Installed Braum Elite X Seats
 

As I stated in the following thread regarding my Carbon Fiber Element steering wheel:

http://www.the370z.com/exterior-inte...ing-wheel.html

I did very little to the interior of the 2009 Nismo I owned several years ago except for the Red GTR Start Button. However, now that the interior is 9 years older since this car was released I felt it could use some refreshing. Don't get me wrong I still think the Z interior is sporty. That said, manufacturers have come a long way in the last decade and the car felt a little behind in that department since I picked my 2011 up.

So of course I did the Red GTR Start Button first but wanted to update the steering wheel and seats as well. Originally I wanted to locate a set of 2015+ Nismo Recaros to install but then preferred the look and actual Recaro bottom of the Nismo Juke Recaros (Sad Nissan gave Jukes a full Recaro treatment and not the Z) but the install sounded like a nightmare especially for the price paid.

Then I located the Braum Racing seats and really liked the look and the reviews seemed mostly positive, especially for the price paid. I did the install last night and am very pleased with the outcome. The install isn't extremely difficult, it's one of those things where the first time you do it will take 4 hours but if you did it again it would probably only take 1-2 hours. For the most part not too bad, but essentially no directions come for the installation of the seats.

I wanted it all done correctly (no flashing airbag lights or seatbelt lights etc.) so I was extremely patient and took my time installing the seats with the proper work-arounds. For $1000 all-in (Braum seats & planted brackets) it was a very fulfilling modification.

The black seats with red stitching really matches the stock Nismo interior design well. Although I have not driven the car yet, the seats feel much more comfortable and bolstered than the stock Nismos as well.

These Braum seats and the Carbon Fiber Element steering wheel definitely took the interior of my 2011 Nismo to whole new level.

That looks freaking gorgeous

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HELP! Why are my pics rotated!?

Looks good!

looks real good, i was deciding between these and brides and ended up shelling more for just one seat. but this looks great, hows the hold?

Very Nice!! :tup:

:iagree:

I almost went with this design and really like them, but thought it would be too over the top. The design I chose matched the existing stock interior design a much better.

Really digging the pieces you've picked for the interior so far, you are catching up for lost time! Very nice!

Love how these pieces mesh together, subtle and OEM like asthetic.

Exactly what I'm going for, thank you!

Did u have to buy certain seat brackets or was ours on the 370z direct bolton

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I bought aftermarket seat brackets that were produced to match the Braum seats with a 370. They were $140-$150 each and the brand is Planted. Fitment was perfect. I’m sure you could modify/engineer stock brackets but didn’t want to go that route.

The pair of seats and brackets was a little over $1k altogether.

Nicely done, johnnydrama! Your car looks awesome!

I was about to pull the trigger on the same pair and I came across your post. Where did you buy them from? The only one I could find in stock were on Ebay. Can you share a link?

Oh, and what did you do for the weight sensor for the passenger side?

Thank you I appreciate it!

Carid.com is a Braum distributor and I bought my seats and Planted brackets from them. They have a very large selection of Braum seats available and the price is the same or lower than anywhere else I have seen them listed.

I followed this DIY link on the forum and it satisfied the airbag lights and weight sensor on the passenger side. It should have everything you need to remedy these issues.

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...light-fix.html

I also snapped a couple additional photos in the daylight the other day.

I love this pattern. Thanks for the inspiration. Very reasonable cost, too :tup:

Yours look phenomenal. Well done :tiphat:

Very Nice;
Do the sit & feel as good as they look?

Thanks! So you were able to place the weight sensor Inside the BRAUM seat? Have you tested it? Does it engage, activate airbag, when you sit on the passenger side?

I was able to install the sensors under the seat between the seat springs and pad and it works when I try it out (I weigh 170lbs). However it is still not working at the suggested 80lb mark as it was intended. Probably due to the fact it is intended to sit directly under your bottom with only a layer of cloth between. They way I have it currently there is several inches of foam in between your bottom and the sensor. I do not want to run the risk of tearing/ruining the Braum seats therefore this was the best I could do without removing the leatherette, placing the sensor, and then re-attaching the leatherette.

Therefore I have purchased the workaround at the link below which will have the airbag on at all times.

Nissan 350z 370z Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SENSOR EMULATOR

Yes, they are very comfortable. Feels like someone is giving me a hug. Although it is not genuine leather, it looks a feels high quality. The bolstering is substantial enough that although it is leather there is no sliding in the seat.

I'm 5'7" 170lbs with a muscular build. someone wider could find the seat uncomfortable but that's only subjective to how I feel the seats fit me personally.

the only problem about braum seats especially this model is your butt starts hurting after sitting a good period of time

Smart man. I bought the airbag360 too. I didn't want to tear both seats for something that won't work well.

Has anyone over 6' sat in the drivers side of the car yet? I'm curious to know (on the drivers side) how their knee room is. The upward angle of the seat (compared with OE) looks like it's going to put knees right into the dash and/or steering wheel.

:iagree: I am also interested in the snugness of the seat for someone closer to 220-230 lbs. They look fat@ss friendly for the most part.

Got mine yesterday. I am 6.1, 36 waist and it can definitely accommodate a size or two bigger.

Writing a very quick update, please forgive any typos, grammar errors.

I installed mine the process was pretty awful. The seats come with brass screws, which to me was a big surprise as brass is a softer metal for rust-resistance application. I thought they would know better so I moved on.

Neither the seats nor the seat mounts came with instructions, I know it's not rocket science and I have done it in my old Evo and a couple of times building a racing simulator. I also looked on their website and they have pretty lame instructions in there. I wanted to find what would be the recommended torque for the bolts that attaches the slides to the seat, was unable to find any. I looked for other seats including recaros and the recommended torque was 32 to 40 ft. I went with 32 put two bolts in and the third snapped broken in the seat. I went to Home Depot and I got a broken screw extractor, did it very carefully and I was finally able to remove the broken screw from the seat.

I also grabbed higher-quality anodized stainless steel M8 screws. I started unscrewing the other two that I have in to replace it with stainless steel ones, the 2nd screw also broke. Alas!

I went again to Home Depot, grabbed another extractor and did the same process that but one was torqued tight and I couldn't extract it so I had to drill the screw out and used a tap to restore some of the threads. I was able to mount the seat with that screw secured enough, about 25 ft torque.

Using stainless steel screws on the other, passenger, seat was pretty straightforward. I also got the airbag 360 for the weight sensor -- it works great. Be advised that you will also get a dash light, as the airbag 360 turns the weight sensor on, the passenger seat belt warning lights will be on unless the passenger seat belt is fastened.

The look and the quality of the seat is good. But this experience I had would not make me recommend or ever buy anyting of that brand again. I would totally spend the extra $500 to get recaros or other reputable brand.

For those who wonder about height, you will sit and little bit lower then the cloth, OEM, seat.

Do you have good clearance between the bottom of the OE steering wheel and your legs too?

"Nothing ever easy" is my mantra.

Are you still happy with them?

They are alright, but don't expect it to hug you on track.

Still looks good and not worn.

Did Car Id also give you the slides? or did you have to order those somewhere else?

Car id? I bought from ebay, and yes, you'll need Planted seat bases

Yes CarID.com also sells the planted brackets which come with the sliders.

UPDATE:

I am changing it up and replacing these seats with the new Braum Elite-R seats with Red Piping and Red Braum 5-Point harnesses as part of my winter project list for my Nismo.

As a heads up, I am going to be posting my Braum Elite-X seats w/ red stitching as seen in this thread for sale in 1-2 weeks. Should be additional savings on a like new set of seats for anyone who is on the fence. I drove the car ~3500 miles this summer and these have held up great, with no visible signs of wear and tear.

I was looking at those but just couldn't get past the piping. If it was just red stitching.would of went for these. Mine came last week, waiting for the seat brackets. Good luck with sale!!!!

Thanks for linking me to your post. It's good to hear these seats are well made and a decent price point. (also good call on the seat sensor, i was not about to screw around with that sh!t on the passenger side.)

I'm probably going to order a black leather set soon so I can reduce the effort of getting in and out of the car just to run around town.

Thread Update!

One of my Black Friday purchases finally arrived today. I was disappointed when I placed the order to find out they were on back order but it was worth the wait, these things look awesome. Braum Alpha X seats replacing Braum Elite X seats, I was very happy with the Elite X seats while I used them but when I saw these I had to have them.

Questions: Related to stock Nismo Seats
 

My questions about these seats are as follows:

Size wise: How do they compare to the stock Nismo seats they have replaced? Are they similar width?, wider than stock? or narrower across the seat pan and back?

Height: Are these seats lower than the stock seats once they are fully installed?

I have attached a picture with the Braum Alpha-X dimensions as well as a side by side comparison of the stock Nismo seat versus the Braum Elite-X seat when the original install took place. Not sure what Braum seat model you are interested in but there is typically a dimension photo on CarId.com when viewing a particular model. In summary/comparison, I didn't notice a substantial size difference in the seats. I'm 5'6" 170lbs so it was probably less of a concern than it might be for others who are taller/larger. In general I prefer the feel/comfort of the Braum seats vs. the Stock Nismo seats.

Thanks for all the specs and info.!

Where did you purchase the Braums on Black Friday? :tiphat:

May be in the cards later this year.

I bought my first set, Elite X on CarID, but the Alpha Xs direct from Braum’s site on Black Friday for 25% off.