Seat Removal

[metgo]

Here is a step by step instructions of how to remove your seats from your LX. This is very easy thing to do to knock off another tenth or two off your 1/4 mile time. First time I did it, took me about an hour. Now I can do it in about 15-20 min.

Tools needed:
ratchet
extender
18mm socket
10 mm socket (star socket if you have one)
14 mm socket
15 mm socket


First thing I do is fold down the back seat, remove the trunk board, spare tire and jack.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step1Jackboard.jpg





Now I put the back set back up. Next remove the bottom cushion from the back seat. To do that, put your hand under the cushion and lift up until it pops loose. Do this on the passenger and driver side and then cushion will come right out.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step2cusion.jpg


This is what the clip looks like
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step25cusion.jpg


It should look like this once you are done
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step26cusion.jpg



Now it is time to remove the back part of the seat. There should be one bolt on the bottom that was hidden by the seat cushion. Remove this bolt with 18mm socket, you will probably need an extender too.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step3Bseat.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step31Bseat.jpg


After that bolt is removed, fold the seat back down. There should be 5 bolts, remove these bolts with a 18 socket and the seat should come right out after that. Screw the nuts back on the studs after the seat is removed so you don't lose them.
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step32Bseat-1.jpg



It should look like this once the seat is removed
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step33Bseat.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step34Bseat.jpg



Now time for the front seat. Now your seat may be a little different than min because I don't have a power/heated seat but I'm sure it couldn't be to different. Start by removing the plastic covers that cover the bolts on the front part of the seat.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step4Fseat.jpg

You now have to remove 2 bolts from the front part of the seat. Use a 14mm stocket to remove the bolts seen in the pictures below.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step41.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step42.jpg


Now go behind the front seat. There should be two bolts there. Remove these with a 15mm socket.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step43Fseat.jpg




After the bolts are loose, tilt the seat back so you can get to the wires underneath. There is two things you have to unplug seen in the picture below. Pull the red switch out, then you have to squeeze the red switch and pull out.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step45.jpg



Now before you can remove the seat, you have to unhook the seat belt. Pop the plastic guard off where the seat belt connects to the seat. Then use a 10mm socket (star socket if you have one) with an extender to remove the bolt.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step47Fseat.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step48Fseat.jpg



One last thing before you remove the seat, remove the head rest. To do this tilt the seat back all the way. Pull the head rest up all they way, then push in the two buttons at the same time and pull it out.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step44Fseat.jpg



Now tilt the seat all the way forward, lift upward and turn it 45 degrees and take it out through the front seat. Be very careful not to scratch your car with the seat bracket. Make sure you are very careful with the seat after you remove it. Don't drop it down hard, don't sit on it or bump it on anything. These seats have air bag sensors in them and if you hit the seat hard or sit on it when it is out of the car it will have to be recalibrated at the dealer. Your air bag light will be on as long as you have the seat removed. Once you put it back in the car the light should go off. If it doesn't go off, you will need to have it recalibrated.
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step49Fseat.jpg


After the seat is out, I bolt the seat belt down with one of the bolts from the seat so that way it doesn't smack me in the face when I am driving.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step50Fseat.jpg




When you are done it should look like this

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step51Fin.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step52Fin.jpg

[metgo]

And yes, I'm very aware that my car is dirty. No need to point that out :mrgreen:

And here is some other ways you can reduce weight,

Spare Tire/Jack
Board that covers the spare tire
Back seat
Front seat
Floor Mats
plastic guard under the car (one you remove for oil changes)
center counsel cover
engine cover
windshield washer fluid
gas (keep the tank low)
every thing in the glove box and center counsel
sun visors
windshield wipers
door panels
seat belts
driver's seat head rest
sway bars
lining under the hood
license plates
spoiler (if you have one)
light weight battery

[rwalshphoto]

Beans for the write-up very thorough.

[CHERRY]

DEFINITELY MORE BEANS TO YOU FOR THIS.......

Chuck

[FlyByU]

Very cool. Someone was saying there is a need for a female torx to get this done. Maybe its for the power seats or something.

[tank8289]

The driver's seat floor bolts has the femal torx along with the seatbelt bolt........You can use a 10mm but it will damage the bolt a little bit but not too much, i wouldnt do it multiple times with a 10mm for sure you will round the bolt. I can't see being able to get the driver's side seat out without a female torx because you need lots of leverage and for sure you will round the bolt.

[ujokin2]

Have any of you actually weighed the car before you did the removing and then weighed again to see how much actuall came off ?

[Cam]

Great job!, but the nuts that secure the rear seatback brackets is 18mm not 3/4". ALso I would highly suggest getting a star socket for the front seatblet bolt. Sorry I don't remember the size.

[metgo]

Have any of you actually weighed the car before you did the removing and then weighed again to see how much actuall came off ?

I haven't weighed my car before or after, no scale. I'd estimate the back seat weighs about 30lbs and the front seat probably weighs about 50-60lbs. Along with taking everything else out of the car that I can, I'd estimate that I drop about 150lbs.

Great job!, but the nuts that secure the rear seatback brackets is 18mm not 3/4". ALso I would highly suggest getting a star socket for the front seatblet bolt. Sorry I don't remember the size.

Hmmmm, 10mm has work perfectly fine for me for the seat belt bolt. I've done this about 6 times now and no sign of stripping. Maybe I'll have to get me a star socket.

I just went out and tried the 18mm and that works too, I'll edit the first post.

[ZMagnum]

You forgot the last step. Vacuum. LOL.

Great job. Thanks for posting.

[ZMagnum]

It almost seems like the rear seat bottom cushion is meant to be removed in order to allow the rear seats to fold flat. Otherwise they stay up at an angle.

[budoboy]

FYI, I talked to some Sparco racing seat guys at LX Festival in SoCal earlier this year and they said they were working on brackets so their seats will fit in a LX. That'd be a nice permanent weight reduction! Seat are kind of expensive though.

[MikeEast]

If you run an NHRA track and if they are sticklers for the rules, they'll want you to have the battery covered, so leaving in the bottom spare/tire/battery cover wouldn't hurt when you go through tech.

Atlanta Dragway has mentioned it a couple of times but not enforced it that I know of..

Mike

[metgo]

If you run an NHRA track and if they are sticklers for the rules, they'll want you to have the battery covered, so leaving in the bottom spare/tire/battery cover wouldn't hurt when you go through tech.

Atlanta Dragway has mentioned it a couple of times but not enforced it that I know of..

Mike

I race at an NHRA track and they have yet to say anything to me about that. I always bring my trunk cover just in case they do.

[bandaid]

If you remove the front passenger seat on a 300, you will need Starscan to reset the passenger side airbag when you reinstall.

http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=116979

[metgo]

If you remove the front passenger seat on a 300, you will need Starscan to reset the passenger side airbag when you reinstall.

http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=116979

From what I hear, as long as you are careful with the seat and don't drop it, sit on it, bump it or put any pressure on it you'll be fine. You'll know if you need to have it re-calibrated because the airbag light won't go off once you put it back in. I have yet to have this happen to me.

[metgo]

Just an update. I did finally get a chance to weigh my car when I was in Columbus. First I weighed it with all my junk in the car (spare tire, 2 DRs, 2 jacks, few tools) and 3/4 tank of gas and it weighed in at 4,160 LBS without me in it. I striped all the weight out of it including the seats and the car weighed in at 3,840 LBS.

[tank8289]

4160 full, thats it?

[metgo]

4160 full, thats it?

Yep. After dumping all the junk in my car and the seats I weighed in at 3840. If the gas had been on E, I think it would have be about 50-60 lbs lighter. My car is pretty much completely base, on extra feature I have is a moon roof.

Of the 320 lbs that I dropped, I'd say at least 150 lbs of it was from my extra junk in the car. I'd say it is pretty safe to say that taking the seats out, spare tire/jack and all other loose weight is good for about 150 lbs.

[tank8289]

wow thought we were much heavier than that.

[wickedchargerrt]

From what I hear, as long as you are careful with the seat and don't drop it, sit on it, bump it or put any pressure on it you'll be fine. You'll know if you need to have it re-calibrated because the airbag light won't go off once you put it back in. I have yet to have this happen to me.
the recalibrate i believe is more so with multistage airbags which i believe only the daytunas and srts have, but i'm not 100% sure on which models.
I do know the multistage bag cars are the ones that have the problem cause the other cars dont use any perimeters other than normal on airbag deployment

[Junior]

I've had mine out a few times, and never had any trouble with the airbag sensors - I don't know what the factor is, and your mileage may vary, but so far, I've never had an issue.

The female torx is an E12.

Clicky:
http://www.toolweb.com/pics/femtorx.jpg (http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/skt42612.html)

[Midnight451]

sweet thread, now I can put in the rear heated seats

[jackiert]

Great thread, Metgo. Thanks. I read this over before dynamatting (fatmat) my car this weekend. I did everything except the driver's side floor. I ran out of time and I think I might need a torx socket for the floor bolts.

Junior, is the E12 the size to remove the driver's seat bolts going to the floor?

I've had mine out a few times, and never had any trouble with the airbag sensors - I don't know what the factor is, and your mileage may vary, but so far, I've never had an issue.

The female torx is an E12.

Clicky:
http://www.toolweb.com/pics/femtorx.jpg (http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/skt42612.html)

[budoboy]

Great thread. I just did this today. Very easy with help from this thread.

[Junior]

Junior, is the E12 the size to remove the driver's seat bolts going to the floor?

Nosir - the seatbelt where it attaches to the side of the seat. Metgo mentions using a 10mm or a "star socket" - this is the correct one.

This here:

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/metgo123456/Seat%20Removal/Step48Fseat.jpg