B7 RS4 Bucket/Euro seats - Do they allow you to sit lower than regular seats?

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

In the US/Canada we only got the Comfort seats for the Rs4. In the rest of the world, they had the option of Comfort or Bucket (explanation below). .

I am a tall person…6’5" and a little bit. 197 cms. I am always looking for more headroom in cars. I had a mercedes with manual adjusted seats and it could be lowered to the point you were almost on the floor. It was awesome for me and my headroom. I was wondering if anyone with experience with the buckets and the comforts knows whether or not you can lower the bucket seats more than you can the comforts? I believe a couple of guys here have the buckets…and a couple have had both. Hopefully you can chime in.

These are Recaro Bucket seats, as described on the ROW ordering options for the B7 RS4. Some people call them Euro seats. That’s a typically American thing to say :). Surprised they don’t call them non-US seats. Anyway, that’s wrong. They’re Buckets.

http://forums.audiworld.com/picture.php?albumid=161445&pictureid=222275

These are Recaro Comfort seats.

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/166370_x800.jpg

#2

The bucket seats are so nice… I wish I could have ordered it on the RS5… :frowning:

#3

Yes you can raise and lower the seat height with the euro type bucket seats. I can take some measurements tonight with the seat in its lowest height, from the seat to the roof that should help.

#4

Is there more room after putting the Recaro Buckets in, Yes. Does that directly translate into more room for the driver, not really. I feel with the Recaro’s I sat higher then the comfort seats, enough that when I pulled the seat forward I noticed how big the north american wheel is now.

** edit: Saki I’m 6’5 as well, and steering wheel pic for reference

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/07/myqupyve.jpg

As for headroom, I didn’t gain any, in fact depending on how you position your seat I could see you loosing a little room.
Saki take a look for MrFootlong on RS246, he’s got a thread up “dont flame me for not searching” or something like that, and somewhere in that thread he was also going on about the seats, and how he felt he had no room. Judging by his name I’m going to say he is a tall guy, either that or the next Ron Jeremy. I’ll see if I can find his post.

#5

As for directly mounting them lower don’t think that would be possible, already barely any room under these things.

#6

Wow you guys did really get shafted with that bus steering wheel and “comfort seats” :smiley:

#7

Wow didn’t realise the steering wheels were so different!

#8

bugger!

fortunately wr can change that for a few bucks…and still have an extra $100’000 vs a kiwi rs4 price :slight_smile:

#9

Me, as well!

I have the B8 facelift wheel in my RS4, and the circumference is the same as the stock wheel.

#10

they’re not that different (FBSW vs MFSW). That photo is a bit misleading. If someone wants to measure their FBSW (aka Kiwi) I will do the same with my bus wheel.

When you use a wide lense and take a photo of two things, one slightly closer to the plane of the sensor than the other, the closer item will appear quite a bit larger. It’s a magnification effect but not exactly accurate. That’s why you don’t use a wide lens for a portrait…makes the person’s face look disorted and nose looks huge.

Here’s a bunch of photos of the same girl.

http://nofilmschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/xlarge_e4315eb25d608da3dcf848172e4f2928-616x346.jpg

Here’s a couple of items on the floor shot at 3 focal lengths. The items don’t move…but as you can see the different focal lengths have a dramatic effect on the apparent size or distance of the two items relative to each other.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Focal_length.jpg

#11

^ The Dolly Zoom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_zoom) takes advantage of this in film.

#12

The dia is 352mm for the FBSW.
I measured the drivers seat when its fully adjusted down and it is 97cm measured 3/4 back where your butt sits to the roof line. It doesn’t lower the whole seat as such it tilts it so the back goes back and the bit where you sit goes down.

#13

Lol that is true. For a new B8 RS4 its around $150k. We do get the B7 Advant RS4 as well as RS6.
There is the option of importing direct from England, Japan etc for a bit of a $$ saving.

#14

The buckets and us-spec seats are pretty close in seat height. Dare I say the buckets actually sit a tad higher than the comfort seats at full squat. My sportster CS sit a bit lower than the “euro” seats, but I had to modify my brackets a bit. I could go without sliders and get another inch as well… If you’re looking to get as low as possible, I would get the CS, just for the flexibility in mounting them. Food for thought.

#15

I will compare when I get home…thanks

#16

Do these bucket seats come with underseat storage drawers like B6/7 S4 Recaros do? I don’t think I ever saw that, but that might be due to the fact not that many people on forums with these things.

#17

Those are essentially Recaro CS seats shod in leather, correct?

You can order those from any Recaro dealer.

#18

Not sure. The CS ones look different at the top. Do they also allow for electronic adjustment of the side and seat bolsters?

#19

No the CS seats are a bit different and much more basic. The audi seats are quite a bit nicer.

Also the audi seats are pretty valuable in that you can sell them three years later for what you paid for them, whereas ordering some custom recaro seats will likely see you eating financial shit.

#20

NA steering wheel looks to be 375mm, so about an inch bigger then the FBSW.