Install Guide: Evo X Recaro Seats into 2006 Legacy GT (Airbag + Heated)

***DISCLAIMER** You do this at your own risk. Airbags/squibs are dangerous to work with and it can result in serious bodily injury and/or death. I take ABSOLUTELY no responsibility for your actions for any and all results from this post or any thereafter dealing with this subject.

 

If you choose to do this mod and you or anyone else are injured in the event of a crash, accidental deployment, or any other incident involving this DIY, you are on your own.

 

 

This is by no means an exact step-by-step guide, however it should cover most hurdles for someone looking to install Evo X Recaros in their Legacy GT. It assumes a reasonable level of mechanical aptitude and access to tools (a Dremel/cut off tool is required). The 2005 Legacy GT’s will be much more difficult due to the passenger occupancy system and this guide does not cover that. I believe 2006+ are all similar, but the vehicle in this guide is specifically a Canadian 2006 Legacy GT Wagon Limited 5MT with 2009 Lancer Ralliart Recaros (Canadian car – heated seats).

 

Parts required:

- Driver & passenger Recaro seats (2008-2016 Evo X or 2009-2010 Lancer Ralliart Recaro will work, 2009-2014 for the Ralliart in Canada)

- These come in a variety of materials and with/without seat heaters, Canadian & higher spec Evo seats usually have heaters. Canadian Ralliart Recaro’s have the grey alcantara and black leather with heat seen in this guide

- Evo X or Lancer Ralliart heated seat switch WITH PLUG and ~4” of wire

- Planted Technology driver & passenger seat brackets (Part No. SB180DR/SB180PA)

- Legacy GT driver seat position sensor (ideally from your car or the same model year as your car)

- Legacy GT passenger seat bladder + module

- Legacy GT driver & passenger belt buckles (with wiring/plug)

- Legacy GT air bag connectors (easiest to snip off a pigtail from a junkyard car and de-pin it)

- Qty 8: M8 x 16 mm lg. hex head cap screws - Class 10.9 (it's not recommended to use 12.9 zinc plated fasteners due to brittleness and potential hydrogen embrittlement)

- Qty 8: M8 flange nuts - Class 10 (thread pitch doesn’t matter, just match the M8 bolts in the line above)

 

Procedure:

 

Strip all parts from the bottom of the Recaro seats (including the sliders). Eventually you’re left with the seats themselves and the seat sliders + floor mounts. We’ll need to get just the plain seat sliders, with a flat bottom. This will take some time, you need to drill out the spot welds, cut off studs, grind down the silver rivets and cut the fillet welds along the sides of the floor mounts. Drill out the hole the rivets used in the slider to allow clearance for the M8 bolt (I used a 21/64” drill bit). Eventually you’re left with flat bottomed seat sliders, I spray painted mine black to cover the bare metal.

 

 

Recaro components not used:

 

Mounts to be removed:

 

 

 

Next is to prepare the wiring on the bottom of the Recaros. You’ll need to de-pin the airbag connector, shave the Recaro pins slightly (compare to the Legacy pins to get an idea of the area to be shaved), and insert them into the de-pinned Legacy GT airbag connector. It’s a tight fit, but it will go back together (ensure pins are fully seated) and connect properly with the chassis side of the Legacy airbag harness. Here is the reference I used for the airbags. This is a 2007 WRX so the seat heaters are different.

 

These are the unmodified Recaro airbag pins

Tough to see, but these are modified (small tangs ground off)

 

The seat brackets need to be slightly modified was well. Drop M8 bolts into the front & rear slider mounting holes from the top side (requires moving the slider fore and aft to access each hole), use this as a template to see how much of the seat bracket needs to be ground. I left the front holes of the bracket untouched and only dremeled the rear slots slightly. I removed the seat belt mount tabs as the Recaro seats have this integrated. Paint bare metal.

 

 

The driver side seat can now be bolted to its seat bracket, ensure to torque M8 bolts (27 lb-ft for M8 10.9, zinc plated and dry). I found a washer could not be used under the bolt head as there is limited height below the slider which cannot be impeded. Bolt the Legacy GT belt buckle to the mount on the Recaro seat. The seat position sensor just needs to be plugged into the Legacy chassis harness and secured wherever there’s space. Note, it will no longer function to turn off the airbag when the seat is all the way forward. Most people don’t require this feature however it is something to be aware of for shorter drivers or if others borrow your vehicle. I don’t know exactly what point the sensor sends a signal to turn off the airbag and unfortunately I no longer have my original seats to check the position of the sensor trip. If someone is able to check this that would be helpful.

 

 

On to the passenger side, which has some extra steps. You’ll need to remove the bladder from the passenger Legacy GT seat, I don’t have photos of this but the steps are to unclip the seat cover of the bottom cushion and peel it as far back as needed to work the bladder out from being sandwiched by the cushion and seat springs. Rivets securing the module to the Legacy GT seat need to be drilled out to remove the module. Unclip the Recaro bottom seat cover in a similar manner and peel it back to begin working the bladder between the seat cushion and springs. Work slowly and evenly to ensure bladder does not tear. The bottom seat webbing/spring of the Recaro does not have a hole for the tube to the sensor, however this has not impacted function as far as I can tell (occupancy sensor & indicator light works as factory). Reattach the passenger seat cover and bolt to its seat bracket. Torque M8 bolts to 27 lb-ft. Secure the occupancy sensor module to the seat bracket.

 

 

The following section covers the seat heaters. If your Recaro seats do not have the heated option, you can skip these steps and install the seats. Plug in all sensors and adjust seating position to your liking! Depending on the exact position of your seat on the bracket and seating position, the shoulder bolster may slightly rub the B-pillar. Loosen the M8 bolts and shift the seat on the base until it does not contact the B-pillar. The Legacy GT heated switch has 4 positions instead of 2 and operates differently so cannot be used with the Recaro seats.

 

Place the seats in the car and lean them against the back seat bench so the underseat plugs are easily accessible on the seat and chassis side. The wiring diagram below is specifically for a 2006 Legacy GT, however the descriptions should allow one to adapt it to other years in case the wire colours differ. De-pin the Recaro heated seat connector – blue/yellow/black wire (or chassis side, doesn’t matter) and insert the wires into the plug such that they correspond with the wiring diagram. Before plugging in and installing the seat, I recommend finishing the switch installation and checking continuity/function.

 

 

To make the switch wiring easier, remove the centre console and detach the wiring harness. Remove the Legacy GT heated seat plug from the harness. Following the wiring diagram, connect the appropriate wires of the Legacy GT harness to the wires of the Mitsubishi plug. Note the two wires that need to have a ring terminal attached to them to ground the seats.

 

Ground location below centre console:

 

A switch plate will be needed to house the Mitsubishi heated seat switch in the original Legacy location. I used black ABS material, cut to shape and then heated while forming to the centre console as the OEM switch is not flat and has compound curvature.

 

 

Enjoy! You should have no airbag lights and heated seats should function. These seats are a massive improvement over the OEM Legacy GT seats at the track and daily driving in terms of support and comfort. I do have more photos and a better copy of the wiring diagram, just send me a PM with your email.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Neal Cassady
Proofreading

Solid write* up! Never would have thought to do this, not a bad look. Edited April 14, 2020 by Febreze Mee

Awesome thanks for sharing. Great timing, I was looking at EVO X recaro's for my Legacy but dreaded dealing with the unknown.

 

Manual 05 seats suck, they're way too high. Speaking of '05, whats the issue with the passenger occupancy system in my car?

Very Nice, I really only want 1 seat lol.

How do you like these seats? The lack of lumbar supports in the stock seats always bothered my back.

2005 LGTs have a sensor at each corner of the seat base, rather than a bladder to detect someone sitting. It's actually similar to the Recaro passenger seat occupancy sensor system, so perhaps its possible to swap it over relatively simply.

 

The seats are fantastic. My back doesn't get sore/tire on long drives anymore. If you've sat in STI seats, these are improved over those in terms of lumbar and shoulder support. They could use a bit more leg support, but that's compared to a fixed back bucket.

How much lower do you sit with these seats than stock? I was disappointed with how high you sit in the JDM STi Recaro (basically the same as stock) - the planted brackets may have a good bit to do with it I imagine

They are lower, but not that much. It’s tough to say exactly, I’ll have to meet up with someone who has OEM seats to give you a more accurate idea.

 

Also compared to the fixed bucket I had in a S13 with “super-low” seat rails, it sits high, but that seat was essentially on the floor.

 

If you made your own seat brackets there is room to lower the seat more.

wow those look great, where did you source the seats and cost?

From a local wrecker, they were ~$1000 CAD which is quite good for these seats. They're often in the $1200-$1500 range depending on condition. They would also pop-up on Facebook marketplace in my area from Lancer Ralliart/Evo part-outs.

 

"Lancer Ralliart" seats usually go a bit cheaper than Evo seats since they usually don't have as much Evo tax (just Recaro tax).

You've done a fantastic job here - huge props.

 

I wonder if in all your research for this swap, perhaps you came across the solution to my problem: with an aftermarket drivers seat, what resistor do I need to insert in which connector to disable the airbag light?

 

Thread with more info here: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/disable-airbag-light-resistor-after-seat-swapi-248119.html?t=248119

 

Any info hugely appreciated! Cheers.

Other than the 3.3 ohm resistor you already tried I haven’t seen anything else.

 

Have you plugged in other things like the seat position sensor and the belt buckle?

 

I think the resistor goes in the plug that the squib would have connected to, the buckle and seat position sensor require different methods to fake the reading, not sure if they can be done with just a resistor. Easiest would be to plug in your OEM belt buckle and seat position sensor and stash them under the seat.

For posterity, here is the solution for disabling the airbag (link):

 

 

the airbag light fix is pretty simple, well at least for the driver side, i don't know about the passenger side because it has an extra weight sensor.

 

There are 4 connectors under the driver seat.

1 for the seat heaters

1 for the power to the motors to move the seat

1 for the side airbag

1 for the seat position sensor

 

you can just leave the first 2 disconnected.

 

on the one going to the airbag, you just put a 3.3 Ohm/ 2 watt resistor in the connector, and you tape it.

 

but then the airbag light is still on because it is looking for the seat position sensor.

That sensor is mounted on the bottom of the driver seat, and it only activates if the seat is all the way to the front, so that the airbag will not inflate at the maximum pressure.

 

I just took the sensor of the seat, it is mounted with 2 rivets, and i just connected it and left in under my seat, It will not be a problem for me because i never sit all the way to the front.

 

Well that's it, the light will go off after you do this.

I imagine that i also could have measured the resistance of the sensor, and just fooled it with a resistor, but i haven't tried that yet.

 

Let me know if this makes sence.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Enlight

I grabbed a non-motorized seat rail from an 05 Legacy from the junk yard, was thinking about creating a cooler mount for use when camping (overlanding the catch phrase for all the new kids on the block these days?).

 

If I removed the seat and built a wood shelf on the rail, without the side seat airbag connected would that cause any issues? The occupancy computer is on the seat itself, not the rails. I didn't have a drill with me to drill out the black computer thingy but I was able to grab the plastic occupancy sensor. There's also a plug going into the seat belt receiver which I'd re-use from my OEM seat, just swapping it over.

 

Would this work?

I think you'd still need a resistor in lieu of the side airbag, does the base without the seat still have the weight sensors etc? Or would those come off with the seat?

The computer block thingy is rivetted to the seat cushion base. I didn't have a drill with me to pull that off at the Pick-n-Pull yard.

 

I was able to pull out the bladder/occupancy sensor though.. I think I might need the computer to test.

You sure it was an '05?

 

The 2005 was a unique year. They didn't have a "bladder" for passenger occupancy, they have a HEAVY "scale" on each of the four corners of the seat and connect the seat cushion to the rail. The whole setup weights close to 10lbs.

Shoot. You're right.. it was an 06 Sedan. I guess I should take it back and find an 05.

I have a BG wagon that I retrofitted some 05/06 Gt seats in. I’m trying to get the heated seat portion to work. The BG uses a 2 wire system (High/low) where the 05 has 4 settings. Based on that chart I just need to provide voltage for the high and low setting and leave the other two wires untouched? Or does the 05 have a separate module that controls the heated seat function?

I have a BG wagon that I retrofitted some 05/06 Gt seats in. I’m trying to get the heated seat portion to work. The BG uses a 2 wire system (High/low) where the 05 has 4 settings. Based on that chart I just need to provide voltage for the high and low setting and leave the other two wires untouched? Or does the 05 have a separate module that controls the heated seat function?

 

What did it take to retrofit the 05 seats into your BG wagon?

3 out of the four bolts line up and I put washers up front….the powered seats was simple to wire up (power/ground). I won’t say the seats are fully secure with just the three bolts but it’s hardly noticeable you really have to shake it to feel it.

I have a BG wagon that I retrofitted some 05/06 Gt seats in. I’m trying to get the heated seat portion to work. The BG uses a 2 wire system (High/low) where the 05 has 4 settings. Based on that chart I just need to provide voltage for the high and low setting and leave the other two wires untouched? Or does the 05 have a separate module that controls the heated seat function?

 

 

I believe the 05 switch operates differently, I tried to use it with the Evo X seats (which are a hi/lo) and it was a no-go, so I imagine the reverse is true (05 seats won't work with BG switch).

 

The chart I provided used the Evo X switch and just piggy backed off of the old wiring. I think 05 4 position switch varies resistance, whereas the hi-lo switch just sends power to the appropriate circuit.

I figured that might be an issue, I’ll continue to fiddle with it and see what I come up with