Dave T-S

Having gone from a MY00 with buckets, to a MY01 with sports seats, I can testify that the MY01 sports seats are inferior - they aren't as comfortable, and don't hold you as well...

I didn't have a choice - only sports seats were available at the time - the word on the street is that originally it was going to be an either or choice, but Subaru UK ordered X amount of sports seats and decided to get rid of them before they would fit buckets....

So, has anybody yet either retro fitted buckets to their sports seated '01, and if so how much did they cost etc, or failing that, I am looking at fitting Sparco Pro 2000 rally seats or similar - anyone done this??

JackClark

I got lucky, was told I'd be having the sports seats only to find buckets installed, chuffed to bits. I'd even convinced myself that the side airbags would make them worth it.

DrEvil

Dave, I'm looking at retro fitting bucket seats, I spoke to Mr Lawson the other day and he seemed to think it would be no problem.

A rumour I heard was that Subaru may offer an upgrade to those that bought the cars BEFORE the bucket seats were available @ minimal cost.. but it seem to be just a rumour thus far...

I have asked Steve to check out the mountings of the MY'01 seats and see if pre '01 buckets will fit... Perhaps get some nice STi V ones

Alex

mutant_matt

Dave,

I've got the details of a V.Friendly and helpful Dutch dealer who may be able to supply the "correct" seats cheaply.....

Matt

Dave T-S

Jack
Is that supposed to make me feel better then

Alex
Keep me posted & vice versa

Matt
You've got my office email address - what are you waiting for???

JackClark

Should have said "I feel for you" I was looking for aftermarket seats before mine arrived.

Jza

Ive got the sport seats in leather - i cant fit in the buckets. Tested them recently and i cant breath normally in them!!. My dealer said at the time that the options were to a) Prodrive it (loadsacash) or b) get the buckets fitted at a cost close to the prodrive ones. In the end i just leathered the lot. Cant say im disapointed - id recommend it to anyone. I hated the standard trim!!!

Plus its worth a bit come re-sale!

Jza

mutant_matt

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dave T-S:
<B>Matt
You've got my office email address - what are you waiting for??? [/quote]

I dunno - it's just WANT WANT WANT with some people

Dave, you have mail M8....

Matt

DavidLewis

Personally, I'd stick with sport seats. I couldn't get my bum in a bucket let alone sit in it. Best left for carrying water/sand etc.

Edward

An interesting point with the seats on the WRX, if you order a RHD from Belgium with the bucket seats instead of sports seats (no side airbags) you save £250 !

E.

Chins

Dave

I am confused. We bought our cars at the same time. Bucket seats have been at my dealers in std cars for over 5/6 weeks. They started arriving just before the UK300's were released. I have to say when I read your post re buying them I thought you would have the buckets.

Think your dealer saw you coming on it. My dealer could of delivered you two cars from stock with buckets. I am not sying this to rub your nose in it, but if your dealer told you one thing it might not have been the full truth. Maybe some compensation is due ?

Jonathan

[This message has been edited by Chins (edited 06 July 2001).]

Chins

Edited due to double post

[This message has been edited by Chins (edited 06 July 2001).]

Dave T-S

Jon
We took delivery of ours on 02 June. When did you get yours?

BugEyed

Dave

To amplify the point made by Chins, said local dealer was able to offer the buckets earlier by ordering the car with std seats before the buckets became available, then ammending the order when the buckets became an option if the car had yet to be built.

Like Edward my car (from Holland) was cheaper with the buckets than the sports seats.

David - you must know me. Being a fat boy I get stuck in the bucket (seats) - but it stops me falling out in the corners. As for putting sand and water in my car - I'll kill you if you do!

Duncan

Dave T-S

Duncan
Our cars were already sitting in the compound at the dealers when we agreed to buy them....

Chins

Dave

Got my car on the 9th June.

Just checked the exact date my dealer had them sitting in STOCK waiting to be sold. 23rd May is the exact date. Ive just checked a post I made on Scoobynet on the 25th May. I met Martin Sterling at Adams on the way to view the UK300. Went to their lock up to view the car and saw the bucket equiped 4 doors which they had recived a few days earlier.

For my dealer to have had them in stock then, must of meant they were in the country early May. Sorry to say, but your dealer need a kick somewhere.

Jonathan



[This message has been edited by Chins (edited 06 July 2001).]

Dave T-S

OK, another question - who has bought a MY01, UK supplied, that had bucket seats instead of sports seats fitted from dealer stock (NOT special order of buckets)- and if so, when did you take delivery?

Silent Monkey

I'm confused, not difficult

I test drove a MY01 on 3rd March and was told by the dealer that the test car had "standard" seats when I said I was not over impressed by them.

They had a 5 door in the showroom with what they described as "sports" seats which they said were available at no extra cost but I would not get side airbags with them.

I ordered my 4 door that day with the "sports" seats, these are listed on the order form as such.

I was told the car had arrived in the country around the 7th of May and I took delivery on the 19th of May.

Does the discussion here of "sports" versus "bucket" seats here mean there are three types of seats fitted to the MY01s?

Barry

BugEyed

Chuckster

Two thoughts about the higher insurance;
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> That it is better to be in seats that provide more grip and avoid you being flung across the car (perhaps causing you to lose control in the first place?)
<LI> That models of cars fitted with airbags are involved in more accidents than those without (Volvos have the most accidents per mile, and 2 CVs the least. However, the position is reversed when it come to fatalities per accident).
</UL>
So does this mean that the guys with side airbags should pay higher premiums?

Jza

The pressure on your ribs reduces the crazing for pies! Perhaps I should get the buckets marketed a slimming aid

Duncan

Dave T-S

SM
To the best of my knowledge there are only two seats fitted - the ones with the side airbags are the "sports" seats and the ones without are the "bucket" seats

BT52b

The annoying thing is that they sound like they are doing you a favour by saying "no extra cost" for the buckets, whereas in Belgium and Holland the car is CHEAPER with the buckets because of the lack of airbags.

Think they were only available in UK from June whereas they were available in Europe immediately

Pete Croney

The main issue with swapping the seats is the SRS system. If you were to put non airbag seats in, the SRS loom would need some sort of resistor at the point where it went into the seats, or the malfunction indicator light would stay on.

I would also like buckets.

petersen

The official line is that all the original UK 4 doors have the standard seats with side air bags. To retro fit the bucket seats would mean the air bag light would be on and IM are resfusing to let this happen for "safety reasons". I have been told on good authority that IM will refuse to retro fit bucket seats, even if the customer is willing to pay!!

So if you retro fit or put in other seats, you loose your warranty!!

Now call me a **** but why can IM not put a resistor in the wiring loom or just mirror the wiring loom of the 5 door or the 4 door with the bucket seats as standard? SURELY Subaru Japan did not do a special line of only a few hundred UK cars out of their worldwide production with a special, completely autonomous Air Bag wiring loom, did they?? Just for IM??

An an owner of the new car for the past 3 months, who has had 5 Imprezas in the past, I do not like sliding out of my seat on the roads I enjoy. No matter how much money I have spent on the car so far, 6k+ and counting, it ruins the drive. I might swap the seats with my sisters Seat Arosa 1.0. I want to try and swap the seats from our Elise 111S, but the wife'll kill me!.

Desparate times in the comfort zone!!!

Stuart

BugEyed

Barry

Dave T-S is correct - there are only two types of seats.

<OL TYPE=1>
<LI>The standard "sports" seats which are the standard and come with side airbags.
<LI>The bucket seats which are a no cost option in the UK (and cheaper abroad) and come without the side airbags. I think, but am not sure, that they are identical to the seats in the MY00.
</OL>

Dave

Are you intending fitting the bucket seats (as the UK option) or are you fitting the STi seats? I believe that the STi seats require different runners.

Duncan

chuckster

I'm amazed there is no insurance implication here. Seems as personal injury claims rise and the NHS can claim costs from insurance companies that the premium should take side airbags into account...
Chuck

Jza

Just a further comment,

People say that the Bucket seat grips you lateraly and is therefore a better option for track days.

Please have a look at the photo's of Pete Croneys car. They have Sport Seats and he does loads of track days. So they cant be that bad!!!

I would recommend anyone with the same problem i have (unfortunate addiction to Pies ) to test the buckets as they are very tight around the middle rib and shoulder area. I cant breathe normaly in the bucket seats.

Jza

Dave T-S

petersen
There are many rumours flying around about this, I have heard similar to what you say.

If I thought I would get a clear, concise answer I would write to Subaru UK and ask them. I might yet....

As you say, there is no way the loom would be modified just for the airbag seats so for Subaru UK to offer a bucket seat option means that all cars nust carry the wiring for the airbag seats and they must just fit a resistor plug or similar to the cars ordered with the bucket seat option to fool the SRS system.

Autocar's press fleet car was fitted with buckets when they got it back in January or earlier - so was Evo's and Car's. I think it is significant that apparently all or most of the press fleet cars were fitted with buckets six months or more ago.

Bugeyed
I haven't decided what to do yet. It's more the case of what my dealer/Subaru UK are going to do about it first....

Chuckster
Airbags aren't a legal requirement. Some airbag equipped cars perform far more badly in crash tests than some with less or no airbags.

jza
I have been in the passenger seat of Pete's car on a track day. You are too busy hanging on to worry about the seat....