Direct fit subframes for the BMW 3 Series E46, bolting onto the car’s original seat mounting points.
Your old seats are worth something
E46 seats, particularly the sport ones and anything in leather, still sell. Take them out carefully, keep the runners and the bolts with them, and store them upright on their bases rather than face down on a garage floor.
People routinely get back a useful proportion of what the new seat cost. It is worth ten minutes of care at the point where you are least inclined to give it, with the car in pieces and the new seat waiting.
What comes with it
The base frame and the sliding runner, in the price. Sparco, Planted, OMP, Recaro and Corbeau all sell the runner separately, so their frames cost more than the headline figure once the car is finished.
What seats it takes
Cobra base mountable bucket seats and reclining sport seats, with a 291mm or 405mm wide handle. It will not take a side mounted seat without adaption bars or side mounts, and a Motorsport seat or a Nogaro needs side mounts.
Tell us the seat in the checkout comments. Priced per frame, which fits one seat.
Have you written anything about this exact product?
Yes, we have covered this exact product: Top 5 reclining seat choices for your BMW 3 Series Sedan [E36], including our fitting guide, and Top 5 reclining seat choices for your BMW 3 Series Coupe [E46], including our fitting guide. That is first-hand coverage from our own builds and showroom, not brochure copy.
Will this fit my car?
This frame is made for the BMW 3 Series (E46). Chassis code and years matter more than the badge, as floor pans change between generations, so if your car sits near a changeover year, send us the registration and we will confirm before you order.
Which seats does it take?
Cobra design each tailored frame around a particular seat, so check the Compatible seats tab above for the designed pairing. Other seats with a matching bolt pattern can work as cross-compatible components rather than a designed set, so ask us before mixing brands.
Do I keep fore-and-aft adjustment?
Yes, and unlike most brands the sliding runner comes included with a Cobra frame, in the price. That changes the like-for-like comparison against other makers, where the runner is a separate part on top. Our guide to sliding runners covers how they work.
Base mount or side mount, and does it matter?
This is a base-mount frame: the seat bolts down through its base, the simpler stack that suits seats with a flat bottom and keeps the install low-fuss. Our guide on base mount versus side mount explains the whole fitting stack.
