THE LARGEST BMW 2-SERIES FORUM ON THE PLANET
2Addicts
2Addicts
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum BMW 2 Series (F22) Forum BMW 2 Series Coupe and Cabriolet (F22/F23) General Forum Review: Cobra Nogaro seats (uniquely street friendly fixed back bucket seat)

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      07-30-2018, 12:37 PM   #1
Obioban
Emperor
Obioban's Avatar
1611
Rep
2,753
Posts

Drives: M3, M3, M5, M5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Chester, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 BMW M5  [0.00]
2017 BMW i3  [0.00]
2005 BMW M3 Coupe  [0.00]
2001 BMW M5  [0.00]
Talking Review: Cobra Nogaro seats (uniquely street friendly fixed back bucket seat)

This is installed in my e46, but it really applies to all BMWs equally, so thought I'd post it here, as well.

I am just going to start with pictures, because I know everyone is going to skip to that either way. Please read on, after, as there are a ton of very specific reason why I think this seat is THE best seat on the market for cars that see track and street use-- and quite different that other offerings currently on the market.





































Pretty spectacular, in my opinion!

Seats are a project I have been pondering doing on my car for over a decade. In that time, I’ve run a bunch of different seats in different cars (specifically Sparco Evo IIs, Recaro SPG XLs, and Recaro Pole Positions) and found them all to be unacceptable in a street driven car for a variety of reasons.

I view my car as a tracked street car. Every modification I do to it is done with that priority set in mind. That means I am not willing to do anything that makes the car less safe on the street (which lots of track focused seats do), less practical, or too much of a pain to hop in to go grab milk. In the context of seats, I want to improve the car on track as much as possible, without making it worse on the street.

I also do not want to do anything that degrades the quality of the car. One of my favorite things about the M3 is that it is a high quality, well made object, which uses premium materials.

Safety
My primary concern was not making the car less safe on the street. There are two areas where traditional aftermarket seats negatively impact street safety.
1. The factory 3 point receiver has nowhere to go. This is well exemplified in this picture of the Recaro SPG XL mounted in my M3 wagon (since removed):





Using the factory 3 point receiver, you have to choose between pulling the belt over the top of the side of the seat (which creates a gap between you and the belt—unsafe) or feeding it through the hole—which causes it to jab into your side continuously and be orientated off the load path of the belt. A common solution to this is to run a back seat receiver in the front, but doing so comes at the expense of the factory belt pretensioner functionality, as well as the seat belt buckle sensor. Factory fixed back seats address this by coming either with low sides, like BMW did in the CSL/CRT, or with cutouts specifically designed for the seat belt receiver, like Porsche does with their factory buckets or BMW does in their GTS cars.


CSL seats


CRT seats


Porsche’s every modern car CF bucket


M4 GTS factory seats


If you look at the Nogaros, you will see Cobra went the same route as BMW did with the CSL—the sides are low enough in the seat belt receiver area to allow the belt to pass over the seat, unobstructed. I don’t know of any other fixed back seats on the market that play nicely with the factory 3 point receiver.

2. Many aftermarket fixed back seats have little to no head padding. This was true of the Recaro in my wagon above, and the Evo II I ran in my track car. For race/track use, where you are wearing a helmet, this is fine. For street use, if you get into a crash where you hit your head on the head rest (which is pretty much any front or rear end crash), it is a serious safety issue. Again, if you look at the pictures above, you’ll see that factory fixed back bucket seats always have head padding. On aftermarket seats, this is pretty unusual!

3. The Cobra Nogaro is the ONLY fixed back seat on the market that is approved (by Schroth) to be used with a Quickfit harness. This is a huge improvement in on track safety over the factory 3 point in all crashes, and allows for the use of a Hans device (enabling further safety).

4. For reasons beyond my comprehension, many fixed back bucket seats place the harness pass through holes too low to safely use, for an average sized person. It's like they're designed as a styling feature rather than an actual safety feature. The Nogaro does not suffer that-- no spine compression from too low harness holes here!

Comfort

1. The Nogaro has considerably more padding than any other non factory bucket seat that I have experienced (I’m starting to sense a trend here). This makes it more comfortable to sit in for an extended period of time. That said I had Cobra make me an extra thin bum cushion (that was there terminology for it on the invoice) specifically for track use—allowing me to sit lower, and have the side bolstering be higher relative to my body.
2. The lower sides (which, again, I have only seen on factory fixed back seats besides these) mean ingress and egress are considerably easier. You do not need to have a strategy for getting into and out of the car—you just sit in it, and get out when you are done. When I had the SPG XL in the M3 wagon, my wife refused to drive the car because of the entry exit procedure. She prefers the Nogaro to the stock seats
3. Adjustable lumbar-- In a fixed back bucket seat, installed by Cobra, at the factory. Different people need different amounts of lumbar support, and lumbar support is hugely important to how comfortable and supportive a seat is.

Customization

1. Starting with the obvious, mine were done in Imola leather with Imola thread. This was done by Cobra, at the Cobra factory, on their standard production line—meaning it is 100% factory quality/fitment. Cobra has a number of leather options, and is adding more, but, based on samples they sent me at the time, none were the 100% match to Imola I was looking for. I ended up getting samples from ~15 different leather suppliers before I found one I was happy with (thanks to a recommendation from Braymond141): Relicate. https://relicate.com/ . My experience with other seats makers has always been that they are not willing to work with you at all—any customization has to be done after the sale, by a 3rd party shop—more expensive and likely not as good as factory.
2. Thread spacing. I actually didn’t even think of this on my own—it was Cobra’s idea. They had me take a picture of a tape measure held up against the stock stitching, and then matched it when sewing the seats—meaning the stitching on my seats has the same spacing as the stitching on the door cards/stock seats. A small detail, but also completely awesome, in my opinion!
3. Factory BMW e46 seat heater pads are installed in my seats (also installed by Cobra)! This means they are plug and play with the factory seat wiring harness, and work with the factory seat heater controls in the center stack. Great for brisk spring/fall track days, first thing in the morning, with mandatory windows down!
4. Extra, thin bum cushion. I had Cobra make me an extra bum cushion (their terminology) which is just a piece of neoprene—wrapped in Imola red leather, with BMW seat heater pads. This allows me to sit lower and have more side support while on track, similar to a more track focused bucket seat.
5. Seat occupancy sensor. This is something I didn’t choose to do, as the BMW occupancy sensor tends to be unreliable, but something they were willing to do (so I thought I should mention if others wanted it)—they were more than happy to install this, at the factory, as well. I opted to not get it, and coded the errors. The downside to my approach is that the passenger airbags will go off in a crash, whether there’s a passenger in the seat or not—making a crash more expensive.
6. Adjustable lumbar support. As mentioned above (in the comfort section), I have adjustable lumbar support in my seats. This can be adjusted on the fly by a small hand pump/release valve that I have tucked inside the leather on the tunnel side.
7. The shells are offered in GRP (22 lbs seats) or CF (12 lbs per seat). I opted for GRP because of the price difference… which I might regret one day (I could have had an additional 20 lbs of weight saving with no detriment to functionality/comfort).

Mounting

1. Brey Krause has an upcoming line of Nogaro specific mounts for the e46 (as well as 911s, Caymans, e9Xs, F8Xs/F3Xs, and some other cars), which attach to the factory BMW sliders. Having car specific, seat specific mounts gets you as close to a factory optimized seat setup as you’re going to get. My car was the development car for the e46 mounts, so the version pictured may not be the final production part—but it should be close. I choose to run a power slider on the driver side, for precise adjustment and because it lets you get the seat lower, and a manual slider on the passenger side, for faster back seat access.
2. The Brey Krause side mounts use the factory sliders. Unlike aftermarket sliders, the factory sliders are designed to have seat belts mounted above them—which means the seat belts stay properly located to your body, regardless of seat position (including sub straps, using the Brey Krause sub strap mounts for stock sliders—R-9228 and R-9229). For my car, I went with the factory e46 sedan/wagon sliders, as they add an outboard lap belt mount point (unlike the coupe’s sliders). While this wasn’t necessary, as the Brey Krause lap belt kit (R-9225) can add a lap belt mount point to the coupe sliders, I like factory parts.
3. Using the factory sliders also means the factory 3 point belt receiver on the slider is retained. This means the pretensioner functionality is retained, as well as the “seat belt not buckled” sensor—all of which also goes through the factory seat plug.
4. The factory BMW sliders have ~double the travel of aftermarket sliders. This makes the back seat still useable, both for people or for loading track tires into the back seat.
5. Using the factory slider means no Swiss cheese adapter plate is required—the slider just bolts to the floor of the car, just like stock.
6. Slider slots: The Cobra Nogaro has another unique feature that I have not seen on any other seats—slots in the seat base, that would otherwise be wasted space, to clear the slider. This means the seat can be mounted lower in the car before it runs into interference. As someone who is 6’4, with most of my height in my Torso and often wearing a helmet in the car, this is a huge win for me—this seat will allow me to be in the car without a reclined seat for the first time, ever! I can actually fit an entire fist over my head while sitting in the car, now.




E46 Manual slider with seat installed, with Brey Krause R-9227 manual slider release handle.


E46 Power slider without seat, with sub strap mount showing. Slider is controlled by an e30 window switch—I grabbed a factory e30 window switch wiring harness from an e30 that was getting parted out for an OE plug install. All wiring goes through the factory seat plug, so installing/removing the seat is as easy as with the stock seat—one plug for everything.

Weight savings
Excluding the fire extinguisher, but including the mounts and sliders, I saved 59 lbs—almost exactly the weight of a stock power/leather seat! I did get the GRP buckets—had I ponied up for the carbon buckets, it would have been another ~20 lbs of weight savings. Perhaps equally importantly, the setup lowers the COG. Most of the weight of the seat setup is in the base of the seat (side mounts, sliders, seat base). Additionally, my seating position is a couple inches lower than stock—not an insignificant amount of weight to get mounted lower!

Driving Impressions
Driving in the Nogaro is very similar to other fixed back seats, if you have experienced that. Having your seat bolted directly to the car, instead of sitting on box spring, means you’re much more in touch with what the car is doing at all times. Having a competent suspension becomes more important, but in exchange you are provided with more information about the cars behavior than you could even get from a stock style seat. The seat also holds you in place far better than stock, which means you spend far less time bracing yourself in place and far more time focusing on driving the car. Having a bucket seat doesn’t make the car itself notably faster, but it does enable you to be a faster driver. On track, no contest compared to a stock seat—at no point am I fighting to hold myself in place, as you do with stock seats. They aren’t as supportive as a dedicated race seat, but they almost are—without the huge street tradeoffs associated with a race seat.


Conclusion
This post went on longer than I planned, but seats are a project I have been pondering for years. I wanted to fully flush out how I ended up, where I ended up.

The Cobra Nogaro occupies a unique place in the market, with several benefits over competing seats that are not immediately obvious. For a car that still sees street use, I believe they are the only non OE fixed back bucket seat that comes without significant compromises. The Nogaros gets you 90% of the benefit of a traditional race seat with almost none of the tradeoffs normally associated with a fixed back bucket. Additionally, they’re 100% made in Great Britain—no Chinese parts here! It is the only aftermarket seat that is made with the same priorities that the car manufacturers use when they do fixed back buckets for street driven, track designed cars.

During this process, being the PITA customer that I am (take me to the source!), I’ve fostered a good relationship with the owner of Cobra and the guys at HMS (the US importer for Cobra). If people are interested, I’d be happy to try to organize a group buy on these. Cobra’s racing buckets seem to be quite popular in the club racing crowd, but the Nogaro seems to be almost unheard of in the USA. Given the Nogaros unique feature set, I think this should change. A group buy could be an excellent way to kick them into gear!
__________________

2005 M3 Coupe, 2004 M3 Wagon, 2001 M5 Sedan, 2008 M5 6MT Sedan, 2012 128i M sport

Last edited by Obioban; 07-31-2018 at 06:24 AM..
Appreciate 7
dradernh4179.00
K8_M235i475.50
Maynard3804.50
PLF693762.50
ggggbmw430.00
      07-30-2018, 01:20 PM   #2
dradernh
Brigadier General
dradernh's Avatar
4179
Rep
3,472
Posts

Drives: 2017 M240i
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Ohio

iTrader: (0)

This is a terrific write-up - thanks for detailing your choices and your experience so thoroughly!
__________________
2017 M240i: 23.6K, MT, Sunroof Delete, 3,432#, EB, Leather, Driving Assistance Package, Heated Front Seats | Sold: E12 530i, E24 M635CSi, E39 520i, E30 325is, E36 M3 (2)
TC Kline Coilovers; H&R Front Bar; Wavetrac; Al Subframe Bushings; 18X9/9½ ARC-8s; 255/35-18 PS4S (4); Dinan Elite V2 & CAI; MPerf Orange BBK; Schroth Quick Fit Pro;
GTechniq Crystal Serum Ultra Ceramic; Suntek PPF
Appreciate 0
      07-30-2018, 08:26 PM   #3
WolfGTI
Captain
WolfGTI's Avatar
United_States
689
Rep
908
Posts

Drives: '17 F22,15 E84 M Sport,02 R53
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South NJ

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2017 BMW M240i  [0.00]
2002 MINI Cooper S  [0.00]
2015 BMW X1  [0.00]
Nice write up Mr. L
Appreciate 0
      07-31-2018, 11:38 PM   #4
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

You have no idea how much I appreciate you taking the time to write this up! Seriously, THANK YOU! You get my vote for best 2er forum post ever.

This is something I've been contemplating doing to my 2-series before I even bought it, but all of these points you've addressed are exactly the concerns I had that kept me from going all-in on trying to figure out how to (safely) implement fixed bucket seats.

I'm sold. I also would LOVE to get in on a group buy. I'm down for the CF seat back to maximize weight savings so long as the group buy discount is generous enough to keep it reasonably affordable in the end. Think of it as your first test to see how good these newly established relationships with Cobra and HMS really are. Btw, I don't have experience with Cobra products, but I have purchased from HMS before, and was more than happy with their customer service and the help I received when I rushed to their Mooresville store last minute to buy a helmet and shoes before my first PCA DE a few years ago. Definitely wouldn't mind supporting them again if they can hook it up on these seats!

Please keep us posted on the possible group buy, and thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge with the rest of us!
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      07-31-2018, 11:54 PM   #5
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

Also, one thing I do not believe you addressed was the comfort of the seats in terms of width. Do you (or others) find them to be just right, maybe a bit narrow, wide, etc?

I forgot to mention it before, but the seats look beautiful as does your e46!

I should also take this opportunity to publicly shame BMW for not giving us GTS buckets in the M Performance parts catalog! What gives, BMW? Can you not see the lengths people go through (and the money we are willing to pay) for actual sport buckets in our cars?
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 07:14 AM   #6
Obioban
Emperor
Obioban's Avatar
1611
Rep
2,753
Posts

Drives: M3, M3, M5, M5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Chester, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 BMW M5  [0.00]
2017 BMW i3  [0.00]
2005 BMW M3 Coupe  [0.00]
2001 BMW M5  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
Also, one thing I do not believe you addressed was the comfort of the seats in terms of width. Do you (or others) find them to be just right, maybe a bit narrow, wide, etc?

I forgot to mention it before, but the seats look beautiful as does your e46!

I should also take this opportunity to publicly shame BMW for not giving us GTS buckets in the M Performance parts catalog! What gives, BMW? Can you not see the lengths people go through (and the money we are willing to pay) for actual sport buckets in our cars?
I find them just right. But, for context, I'm a fairly large dude-- 6'4 240.

They're pretty comparable, in size, to the Recaro Profi SPG-XL, if you've sat in one of those.
__________________

2005 M3 Coupe, 2004 M3 Wagon, 2001 M5 Sedan, 2008 M5 6MT Sedan, 2012 128i M sport
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 08:15 AM   #7
K8_M235i
Captain
K8_M235i's Avatar
United_States
476
Rep
599
Posts

Drives: CM E36
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Boston, Ma

iTrader: (0)

Seats will definitely will be an upgrade for me in the future.

I think the stock seats have adequate seat back bolstering, but I think the thigh support could be better. After a day on track my left knee is always sore from bracing against the door handle. I'm a taller guy too
__________________
2015 F80 M3 DCT, Carbon Roof
1998 S54 E36 M3 BMWCCA Club Racing #532 CM
1995 E36 M3 Sunbelt S52
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 12:47 PM   #8
Speedwell-Industries
Speedwell-Industries's Avatar
United_States
434
Rep
884
Posts

Drives: 2017 YMB M3
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Southern California

iTrader: (0)

They look great! Thanks for the review!
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 12:52 PM   #9
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obioban View Post
I find them just right. But, for context, I'm a fairly large dude-- 6'4 240.

They're pretty comparable, in size, to the Recaro Profi SPG-XL, if you've sat in one of those.
Thanks. I'm 5'11" ~190 lbs. with somewhat broad shoulders, but overall pretty "average" proportions. I guess I'll just have to make time for a test fit somehow.

Anyone in the Chicagoland/NW IN region with these seats? Happy to exchange a test fit for a beer.
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 05:27 PM   #10
dradernh
Brigadier General
dradernh's Avatar
4179
Rep
3,472
Posts

Drives: 2017 M240i
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Ohio

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
I guess I'll just have to make time for a test fit somehow.
^ This. Always.

Otherwise, you may end up with a chair you can't stand to sit in.
__________________
2017 M240i: 23.6K, MT, Sunroof Delete, 3,432#, EB, Leather, Driving Assistance Package, Heated Front Seats | Sold: E12 530i, E24 M635CSi, E39 520i, E30 325is, E36 M3 (2)
TC Kline Coilovers; H&R Front Bar; Wavetrac; Al Subframe Bushings; 18X9/9½ ARC-8s; 255/35-18 PS4S (4); Dinan Elite V2 & CAI; MPerf Orange BBK; Schroth Quick Fit Pro;
GTechniq Crystal Serum Ultra Ceramic; Suntek PPF
Appreciate 0
      08-01-2018, 05:38 PM   #11
morphomeman
Major
morphomeman's Avatar
592
Rep
1,215
Posts

Drives: 2015 M235ix
Join Date: May 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
2016 BMW X3  [0.00]
2015 BMW M235ix  [0.00]
Cost?
Appreciate 1
Dylan861330.00
      08-01-2018, 08:12 PM   #12
WolfGTI
Captain
WolfGTI's Avatar
United_States
689
Rep
908
Posts

Drives: '17 F22,15 E84 M Sport,02 R53
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South NJ

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2017 BMW M240i  [0.00]
2002 MINI Cooper S  [0.00]
2015 BMW X1  [0.00]
Drinking lots of milk will make you tall Mr. L


Quote:
Originally Posted by Obioban View Post
I find them just right. But, for context, I'm a fairly large dude-- 6'4 240.
Appreciate 0
      08-02-2018, 03:52 PM   #13
Dylan86
Colonel
Dylan86's Avatar
Canada
1330
Rep
2,214
Posts

Drives: F15d msport, F22 m235i
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: GTA

iTrader: (0)

Very nice, sub'd for future use
__________________
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2018, 01:29 AM   #14
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

This Group Buy is happening!

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=600810

Thank you, Obioban, for putting forth the effort to make this happen.
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2018, 02:00 AM   #15
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

Hey Obioban,

Unfortunately, I am not a member of m3forum.net. Can you start a similar thread here on 2addicts.com/bimmerpost.com to get more attention on it as well as to keep a list of which members are participating?

You can put me down for 2x bare GRP seats to be finished in custom upholstery, but I do have some questions that I'm hoping you or someone else can answer before I'm fully committed:

1. Is the Circuit version (with harness holes) required for use with the Schroth Quick Fit Pro? I noticed the Quick Fit Pro system is advertised to work with standard car seats, but can I assume this is because of the way OEM head rests provide a gap for the shoulder straps to pass through?

2. The seat has slits in the cushion and shell for seamless use with 5/6 point harness, correct?

3. Can I reuse my factory seat sliders from my 2-series with the Brey Krause F3X mounts? Are these easily removed from the OEM seats themselves or would I be better off buying a spare pair OEM sliders so I can keep the original seats 100% intact?

4. Is there any adjustability to the seat height, and if so, is it a fixed position that I have to decide on up front or can it be adjusted on the fly just like the fore/aft position with the factory power sliders?

5. Where can I find perfectly matching black Dakota leather hides?

6. Is their Dynamica fabric just another name for Alcantara? Is it basically the same stuff that all of my M Performance interior bits have or would I be better off trying to find a better match to the specific Alcantara fabric that BMW is using?

7. Do you happen to know who does the painted GRP back shell and how good of a job they would do? My original thought was to send these seats to IND either before or after Cobra does the upholstery work, and that is mainly because I know IND can match Melbourne Red perfectly - I bought their painted mirror caps in Melbourne Red and am very happy with the paint match and quality. If Cobra cannot guarantee a perfect match, I do not want to take my chances @ $350 per seat.

I will probably have more questions, but for now I think that's it...

Thank you again for doing this for us! I'm already stoked.
__________________
CP911

Last edited by CP911; 08-10-2018 at 02:07 AM..
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2018, 06:52 AM   #16
Obioban
Emperor
Obioban's Avatar
1611
Rep
2,753
Posts

Drives: M3, M3, M5, M5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Chester, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 BMW M5  [0.00]
2017 BMW i3  [0.00]
2005 BMW M3 Coupe  [0.00]
2001 BMW M5  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
Hey Obioban,

Unfortunately, I am not a member of m3forum.net. Can you start a similar thread here on 2addicts.com/bimmerpost.com to get more attention on it as well as to keep a list of which members are participating?

You can put me down for 2x bare GRP seats to be finished in custom upholstery, but I do have some questions that I'm hoping you or someone else can answer before I'm fully committed:

1. Is the Circuit version (with harness holes) required for use with the Schroth Quick Fit Pro? I noticed the Quick Fit Pro system is advertised to work with standard car seats, but can I assume this is because of the way OEM head rests provide a gap for the shoulder straps to pass through?

2. The seat has slits in the cushion and shell for seamless use with 5/6 point harness, correct?

3. Can I reuse my factory seat sliders from my 2-series with the Brey Krause F3X mounts? Are these easily removed from the OEM seats themselves or would I be better off buying a spare pair OEM sliders so I can keep the original seats 100% intact?

4. Is there any adjustability to the seat height, and if so, is it a fixed position that I have to decide on up front or can it be adjusted on the fly just like the fore/aft position with the factory power sliders?

5. Where can I find perfectly matching black Dakota leather hides?

6. Is their Dynamica fabric just another name for Alcantara? Is it basically the same stuff that all of my M Performance interior bits have or would I be better off trying to find a better match to the specific Alcantara fabric that BMW is using?

7. Do you happen to know who does the painted GRP back shell and how good of a job they would do? My original thought was to send these seats to IND either before or after Cobra does the upholstery work, and that is mainly because I know IND can match Melbourne Red perfectly - I bought their painted mirror caps in Melbourne Red and am very happy with the paint match and quality. If Cobra cannot guarantee a perfect match, I do not want to take my chances @ $350 per seat.

I will probably have more questions, but for now I think that's it...

Thank you again for doing this for us! I'm already stoked.
I would, but I think it would get me banned. I posted this same thread in the F8X section (which I though was particularly applicable, since their stock seats don't have head rest posts that allow them to use the quick fit) and it got immediately deleted as spam. I contacted a mod asking why, as was told to consider myself lucky it wasn't an infraction-- and that was before I even knew if a GB would be possible!
(to reiterated, I am not employed by Cobra, and do not benefit from them selling more Nogaros)

Anyway, PM me your phone number and email address, and I'll add you to the list. I'd love for the GB to also be over here, but don't think it's feasible.

Questions:

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. You can reuse your power or manual sliders. The manual ones remove pretty easily, the power ones are more difficult. That said, BMW used the same sliders from the Bangle/iDrive cars on, so there's LOTS of cars out there you could source sliders from if you don't want to take your own apart.

4. Seat height can be adjusted, but only by altering which holes it's mounted in-- not on the fly.

My seat was used to develop the BMW mounts for the Brey Krause-- picture of the E9X/F8X mount attached (production version would obviously be black).

5. No idea! I had to get samples from a ton of leather sources before I found one that was a good enough match that I was happy with it (for e46 Imola red, relicate). Were it me, I'd start with getting a sample from Cobra, as if one of their in house suppliers is a good enough match, that's the cheapest and easiest route to go. I snipped samples from the underside of my back seat to send the various places, they send me samples of their best matches back.

6. I believe Dynamica is a different brand of the same type of thing. If you have other Alcantara brand synthetic suede in your car already, I'd send them Alcantara brand synthetic suede in the same color. If you don't, I'd go with the Dynamica.

7. I don't know who does it, but I'm sure they just use the paint code and spray. Matching paint is difficult on body panels is difficult because the slightly difference is immediately noticeable when side by side, and the stock panels fade over time in the sun. When painting interior bits, I'm sure they just spray the paint code (which tells them how to match the color as it sprayed on in the factory) and call it good. I would expect zero difference between Cobra's and IND's ability to do that.
Attached Images
 
__________________

2005 M3 Coupe, 2004 M3 Wagon, 2001 M5 Sedan, 2008 M5 6MT Sedan, 2012 128i M sport
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2018, 09:28 AM   #17
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

You are most helpful, sir.

I really hope the mods would not ban a thread like this, which is easily the most helpful and enjoyable thread I've come across as a 2er owner. If they do, I think it's time I delete the app from my phone and spend less of my life on the internet.

Please keep it classy, bimmerpost.
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-12-2018, 11:38 PM   #18
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

Wanted to come back to this thread and share where I was able to find matching BMW Dakota leather hides as well as authentic Alcantara fabric, in case anyone else out there is thinking about a custom reupholstered bucket seat:

https://relicate.com/

I ordered a bunch of samples from them to ensure everything will match as they say, but seems like the real deal from what I can tell.

I am absolutely thrilled over the thought of custom Dakota + Alcantara buckets that will match my OEM interior. I'm even going to try and incorporate the white "X" stitching that all of my M Performance bits have.
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      08-20-2018, 07:18 AM   #19
Obioban
Emperor
Obioban's Avatar
1611
Rep
2,753
Posts

Drives: M3, M3, M5, M5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Chester, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2008 BMW M5  [0.00]
2017 BMW i3  [0.00]
2005 BMW M3 Coupe  [0.00]
2001 BMW M5  [0.00]
Magic hour shot at NJMSP yesterday.

__________________

2005 M3 Coupe, 2004 M3 Wagon, 2001 M5 Sedan, 2008 M5 6MT Sedan, 2012 128i M sport
Appreciate 1
      08-20-2018, 07:06 PM   #20
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      01-07-2019, 11:09 PM   #21
CP911
Major
United_States
986
Rep
1,241
Posts

Drives: '18 M240i 6-speed Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: NW Indiana

iTrader: (0)

Any other 2-series owners lurking with these seats in their car? I know people are finally starting to get them from the group-buy that was set up on a different online forum. I ended up joining the party, and just today Cobra gave me the update that they received the cloth fabric and leather I ordered from West Trading. Very excited to get these seats in after all the daydreaming and waiting. Review w/ lots of pics coming soon!

If you have them in your car already, please show us what ya got!
__________________
CP911
Appreciate 0
      01-15-2021, 12:58 PM   #22
SM2
Major
SM2's Avatar
United_States
717
Rep
1,292
Posts

Drives: 2015 Audi S6 | 2017 BMW M2 | 2
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: WI

iTrader: (0)

Thanks for the write up! I'm torn between these and the sportster seats when I get an E90 M3 one day. The Cobra seats are the best match for the M3 CRT seats which I really like! I Don't know that I will be able to afford the carbon seats but should at least be close to the M3 CRT seats.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:07 AM.




2addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST