Installing Focus ST3 full leather Recaros in Fiesta ST

[Sakel]

The play here is to strip EVERYTHING from the frames and transfer over the foam, supports and covers to the stock fiesta back and base. The fitment in the back map pocket isn't perfect, but it's completely serviceable So while it's doable, I strongly suggest against it unless you get a really good deal like I did

 

[Dannyesco]

Yes, it can be done and they fit great. I got the seats from a junkyard for $200 each (I found the seats using http://car-part.com, see page 2 for details) and it took me about 2 hrs each to do the install. I ended up using the bottom part of the seat frame from the base fiesta seats and putting the ST3 Recaro seat bottom and bolstering on that. Then I bolted the Recaro seat backs to the retrofitted bottom seat frames. I took very detailed pictures of the whole process and then dropped my phone in water the next day, Doh!

Notes about electrical connections:
Nothing from the ST3 seats plugged right in to the Fiesta Harness. The airbags use different connector types and the seat heater connections dont exist on my car. The passenger seat pressure sensor was not swapped because I used the bottom half of the Fiesta seat frames anyway.

Here is a picture of the completed install:
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Edit: I was able to recover most of the pictures from my phone!

Here is the drivers side Recaro vs. Non-Recaro. This Recaro is full leather and full electric and with electric heater from a 2014 FoST.

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Here are the seat bottoms, the attachment points to the car are different, so the FoST Recaro will not bolt right into the FiST

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The mounting rails are riveted to the bottom seat frames and will not be easy to swap between the two seats, this can be seen pretty well in the next 7 pictures.

Because of this, the strategy is to use the FiST bottom seat frame with the FoST upper seat frame bolted to it (the tops and bottoms are easy to separate with a few bolts). The FiST bottom seat frame will then get wrapped with the FoST Recaro leather and bolstering (the heated seat wiring is inside the bolstering and will come over with it.)

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Here you can get a good look at the difference between the FoST Recaro seat wiring and the FiST non-Recaro wiring. On the Recaro all of the wiring goes to the one large block connector at the bottom left of the picture.

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Here are the two bottom seat frames (passenger side) with the covers and bolstering removed (FoST Recaro on left, FiST non-Recaro on right). The black plastic piece on the Recaro frame supports the thigh bolsters and can be moved to the non-Recaro frame by drilling out the aluminum rivets (I think there are 3) and then riveting or bolting it to the FiST seat frame.

The seat belt switch and the pressure switch (passenger side only) remain on the seat and will plug into their original connectors. The airbag on the FoST Recaro top seat frame could be plugged into the FiST airbag connector but will need an adaptor. Disclaimer: I haven?t actually tested that this works because I don?t want to crash my car to check it, but I am hoping that the side airbag in the Recaro seat is triggered the same way as the side airbag in the non-Recaro seat.

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Here is the FoST Recaro seat with the side plastic trim removed and the seat bottom leather and bolstering removed. The side plastic trim was almost identical on the Recaro and non-Recaro seats and I ended up using a combination of the trim pieces on the final install.

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I don?t know what this is a picture of ?

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Hello,have you weighed you stock ST seats. Not the Recaros but the regular ST seats? I was wondering how much they weight.

 

[Sakel]

Hello,have you weighed you stock ST seats. Not the Recaros but the regular ST seats? I was wondering how much they weight.

I read somewhere that the stock fiesta seats are around 47lbs, and manual recaros are 55. There's really not that much difference, and I've handed both a lot

 

[Dannyesco]

I read somewhere that the stock fiesta seats are around 47lbs, and manual recaros are 55. There's really not that much difference, and I've handed both a lot

I want to get a light reclienable race seat.

 

[_slammined]

Hey, newbie here I just scored a full set of st3 focus seats did the rears also fit? Is it really worth all the work?

 

[Sakel]

Hey, newbie here I just scored a full set of st3 focus seats did the rears also fit? Is it really worth all the work?

The focus rears will not fit and personally I think the seats are worth it

 

[Hypergram]

Not sure if they're of any use, but anyone doing this swap is welcome to any leftover or unneeded parts from my project. Already having Recaro's, I'm turning this little Focus Orphan into my new office chair. Seat base, wiring, etc. are all going in the garbage otherwise.

Any chance of this photo coming back? Really wanna try this

 

[Bee Peezy]

Fist recaros are terrible. They encourage rounded shoulders and forward neck posture. I don't understand why the head rest is pitched so far forward, it's like they want you to look down while you're driving.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

So you have support while looking down at your phone

 

[Cb3accord]

Hi

I can matter of factly tell you that 15+ seats will not work. The rear seat frame design changed in 2015 and it does not bolt up to the fiesta seat base. The only way to use them is to drill out the focus mounting points and weld the fiesta ones on.

If I'm understanding this correctly, my current 2017 Fiesta ST cloth seats can be modded w/FoST Recaro seats as long as they're from a 2013,14 FoST? I want to do the Manual version & make it simple but want to make sure I purchase the correct seats. Thank you

 

[MagnetiseST]

If I'm understanding this correctly, my current 2017 Fiesta ST cloth seats can be modded w/FoST Recaro seats as long as they're from a 2013,14 FoST? I want to do the Manual version & make it simple but want to make sure I purchase the correct seats. Thank you

Yes, you can use any year base ST seats and make them work with 2013-2014 ST2 Focus Recaros. You can make them work with the ST3 seats too, but the ST2 is the easier swap.

 

[Sakel]

If I'm understanding this correctly, my current 2017 Fiesta ST cloth seats can be modded w/FoST Recaro seats as long as they're from a 2013,14 FoST? I want to do the Manual version & make it simple but want to make sure I purchase the correct seats. Thank you

The 2013-2014 seats are simple as you can swap the seatbacks as an assembly. If you're handy and find a really good deal, you can make the newer seats work (at least the ST2). It involves completely reupholstering the seat, and swapping the foams, bases and covers to fiesta seat frames.

 

[MagnetiseST]

The 2013-2014 seats are simple as you can swap the seatbacks as an assembly. If you're handy and find a really good deal, you can make the newer seats work (at least the ST2). It involves completely reupholstering the seat, and swapping the foams, bases and covers to fiesta seat frames.

I wouldn't trust that, unless you've done it already. I think the foam is a slightly different shape compared to the older ones and wont fit the frames as perfectly. Plus the cover will never go back on the same and it'll look weird.

 

[FiestDave]

The 2013-2014 seats are simple as you can swap the seatbacks as an assembly. If you're handy and find a really good deal, you can make the newer seats work (at least the ST2). It involves completely reupholstering the seat, and swapping the foams, bases and covers to fiesta seat frames.

You have to be beyond handy to make the newer seats work. I spent a good couple weeks trying to figure out how to do this. I would advise against this. I was the one that figured out that the newer seats won't work and I still have a set of 2015 FoST Recaros in my basement...

Highly, HIGHLY, advisable to find the older seats unless you are professional upholdster.

 

[Sakel]

I wouldn't trust that, unless you've done it already. I think the foam is a slightly different shape compared to the older ones and wont fit the frames as perfectly. Plus the cover will never go back on the same and it'll look weird.

I did do it back in February, that's why I posted earlier. There's one or two wrinkles, but perfectly presentable.

You have to be beyond handy to make the newer seats work. I was the one that figured out that the newer seats won't work...

Highly, HIGHLY, advisable to find the older seats unless you are professional upholdster.

Again, I did it in a dorm room in just a few hours with basic hand tools

 

[MagnetiseST]

I did do it back in February, that's why I posted earlier. There's one or two wrinkles, but perfectly presentable. View attachment 37153

I think that depends on the owner. I'm far too OCD to call that acceptable. Does the foam flex a lot when you sit in it?

 

[FiestDave]

Again, I did it in a dorm room in just a few hours with basic hand tools

Yea I dont find that acceptable. I couldn't live with it. Sorry [emoji20]

 

[Sakel]

I think that depends on the owner. I'm far too OCD to call that acceptable. Does the foam flex a lot when you sit in it?

No, it doesn't flex at all. All of the plastic bracing from the factory recaros transfers over, same as if you're doing the older recaros on a fiesta base

 

[wcnST]

So Fiesta Recaros are direct bolt ins but the Focus seat isnt?

 

[MagnetiseST]

So Fiesta Recaros are direct bolt ins but the Focus seat isnt?

Fiesta ST Recaros 14-19: Bolt in
Focus ST Recaros 13-14: Minor modifications detailed in this thread
Focus ST & RS Recaros 2015+: Heavy modifications using the Fiesta seat frames with the Focus internal foam.

 

[ogminlo]

Does anyone know if the rear seat backrest assembly and rear seat cushion are a direct swap between the hatch and the sedan? I'm looking at doing this FoST Recaro swap and I really want to try to get a "matching" leather rear bench out of a Titanium, but the ones I've found so far in salvage are from Titanium sedans. Based on the parts diagrams on Tasca, it looks like they could be common/interchangeable between the sedan and the ST hatch, but they do have different part numbers for hatch vs sedan (e.g. CE8Z-5460509-A for sedan vs CE8Z-5460509-B for hatch). Does anyone know how or even if they really differ in terms of hardware? I'd love to hear from someone who has hands-on experience.