[brentseay]

Would you guys remove rear seats + heated/power passenger seat in a 335i saloon for race days? I've restored an E36 interior from the ground up and the E90 looks very similar. I think it could save 100 lbs?

Also, how would you prevent CEL/SRS lights with an unconnected passenger seat? I know about disconnecting the negative terminal before messing with wiring but what about reconnecting negative with no passenger seat installed? Do you need to fool/loop the SRS into thinking the seat is installed?

Brent

[The HACK]

In my personal opinion, if you're going to THAT sort of extremes then you should just leave the seats out, put a set of cages in and a race bucket seat.

[Martin_hbg]

HP Autowerks has a solution for the CEL/SRS lights. I have been considering this as well as with Helmet on I do not have enough headroom.

[brentseay]

Originally Posted by The HACK

In my personal opinion, if you're going to THAT sort of extremes then you should just leave the seats out, put a set of cages in and a race bucket seat.

Well it's not really an extreme. It's a few bolts and some lifting. I'd say an hour tops. Spend that time before/after a race and you're back to natural. I think that hour would be worth it. Not really any modification going on. No need for extremes like cages and race seats.

Brent

[Martin_hbg]

I know Mr.5 recently bought a Recaro Pole Position for track days. I am sure he will read this and hopefully he can share with us what he has done and how much work it is to install/remove the seat.

[Fun Drive]

how much will this help

[Martin_hbg]

At the lowest setting it is supposedly 3" lower than stock.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...+pole+position

[I335]

If I raced my car I would certainly pull the seats and maybe a bit more if I could to save as much weight as possible. That's a pretty significant amount of weight and I'm sure it will help...

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by brentseay

Well it's not really an extreme. It's a few bolts and some lifting. I'd say an hour tops. Spend that time before/after a race and you're back to natural. I think that hour would be worth it. Not really any modification going on. No need for extremes like cages and race seats.

Brent

First of all, don't take this the wrong way. But if you are racing? Take the seats out, bolt a cage in. Don't mess with safety equipment when it comes to real racing.

If by "racing" you mean a night at the strip? You'll need to remove SIGNIFICANT weight, like in the 200+ range, to see any significant changes in time. So in my opinion, it's an hour of work wasted for very little to no gain.

If by "racing" you mean a weekend at a DE? I'd have to question the return on investment again. Would having 50 lbs less in the back REALLY make your driving that much better or allow you to chase down that E30 325i driven by the chief instructor? If not, I'd rather spend that hour in getting OTHER area of the car prepped correctly, like getting the tires and brakes sorted out, tire pressure set, and rebound/compression set to a baseline, plus running the track mentally through my head. Again, any of the above listed items will go a longer way than removing 50-100 lbs worth of stuff from the car.

If by "racing" you mean a RedLine Time Trial type competition, then again, you are better off just removing it and leaving it out.

Just my not so humble opinion.

[SloMaroZ]

i'm not sure where your driving skill is at, but you might not be shaving any time off. infact, if you unbalance your car left to right you may have a negative effect on your track performance. unless you're racing an oval that is.

[type rrr]

removing passenger seat will trigger srs light.....so how do we reset it !!!

[ixm3]

I don't see any downside to dropping weight for a Motorsport activity if you have the time/ need to put it back for street use to maintain comfort.

You can deal with the error lights with a Macht schnell oc3 module (which I happen to have for sale at a great price).

Regardless of your skill level, IMHO a lighter car (by any discernible extent) has a different feel and goes through consumables at a very different rate vs a heavier one (assuming all else is similar).

[mccannable]

I normally don't eat for 24 hours and shave all my body hair then drive naked to save weight.

I'm sure the gains wouldn't be worth the effort.

[Sauce]

I'm sorry, but you'll look like an ass. It's always a laugh when people show up to the track with seats ripped out, a stock seat for the driver and your getting whooped on by Miatas.

If you're talking about a drag strip, then hell yea, do it!