Not a problem.... glad you got it worked out.


Mark

 

Try the seat bolt spacer trick. There are a few threads posted on this mod if you look around. Basically, put spacers on the seat bolts between the floor and the seat to adjust the forward and rear tilt of the seat bottom. As you're aware, the seat bolts are long and have plenty of room for spacers. This mod works for the front bolts, but check the location of the rear bolts relative to each other, this mod may not work if they're not aligned.

 

I think that I have the seat tilt correct now. I just need to lower the whole seat. I think that what you suggest will raise the seat or parts of it. Maybe cut a hole in the floor . No, just kidding. I am looking at changing the mounting locations on the Recaro seat rails....

 

Well,
Part 2 is done successfully, I might add I now have 2 JCW Recaro seats in my Mini; black on black. Looks fantastic and they ride even better

The installation of the passenger sest is not really that much different from the driver's seat. You will still need to transfer the cable that runs between the yellow connector and the black connector. This time the added wire that comes with the US version is for connecting to the pressure sensor wires.

But first, disconnect the battery

The pressure sensor is not a big problem; just time consuming. The seat bottoms from both seats need to be removed. On the Recaro seat the cover is held on with Velcro-like fastener along each seam that goes across the seat. You will need to use something like a screwdriver to separate it, otherwise you will rip it out. If you do rip it out, silicon glue is good for putting it back in (well, guess what I did ). For the two seams that go from the front to back of the seat, they use red (on mine) clip-like fasteners that can be popped open with a screwdriver.

The US seats also have fasteners along the seams. But in this case they are metal rings that hook between the seat cover seam and metal rod inbedded in the foam cushion. I used needle nose pliers to rotate the rings so the ends could be popped off the rod. Again, I held the rod down with my fingers so I would not pull it out of the foam.

The pressure sensor is combined with the seat heater and it is all glued to the foam cushion. It peeled off easilly enough. I took all of it off, including the "ears" that go over the seat sides.

I also carved out a spot at the back of the foam cushion on the Recaro seat to allow the electronic box that is part of the pressure sensor to fit in and not poke the rider in the backside .

Once that was done, lay out the pressure sensor over the Recaro seat cushion, fitting it into the grooves for the seat cover seams. Run the wires down under the cushion and out though one of the holes in the seat bottom. Use the hole that will line up best with the black connector box because the seat heater wires from the US seat are a little short.

Put the seat cover back on. Bolt the seat bottom back onto the seat frame. Now, to accommodate the shorter wire for the seat heater, I disconnect the black connector box from the seat frame and relocated it a little further back. I was able to clip it back on to the bracket without having to make any modifications. You will need to do this before the seat bottom is bolted to the seat frame. You will find that the seat bottom shape will hold the black connector box in place.

You will need to reinstall all of the connectors into the yellow connector box and plug the pressure sensor wire into the respective plug that you transferred from the US seat.

Put the rest of the seat together the same as the drivers seat and install it into the car. Remember to plug it in and reconnect the battery.

Climb into the drivers seat and take someone for a ride

Hope this helps the next person that is crazy enough to buy a pair of these fantastic seats. It is not an hard install. It took me about 3 hours... If you can change your brake pads, you can do this...

 

Apologies for digging up a 3 year old thread, but wanted to say thanks to orangecrush and eddie07s. Your detailed descriptions made installing my JCW euro seats much easier.

However, taking apart my brand-new recaro passenger seat was very, very nerve-racking and killer on my finger tips.

But thanks again to everyone in this thread (and the few others) posting about their experience … now to the track!

 

Wow, I can't believe it has been 3 years since I did this. And glad this thread helped you. They are great seats.

FWIW, I got a set of the Schroth Quick Fit harnesses to go with the seats for out on the track. The fit great with Recaros and just add to the driving experience.

I see you are from the Bay area. Are you acquainted with Btwyx?
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...the-track.html

 

I just picked up a set of those harnesses pre-owned b/c of your comment. The full rollcage/harnesses were a bit out of budget for this year after the seats, but I'm excited to try them out when they arrive!

I've only been in the area 6 months (moved from Boston) But judging by his profile Btwyx lives close to me, his track write ups are great, hopefully I'll run into him at an event or at the track in the future!