Well it's time for some seats ... I've noticed there are some plug and play JCW seats that were made by BOTH Recaro and Sparco but apparently not sold in the USA ... Anyone have a source?

If NOT ... Then which company and what direction to go that will be best for a DAILY driver and weekend tracker ...

Lastly ... how do I get a ROLL of Mini redwood leather fabric ... Will any fabric or upholstry store be able to order it or can I just ask the parts dept at Mini? ... As you can tell I'd like to wrap the new seats to match the interior.

Thanks,
Dario

 

This one has potential ... Has anyone seen this RED ... Does it match redwood (fingers crossed)



LINK

http://www.sparcoracing.com/Sparco-M...-Seat-p60.html

 

If you are tracking it will you be putting in a cage? If so, you should look at leaving the stock passenger seat and going with a fixed-back driver seat. Just make sure you try a bunch on and pick one that fits you. Don't know how big you are but those Sparcos are a one-size fits all and so are pretty wide. A loose fit kind of defeats the purpose.

The Sparco Evo is a really nice fixed back option as it is reasonably easy to get in and out of for daily driving and comes in 3 different sizes so you can find a good tight fit. Another cool thing about them is the cover is easily and cheaply replaced if it gets worn. I ran an Evo for a few years in my R53 and loved it on the commute and the track.

 

I'm 5'6" and athletic so looks like I'll be sliding left and right in the Milano ... I'm sure if I get a fixed back seat I can shim the tracks of the seat up to my desired height or have something fabricated ... Thanks for the info.

 

The smallest Evo is pretty narrow, but it is a track/street seat and so is relatively wide. There are definitely tighter ones but they can be tougher to climb in and out of. Most fixed back seats mount on side brackets that are height adjustable, so that should not be an issue. The tightest reclining back seat with decent bolsters I've tried on is the Recaro Speed (SRD) which is comparable to the smallest Evo. Avoid the Speed 'S' as it's seat bolsters are almost non-existent. Have fun!

 

Having spent the last week installing seats (look in interior section) I can tell you there is no such thing as "plug and play".

The closest thing you will get are the JCW Recaros but if you read my posts, you'll see there are still medications.

HTH's

Mark