I need some seats.

[redneck truck]

I'm sick of these defective, sloppy, ugly seats in my a6, and I'm ready for some new ones. Anybody have any good leads?

[4ringAR]

Once I get everything engine-related sorted out Im going to be putting in B7 S4 Recaros. I will need to figure out wiring and brackets, but I will post everything I do so others can follow my footsteps, might be something for you to consider if youre not in a huge rush.(or you can help me figure out how to do the conversion, if you decided to go the same way before I get to deep in it)

[redneck truck]

I can certainly help with the development, even if its only coming up with ideas and having parts machined. Might be cheaper to import some euro RS6 seats though :-\

[4ringAR]

Yeah, B6/B7 S4 seats look very similar to the Euro C5 Recaros, but are more available here in the US, and if nothing else shipping will be cheaper!

Designing and making the brackets shouldnt be too difficult for me. I can weld and know people that can probably machine parts for me if I need to. I just need to pull the front seats to get dimensions and figure out the best way to fit the two togther. But wiring...haha...I have the wiring diagrams for both seats, I just need to figure out how to splice them together. But, Im waiting to get the car running 100% before I get knee deep in the seats project.

I can say, just from sitting in these seats in my room, they are WAY more supportive than the stock allroad seats(Which I assume are similar to those in the regular A6)

[redneck truck]

Only potential hang-up I can see is varying signals with seat control memory. But keep me posted, I'm very interested in this.

[4ringAR]

I know B6/B7 seats have been retrofitted in a C5 before, but it was not documented. I think I read that there was an issue with the airbag light(probably could be resolved with a resistor), I dont know about the memory though.

[v8a6]

Only potential hang-up I can see is varying signals with seat control memory. But keep me posted, I'm very interested in this.

What is your budget? The Euro Recaros were definitely one of my best mods. eBay.de always has a bunch of them
http://www.ebay.de/itm/RECARO-Ledera...item43b8291c70

You are probably looking at $2500-$3000 for the lower priced sets by the time they get here. The more rare ones with lighter colours and/or Alancantara go for a lot more.

[JediJoker7169]

I think the ultimate front seats would be D2 S8 sport seats. What I don't know is whether or not they fit.

[v8a6]

I think the ultimate front seats would be D2 S8 sport seats. What I don't know is whether or not they fit.

How would those be nicer than the C5 A6/S6/RS6 Recaros? I sat in a set of A6 sport seats a few months ago. I was expecting them to be close to my Recaros, and they actually felt cheap and uncomfortable. They were nowhere close. You really cant compare the Recaros to any of the Audi sport seats, IMHO.

[mithril]

Might be cheaper to import some euro RS6 seats though :-\

If you mean the Recaros, the only difference between the RS6 seats and the S6 seats is the opposite colour piping and the embossed RS6 logo. No need to limit yourself to RS6 seats unless you really want the logo as seats themselves are otherwise the same.

The European upgraded seats are identical to our Sport seats. They were considered the upgrade option in Europe as they have seat memory which the Recaro's don't. I wanted Recaro's for my old A6, and part of me still wants them, but the S6 is both my wife and my DD and our only vehicle so the memory seats are too useful and convenient to give up. First world problems I know...

[redneck truck]

Yes, i meant the recaros. Think it'd be possible to retrofit seat memory to the euro recaros?

[4ringAR]

I think you would be able to, if you can get the signal out to the memory unit. The memory unit is not integral in the seats, which is why I think yes.

[Sparkstack]

You'd need to swap all the motors also.

[rollerton]

Just for your consideration; I can tell you from experience that MK4 VW ReCaros have very similar mounts to the C5. I'm sure the dimensions are different but the mount system is built the same system: a roller on each side on the rear and a central front mount. no memory seating option I dont think, and pretty rare to even find them heated. But definitely decent OEM seats for the price. Only mention because I wonder if you could fit the VW seat to the C5 "mount" .
here's the mount:

[rollerton]

Also...these look Ok. ?

Cheap recaro seats that you might want to buy

[4rings2turbos]

^lol

Those MKIV seats are decent! I'd love to say that an all black interior conversion is in the cards for one of my allroads, but I'm not sure I'll go that far, I'd consider those seats if I do! Want to throw in an S6 headliner for sure though.

The allroad seats def have more support than the base A6 seat, not a ton more, but it's noticeable.

[Scotty@Advanced]

The European upgraded seats are identical to our Sport seats. They were considered the upgrade option in Europe as they have seat memory which the Recaro's don't. I wanted Recaro's for my old A6, and part of me still wants them, but the S6 is both my wife and my DD and our only vehicle so the memory seats are too useful and convenient to give up. First world problems I know...

Most of the European sport seats (non recaro) that I have seen are half power. If i remember only the bottom was power the recline was a knob. Also there was a rumor that the later 03/04/05 recaro seats had memory but my memory is fuzzy on that.

[JediJoker7169]

How would those be nicer than the C5 A6/S6/RS6 Recaros? I sat in a set of A6 sport seats a few months ago. I was expecting them to be close to my Recaros, and they actually felt cheap and uncomfortable.

The D2 S8 sport seats are much nicer than the C5 A6/S6/RS6 sport seats:

[audifirst]

here are my Euro sport seats I have them for 5 months now, love them very much , do not miss leather anymore..

[redneck truck]

Almost bought some Saturn Ion Redline seats for $300 today. Until I realized they were Saturn, not Audi like he said. Still, they were really comfy!

[durfA4]

Almost bought some Saturn Ion Redline seats for $300 today. Until I realized they were Saturn, not Audi like he said. Still, they were really comfy!

Off topic
I installed those seats in a jeep Cherokee
[IMG][/IMG]

[redneck truck]

I saw someone post about that exact conversion when I googled it at the seller's shop today. Was that you? I wonder if you're the only one to date. The automotive world is a small world, isn't it?

[v8a6]

Just go Recarooooooo

[JediJoker7169]

By the way, the D2 S8 sport seats are Recaros, have full power (including headrest) with lumbar and heat, and are already wired for 4 memory positions:



They might even be plug-and-play, especially if also swapping in the D2 memory module. I've heard that the rails are shared between the C5 and the D2, so that's a step in the right direction. It is possible, though, that the D2 seats are simply too wide to fit in the C5 interior. I might end up being the guinea pig for this, unless someone has done it and isn't sharing.

[redneck truck]

Here's the problem: one of the things I can't stand about my seats is that they weigh 300 pounds. I doubt those recaros are much better!

[v8a6]

By the way, the D2 S8 sport seats are Recaros, have full power (including headrest) with lumbar and heat, and are already wired for 4 memory positions:



They might even be plug-and-play, especially if also swapping in the D2 memory module. I've heard that the rails are shared between the C5 and the D2, so that's a step in the right direction. It is possible, though, that the D2 seats are simply too wide to fit in the C5 interior. I might end up being the guinea pig for this, unless someone has done it and isn't sharing.

Wow, I had no idea. Interested to see if this works out.

[v8a6]

Here's the problem: one of the things I can't stand about my seats is that they weigh 300 pounds. I doubt those recaros are much better!

Yeah, I think they are pretty much the same. I didnt weight them, but remember both the stockers and the Recaros were a pain to move around.

[A62TURBO]

What seats do you currently have redneck?

[mithril]

Yeah, I think they are pretty much the same. I didnt weight them, but remember both the stockers and the Recaros were a pain to move around.

That's the funny thing, I don't think they're really allll that heavy. I pulled my sport seats out last week to fix some issues wit the buttons (had to replace a broken button on the passenger seat and a missing screw on the drivers) and I'd guess they were about 80 - 85lbs each. I remember being surprised at how little my old Corrado Recaro's weighed as well. Our C5 seats look like they should be heavy based on how thick and chunky they are (especially those Recaro's!!) but they're not that bad.

[v8a6]

That's the funny thing, I don't think they're really allll that heavy. I pulled my sport seats out last week to fix some issues wit the buttons (had to replace a broken button on the passenger seat and a missing screw on the drivers) and I'd guess they were about 80 - 85lbs each. I remember being surprised at how little my old Corrado Recaro's weighed as well. Our C5 seats look like they should be heavy based on how thick and chunky they are (especially those Recaro's!!) but they're not that bad.

Agreed

[redneck truck]

Isn't 85 lbs a lot? That's twice what a subframe weighs!!

[mithril]

Not really. When I swapped my Corrado seats way back when I weighed both stock Corrado sports and OEM Corrado Recaro's out at about 70lbs. There's an awful lot more to a C5 seat than a Corrado seat (airbags and more motors for example) so I think they're actually pretty light all things considered. Sure a fiberglass or CF racing shell will weight alot less, but they're also designed for a difference application.

[redneck truck]

The weight is in the steel frame and the adjustment, not in the accessories. Wish I could make them out of something else and still have them be safe.

[A62TURBO]

The car is a pig anyway, what's the difference if you save a few pounds in the seats?

[mithril]

The car is a pig anyway, what's the difference if you save a few pounds in the seats?

That's kind of my take on it too. I get where RT is going with this, but ultimately we all drive 2 ton luxo-yachts not anorexic track day weapons.

[redneck truck]

Yeah, that's true. I just figure the car will continue to age and the plastic will become more brittle and the foam will deteriorate, so if I'm going to start yanking out bits and pieces, I might as well do so with a goal in mind. Nobody's ever really bothered to see just how much weight can be shed from one of these cars, but I've heard of people getting E39 540I BMWs down under 3,000 pounds. Wouldn't that be fun?

[v8a6]

Yeah, that's true. I just figure the car will continue to age and the plastic will become more brittle and the foam will deteriorate, so if I'm going to start yanking out bits and pieces, I might as well do so with a goal in mind. Nobody's ever really bothered to see just how much weight can be shed from one of these cars, but I've heard of people getting E39 540I BMWs down under 3,000 pounds. Wouldn't that be fun?

I considered other options before I got mine, but the lack of compatible side airbags in almost all options (all affordable ones anyway) really limited my choices.

[Scotty@Advanced]

Yeah, that's true. I just figure the car will continue to age and the plastic will become more brittle and the foam will deteriorate, so if I'm going to start yanking out bits and pieces, I might as well do so with a goal in mind. Nobody's ever really bothered to see just how much weight can be shed from one of these cars, but I've heard of people getting E39 540I BMWs down under 3,000 pounds. Wouldn't that be fun?

Not if it means loosing the comfort and convenience of owning a C5. Take the car for what it is a luxo cruiser made to do 130 mph on the autobahn all day long while keeping you comfy. If you wanted stripped down roundy round racer there are far better cars suited for that task, and use the C5 as a towing vehicle.

[CALL AAA]

Have you guys used copartfinder.com? The site lists cars in junkyards. You can search by make/model and see pictures of the car and the date it was brought in. Ther's contact info to call a junkyard and find out if a giben part is still there. You just have to call the yard and see of the part is still in the car. Sometimes you have to call several places to track down a lart. But sometimes they will remove and ship for you. I don't know about seats, but I have had good luck with suspension parts, MAFs and stuff like that.

[_aegis_]

... I... I suddenly want me some fucking D2 S8 seats. I think the biggest headache for me (personally) would be figuring-out what to run as the back seats (avant vs. sedan)...