Aftermarket Seats

[mtwallace85]

Wanted to start an actual thread to compile all the information as well as have a place to ask questions and get answers now that I’m starting my install.

Starting with the information I do know.

Seat Bases
Step 1 is the seat base. There are only 2 off the shelf options I know of: Planted Technology and 529 Innovations. These both replace the entire OEM base. I had a chance to hold the planted base and that thing was really heavy, although I didn’t put it on a scale, but it was absolutely well made. I’m going for as much weight savings as I can get without sacrificing comfort so I decided to order a pair of lightweight aluminum bases from 529 which are also low profile so it remains to be seen what kind of eye level I’ll have when I do test fitting. There is a chance I’ll need to order sliders but I am 6’4” and I think I’d actually like to avoid them but they wouldn’t be the biggest downfall in my opinion. Either way, the bases weigh in at 3lbs each and they’re a great price. I paid $337 for the pair powder coated black.

Seat Mounts/Sliders
Step 2 is figuring out your seat mounts and whether or not you want to/need to use sliders for their intended use or also for a boost if you’re too low. The Planted base has holes pre drilled for their side mounts but you can also use whatever side mounts you want and drill extra holes in the base, though the space you have to do this is limited.




I will have to share pictures when my bases arrive next week, but I believe it’s more or less a blank canvas that you get to drill your own holes with the aluminum bases from 529. So you bolt the mounts to your seats, test fit them them, mark and drill the holes, and then fasten the seat to it. Or, if you want to do sliders, it’s more or less the same thing except you’re lining the seat up with the sliders on and then drilling. I believe you also have to mount the seatbelt to the base.

Air Bags
Step 3 is addressing airbag lights if that’s your goal. I’ve read and confirmed having the light on doesn’t cause issues like preventing launch control or the other airbags from firing. Our seats have airbags so we can’t just remove them like the RS3 guys can and expect no light. I found these resistors recently and when I spoke with them they said they’ll work for our cars here in the US so I ordered a pair:

https://www.akstuning.co.uk/shop/hom...sresistor.html

To reiterate, this step isn’t necessary, it’s just if the airbag light bothers you.

Passenger occupancy:
For the occupant airbags to work you do need the sensor from the seat base as well as the control unit which you can just grab from under your seat. The sensor isn’t coming out without destroying the seat cushion so I picked one up off of eBay from a 2016 TT I believe. I got lucky and spent $267 all in.



There’s a good post about this here:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...2#post14445212

Questions
I’m planning on for at least a little bit sticking with the OEM 3 point seat belts so that won’t cause an issue but removing it for a harness I’m sure causes lights at least and maybe another concern? Is this just another resistor? How have those of you with harnesses addressed this as well as the seatbelt ding? Anything I’m missing?

[M’s RS5]

If you can figure out how to ditch the occupancy sensor you’ll be rich

[TToysRuS]

If you can figure out how to ditch the occupancy sensor you’ll be rich

It's a weight sensor, a certain amount of pressure (clamp?) could do the trick easily. Work smarter not harder.

[M’s RS5]

I’m talking about giving the car whatever signal it’s looking for with a capped plug or whatever. I’ll be doing it soon…a little reverse engineering

[mtwallace85]

If you can figure out how to ditch the occupancy sensor you’ll be rich

I don’t think there are that many people attempting to do this.

I’m talking about giving the car whatever signal it’s looking for with a capped plug or whatever. I’ll be doing it soon…a little reverse engineering

Let me know what you come up with, but $270 isn’t that bad and it doesn’t really add any weight unless you consider less than a pound bad.

[M’s RS5]

It’s more the annoying pad laying around. What’s so special about it? What exactly does the car read in order to say “looks good to me!” Voltage?

“Let's take a look at one popular OCS made by Delphi. Inside the seat, you will find a pressure sensor, a silicone-filled "bladder," and an electronic control unit (ECU). When someone sits on the seat, the pressure sensor signals the occupant's weight to the ECU. The ECU then sends that data to the airbag, which has its own control unit. Based on that information, the vehicle's computer turns the passenger airbag on or off.

The OCS doesn't just detect weight. It reads the passenger's seating position and determines if they're wearing a seat belt. It also has a seat belt tension sensor that allows the OCS to interpret the pressure created when a child seat is fitted. In other words, the system is designed to tell whether a child safety seat is occupying that seat or whether you're just carrying some heavy object there. A light or sign on the instrument panel tells the driver whether the passenger airbag is on or off.

Once the onboard computer knows the passenger's size and weight, the car's dual stage airbags come into play. Based on the occupants' size, these types of airbags can deploy at full speed, partial speed, or not at all. An airbag deploying at full speed can badly injure or even kill a child or small adult. In addition, dual stage airbags also can deploy at lesser speeds when the car is involved in a minor collision. Remember — even on cars equipped with an OCS, it's always safest to keep small children in the back seat.”

Seems to me I can isolate this individual ECU and as long as it’s sending a signal the car will not have an issue. Need to tear apart a seat for this ECU and find the signal it sends to the car.

[mtwallace85]

It’s more the annoying pad laying around. What’s so special about it? What exactly does the car read in order to say “looks good to me!” Voltage?

“Let's take a look at one popular OCS made by Delphi. Inside the seat, you will find a pressure sensor, a silicone-filled "bladder," and an electronic control unit (ECU). When someone sits on the seat, the pressure sensor signals the occupant's weight to the ECU. The ECU then sends that data to the airbag, which has its own control unit. Based on that information, the vehicle's computer turns the passenger airbag on or off.

The OCS doesn't just detect weight. It reads the passenger's seating position and determines if they're wearing a seat belt. It also has a seat belt tension sensor that allows the OCS to interpret the pressure created when a child seat is fitted. In other words, the system is designed to tell whether a child safety seat is occupying that seat or whether you're just carrying some heavy object there. A light or sign on the instrument panel tells the driver whether the passenger airbag is on or off.

Once the onboard computer knows the passenger's size and weight, the car's dual stage airbags come into play. Based on the occupants' size, these types of airbags can deploy at full speed, partial speed, or not at all. An airbag deploying at full speed can badly injure or even kill a child or small adult. In addition, dual stage airbags also can deploy at lesser speeds when the car is involved in a minor collision. Remember — even on cars equipped with an OCS, it's always safest to keep small children in the back seat.”

Seems to me I can isolate this individual ECU and as long as it’s sending a signal the car will not have an issue. Need to tear apart a seat for this ECU and find the signal it sends to the car.

So the biggest issue with the delete is running aftermarket seats with the stock seat belts and keeping the airbags working like normal. The passenger seat needs to know when somebody is there or not to determine when to deploy the air bags like you said. Obviously it doesn’t matter with harnesses, but a lot of people use their 3 point belts. My plan is to put it under the pads of the passenger seat so it more or less works as it was intended. As far as deleting the pressure pad goes, that shouldn’t be too hard if you keep the control unit from under the seat in place. That comes out super easily so shouldn’t be hard to experimenting with it.

[M’s RS5]

I’m reading that the occupancy sensor back in ‘10 Audi cars was needing like 1000 ohm resistor. There’s a range that the car receives: not occupied, and occupied and when occupied gets the weight. Should be able to figure out which pins need resistance across and playing with resistors should work. I’m not sure if VCDS can see the occupancy status but I’ll be tackling this in a month or so. There’s I think 2 or 3 connectors to trick. One being the seatbelt which needs the 5.6 ohm? I’ve also read a 3 ohm resistor needed somewhere.

[mtwallace85]

I’m reading that the occupancy sensor back in ‘10 Audi cars was needing like 1000 ohm resistor. There’s a range that the car receives: not occupied, and occupied and when occupied gets the weight. Should be able to figure out which pins need resistance across and playing with resistors should work. I’m not sure if VCDS can see the occupancy status but I’ll be tackling this in a month or so. There’s I think 2 or 3 connectors to trick. One being the seatbelt which needs the 5.6 ohm? I’ve also read a 3 ohm resistor needed somewhere.

Sounds like you’ll have it figured out in no time. Are you an electrical engineer or is this more or a hobby type thing for you? Not sure how, but let me know if I can help.

[M’s RS5]

Civil engineer actually. But I like to tinker.

[mtwallace85]

Got a couple packages. The first one was the TT seat cushion. Haven’t had the chance to start tearing it apart but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be that fun. The wire harness has several connectors.




1 of them goes to the side piece heating elements, not sure what to call these, of the seat cushion.




The other goes to the front slider piece heating element.



After that you are left with these 3 connectors and a ground.


I have to guess 1 is going to be for my airbag cancellation plugs but I have no idea. The plugs still aren’t here so I can’t confirm just yet. The RS3 has 1 cable from the car to the control module and then the occupant sensor plugs into that.

I also received my 529 Innovations seat bases which came with some thick spacers and washers to mount it in the car as well as hardware to mount the seat belts. It’s crazy how much lighter these feel than the planted technology bases.


I’m not 100% sure where the spacers were meant for, I imagine between the floor of the car and the seat base, but I’m also wondering if they go between the base and the seat. My Recaro side mounts have a lip on the outside edge that is preventing me from mounting it flush. If that’s what the spacers are for, I’m good, if not, I’m going to be coming up with a solution or at least requesting one from Pete.

[Darksun280]

Iv’e been working with a company SC SkunkWorks on a silution for the occupancy sensor since December. The issue was trying to figure out a solution thats not overly expensive having to purchase the whole seat and cushion new and not requiring you to look for whole used seats online to break down then dispose of. Hopefully things can be finalized within the next few months. Its been a process.

[mtwallace85]

Iv’e been working with a company SC SkunkWorks on a silution for the occupancy sensor since December. The issue was trying to figure out a solution thats not overly expensive having to purchase the whole seat and cushion new and not requiring you to look for whole used seats online to break down then dispose of. Hopefully things can be finalized within the next few months. Its been a process.

Any idea what the pricing is gonna look like?

I got around to gutting the seat cushion today. Removing the stitches with a razor blade probably took me 30 minutes or so. As far as I can tell, the white part is the sensor, unless it has to do with heating; seems kind of weird the side cushions and the sliding piece have heating elements but right under your butt there’s nothing. Either way, I started peeling it away to check the damage I did (see below) and it seems better to just keep the foam attached to it. It’s definitely going to look cleaner and you’re leaving the wires hidden versus exposing them. I might trim the foam from the edges to make it a little smaller but not the end of the world if it goes under the floor mat or the new seat cushion.




I got a little aggressive with the razor blade and hit these wires but as far as I can tell I didn’t do any severe damage but only time will tell I guess.

[mtwallace85]

Might have to retrofit these heating elements into the podiums. They fit a little too perfectly.

[Darksun280]

Any idea what the pricing is gonna look like?

No Idea. Especially since its still in the testing phase.

[mtwallace85]

No Idea. Especially since its still in the testing phase.

I ask because if the goal is to make it reasonable, it would be beneficial for them to at least define a good target price point. I’d guess $300 is probably about where most people would cap it off, but that’s just a guess based on mine. What is your involvement in the development life cycle?

[TTRRRRRRR]

Would these seats sit lower than the OE seats?
At 6'4' I find the lowest position of the OE seats is still quite high

[mtwallace85]

Would these seats sit lower than the OE seats?
At 6'4' I find the lowest position of the OE seats is still quite high

Great timing. I’m also 6’4” and will be test fitting these tomorrow haha. I’ve heard it’s lower.

[TTRRRRRRR]

Great timing. I’m also 6’4” and will be test fitting these tomorrow haha. I’ve heard it’s lower.

Look forward to hearing how you get on.
What seats are you fitting?
I was looking at Recaro CS.
Love the ones from AMX but not sure I can afford them but if I did buy them and they weren't any lower I'd be gutted

[mtwallace85]

Look forward to hearing how you get on.
What seats are you fitting?
I was looking at Recaro CS.
Love the ones from AMX but not sure I can afford them but if I did buy them and they weren't any lower I'd be gutted

Recaro Podiums with the Recaro/Podium specific side mounts and I’m using a 529 Innovations seat base. I got the seat bases installed with the supplied spacers and then placed my seats with the spacers I had made, more about why later, and I was definitely sitting higher than stock in the lowest setting. I am now going to install the seats without the supplied spacers and instead of using the spacers I had made, I’m going to use the minimal amount of washers I need to prop my side mounts enough so the lip on them doesn’t interfere with the base.



The spacers that I had made were about 3 times taller than the lip. When placed side by side, I’d say the butt of the stock seats are about the same height as the butt of the podiums. However, with the way I have it setup now, the front of the podium is a probably a couple inches higher than the stock seat; the pads are pretty thick.





I talked to Pete@529 and discussed possibly making me a custom seat base because I’m also looking for a bit more leg room than I can get with this setup. I can deal with it, but ideally I’d like another 2”-3” of legroom. I’m also running into a couple issues with fitment because the seat bases weren’t meant for these seats.



The side mounts are so close to the holes for mounting the base to the floor that they’re getting in the way of the floor fasteners as well as the clevis mount that was supplied to mount the seat belt. I’m going to try and grab some washers that bite so I can fasten the base to the floor and then fasten the mounts to the base without having to access the bottom with a wrench. Normally you’d fasten the mounts to the base and then install the base in the car.



As far as mounting the seat belt, I think this should do fine.

[TTRRRRRRR]

I can't believe that the OE seats sit lower than the Recaro seats, that's not good to hear.
I was convinced that a Recaro CS on their own runners would be lower than the OE seats as they still sit so high even in their lowest position.
Does than mean we have no other option to feel like we are sitting on the car rather than in the car like a BMW or Porsche?

[mtwallace85]

I can't believe that the OE seats sit lower than the Recaro seats, that's not good to hear.
I was convinced that a Recaro CS on their own runners would be lower than the OE seats as they still sit so high even in their lowest position.
Does than mean we have no other option to feel like we are sitting on the car rather than in the car like a BMW or Porsche?

With the stock seats in their lowest position you’re practically sitting on the floor. It’s essentially the same thing with podiums; couldn’t tell you how high other aftermarket seats are, but you can’t get much lower. I’m also using the lowest side mount hole in the back but the highest in the front for maximum lean; I can bring the front down a bit. Additionally, I feel like the Podium seat pads are a bit thicker than other seats, but I’m speculating; these seats are actually really comfortable. The spacer combination that I was using was also raising me up close to an inch. Hoping the machine shop will have my bases ready today so I can finish this up. I had them add some additional holes to allow me to mount the seat about 3” further towards the back; I think this will also give me more headroom because the roof curves down as you move towards the front of the car.

[TTRRRRRRR]

If the OE seats go so low why is the seating position so high?

[mtwallace85]

If the OE seats go so low why is the seating position so high?

I never thought it was too high; personally, I think it was perfect. I lean my seat back quite a bit so maybe that was helping.

[TTRRRRRRR]

compared to a Boxster or even a BMW like a 240 it's like you're sitting on a perch by comparison. Its probably the biggest issue with me tbh and also noted by many an automotive journalist test driver

[mtwallace85]

compared to a Boxster or even a BMW like a 240 it's like you're sitting on a perch by comparison. Its probably the biggest issue with me tbh and also noted by many an automotive journalist test driver

Seems pretty subjective to be honest, I spent a little time searching and there are people with long torsos that say it’s fine and others that say it’s a bit cramped. I personally am a long legged 6’4” person. My pants inseam is 34”. So maybe that’s where we differ?

Out of curiosity, though, do you feel perched relative to the bottom of the car or to the street? Because the seat has your butt barely off the ground when it’s set all the way back and down. The floor under the seat does raise a bit from the floor under the pedals. Do you know if the floor under the seat drops in those cars or maybe it just doesn’t raise up?

Unless your issue is you feel perched relative to the ground. I do feel like this car sits a bit high and you’d obviously benefit from dropping the car in that case.

Can you like me the review(s) you mentioned?

[mtwallace85]

Before





After






Much better. Probably about the same height as stock in the lowest setting now. I would like to see what another 1”-2” does for legroom, but this feels like a fairly proper racing position.

[TTRRRRRRR]

For me its the seat height in the car not my butt off the ground that's the issue. There's loads of leg room even for me with a 36 inch inseam, I just feel that you sit on these seats rather than in them especially when compared to other cars.
I can't remember what articles I read about journalists who thought the same but I've checked my YouTube history and found this one. The guy is a big BMW fan and a well known car guy here in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WgXYyB9K54

[mtwallace85]

For me its the seat height in the car not my butt off the ground that's the issue. There's loads of leg room even for me with a 36 inch inseam, I just feel that you sit on these seats rather than in them especially when compared to other cars.
I can't remember what articles I read about journalists who thought the same but I've checked my YouTube history and found this one. The guy is a big BMW fan and a well known car guy here in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WgXYyB9K54

Yeah I mean it’s all subjective. My eye line is right in the middle of the windshield. I personally hate it when you’re so far down in the car that you can’t tell where the front of the car is. The position of your butt relative to the floor largely factors into how high you sit in the car so I don’t really comprehend the issues you’re dealing with.

[mtwallace85]

Before I pulled out the passenger seat I put it all the way back and down and I was actually closer to the ceiling than I was in the Recaro seat.

[mtwallace85]

Wouldn’t mind another inch or 2 but this is pretty good. Installation guide coming soon.

[TTRRRRRRR]

Before I pulled out the passenger seat I put it all the way back and down and I was actually closer to the ceiling than I was in the Recaro seat.

So that means these seats do sit lower than the OE seats?!?

[mtwallace85]

So that means these seats do sit lower than the OE seats?!?

Yes sir

[TTRRRRRRR]

Yes sir

Thats good to hear. I was surprised when you said they would be the same height as OE seats.
How much lower do you think the Recaro seats go?

[mtwallace85]

Thats good to hear. I was surprised when you said they would be the same height as OE seats.
How much lower do you think the Recaro seats go?

Hard to say since I’m just using my fist to get an idea of how much room there is. Maybe an inch or a little more possibly. How much do you lean the stock seat back? I would go back pretty far, personally. Even with full lean I’m sitting fairly straight up.

[TTRRRRRRR]

Hard to say since I’m just using my fist to get an idea of how much room there is. Maybe an inch or a little more possibly. How much do you lean the stock seat back? I would go back pretty far, personally. Even with full lean I’m sitting fairly straight up.

I guess my seat lean is normal ... but what is normal!?!?

Where your OE seats fully electric or did they have the manual pump to raise and lower the seat.
I've just discovered that the fully electric seats seem to sit lower than the seats with the manual seat height pump

[mtwallace85]

I guess my seat lean is normal ... but what is normal!?!?

Where your OE seats fully electric or did they have the manual pump to raise and lower the seat.
I've just discovered that the fully electric seats seem to sit lower than the seats with the manual seat height pump

Mine are electric and yeah they sit low. Looks like you discovered why I wasn’t understanding your issue with the seat height haha.

[TTRRRRRRR]

Looking at your OE seats and comparing the new Recaro seats the Recaros do look like they sit even lower. 😊
How's the seating position now that the new seats are in compared to the OE seats``/

[HAVOC A3]

This is all such great information!