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BMW M5 F10 bucket seat guide
2011 to 2016
The standard M Sport seat in an F10 M5 is a good seat. That is worth saying first, because plenty of people ask us about this car and the honest answer for a road driver is that the car already has what it needs.
Where it stops being enough is on circuit, and the reason is the car itself. This thing weighs close to two tonnes and makes 560bhp, so the loads going through your ribs in a long corner are bigger than in anything lighter, and they last longer. The standard seat lets you move a few millimetres each time. Over a twenty minute session that becomes bracing on the wheel, and bracing on the wheel is how you stop driving properly.
So this page is not about saving weight. It is about being held still.
- Base mount only on this car, so the fore and aft adjustment goes with the standard seat
- Planted make the bracket, and they list it twice, once as M5 F10 and once as 5 Series F10
- Both Planted listings cover the same platform and carry the same price
- No roll cage is catalogued for the F10, so harness shoulder straps need a bar behind you
- The Sparco Sprint is FIA approved, mounts either way and is the cheapest approved seat here
- Big drivers are covered: the Sabelt Titan X-Large is listed to a 40in waist and over 6ft
What is on this page
The frames
Planted make the bracket for this car and it is a direct fit base mount, which bolts to the floor where the standard seat runners were and takes the new seat straight onto it. It sits the seat lower than standard, which is the point, and it sets the position once.
That last part matters more on an M5 than on a track car. Nobody catalogues a sliding sub frame for the F10, so if the car is shared or you drive it to the circuit and want to move the seat back afterwards, this is the compromise you are making. Set the position with the seat you are actually going to use, with your helmet on, before you commit to the bolts.
One oddity worth a minute of your time. Planted list this platform twice, once under the M5 F10 name and once as the 5 Series 6th generation pre-LCI bracket. Same part code underneath, same car, and the same price on both, so it makes no difference which one you order.
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![Planted Technology BMW 5 Series [6th Generation Pre-LCI Model, F10/F11/F07 Chassis] (2011-2013) Seat Bracket](https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SB252DR-2-300x300.jpg)
![Planted Technology BMW 5 Series [6th Generation Pre-LCI Model, F10/F11/F07 Chassis] (2011-2013) Seat Bracket image 2](https://www.sportseats4u.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SB252PA-3-300x300.jpg)
Two listings, one carThe Planted M5 F10 bracket and the Planted 5 Series F10 bracket share a part code and cover the same platform, and both are priced the same. Order from whichever you find. If you want it confirmed against your car, send us the registration.
Side mounts are extraA fixed back shell needs side mount brackets to pick up on the Planted base. They are not included with either the seat or the frame, so budget for them. If you tell us which shell you are buying we will put the right pair with it.
Fixed back competition seats
These are the shells that will actually stop you moving. All of them need side mounts onto the Planted base.
Two of them are worth calling out for size, because the M5 draws bigger drivers than most cars we sell for. The Sabelt Titan X-Large is listed at a 36in to 40in waist and for drivers over 6ft, and the OMP ARS-R is listed at 36in to 38in. Most competition shells stop at 36in, so if you are near that mark, start with those two rather than trying to squeeze into something narrower.
At the other end, the Recaro Pole Position with ABE is road approved in Germany and is the seat people buy when they want a proper shell without the FIA expiry date.
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Reclining and dual fitment seats
Most F10 M5s are still doing everything, and a fixed back shell is a lot to live with on a motorway. These are the seats that fix the support without turning the car into a race car.
Two of them mount either way. The Sparco Sprint carries FIA 8855-1999 and is listed for base or side mounting, which makes it the cheapest approved seat on this page by a wide margin. The Cobra Monaco Pro is the other one.
Of the reclining seats, the Recaro Sportster CS lists no waist restriction at all and comes in a heated version, which on a car of this class is not a silly thing to want. The Cobra Misano Anniversary is the expensive end and looks the part in a car with a decent interior.
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Our picksSprint for a road car that does track days, a proper shell if it is serious
On an M5 that is still a road car, the Sparco Sprint gives you an FIA approved seat that mounts either way for less than anything else approved here. If the car is doing regular circuit work, take a fixed back shell on the Planted base and side mounts, and size it honestly. Cameron works out the combination for a given driver, so send your height and waist rather than guessing.
Harnesses
The standard belt is the right answer on the road and works with every seat here. On circuit a harness is what stops the seat being wasted, because a seat can only hold you if something is holding you into the seat.
The catch on this car is the anchor. Nobody catalogues a roll cage for the F10, so the shoulder straps need a harness bar behind the front seats at or above shoulder height. Running them over the rear seat back to a floor point behind is the mistake people make, and it puts the load on your spine rather than across your chest. Tell us what is going in and we will match the belts to the anchor you actually have.
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Our recommendationsDated belts only where the rules ask for them
The TRS Clubman belts cover fast road and trackday use and never need renewing. The Magnum 6 point Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates, which is what a series that asks for them wants. Send us the class and we will confirm which applies.
What fits what
Waist, height and approval are taken from each product listing. Where a listing does not state a figure the table says so.
| Seat | Mounting | Waist | Height | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| OMP ARS-R | Side mount | 36in to 38in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| OMP Champ-R | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Pole Position | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Recaro Pole Position with ABE | Side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Sabelt GT3 | Side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sabelt Titan X-Large | Side mount | 36in to 40in | Over 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco Evo QRT | Side mount | Not stated | Not stated | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Cobra Monaco Pro | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Sparco Sprint | Base or side mount | 32in to 36in | All heights | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Auto Style GT Yellow Tartan | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Daytona | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Cobra Misano Anniversary | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Corbeau Sportline RRS (pair) | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Corbeau SVR Vinyl (pair) | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
| Recaro Sportster CS | Base mount | All sizes | All heights | Road and track |
| Sparco R333 | Base mount | 32in to 36in | Under 6ft | Road and track |
| Sparco R500 Fabric | Base mount | 32in to 38in | All heights | Road and track |
Questions about fitting seats in a BMW M5 F10
Can I keep the seat adjustment?
Not with a direct fit bracket, no. Nobody catalogues a sliding sub frame for the F10, so the Planted bracket sets the position once and the fore and aft travel goes. Sit in the car with the seat you are buying and your helmet on before you settle on a position.
Is the standard M Sport seat not good enough?
On the road it is genuinely fine, and we will tell you that rather than sell you something you do not need. On circuit it is not, because the car is heavy and quick enough to load you hard for a whole session, and a seat that lets you move a little every corner ends up with you holding on through the steering wheel.
I am over 6ft and a 38in waist. What fits?
Start with the Sabelt Titan X-Large, which is listed at 36in to 40in and for drivers over 6ft, then the OMP ARS-R at 36in to 38in. Most competition shells stop at 36in. Send us your measurements and we will tell you honestly which ones will work.
Where do the harness shoulder straps go?
Onto a harness bar behind the front seats, at or above shoulder height. There is no cage catalogued for this car, so that bar is the anchor. Do not run them over the back seat to a floor point behind you, because that pulls down on your spine instead of holding you back.
Which airbag and electrics do I lose?
The seat side airbag and the seat electrics go with the standard seat, and the car will normally light a warning for them. Tell us what you are fitting and we will talk you through what the car does about it before you order, rather than after.
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