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I have short legs, so my seat is positioned closer to the pedals than for most people. If I installed any of the fixed armrests available, the only part of my arm that would rest on it would be the tip of my elbow. Virtually useless.
I solved this in 2003 for my R50 with this armrest (pics from their site):
The armrest is always in the right spot, no matter what position my seat is in. And this thing is RUGGED. Built very well.
Before I sold my R50, I removed my armrest and I'll be installing it in my 2013 R58 this weekend. The bracket that secures the armrest to the seat frame was designed for the Gen 1 seat frame and it doesn't quite fit the Gen 2 seat frame, so I busted out the grinder and trimmed it so it will fit. But I think if you ordered a new armrest from these guys and specified Gen 2, you'd get the correct bracket.
IMPORTANT: I DON'T BELIEVE THIS SYSTEM WILL WORK IF YOU HAVE A LUMBAR CONTROL **** IN PLACE. PART OF WHAT MAKES THE BRACKET STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD YOUR WEIGHT IS THAT IT USES THE HOLE THAT THE LUMBAR CONTROL USES (THE ARMREST STEM DOESN'T "COME OUT OF" THE LUMBAR HOLE, BUT PART OF THE BRACKET DOES GO THROUGH THE LUMBAR HOLE FOR STRENGTH). YOU COULD PROBABLY MODIFY THE BRACKET SO IT DOESN'T USE THAT HOLE, BUT THAT'S UP TO YOU.
The only downside is that you have to make a hole in the side of the upholstery for the stem to come out (the armrest slides onto the stem and is secured with a set screw). I'm currently installing Wet Okole seat covers so I'm going to remove the JCW seat cover from my drivers seat to keep it intact, and I'll make the hole in the Wet Okole seat cover instead. That way if I sell the car someday I can reverse the process with no harm to the JCW seat cover.
Last edited by scooterboy; 04-26-2016 at 01:20 PM.
It's a 2012 coupe (base) R58. I pulled the one out of the 04 before I traded it. It clipped under the center console on both side and was plenty sturdy, didn't interfere with the parking brake. Took the car to the body shop and he popped the center console panel off and fitted it to the car. Works well and looks good, cost me twenty for him to do that and route the gps cord. Oh happy days! Thanks so much for the replies, I looked at both units, didn't like the looks of the lanky legs and didn't want to cut the seat...MOTOR ON!
Just for closure - here's a picture of mine that I installed today along with Wet Okole seat covers:
The camera flash really lightened things up. All the dark colors blend together really well in real life.
And yes, that's a scratch on the side of it that happened while I was test-fitting it. At least it will be easy to detach and respray.
I am curious. Why did you installed aftermarket seat covers? Do you have any damage or is your car warranty expired?
I posted in another tread that my driver seat will be replaced under warranty because of premature fading.
I really like the fabric of the JCW sports seats with the red stitching accents that match the steering wheel, shifter, brake booths and red shift ****.
I am curious. Why did you installed aftermarket seat covers? Do you have any damage or is your car warranty expired?
I posted in another tread that my driver seat will be replaced under warranty because of premature fading.
I really like the fabric of the JCW sports seats with the red stitching accents that match the steering wheel, shifter, brake booths and red shift ****.
My jcw fabric seats aren't fading at all. The previous owner reportedly kept it garaged most of the time. They only put 6700 miles on it during a 3 year lease.
The seat covers are actually to protect the jcw seats, and to facilitate the armrest pictured above, which requires a hole in the side of the seat. I didn't want to do that to the jcw cloth, so I detached it from the back on the inner side and folded it forward of where I needed the hole. Installed the okole over it and put the hole in that instead.
That way the next owner can have intact jcw seats, or I can if I decide they're more important to me than the armrest. Not likely though, because I've really missed that armrest.
04-26-2016, 11:54 AM
At least it will be easy to detach and respray.
