Can I Use My Standard Seat Belt With M2 Motorsport Fitting Kits? Let's Talk!
Customer question: seat fitting
One of the questions we hear most from people fitting their first bucket seat is whether they can keep the car's standard seat belt. Plenty of drivers want the support of a bucket seat in a car they still use every day, and a harness is not something they want to clip in and out of on the way to the shops.
With an M2 Motorsport direct fit sub-frame, the answer in most cars is yes. Here is how the frames work, what to check about the belt and its buckle, and which seats go straight on.
- In most cars, yes: the standard belt can stay in use with an M2 frame and a bucket seat
- The buckle position often changes, so check it before you drive
- M2 frames bolt to the car's own floor mounting points, with no drilling
- The frame includes the runners and side mounts: you need the seat and the frame only
- Side mount spacing is the industry standard 290mm
- Corbeau side mount seats need the M2 holes drilled out slightly for M10
What is on this page
The short answer
Fitting a bucket seat on an M2 Motorsport frame does not, on its own, mean you have to fit a harness. The car’s three point belt stays in the car: the reel and the upper anchor are on the pillar and the floor, not on the seat. What matters is the buckle, the part you clip into beside the seat.
In many cars the buckle is bolted to the floor or to the original seat’s runner. When the standard seat comes out, the buckle needs a secure home again, and the buckle often ends up in a slightly different position beside the bucket seat. Our own M2 listings put it plainly: you can usually keep the standard seat belt, though the buckle position often changes.
So the practical answer is yes, with one job to do: after fitting, sit in the seat, fasten the belt and check that the buckle sits properly beside your hip, clears the seat’s bolster and latches cleanly. Do that before you drive the car.
How an M2 frame works
An M2 Motorsport direct fit sub-frame replaces the car's factory seat runners. It bolts to the original floor mounting points, so there is no drilling, and it is made from steel with a black powder coat finish.
Everything you need to mount a side mount bucket seat is built in: the floor fixings, the sliding runners and the side mount brackets. That is why we treat an M2 frame as a complete kit. For a side mount bucket seat you need two things: the seat and the M2 frame for your car.
Because the frame is one piece, fitting is simpler than building a set up from separate runners, subframe and side mounts. Torque the floor bolts to the correct figure, and then do the buckle check above.
Which seats go straight on
M2 frames are made for side mount bucket seats with the industry standard spacing of 290mm between the front and rear side mounting holes. Most side mount buckets from the big names use that spacing and bolt straight on.
There is one important exception. Corbeau side mount seats no longer bolt straight onto M2 Motorsport frames. Corbeau now use M10 fixings, while the M2 side mounts are drilled for M8, so the holes need drilling out slightly for M10. It is a small modification, so if you want a Corbeau and are unsure, talk to us.
If your seat has only base mounting holes underneath, it will not go straight onto an M2 frame. M2 make adaption bars that sit between the frame and a base mounted seat, but they change the seat height, so check the headroom before you choose that route.
-
From £166.20 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
-
From £166.20 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Our range of M2 Motorsport frames
We stock M2 frames for over 40 applications, mostly Japanese and European performance cars: Honda Civic, Integra, S2000 and CR-Z, Mitsubishi Evo 7 to 10, Subaru Impreza and Forester, Nissan 350Z, 370Z and GT-R, Toyota GT86, Supra and Soarer, Volkswagen Golf Mk5 to Mk8 and Scirocco Mk3, and the Seat Leon Mk3.
Each frame is made for one car and one side, so choose driver or passenger side on the listing, or buy the pair. For a left hand drive car, the left hand frame is the one listed as the RHD passenger side. The full list is in our M2 Motorsport direct fit frames category.
Things to check on your car
The buckle. As above: where it mounts, where it ends up, and that the seat’s bolster does not press on it or stop it latching.
Wiring under the seat. Many modern cars have belt pretensioners, seat occupancy sensors or side airbags wired through the seat or the buckle. Removing the seat disconnects them, which can bring on a warning light. Our Golf Mk8 listing, for example, flags the pretensioner wiring on the buckle. Check what your car has before you order.
Your use of the car. The standard belt is what the car was designed and tested with, and for a road car it is the belt you will use every day. If you go on to do track days or competition, a harness can be added later, but it needs proper anchor points and the right geometry. Our guide on how to fit a motorsport harness covers that.
Why keep the standard belt
For a car that is driven every day, the standard belt is simply easier. It is quick to put on and take off, it lets you move and reach the controls normally, and it works with the car’s own safety systems. You still get the main benefit of the bucket seat, which is being held in place properly through corners.
Garreth’s advice for a first bucket seat in a road car is to keep it simple: the right seat for your size, the M2 frame for your car, and the standard belt. Send us your height, waist size and car, and we will point you at seats that fit you and the frame that fits the car.
Can I use my standard seat belt with an M2 Motorsport frame?
In most cars, yes, though the buckle position often changes, so check it latches properly before you drive.
Do I need to buy side mounts with an M2 frame?
No. The M2 frame includes the runners and side mounts, so you need only the seat and the frame.
Do Corbeau seats fit M2 Motorsport frames?
Not straight on any more. Corbeau side mount seats now use M10 fixings, while M2 frames are drilled for M8, so the holes need drilling out slightly for M10. It is a small modification; ask us if you are unsure.
Will a base mount seat fit an M2 frame?
Only with M2’s adaption bars, which can raise the seat, so check your headroom first.
Do M2 frames need drilling?
No. They bolt to the car’s original floor mounting points.
💬
The simple routeSeat, M2 frame, standard belt
A side mount bucket on an M2 frame, with your car's own belt, suits most road cars.
Need a personal recommendation?
We're here to ensure you pick the right seat.
Contact us today.
