There are a few times brutally being honest is a good thing and this is one. I don't want to drop 4 grand on aftermarket seats (but will If I have too) on my 2006 JCW. My wife and I are 5"4" and 5'3" and we would like a seat good for long trips that is much lighter than stock and more comfortable. A seat that won't leave the driver/passenger with swamp back after a 45 min spin around the block (so a huge plus if it breathes well. What do the pros and people here who spend way more cash than I can afford run for their best all around set up including the brackets? Any help and pics would be great?? Thanks in advance.

 

I had been looking at doing this as well. I had Recaro's before, loved them. Sparco's look good but never had a set. But - now with our air bags secreated in the sides of our OEM car seats I am not sure if it's a good idea to trade off safety for comfort.

Option 1) MINI makes many different kinds of seat from 02-06. Could be one of those sets "fits" and feels better.

Option 2) Presently I am researching the possibility of having my OEM seats removed, restuffed with larger upper and lower leg bolsters, and re-stitched with new material while still maintaining the integrity of the side impact air bags....

In small cars like the MINI, I feel these are cruitial to driver passenger safety in a T-bone type crash...

 

I am also very interested in replacing my front two on my '05 MCS. I like the look of the Sparcos and you can get one of their base seats for as little as $400 a piece. That's probably what I will go with. Do you need adapters for every aftermarket seat or are there some that can install without?