Heated and Cooled seats

[Bscfrank914]

Hey all,
I googled it and could not find anything solid. I have heated seats in my truck, but now that they make cooled seats, I always wanted to add some to my truck. Is there any aftermarket heated and cooled seats?

 

[Ryda55555]

Hey all,
I googled it and could not find anything solid. I have heated seats in my truck, but now that they make cooled seats, I always wanted to add some to my truck. Is there any aftermarket heated and cooled seats?

From what i know, cooled/AC seats use perforated seats with a fan under the chair that either uses AC or Heat to send air through the perforated holes to get cold or hot air to your back/butt area
At least thats how the ones i've seen work

 

[BINGA]

Yeah, I've been craving some cooled seats to go along with my heated ones as well. There are a number of manufacturers out there who offer heated/ventilated seats as a factory option, but I have yet to see anything aftermarket-wise. I'm sure there are some fabricators who could make some ductwork that taps into an existing vent(possibly the ones on the rear of the armrest console) and then run it into/under the seat cushion but perforations and some channels through the foam padding would be needed. My guess is that kind of custom work would be pretty expensive. Let me know if you come across anything though!

 

[Bscfrank914]

Yeah, I've been craving some cooled seats to go along with my heated ones as well. There are a number of manufacturers out there who offer heated/ventilated seats as a factory option, but I have yet to see anything aftermarket-wise. I'm sure there are some fabricators who could make some ductwork that taps into an existing vent(possibly the ones on the rear of the armrest console) and then run it into/under the seat cushion but perforations and some channels through the foam padding would be needed. My guess is that kind of custom work would be pretty expensive. Let me know if you come across anything though!

Yeah. Im guessing it would be that much of a stretch? I do have the AC for the rear, on the center console in the back. Guessing If I had to tap into a AC vent it would be that one? Idk where I would go from there.

 

[BINGA]

Tapping into that vent would probably be the "easy" part. Getting that redirected air to pass through the seat itself would be the tricky part. My guess would be the easiest way to accomplish something close to the effect we are looking for would be to have a very thin-walled duct made out of most likely fiberglass, route it under the seat, and then have it tuck into the gap between the bottom and top cushions, blowing air onto the lower back. Actually sounds somewhat simple in theory...

 

[Bscfrank914]

Tapping into that vent would probably be the "easy" part. Getting that redirected air to pass through the seat itself would be the tricky part. My guess would be the easiest way to accomplish something close to the effect we are looking for would be to have a very thin-walled duct made out of most likely fiberglass, route it under the seat, and then have it tuck into the gap between the bottom and top cushions, blowing air onto the lower back. Actually sounds somewhat simple in theory...

maybe even pvc pipe? then making a custom end piece to put in between the top and lower cushions. This actually sounds like a possible project.

 

[BINGA]

I know a guy who runs a shop who I know has done some fiberglass work. Next time i'm by there I'll bounce the idea off him and see what he thinks it would enatail. Let me know if you make any progress as well.

 

[Bscfrank914]

I know a guy who runs a shop who I know has done some fiberglass work. Next time i'm by there I'll bounce the idea off him and see what he thinks it would enatail. Let me know if you make any progress as well.

Sounds good my man

 

[blazinlow89]

Katzkin, I remember seeing it on their site a few years ago.

 

[BINGA]

Katzkin, I remember seeing it on their site a few years ago.

Yeah, I had thought I had read something about them doing it awhile back as well, but I just went and checked their site out again, and nothing. Ironically, when I tried to search for their products for our trucks in the drop down windows, the Trailblazer isn't even an option. Go figure. However, I did some more research on the subject, and there is a company called Seat Comfort Systems, and they have a universal seat heat AND cooling system, looks like it is pretty well engineered, and costs just under $200. They even have an install video (pretty sh&#ty quality) but walks you through the process and looks pretty simple. My TB already has the heated seats option, so I'm not sure how the two would coexist/occupy the same limited cushion space, as I have yet to look at the innards. Then there's the matter of getting an upholstery shop to perforate the leather without comprimising the integrity of the seating surface, but I'm sure they'd have the answer. Check 'em out for yourself, appears to be the better quality and aesthetic option, and at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Seat Heaters Heated Seats Seat Coolers Motorcycle Massage

 

[blazinlow89]

Their website is a nightmare on the tablet. I will try and view it on the laptop later.

One concept I had which would work well, but I would lose the rear air feature. I would remove the from seat covers, put channels in the factory foam to allow air to flow around the seat. Build a fiberglass pan to help contain the air flow for the bottom of the sat with a single hole for a duct. The last step would be to run a duct from the blower in the center console, to the pan under the seat. This could achieve both heat and air conditioned seats. I could even modify the ducts and run an actuator so I could switch between rear air and seat air. Of course this would be easier for me as I have cloth seats.

This would be similar to the way the seats in our helicopters are cooled/heated. They run a duct from the ECS (environmental control system) to a seat pan, the air is then circulated around the seat.

 

[BINGA]

Their website is a nightmare on the tablet. I will try and view it on the laptop later.

Its not just because of your tablet. The website itself is the nightmare. I had to view it on my laptop as well, and as crappy as the video quality is, the product looks to be on the up and up

 

[PennTB02]

From what i know, cooled/AC seats use perforated seats with a fan under the chair that either uses AC or Heat to send air through the perforated holes

One concept I had which would work well, but I would lose the rear air feature. I would remove the from seat covers, put channels in the factory foam to allow air to flow around the seat. Build a fiberglass pan to help contain the air flow for the bottom of the sat with a single hole for a duct. The last step would be to run a duct from the blower in the center console, to the pan under the seat. This could achieve both heat and air conditioned seats. .

Tapping into that vent would probably be the "easy" part. Getting that redirected air to pass through the seat itself would be the tricky part. My guess would be the easiest way to accomplish something close to the effect we are looking for would be to have a very thin-walled duct made out of most likely fiberglass, route it under the seat, and then have it tuck into the gap between the bottom and top cushions, blowing air onto the lower back. Actually sounds somewhat simple in theory...

Bscfrank914 your idea - as desirable as it is - is going to require you to scrap the TB seats and replace them with with something that was originally designed to be cooled. Have you considered 1) Your seats move. PVC or fiberglass duct work with some sort of flexible joint/ connector in the confined space under and next to the front seats is going to be tough to do. 2) Any channels cut into the seat foam will instantly create low spots or soft spots into which your posterior will sink. 3) No auto upholstery shop is goint to punch hundreds of tiny holes in your seat covers. If you need perforated covers they will remove the section(s) you want holes in and sew in new fabric that already is perforated.

I have been wrong before and I have not examined the Seat Comfort Systems products but if you want most of the benefits of cooled seats with a minimium of fuss, time, and custom fab work keep your electric heaters and just switch to cloth OEM seat covers. They are warmer in the winter and much cooler than leather in the summer.

 

[Bscfrank914]

Bscfrank914 your idea - as desirable as it is - is going to require you to scrap the TB seats and replace them with with something that was originally designed to be cooled. Have you considered 1) Your seats move. PVC or fiberglass duct work with some sort of flexible joint/ connector in the confined space under and next to the front seats is going to be tough to do. 2) Any channels cut into the seat foam will instantly create low spots or soft spots into which your posterior will sink. 3) No auto upholstery shop is goint to punch hundreds of tiny holes in your seat covers. If you need perforated covers they will remove the section(s) you want holes in and sew in new fabric that already is perforated.

I have been wrong before and I have not examined the Seat Comfort Systems products but if you want most of the benefits of cooled seats with a minimium of fuss, time, and custom fab work keep your electric heaters and just switch to cloth OEM seat covers. They are warmer in the winter and much cooler than leather in the summer.

The 9-7x comes with perforated seats so I would not think that part would be a problem. However I did not factor in the actual comfort of the seat itself, in terms of losing the cushioning . I wonder since I already do have heated seats, If I could use the already existing cut outs within the seat?

 

[BINGA]

The system I looked at from Seat Comfort Systems, places the fans in the top cushions. While I'm sure you'd be able to tell they were there, it would certainly be more comfortable than sitting on them. And since they are installed into the seats, the movement of the seats would not be an issue. Also, with your seats already being perforated, unlike mine, your overall cost would be much cheaper too.