Hi,
I am relatively new here, but I have not seen or been able to find a thread dealing with this question:
Can an OEM sport seat from another manufacturer, such as Acura or VW be used in our Minis and retain its airbag function?
I have been looking around at my options and I have to say I am liking the idea of a side airbag but am not in love with the Mini sport seats.
Since there are a number of manufacturers out there making a more snug-fitting OEM seat with airbags, why not use them? I will of course need to find out if the conectors are standard or if the voltage to activate is correct.
Wadda you think?
Steve

 

I'd bet they're FAR more likely to be proprietary than industry standard, but you can look...

 

I am also trying to find a reasonably priced alternative to the sloppy MINI seats, so that pretty much rules out the JCW option.

My current favourite is the BMW 1-series seat since it has inflatable side panels which do a great job to lock you into the seat. And since it is made by BMW, I figure I have the best chance of retaining a functional side air bag by selecting a seat from the BMW range.

Has anyone else been down this path already?

 

Airbags are designed for the spaces into which they deploy. This means that the side airbag installed in the MINI seat is designed according to the distance from the airbag to the door and roof and the dimensions of the car. Even if you could find an OEM seat that shared the same connectors, chances are you'd be compromising the air bag's effectiveness in an accident.

We have the sport seats in our 2006 MCS. They do take a bit of getting used to, especially the adjustment mechanisms, but they are comfortable seats.

Good luck.

 

The short answer is no. If you want other seats you are going to loose your airbag functionality.

 

Thanks to all who've weighed in. I suspect it's a pipe dream to just throw in a set of nice, supportive seats and have airbags and heat.
Findude: I have a 2004 S with sport seats and I cannot find that "sweet spot" you and others have spoken about. They're just too sloppy on me. They sort of feel like a generic waiting room chair: one size fits few. I am admittedly a bit spoiled, comparing them to the sport seats in my Porsche 993, so it's really unfair, but there you go...

 

Hello Steve,

How about a set of Recaro Sport seats,
they are very similar to the Porsche seat,
comes with lumbar support, leg extensions and in some models have the heat, cooling fans have the electric adjustments.


Victor

 

Recaro Sport Seat

 

Those seats look sweet. Can you just get the drivers side and does anyone know the approx cost?

 

Unfortunately the MINI Recaro seats aren't available for the U.S. market.

 

Thats not fair!
Thanks for the info though