Hello all, I'm currently in the process of fine tuning my 100 (02' LX470) and getting all the little niggles worked out. I removed my running boards and am falling back in love with my truck, but that's when I'm outside it. I'm a smaller/younger driver and I honestly don't fit well in the seats. My buddy has an 80 with the manual leather seats and they fit like a snug glove. The factory seats in the LC100 and LX470 just look ridiculous and are almost completely huge, flat blocks of foam and leather. They give me absolutely 0 support and as soon as the ship starts rocking you'd better grab on tight or you're goin' flying. When I drive around I can feel my body awkwardly slumped in the seat and my spine assuming an S shape. I'm aching by the time I get out. Worse yet, the seats are mounted so blummin high that the front of the bottom cushion pinches my veins behind my knee so I'm constantly losing blood flow after 5 minutes of driving. When I test drove the truck I must've been so overwhelmed by being back in an LC I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm now sitting here missing my E46's low slung buckets that make you feel like you're sitting on the floor of an F1 car. I've seen the 80s with the Bim seats and just yesterday somebody in a wrangler drove by me with E46 seats and that finally did it. How the hell can I do this? I can source a seat and remove/install new ones myself, BUT I cannot fabricate anything. Anyone know anyone around Boston who could hook up some BMW E46 seat brackets for a 100? The seats are completely ruining the truck for me! I can't believe I'm saying this but I seriously think I'll have to sell the truck if I can't figure out some other seats because they are genuinely painful for me to ride around in. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Aftermarket Seats for 100s (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter landy470
- Start date
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Get your bracket here
www.plantedtechnology.com
Then find a way to mount E46 seats onto it. Splice into the wiring harness and you should be able to power them.
Planted Seat Bracket- Toyota Land Cruiser [J100 Series] (1998-2007) - Driver / Left
Planted Seat Bracket- Toyota Land Cruiser [J100 Series] (1998-2007) - Driver / Left The Planted Seat Bracket is a vehicle specific bracket used as an adapter between the floor of the vehicle and an aftermarket seat and it's accessories. Because the floor of each vehicle varies and typically is...
www.plantedtechnology.com
Then find a way to mount E46 seats onto it. Splice into the wiring harness and you should be able to power them.
Look into Scheel-Mann seats. The Vario and the Traveler seem to be popular. Pricey but the people who have them say they’re worth it.
aging fleet
SILVER Star
I'd love something with more side bolster and a longer seat bottom, but it doesn't seem worth the effort and expense given the airbags and seat heaters. Let us know what you end up doing.
IIRC @atnolan94 swapped out his for some BMW ones.
I find the stock seats to be very comfortable, i'm small too, 5'7 145lbs, tried and tested on my 8000 mile journey last year. Hemorrhoids didn't flare up and my scoliosis was in check, i'd chalk that up as a win. I think i'll keep these seats and reupholster them when they get beat up. I plan on putting some racing seats into my Benz though, that's way more involved since the seat belt is attached to the seats and there's an airline that goes into it to power the massaging feature, not to mention the seat occupancy sensor.
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
Yeah I run Honda S2000 seats in my 2000 LC. Just unplugged the old seat and made some custom brackets to mount them.
Sucks about the seats not working for you.
I've wondered about swapping in a set of LX570 seats to an older cruiser if the airbags didn't go off in whatever accident caused me to be able to get a set.
I've wondered about swapping in a set of LX570 seats to an older cruiser if the airbags didn't go off in whatever accident caused me to be able to get a set.
He is an 02 so I don't believe that he has an airbag to worry about. If someone was up for the challenge, the BMW 7 series seats that Johnathan Ward swaps into his 80 series resto mods have started to peak my interests. I went with a Recaro Expert M and love it. A very similar seat to the one that Spressomon has.
Can a shop add new foam for the comfort piece and then also shape it to help keep you place as well?
FYI for me, my old 2013 VW GTI had the best seats I have ever sat in. That was not just my sentiment, almost everyone that sat in the car mentioned the seat comfort. Unfortunately, My LXs seats are not comfortable and I have a feeling that 200K of daily use by the previous owner has made the cushions no longer effective.
FYI for me, my old 2013 VW GTI had the best seats I have ever sat in. That was not just my sentiment, almost everyone that sat in the car mentioned the seat comfort. Unfortunately, My LXs seats are not comfortable and I have a feeling that 200K of daily use by the previous owner has made the cushions no longer effective.
hoser
SILVER Star
I've owned an E46 M3 before and though I did like the seats... I don't think they are appropriate for a 100. Low slung mean less outward visibility and high bolster means more difficult to get in/out... which I seem to do when trying to navigate this big girl on trails. And I'm not really pulling lateral g's on this vehicle and need that kind of support.
You should be able to adjust the seat so that your legs aren't falling asleep. The seats move up down, tilt every direction and won't restrict the overall placement of your body any more than another seat.
Now, if you want bolsters, extended thigh supports or a "sitting on the floor" position then another seat is needed. If you're short, though, you may not be able to lower much more before losing visibility over the wheel and creating a new problem.
It sounds like you might not like the common SUV/truck driving position, which is inherently more upright with legs dangling below your waist. In an E46, I'm sure your legs are closer to horizontal. A new seat won't really change that unless you're very tall and can put the new seat bottom much lower and still peak your head over the steering wheel. The dashboard, floor and pedals are where they are. Can't move those (practically).
Haha, yes. If you need bolster support in your 100, you're driving it very differently than me.
Now, if you want bolsters, extended thigh supports or a "sitting on the floor" position then another seat is needed. If you're short, though, you may not be able to lower much more before losing visibility over the wheel and creating a new problem.
It sounds like you might not like the common SUV/truck driving position, which is inherently more upright with legs dangling below your waist. In an E46, I'm sure your legs are closer to horizontal. A new seat won't really change that unless you're very tall and can put the new seat bottom much lower and still peak your head over the steering wheel. The dashboard, floor and pedals are where they are. Can't move those (practically).
Haha, yes. If you need bolster support in your 100, you're driving it very differently than me.
Perhaps OP is off cambered and is about to roll the truck, side bolsters would help him from falling out of the seat. heh
The 100 seats are the comfiest I’ve had. Have done a number of 10-12 hour drives and my body feels fine/good afterwards. I’m average height though.
if I was changing seats I wouldn’t consider anything less than Scheelman or Recaro. unless you’ve done a lot of seat time in something that would work and know they’re a good fit those are the safest bets.
If the Scheelman or Recaros don’t work you’ll be able to resell them without losing much $.
if I was changing seats I wouldn’t consider anything less than Scheelman or Recaro. unless you’ve done a lot of seat time in something that would work and know they’re a good fit those are the safest bets.
If the Scheelman or Recaros don’t work you’ll be able to resell them without losing much $.
- Thread starter
- #16
Wow didn't get a notification for all the responses so I want to thank everyone for replies! I'm trying to go the most affordable route, not cheap though so I want it to look good. From my experience wheeling the barge and spending gobs of time on pavement I can safely say I have excellent visibility that wouldn't be impaired by dropping the seat 2-3 inches to get me closer to the ground (and decrease the center of gravity). Believe me I understand I sound dumb talking about COG, weight, and handling on an LC, but I drive a lot and the little changes I've made have been seriously noticeable. Just removing the third row seats saves over 100 pounds, but more importantly those 100lbs are mounted high and at the sides of the vehicle which is horrible for balance. After removal the LX cornered notably better and I could see out the back windows as an added plus. Regardless, having the seat lower to the ground would be comfier. For me, the LX/LC seats are super comfy when you're not moving. As soon as I turn in I do the cha cha slide across the seat and have to readjust my crooked back every couple minutes. I spent a lot of time in BM seats and they definitely are what I want, ideally a manual slider out of an e46. Now, if I got the plantedtech brackets or some other ones mentioned here, is it just a matter of bolting everything up? Or would welding and cutting be in order? I don't want a scratch on the truck, but am happy to drill holes in the bracket or BM seat. This is just in case I want/need to go back to stock. Thanks again!
Any update? I have e46 M3 seats I am not using and would be interested in putting them in my LC.
I’ve got 4 Scheelmanns in my LX and think they’re great. I’ve had Recaros & Koenig seats in my previous cars and these are as comfortable as those for sure.
Post pics please! Very interested.
E46 M3 seats are the worst of any M3 IMO...
I want to use the e38 seats Jonathan Ward does in his builds, but I'll never go through with it, lol.
I want to use the e38 seats Jonathan Ward does in his builds, but I'll never go through with it, lol.
