WRX/Impreza seats in a Protege5

BenjiHoggi

OEM+
:
Oregon, USA
:
22v Protege5
Okay, i'm coming out of nowhere with this because of an opportunity that just came up, but I'm looking for any information I can get on putting 2nd gen WRX/Impreza seats in a Protege with some small modifications. I have the cloth seats and even at 6'5", they're okay under normal driving. The bolstering isn't great though, and after driving a base Matrix with nice bolstering, I realize how nice it is in corners.

I've searched the forums and read probably most of the (scarce) threads on this topic, and it seems doable, but I want to be extra sure of compatibility before I do anything if possible. I've linked everything I've found so far below.

I'm looking at some 2007 seats with the headrests (not the one-piece ones), so I'm guessing these are Impreza and not WRX seats. This is fine with me as they're priced very well. 2nd gen WRX model years are 2001-2007 so I'm guessing they'll all bolt in similarly with modifications. I'm not sure how different the separate headrest vs one-piece seats are though, as I've seen both styles in Imprezas but only the one-piece seats in WRXs . I've seen photos of people with both styles in their Proteges.

It seems like people have done it, but I'm not sure if any of them frequent these forums anymore. Any information is appreciated.



Sources:
mazdas247.com/forum/index.php?threads/wrx-seats-in-protege-5.123797865/
mazdas247.com/forum/index.php?threads/wrx-seats-how-to.123864031/
mazdas247.com/forum/index.php?threads/fitting-subaru-seats-in-protege.123649769/
astina gt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19704
youtube.com/watch?v=h4k76N5bKOc
youtube.com/watch?v=dkLocOo3sa0
youtube.com/watch?v=w3agpRCX7yw
 
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I've got 2001 WRX seats in my red car, they don't quite 'bolt up' but they do fit with a bit of swearing and modifications. The front mounting tabs need bending and the holes need drilling out. The seat belt buckle needs to be swapped over too
20190112_201146S.jpg

They're great seats and waaay more supportive than the stock seats, but they do lean in towards the center of the car, especially when viewed from the front. That being said I'm 6'2" and haven't had any back trouble with them.

In terms of WRX vs Impreza seats, I'm pretty sure Subaru seats are like lego and nearly any seat will fit in any Subaru. If the 2 part seats are a lot wider than the 1 part seats, then you might run in to a clearance issue with the B pillar and door trim.

Let me know if you want some more detailed photos or measurements for WRX seats in a P5 :)
 
I've got 2001 WRX seats in my red car, they don't quite 'bolt up' but they do fit with a bit of swearing and modifications. The front mounting tabs need bending and the holes need drilling out. The seat belt buckle needs to be swapped over too
View attachment 224885
They're great seats and waaay more supportive than the stock seats, but they do lean in towards the center of the car, especially when viewed from the front. That being said I'm 6'2" and haven't had any back trouble with them.

In terms of WRX vs Impreza seats, I'm pretty sure Subaru seats are like lego and nearly any seat will fit in any Subaru. If the 2 part seats are a lot wider than the 1 part seats, then you might run in to a clearance issue with the B pillar and door trim.

Let me know if you want some more detailed photos or measurements for WRX seats in a P5 :)

Thank you, that's super helpful. Now I'm really motivated to not let this deal get away from me like I do with so many other things.

I was aware of the belt buckles and front brackets needing to be bent and drilled out, that's not the biggest concern to me. I did see a guy in one of the old threads mentioning that the seats don't fit exactly level, but he modded one of the back brackets to make it sit straight. It's something I can look into, and the main thing for me is to know that there aren't major make-or-break issues.

Does your Protege5 have a sunroof? I'm such a snob and had to have one, but it means I don't have a lot of headroom to spare. Does it look like the top surface of the seat where you'd sit any higher than the stock seat (aka do you sit any higher)? I guess we have fairly different models of the same seat so it may not be comparable...
 
No sunroof for me :) will grab some measurements tomorrow. From memory the wrx seats are slightly lower than the stock seats but I'll compare them both (perks of having a P5 daily as well lol)
There's a decent amount of adjustment in the subaru seats too.
 
Quick measurements:
2001 WRX seats:
Width of base (widest point at rear of seat) = 550mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 525mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 230mm (passenger seat with no height adjustment)

Stock Pro5 seats:
Width of base (widest point at middle of seat) = 540mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 510mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 240mm (passengers seat with no height adjustment)

Height measured from the floor hump running between the front seat mounts straight up, widths are measured at the widest points of the seat and back
 
Quick measurements:
2001 WRX seats:
Width of base (widest point at rear of seat) = 550mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 525mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 230mm (passenger seat with no height adjustment)

Stock Pro5 seats:
Width of base (widest point at middle of seat) = 540mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 510mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 240mm (passengers seat with no height adjustment)

Height measured from the floor hump running between the front seat mounts straight up, widths are measured at the widest points of the seat and back

Wonderful, thank you LankyKiwi.

The guy who is selling the seats is trying to sell a full interior with them, and all together it's still a stinking good deal, but he's being a bit dodgy and it seems like he wants someone to take all of it but not communicating it very well. I'm a cheapskate and I don't have room for everything, but I guess it doesn't matter anyways because Facebook took away my Marketplace access out of the blue so now I can't do much. So annoyed. 😑

Important part to me is that I know the seats fit and they are worth the upgrade. I may just have to put them on the list of things to do and wait until I find the money to buy them elsewhere.

I will update when I have more information.
 
Quick measurements:
2001 WRX seats:
Width of base (widest point at rear of seat) = 550mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 525mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 230mm (passenger seat with no height adjustment)

Stock Pro5 seats:
Width of base (widest point at middle of seat) = 540mm
Width of shoulder bolsters = 510mm
Height of the highest point of the base = 240mm (passengers seat with no height adjustment)

Height measured from the floor hump running between the front seat mounts straight up, widths are measured at the widest points of the seat and back
This is the info I was looking for. Thanks for posting LankyKiwi 🙏🏾 was thinking about going with Mazda 3 hatchback seats that I found at a wrecking yard, pretty decent! Then I saw an 04 Impreza. The seats are way better! So I'm going to scoop them up tomorrow.
 
This is the info I was looking for. Thanks for posting LankyKiwi 🙏🏾 was thinking about going with Mazda 3 hatchback seats that I found at a wrecking yard, pretty decent! Then I saw an 04 Impreza. The seats are way better! So I'm going to scoop them up tomorrow.
Tell us how they are when you get them!
 
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