There are a lot of seat options on the JCW, even if not much color choice. I'm interested in which seats you chose, how comfortable they are, and how well they are holding up to daily use.

 

I went with the base stock seats and have been pleased with them, they are comfortable, offer adequate support and look fine to me. The sport seats may offer more support for hard driving, but I have had no issues in severe high speed twisties with the base seats. I had the base seats in my R56 JCW and they held up fine for 4 years, they were comfortable as well, but the base seats in the F56 JCW are more attractive than the ones in the R series.

 

There are three seat shapes for the JCW that get progressively more supporting/bolstered: non-sport, sport, and JCW seats. I personally love the JCW seats and the aggressive bolstering as they seem to cradle me as I drive, but for some people, it can be too uncomfortable.

On top of that, there are several upholsteries to choose from that include the standard leatherette, cloth/leather combos, leather, lounge leather, and Dinamica which is like a synthetic suede.

- Leatherette: wears really well, feels pretty close to real leather, but doesn't breathe quite as nice as leather does. Aside from being the cheapest though (no cost), it is easy to care for and will look just as good 5 years down the line as it does on day 1.

- Leather: Nice and supple, suede accents, very similar to Nappa (I believe it is, if fact, Nappa leather)

- Lounge leather: Extra padding, extra soft, extra nice, extra expensive. Definitely the most comfortable option IMO.

- Dinamica: I've only sat in them a few times and can't speak for how they hold up in real life, but I was a fan. Very grippy, but soft and they look high end.

 

I really liked the lounge leather on the R-series JCWs with the red trim, but that's not available on the F56. My biggest concern is with the Dinamica and how it will wear over time.

 

I went with the Leatherette Sport seats. Had them in my R55 and had them in my R56. They wear like nails. The seats in my 87k mile 8 year old R56 looked basically new when I traded it in. That was enough to sell me on them.

The R55 and R56 had sport seats. I definitely like these sport seats better. They're more supportive and more comfortable than either seat I had in the Rs.

--Matt

 

I have the black and red dinamica and love the feel and look of them. I'm only 1500mi into the car, so I can't speak to the wear over time. Are they worth the extra $...to me, yes because I was going for both the feel and the look. They look great with the piano black and red color line.

 

I also have the blk/rd Dinamica. Seat I love and feel it fits my body type well. Good enough for AXing. It is holding up well and still looks brand new. I do however don't care for the color at all. Call me old but I would prefer just black.

 

I have the standard JCW cloth seats and am very happy.

I sat in both the standard cloth seats and the black and red dinamica seats and could not tell a difference in which is more comfortable. I decided to save $1950.

My advice is to go to the dealership and sit in as many seats possible before making your decision.

 

How much work would installing some R56 (recaro JCW seats) on a 3rd gen F55.

 

I'm kind of the same way....I prefer black interiors...getting the red lined JCW sport seats was a bit of a jump for me but after seeing a swatch of the material in the dealer showroom I realized it really wasn't all that bright of a red but very subdued! It also compliments my black with red JCW trim bits. I love my seats!

It can be challenging finding these seats, and others, on a dealer lot for anyone trying to try various seats out before ordering though! I had to go into my order totally blind except for photos & seeing the material swatches!

 

I'm not sure anyone's done that yet. People did retrofit the Recaros to their R56. Actually I think the Recaros were an option on any R56 car, not just the JCW. I have em, the leather is Dynamica which is great and has no signs of wear after 28 months so far. But honestly I think the stock JCW seats look almost like mine and they're free. Mine cost $2700 and they're heated. It was by far the most expensive option on the car.

 

The recaros are definitely beautiful. Another issue I will have is the ones I want are Euro spec. Which means the seat sensor will have to be bypassed or transferred from the ones I have now. I've seen it done on an r56, I will for sure have to think this through with cost and labor.