BTW ... I just thought about this this morning ... For the people that buy the JCW seats ... what do they do about the weight sensor? What about the side air bags? Is the OEM part to fix all this?
VERY NICE!!!!! I am glad everything worked out. Is there anything else I should include in my write up that tripped you up? Sometimes you do things and take them for granted when you go to do the write up later.
Thank you very much for the write up!!!! :cornut: Only thing I would say to do is anyone running the OEM belts should disconnect the bottom of the seat belt (mounted near the floor on the piller) I believe its a T55 Torx Bit, and rought it through the seat as running the belt over the top of the seat wont allow it to tighten on your waste. Check out my photo to see what I mean. Also I would suggest buying a step bit, one of those bits that look like a aero point and go up in hole size, as that thing made slotting the brackets easy and helped clean up the holes when drilling them for mouting the seat belt pre-tensioner.
I got my hands on the instructions on the JCW Seat Retrofit and just thought I would post up the diagrams to show how easy they are to install compared to buckets: As you can see there are 2 adapter brackets that will allow them to mount to the stock sliders. The airbag issues are contained in the seats, and the new brackets allow the seat belt pre-tensioners to be installed
Do you think the airbag issues are taken care of in the seat? or are the European cars not wired/programmed for that air bag? Either way, for more than $3000 each, I think i'll take the hassle that we went through. By the way, how are you liking getting into and out of those seats everyday? fun huh
Those seats have the airbags in them ... and Im guessing the weight sensor too, since I dont see any additional parts to bypass those. I dont mind the bucket seats as I had Bride Zeta III in my old Evo IX and those where way deeper and thinner. These are a lot easier to get in and out of.
So using the Brey Kraus brackets, limits you to strictly fixed back seats then right? Are there brackets for any of the actual "tuner" style seats? I don't really think I could handle fixed back seats in my DD. Not to mention I have kids that get to go in the back too. Any help would be great. Thanks!
Besides BK, there are I think two major bracket manufacturers who sell seat brackets for all of the major aftermarket seat brands. I have yet to install a set of aftermarket seats in a R56, but I'm quite sure that when you order seats, and tell your friendly vendor (such as, say, Helix) what the application is for, they will be able to provide brackets and sliders with your seats.
I believe the BK brackets are specifically for fixed back seats. I have not mounted "tuner" style seats so I am not really sure about those. I have also seen that VAC Motorsports makes a floor plate adapter for the R56. This can probably be used in combination with a reclining seat.
Anyone could look into this topic I posted about headroom? http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/cooper-s/11906-raceseat-install-headroom-improvements.html Thanks
Question for the EVO2 seat owners. You think there would be enough room to squeeze a EVO3 in there? It's 1.5 inch wider at the base then a EVO2(so 3/4 inch per side). I will most likely need to make my own seat brackets since the BK brackets are made for the EVO2 only,, this is not an issue. Either I loose 40lbs or I try to fit an EVO3 in there. The second option is much more likely to happen then the first...
The base isn't really the issue I don't think. The side on mine rubs against the b pillar, that's where it's tight.
I would like to understand the occupancy seat sensor a little better. I have found two good threads on the subject. The one we are reading and the link to NAM. Neither talks about how the weight or occupancy seat sensor works. The discussion here details how to install the sensor, but without understanding how the system and sensor work, I am not 100% confident in what the end product is. The issue I see is how the system uses the sensor and what is the sensor actually sensing. Adding the sensor to a different seat will not provide the same signal as the same sensor in a stock seat if it actually senses the weight of the occupant. The stock seat might be softer or harder than the aftermarket seat. This may or may not cause a problem. Is the sensor looking for some threshold weight at which to turn on the air bags? Essentially all the sensor does is make an electrical connection after some set amount of weight is in the seat. If that is the case, I would think the modifications discussed here would work because the trigger weight has probably only been change a little by the difference in seat cushions. If the signal from the sensor is proportional to the weight applied we have a bigger issue. GM has made cars where the deployment force of air bag is proportional to the weight of the occupant. I have no idea if the MINI system works like that. Does anyone here? If the signal from the sensor is proportional will we have a functioning main air bag in an accident? On NAM they discuss a method of bypassing the sensor, but they have no idea if that turns off all the air bags. The NAM thread describes a method of turning off the occupancy sensor in the safety controller. Does anyone know what affect this has on the whole system? It would be a great solution if it returned it to what I understand to be 2004 specifications before the occupancy sensor was installed. I assume that to mean the air bags would deploy at full force if the car was hit. With the obvious exception of the air bag that is not in the aftermarket seat. Passenger seat occupancy sensor SRS light? No more!!!! - North American Motoring
Simple weight, the sensor would work if you just put it on top of the seat. It is a pressure sensor. In the case of an evo2 the seat is harder so the sensor will read easier if that makes sense.:biggrin5:
Thank you - The sensor is either open or closed it doesn't have proportional signal. Is that correct?