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BMW Z4 E85 and E86 bucket seat guide

2002 to 2008

Most of these guides come down to what seat suits the car. This one does not, because on a Z4 the more useful question is how you want it mounted, and this is one of the few cars where you get a real choice.

PCI make a sliding sub frame for the E85 and E86, which keeps the seat moving fore and aft after the standard runners have gone. Planted make a direct fit bracket, which sits the seat lower and sets the position once. Both are catalogued, both fit, and they suit different cars. Get that decision right and the seat choice becomes easy.

Worth knowing before you scroll: our cage listings for the Z4 are for the coupe. There is no roadster kit in the catalogue at the moment, which does not mean one cannot be had, only that it is not something you can order off the page.

  • Both mounting routes exist for this car, sliding or direct fit
  • The PCI sliding sub frame keeps the fore and aft travel after fitting
  • The Planted direct fit bracket sits lower and sets the position once
  • The Planted listing covers the roadster and the coupe; the cages cover the coupe only
  • Four seats here mount either base or side, including two FIA approved ones
  • The Cobra Monaco Sport Narrow is listed at a 28in to 32in waist for a tight cabin
BMW Z4 E85/E86 on track with a helmeted driver
The Z4 on a trackday

What is on this page

  1. The frames
  2. Competition seats
  3. Reclining seats
  4. Harnesses
  5. Roll cages
  6. Fit table
  7. FAQ

Sliding or direct fit, and how to choose

Here is the honest way to pick between the two, and it has nothing to do with the seat.

If the car is driven to the circuit, shared with anybody, or ever used with the roof down for a long drive, take the PCI sliding sub frame. It keeps the fore and aft adjustment, which means the seat can be moved without a spanner. You give up a small amount of height for the privilege, because a sliding frame necessarily sits the seat on top of a runner.

If the car is a track car, or you are tall and want every millimetre of head room you can get under a helmet, take the Planted direct fit bracket. It puts the seat lower and it puts it exactly where you set it, permanently. In a Z4 with the roof up and a helmet on, that height difference is not academic.

Either way, a fixed back shell needs side mount brackets on top of the frame. They are a separate part.

Sit in it with a helmet onZ4 head room with the roof up and a helmet on is the thing people underestimate. If you are near 6ft, the direct fit route and its lower seat position is usually the difference between comfortable and hunched. Tell us your height and we will say which way we would go.

Fixed back competition seats

Four shells, all needing side mounts onto whichever frame you have chosen.

The Recaro Profi SPG is the one to look at if you are tall, because it is the only seat on this page listed for drivers over 6ft. The OMP ARS-R is the wide option at a 36in to 38in waist. The Sparco Rev QRT is the middle ground and the one we sell most of for cars this size, and the OMP Champ-R is the value FIA shell.

Reclining and dual fitment seats

Four of the seats here mount either way, which pairs well with the sliding frame if you want the car to stay usable.

The Sparco Sprint and the Cobra Monaco Pro both carry FIA 8855-1999 and both mount base or side. The Monaco Sport Narrow is the one worth knowing about in a Z4 specifically, because it is listed at a 28in to 32in waist and the standard Monaco Sport is 32in to 36in. Same seat, narrower shell, for a cabin that does not have much room to give.

The recliners keep the car civilised. The Sparco R500 Sky and the R100 Martini both go to a 36in or 38in waist and are listed for all driver heights.

💬
Our picksPCI frame and a Sparco Sprint for a road Z4

That combination keeps the seat adjustable, gives you an FIA approved shell and costs less than most people expect. If the car is a track car, go Planted bracket, side mounts and a fixed back shell, and if you are over 6ft look hard at the Recaro Profi SPG. Cameron will work out the combination for your height and waist if you send them over.

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Harnesses

The standard belt is right on the road and works with every seat here. On circuit the harness is the half of the job that actually holds you in.

The shoulder straps need a solid anchor behind you at or above shoulder height. In a coupe that can be the cage below. In a roadster it means a harness bar, because there is nothing above you and the rear bulkhead on its own is not the answer. Tell us what you have and we will match the belts to it.

💬
Our recommendationsMatch the belts to the anchor you actually have

In an E86 coupe with a cage, any of these will work. In an E85 roadster the anchor is a harness bar and the strap angle matters, so tell us what is behind the seat before you order. The TRS Clubman belts never need renewing, the Magnum Superlite and the Schroth Profi carry FIA dates for series that ask for them.

Ask us what fitsCall 0115 9893488

Roll cages

Custom Cages make two kits for the E86 coupe, a multipoint in CDS steel and a multipoint in T45. The CDS kit is the club and trackday answer and gives you a proper harness anchor. The T45 kit is the lighter competition build.

Both listings are for the coupe. If you have the E85 roadster, we do not have a kit you can order off this page, and we would rather say so than let you find out at the checkout. Ring us and we will see what can be done for your car, because a roadster cage is a different job and the answer depends on what you are trying to pass.

Roadster owners, read this bitThe two cages above are catalogued for the E86 coupe. We do not currently list one for the E85 roadster. Get in touch before you order anything and tell us what the car is for, and we will tell you what your options actually are.

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.

SeatMountingWaistHeightApproval
OMP ARS-RSide mount36in to 38inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
OMP Champ-RSide mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Recaro Profi SPGSide mount32in to 36inOver 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Sparco Rev QRTSide mount32in to 36inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
Cobra Monaco ProBase or side mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftFIA 8855-1999
Sparco SprintBase or side mount32in to 36inAll heightsFIA 8855-1999
Cobra Monaco SportBase or side mount32in to 36inUnder 6ftRoad and track
Cobra Monaco Sport NarrowBase or side mount28in to 32inUnder 6ftRoad and track
Cobra DaytonaBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Corbeau SVR Vinyl (pair)Base mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track
Sparco R100Base mountAll sizesAll heightsRoad and track
Sparco R100 Martini RacingBase mount32in to 36inAll heightsRoad and track
Sparco R500 SkyBase mount32in to 38inAll heightsRoad and track

Questions about fitting seats in a BMW Z4

Sliding if the car is driven to the circuit or shared, because you keep the fore and aft adjustment. Direct fit if it is a track car or you are tall, because it sits the seat lower and gives you head room under a helmet. Both are catalogued for the E85 and E86.

Not one you can order from us off the page. Our two Z4 kits are listed for the E86 coupe. Ring us with what the car is for and we will tell you what your options are, rather than sell you something that will not fit.

The Recaro Profi SPG is the only shell on this page listed for drivers over 6ft, and pairing it with the direct fit bracket rather than the sliding frame buys you back the height the frame would cost you. That combination is what we would fit.

Usually, but the Z4 is not a wide car and the narrow shells exist for a reason. The Cobra Monaco Sport Narrow at a 28in to 32in waist is the one to look at if space is tight. Send us your waist measurement and we will tell you straight.

The Sparco Sprint. It carries FIA 8855-1999, mounts base or side and is the least expensive approved seat on this page, which makes it the sensible answer on a road Z4 that does track days.

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