Thinking about a rear seat delete brz project is usually the first thing that comes to mind after you try to cram a full-grown adult into the back of your car. Let's be honest for a second: the back seats in the Subaru BRZ are basically decorative. Unless you're hauling a couple of grocery bags or maybe a very patient toddler, those rear cushions are just taking up space and adding unnecessary weight.
Removing them isn't just about being a "weight weenie," though that's definitely part of the appeal. It's about making the car more functional for the way most of us actually use it. If you're a track day regular, a weekend canyon carver, or just someone who likes a clean, purposeful-looking interior, ditching the rear bench is a total game-changer.
The weight loss and performance gains
If you've spent any time on the forums, you know that the BRZ community is obsessed with weight. Since the car isn't exactly a powerhouse from the factory (at least in the first generation), every pound you shave off counts toward your power-to-weight ratio.
When you go through with a rear seat delete brz setup, you're looking at pulling out around 25 to 30 pounds. Now, is 30 pounds going to make you feel like you just bolted on a turbocharger? No, probably not. But it's "free" weight—well, free if you don't count the cost of a delete kit. It's weight that sits relatively high up in the chassis, and removing it helps lower the center of gravity, even if it's just by a tiny fraction.
More importantly, it changes the way the car sounds and feels. Removing that padding allows a bit more mechanical noise from the fuel pump and the rear differential to creep into the cabin. For some people, that's a downside, but for the rest of us, it adds to that raw, mechanical sports car vibe we bought the BRZ for in the first place.
Practicality for the track and beyond
One of the biggest headaches for BRZ owners who actually track their cars is getting a set of tires to the circuit. If you leave the rear seats in, you're playing a high-stakes game of Tetris trying to fit four wheels and tires, a jack, and a tool kit into that tiny cabin.
By installing a rear seat delete brz kit, you suddenly have a flat, expansive loading floor. You can stack tires two-deep without worrying about scuffing up your leather or cloth upholstery. It effectively turns the back of your car into a mini-truck bed. I've seen people fit camping gear, full-sized coolers, and even mountain bike frames (with the wheels off, obviously) into the back of a BRZ once those seats were out of the way.
It's the kind of modification that makes the car easier to live with as a daily driver, provided you don't have kids to transport. You stop treating the back seat like a trash collector and start treating it like a functional storage area.
DIY vs. buying a pre-made kit
Once you decide to commit to the rear seat delete brz life, you have to choose how you're going to fill the void. Leaving the bare metal exposed is an option, but it looks a bit "unfinished" and can be incredibly loud due to road noise.
The pre-made route
There are some fantastic kits on the market made from CNC-cut wood, lightweight plastics, or even carbon fiber. These kits are usually upholstered in automotive-grade carpet that matches the OEM floor mats perfectly. The benefit here is a factory-clean look. It looks like the car was meant to be a two-seater from the dealership. Most of these kits are bolt-in, meaning you don't have to drill new holes into your chassis, which is a big plus for resale value later on.
The DIY route
If you're handy with a jigsaw and a staple gun, you can definitely go the DIY route. Most guys use a thin sheet of plywood or MDF as a base. You'll want to create a template using cardboard first—trust me, trying to eyeball those curves around the wheel wells is a recipe for frustration. Once you have the wood cut, you can wrap it in black trunk liner carpet from an auto parts store. It's a fun weekend project, and it'll save you a few hundred bucks compared to the high-end kits.
Dealing with the noise
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the noise. Subaru didn't put those heavy rear seats back there just for passengers; they act as a massive sound dampener. When you pull them out, you're going to hear every pebble that bounces off the wheel wells and every whine from the drivetrain.
If you're building a dedicated track car, you probably won't care. But if this is your daily, you might want to look into some sound deadening. Applying a few sheets of Dynamat or a similar butyl-based deadener to the bare metal before you install your rear seat delete brz panel will make a world of difference. It keeps the "tinny" sound away while still letting you enjoy the weight savings and the extra space.
The "Clubman" aesthetic
There's something undeniably cool about a two-seater coupe. When you look through the rear window of a BRZ with a seat delete, it looks purposeful. It looks like a Porsche GT3 RS or a Mini GP. It signals to everyone that this car isn't for carpooling; it's for driving.
A lot of guys pair their rear seat delete brz with a roll bar or a harness bar. Even if you aren't running a full cage, a color-matched harness bar across that empty space looks incredible. It fills the visual void and adds a layer of safety if you're running four-point or five-point harnesses for track work. It's that "Clubman" style that balances street comfort with track-ready hardware.
Is it reversible?
The best part about this mod is that it's almost entirely reversible. As long as you don't throw your old seats into a dumpster, you can usually swap them back in within about 20 minutes. Most rear seat delete brz setups use the existing bolt holes from the seat brackets.
So, if you decide to sell the car or if you suddenly find yourself needing to transport more than one friend, you just unbolt the delete panels and bolt the seats back in. I always tell people to keep the original hardware in a labeled baggie so you aren't hunting for bolts three years down the line.
Final thoughts on the rear seat delete
At the end of the day, a rear seat delete brz is one of those mods that just makes sense. The factory rear seats are vestigial organs—they're there, but they don't really do anything. By removing them, you're leaning into what the BRZ is actually good at: being a lightweight, driver-focused machine.
Whether you're doing it for the extra tire storage on track days, the slight edge in performance, or just because you like the way a flat floor looks compared to cramped cushions, you're going to love the result. It opens up the cabin, lets you hear the engine a bit better, and turns a "2+2" into the proper two-seater sports car it was always meant to be. Just be prepared for your friends to stop asking you for rides—though, let's be honest, that might be the biggest benefit of all.