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Civic Ep3 seats to EK

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 9:37 am
by saxophonias
This is a guide of what to do and what to expect if you want to swap ep3 type R seats to ej9 and EK civics.
I will share my experience and also resources from others who tried it on the web.
First of all we have two options of seats
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Pros:
You can find them very easily
They are really cheap
They are wide but offering good support too
They are hard which is very nice for long distances as they support the body
They absorb way better the vibrations comparing to stock seats
They look good

Cons:
They don't have divided rails and pan which means that you can't swap anything from your seat or put lower rails
They are difficult to center in Eks and it requires precise welding
The alcantara material is a nightmare when it comes to wear, so you can never find the perfect used seat
The material and the condition of the seats look great when seen from pictures unlike their true condition
They don't have divided bolsters which can be changed if worn like the other recaro seats
They seat high due to their having higher rails and structure


First of all it is not a straight swap. The only way to fit them is to weld the stock ej9s "ears-adaptors" of the stock seat to them, after having cut off the stock ep3 ones.
This is something that requires precision work which is not done sadly by many. So if someone tries to sell you ready made ep3 seats to be swapped in your EK be cautious of the work he has done.

Some pics
This is what you weld from the ek seat
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This is why the seat is so high
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I will continue this write up with mines when they are well aligned. I got them from someone who already had them in his EK but they weren't done properly so i have to make them fit better.
Overall it is a great update comparing to the stock seats. Their pros comparing to other recaros is that if you are big you fit unlike the dc2 or ek9 seats, which is very important when driving.

This is a respectable dealer who provides material/clothing and parts for recaro seats
http://www.capitalseating.co.uk/product ... d=63&mid=2

Unfortunately bolsters cannot be swapped to the ep3 seats due to their being integrated to the whole seat structure.
Also many people say that these seats are recaro unbranded seats made only for honda but I haven't verified that. They look a lot like suzuki swift sport seats

Re: Civic Ep3 seats to EK

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 3:39 pm
by saxophonias
http://www.h-performance.com.my/Product ... 0Seats.htm

This is a list of the genuine recaro seats for reference

Re: Civic Ep3 seats to EK

Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:26 pm
by saxophonias
I swapped the ep3 red seats to my ej9. They seat much higher, so you lose the extremely low driving position, but you soon get used to it and i think it gives you more visibility throughout the car. Finally, I can get the back of the seat a lot more horizontally so you don't have the "sleepy" driving position of the stock seat. It is not a straigh swap but nothing that a garage can't do. You can a pair for less or near 300e. That's a fair price.