Racing Seats in 500E? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

need2speed · #1 01-27-2003, 05:54 PM

Anyone fitted Recaro, Sparco or other racing seats in their 500E? If so, which model of seats and where did you get brackets?

So far I've priced out Recaro's SRD and Pole Position but am concerned they may be too wide. Sparco Rev is narrower but I'd prefer Recaro.

Appreciate hearing about anyone's experiences!

Ashman · #2 01-27-2003, 09:07 PM

I know someone with corbeau seats in his c230k.

Havent seen any for a w124

ALon

omegabenz · #3 01-27-2003, 09:57 PM

sparco is all about their name. I dont like their seats. Momo is good stuff, but they dont really care much about anything but motorsports. Their seats are very nice though. Corbeau seats are extremely nice for the money. I have sat in recaro leather racing seats, people think you will slip out, but the faster you drive around corners, the more they hold you. I have also sat in recaro seats which came stock in the 2000 mustang cobra R, they are pretty nice to, but in a benz I would go leather, or I would make it match your roll bar.

Take care,

E DREAM · #4 01-27-2003, 10:19 PM

I think someone on the former B_NZSPORT site had 4 white Recaros in a black E420

ke6dcj · #5 01-28-2003, 06:29 PM

Did you check the Recaro website? I believe they have an "application" list for the W124 cars (you have to scroll down).

:-) neil

omegabenz · #6 01-28-2003, 08:59 PM

http://www.recaro.com/englisch/index_frames.html

They have all kinds of options for Mercedes Benz, W123, W201, W124, W210, etc... I am thinking about getting some for my coupe =).

They have car seats for babys, I think when I have kids, Ill have to get those.

Dean, maybe we could do a group buy.

need2speed · #7 01-28-2003, 09:28 PM

I find the Recaro site to be the worst! Their Seat Guide gives no specs at all...

By checking under seat adapters I found a list of "sport" seats that would seem to fit the W124, if having an adapter means it fits the car, but neither the racing shells or even the SRD seats are mentioned.

There seems to be a few pricing tricks to watch for. Recaro has a higher list price than Sparco, but Sparco charges extra for side brackets while Recaro includes them n/c. Sparco, OTOH, has lots of lumbar and support cushions available but Recaro doesn't list any accessories for the racing seats.

Both Sparco and Recaro can use the same adaptor, made by Wedge Engineering, to mate the side brackets to the stock W124 seat sliders. That's good news at only $60 each!

ke6dcj · #8 01-28-2003, 10:56 PM

Dean- let us know what you find out. I think I'd like to get at least one, if not two, for my track days.

:-) neil

need2speed · #9 02-27-2003, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by need2speed
Both Sparco and Recaro can use the same adaptor, made by Wedge Engineering, to mate the side brackets to the stock W124 seat sliders. That's good news at only $60 each!

Update: the Wedge brackets arrived and I installed the front passenger set today. They bolt right up to the stock seat rails and retain the power forward/back and tilt adjustments....sweet!

Still unsure about which seats will fit best. Seems the door pillars will get in the way of anything wider than 52cm from moving back as far as possible. My short list is:
Momo Nascar (narrowest)
Recaro Pole Position (OE manufacturer)
Sparco WRC Pro (nicest)
Sparco Rev (best price)

#10 02-27-2003, 02:40 PM

I dont have a 500E, but I have Recaro seats in both my evo2 and my slk

Here are the pix

need2speed · #11 03-08-2003, 08:36 PM

Update:

The pre-drilled holes in the Wedge adapters are spaced 16 in (406mm) side to side and 235mm / 260mm front to back. So far the only seats I've found that match this bracket spacing are Recaro SPG and SPA racing shells. Looks like I'll be buying those Recaros!

Beware though...many other seat manufacturers recommend or sell the Wedge adaptor (you can tell when they use #404 in the part number) then tell you to have an "adapter for the adapter" custom-built to fit their bracket dimensions (thats what Sparco USA head office told me!!).

These Wedge pieces were designed for certain Recaros only and the seats are part of your safety system...not advisable to have unneccesary pieces and welds that can fail in a crash!

BTW, in another thread I was complaining that removing the stock seats disables the SRS system when you disconnect the seatbelt wiring. I've found you can actually leave the stock seatbelts connected with the racing shells installed, which keeps the SRS functioning and still allows you to use the stock belts for daily driving. Thanks to blackmercedes for the suggestion.

Here is a pic of the Recaro SPG (just like EVOII Racer has in his SLK):

#12 03-15-2003, 07:56 PM

They look very cool.

Do you have a black interior?

Are there options for the trim on the Recaro?

Matt.

Willie · #13 03-17-2003, 12:01 PM

Dean and others interested in the Recaro SPG:

Please note that it is recommended for small/medium build due to its narrow configuration. It's perfect for me for track use but I find it difficult to ingress/egress for street use. Here's the info I found comparing the Recaro SPG (fiberglass) and SPA (kevlar) with the Recaro Pole Position:

Technical Details:

SPG/SPA Pole Position
Seat Height 810 mm 840 mm
Seat Width 395 mm 430 mm
Seat Weight 6.3 kg 6.5 kg
Fixing Width 406 mm 436 mm

Itgb · #14 03-18-2003, 02:08 AM

Willie or anyone else,

would you happen to know the weight of the Recaro SRD? I've searched everywhere and found nothing.

Thanks,
Giancarlo

omegabenz · #15 03-23-2003, 05:39 AM

I have just learned if someone makes a seat rail bracket for the seat buy it, it's worth the money. It took me 40 hours to put some mercedes seats into a ford festiva =) (friend is being economical until he can afford the G500 which is pretty soon) because I had to make the frame rails, but not everyeone has a CNC mill and TIG/MIG welder at their disposal. I say that if seat rails cost $200 it's probably a good deal.

Best of luck Dean.