Changing Seats

Whilst the seats in the C3 are very soft, they arent very supportive and because im very tall and the seats are quite thick i cant move the seat back far enough to comfortable operate the brake pedal, so i was wondering if anybody has done a seat swap on these cars before, i have measured the seats out of a c4 and they are thinner and more supportive but sit on the same sized rail so they might be ok, but what are the seats from the c3 exclusive like? are the side bolsters supportive and is there more adjustment in the seats?
thanks

Hi samstagmoonyham

samstagmoonyham wrote:but what are the seats from the c3 exclusive like? are the side bolsters supportive and is there more adjustment in the seats?

I have access to an exclusive early model and and SX of the same year so I will have a report back to you when the 2 cars are at the same place at the same time and have a chance to sit in them both.

samstagmoonyham wrote:i have measured the seats out of a c4 and they are thinner and more supportive but sit on the same sized rail so they might be ok,

Sounds interesting. There are options for heated seats too on some C3/C4 models, you could also check out the C2 as that shares quite a few parts with the C3.

C3CAR wrote:Hi samstagmoonyham

samstagmoonyham wrote:but what are the seats from the c3 exclusive like? are the side bolsters supportive and is there more adjustment in the seats?

I have access to an exclusive early model and and SX of the same year so I will have a report back to you when the 2 cars are at the same place at the same time and have a chance to sit in them both.

samstagmoonyham wrote:i have measured the seats out of a c4 and they are thinner and more supportive but sit on the same sized rail so they might be ok,

Sounds interesting. There are options for heated seats too on some C3/C4 models, you could also check out the C2 as that shares quite a few parts with the C3.

Thank you, please let me know about the exclusive seats as i know they are slightly different, but i wasnt sure if the bolsters would be big enough to give you the feeling of support, the only real concerns i have with the c4 seats are whether the airbag connectors are the same and also, they are much more firm seats, where i think the c3 has very hard suspension and makes up for it with a very absorbent seat, the c4 (vtr+ model) has softer suspension and makes up for the increased body roll with sports seats.

im guessing the heated seats would be as simple as wiring them up to the appropriate connector and enabling them in lexia??

ah yes, some seats out of a c2 vts might be quite a good idea, they look a bit more supportive again

samstagmoonyham wrote:Thank you, please let me know about the exclusive seats as i know they are slightly different, but i wasnt sure if the bolsters would be big enough to give you the feeling of support

They do look different, but really I didn't notice any different sitting in them and moving around. The movement back and forward is the same.

samstagmoonyham wrote:the only real concerns i have with the c4 seats are whether the airbag connectors are the same

Good point, I would guess they are the same, but it would be worth looking into before taking the plunge. I am guessing you do have side airbags then?

I had a quick look and C4 and C3 side air bags have very similar part numbers and one match. The variations are due to colour to match the seat by the looks of it.

samstagmoonyham wrote:im guessing the heated seats would be as simple as wiring them up to the appropriate connector and enabling them in lexia??

I would imagine so, add any missing fuses, maybe a bit of wiring loom from the seat donor car, lexia and off you go...

C3CAR wrote:

samstagmoonyham wrote:Thank you, please let me know about the exclusive seats as i know they are slightly different, but i wasnt sure if the bolsters would be big enough to give you the feeling of support

They do look different, but really I didn't notice any different sitting in them and moving around. The movement back and forward is the same.

Seat-citroen_C3.jpg

exclusive-seat-citroen-C3.jpg

samstagmoonyham wrote:the only real concerns i have with the c4 seats are whether the airbag connectors are the same

Good point, I would guess they are the same, but it would be worth looking into before taking the plunge. I am guessing you do have side airbags then?

I had a quick look and C4 and C3 side air bags have very similar part numbers and one match. The variations are due to colour to match the seat by the looks of it.

samstagmoonyham wrote:im guessing the heated seats would be as simple as wiring them up to the appropriate connector and enabling them in lexia??

I would imagine so, add any missing fuses, maybe a bit of wiring loom from the seat donor car, lexia and off you go...

thank you for doing all that research, so i guess i just have to try and find some seats with the right colour airbags still in (and of course double check the connectors, or maybe i could even colour the existing ones black with interior paint, i think i may also put in the c4 rear bench as it would look a bit funny with black sports seats in the front and a light grey suede bench haha, i also had another thought about the seat belt pre tensioner, will that be integral to the seat or can it be removed and stuck to the new seat?

samstagmoonyham wrote:i also had another thought about the seat belt pre tensioner, will that be integral to the seat or can it be removed and stuck to the new seat?

That could be a problem with your seat swap plan. Seat belt pre-tensioners are matched to the seat and seat belt.

I would suggest only swapping for seats that have the same pre-tensioner. I would also suggest you apply the same to the side airbags, only swap seats with like for like. If the airbag was to deploy and it's a different shape it eg deeper, it has the potential to do serious damage.

Missing Lincs wrote:

samstagmoonyham wrote:i also had another thought about the seat belt pre tensioner, will that be integral to the seat or can it be removed and stuck to the new seat?

That could be a problem with your seat swap plan. Seat belt pre-tensioners are matched to the seat and seat belt.

I would suggest only swapping for seats that have the same pre-tensioner. I would also suggest you apply the same to the side airbags, only swap seats with like for like. If the airbag was to deploy and it's a different shape it eg deeper, it has the potential to do serious damage.

hmm, that's a shame, as the car has a heck of a lot of grip and is great fun to drive, it really puts a smile on my face, but these seats don't have the support and as i say, i have a hard time light braking as the pedal is too high, i know on some cars brake pedals can be adjusted but the c3's pedal is on a rail to the left hand side of the car so i doubt its adjustable

I don't think it has to be a definite no, I'm guessing the seat parts used by Citroen are used on several different models. All I'm saying is check - if the tensioners are the same then great

Maybe I worry too much but when I look at the explosive symbol on airbags and pre-tensioners I get nervous about messing with them

Missing Lincs wrote:I don't think it has to be a definite no, I'm guessing the seat parts used by Citroen are used on several different models. All I'm saying is check - if the tensioners are the same then great

Maybe I worry too much but when I look at the explosive symbol on airbags and pre-tensioners I get nervous about messing with them

i get what you mean, im the same way , i want my car to stay as safe as it can be so i really dont want to put in aftermarket seats with no airbags, but at the same time, even if the C4's airbags and pre-tensioners are the same, and if god forbid they went off they might not form the same way and might not offer the protection the seats that were designed for the car do