 has its own Planted bracket. If that is your car, order that part rather than the standard 5 Series one.

Not from the frame, because no sliding sub frame is catalogued for the F10. A runner fitted under a base mounted seat gives some of the fore and aft movement back, at the cost of sitting slightly higher. On a car with two regular drivers that is usually the right trade.

The OMP ARS-R is the roomiest fixed back shell on this page at 36in to 38in and all heights. Among the reclining seats the Recaro Sportster CS lists no waist restriction, and the Recaro Speed, Cobra Daytona and Corbeau Sportline RRS Elite all go to 38in.

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