Tacoma seat replacements? Help 1st gen!

[mtnbike28]

OK, I have got to replace the seats in my 02 Tacoma. They really bother my lower back, I "lived" with it for years thinking it was my job that caused the pain. Now that I have an 80 and have been dd the 80, the pain went away. But I have some trips that the Taco will be the choice and need to fix this.

What have you used? I liked AustinTaco's g6 seat replacement, and a local pick and pull has a set for $175 plus whatever I would have to pay to make brackets. But want to know if something else works!

Has anyone put 80 series seats in a Taco? I sat in James seat replacements in his Tundra and they didn't fit me well...

 

[Clutch]

Check out Honda, Acura, other Toyota cars, such as Celica, Highlander.

I had seats out of an Acura Integra in my '92 truck, they darn near bolted right in, just had to make a small spacer.

4Runner seats are the ones to get, but hard to find since they are a popular swap.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Just FYI, it's not just 4Runner seats, but 4Runner sport or limited seats. The 1996-2002 4Runner seats will bolt right in but the base model has the same generic buckets at the Tacoma. You want to find the 4Runner seats with the lumbar adjustment which is easy to spot, it has a knob forward of the recline lever.

I have 4Runner sport seats from a 1990 (I think) in my 1991 and they are an upgrade. Even they were not exact bolt-on, 7 of 8 bolts lined up and I had to drill a new one on the front, inside on the driver's side. That was because I was coming from a bench, though.

If you have the ability to fab, seats from Honda, Volvos, etc. are apparently not difficult to adapt and generally as good or better than even the nice 4Runner seats. Volvo ones are sweet because they are heated...

 

[FullTankHank]

I installed some Corbeau Baja RS seats in my dads 1st gen Taco, and they are super comfortable. But obviously this will cost a good bit more than going the pick n pull route.

 

[Martinjmpr]

My guess is that 3rd gen 4runner would bolt right in.

I had an 04 Taco non-TRD with the awful "split bench" front seat. I hated it and the way it sat gave me a terrible pain in the base of my neck on long trips. I then switched to a 3rd gen 4runner (99) and the difference was amazing. Never had any issues with the 4runner seats, even on long trips.

 

[mtnbike28]

I agree, I had 98 4Runner and the seats were 100% better. I have tried to "live" with these, but since I am dd the 80, I realize just how bad the Taco seats are!

 

[pray4surf]

Don't overlook Scion seats.... I think TacoDell has a write up here to at TTORA on his conversion.

 

[Wainiha]

SafetyDang on TTORA has some Scions for sale...

 

[Revco]

I hate my stock bench seat, Ive been stuffing a hoodie behind my back to give some sort of lumbar support until I do a seat swap.

 

[austintaco]

Customtacos has some writeups on different installs and what fits. It's really sad that Toyota short changed Tacoma owners on seating. My 95.5 SR5 Taco had great adjustable buckets with lumbar, but the 03 DC SR5 seats were horrible. I have seen Volvo seats used as well.
If you are going to go through the trouble to change out the seats, get something you like and something versatile. I initially thought that having power seats and heat would not be a big deal, but the ability to put heat on my low back or get the seats warm when I am somewhere other than TX is a great feature. If your back is giving you issues, it also has to do with how your are oriented in your seat compared to the pedals. There are articles on what is best for long distance driving, but having a seat with lots of adjustment lets you fine tune your position.