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Equipment Tests > Aftermarket car seat guide
Aftermarket car seat guide
Words by Phillip Lord
Let's face it - the seats in any standard 4WD are never perfectly comfortable for everyone. If you are one of the lucky ones who finds their original equipment 4WD seats just right, stop reading now. You should be out enjoying your comfy vehicle. For the rest of us who find our 4WD seats anything from niggling in their lack of comfort and range of adjustment to just plain awful, there are two choices: put up with the compromise or spend some money on a seat that's right for you. This is where aftermarket seats come into the equation. Your 4WD was designed with plenty of compromises. Aside from having bean counters on their backs to watch the pennies, 4WD engineers and designers have to shape their new creation to fit as wide a range of people as possible. And so the shape and construction of the original equipment seats is one of the biggest compromises of all.
Aftermarket seats are a different game. Here it's usually the core business of the people who make them. So they have to be the best seat possible. Aftermarket seats have plenty of research and development dollars spent on them and usually have better quality components, simply because that is what they rely on to sell. It's not like you buy a new 4WD and then have to go and seek out some seats so you can drive away in it - so the aftermarket products have to be quite a deal better than what comes as standard. Otherwise there would be no point, would there? New factory seats are getting more sophisticated in the level of adjustment they offer, but can't go to the extent of adjustments and flexibility offered by the aftermarket types. It just costs too much.
read on below advertisement
Lack of adjustment and support is a real problem for people with back or neck problems. Research into this area ensures the bread and butter sales for aftermarket seat manufacturers. Orthopaedic seat requirements usually fall into the too hard basket for 4WD manufacturers. They're too busy looking at the bigger picture. The original seats in old 4WDs usually have all the thought of a park bench put into their design. Add a few centuries of hard use, and they have all the comfort of a rickety old kitchen stool. And seat design safety was not as much of a concern as it is now, and of course they suffer from aging of the seat springing and frame. An aftermarket seat can make a big improvement to an older 4WD because not only are you sitting in a sweet-smelling brand new seat, but also in one that is no doubt safer, more orthopaedically designed, and with supportive cushioning giving a more comfortable ride. Aftermarket seats are built for longevity, and usually can easily be transferred to your next vehicle with only a change of seat mount.
The main things to think about with an aftermarket seat is whether it fits you right (don't gloss over this; spend some time sitting in the seat and think about your specific seating needs. If you have back problems, check it out with your doctor about what kind of seating support your problem would benefit from the most). One aspect of 4WD seats not often thought about is the discomfort caused by heavy side bolstering on the seat base. This bolstering is great for fast cornering in a sports car, but can be a real pain for climbing over in a tall 4WD. The following pages contain information compiled to help you make the right choice about aftermarket seating arrangements in your pride and joy.
next page »
Let's face it - the seats in any standard 4WD are never perfectly comfortable for everyone. If you are one of the lucky ones who finds their original equipment 4WD seats just right, stop reading now. You should be out enjoying your comfy vehicle. For the rest of us who find our 4WD seats anything from niggling in their lack of comfort and range of adjustment to just plain awful, there are two choices: put up with the compromise or spend some money on a seat that's right for you. This is where aftermarket seats come into the equation. Your 4WD was designed with plenty of compromises. Aside from having bean counters on their backs to watch the pennies, 4WD engineers and designers have to shape their new creation to fit as wide a range of people as possible. And so the shape and construction of the original equipment seats is one of the biggest compromises of all.
Aftermarket seats are a different game. Here it's usually the core business of the people who make them. So they have to be the best seat possible. Aftermarket seats have plenty of research and development dollars spent on them and usually have better quality components, simply because that is what they rely on to sell. It's not like you buy a new 4WD and then have to go and seek out some seats so you can drive away in it - so the aftermarket products have to be quite a deal better than what comes as standard. Otherwise there would be no point, would there? New factory seats are getting more sophisticated in the level of adjustment they offer, but can't go to the extent of adjustments and flexibility offered by the aftermarket types. It just costs too much.
read on below advertisement
Lack of adjustment and support is a real problem for people with back or neck problems. Research into this area ensures the bread and butter sales for aftermarket seat manufacturers. Orthopaedic seat requirements usually fall into the too hard basket for 4WD manufacturers. They're too busy looking at the bigger picture. The original seats in old 4WDs usually have all the thought of a park bench put into their design. Add a few centuries of hard use, and they have all the comfort of a rickety old kitchen stool. And seat design safety was not as much of a concern as it is now, and of course they suffer from aging of the seat springing and frame. An aftermarket seat can make a big improvement to an older 4WD because not only are you sitting in a sweet-smelling brand new seat, but also in one that is no doubt safer, more orthopaedically designed, and with supportive cushioning giving a more comfortable ride. Aftermarket seats are built for longevity, and usually can easily be transferred to your next vehicle with only a change of seat mount.
The main things to think about with an aftermarket seat is whether it fits you right (don't gloss over this; spend some time sitting in the seat and think about your specific seating needs. If you have back problems, check it out with your doctor about what kind of seating support your problem would benefit from the most). One aspect of 4WD seats not often thought about is the discomfort caused by heavy side bolstering on the seat base. This bolstering is great for fast cornering in a sports car, but can be a real pain for climbing over in a tall 4WD. The following pages contain information compiled to help you make the right choice about aftermarket seating arrangements in your pride and joy.
next page »
