Who's swapped front seats?

[JBThompson]

Ok so if there is one thing that drives me nuts about my Montero, it's the seats - no leg or thigh support, not much side support. If the leather was still in good shape I'd put up with it but that's not the case so I've decided to replace them. There are comfy OEMs out there but there's something to be said about having seats that haven't been violated by somebody else's backside so I've mainly looking toward aftermarket. Recaro, Bride, Mastercraft, etc. Recommendations are greatly appreciated, and if you have pics, post em up!

 

[RedF]

Corbeau has some decent offerings for a pretty agreeable price. I've never used them, but I have generally heard good things.

 

[RangeRunner17]

I put some Corbeau Baja XRS seats in a few months ago, and I love them. Their super comfy yet firm at the same time. There was a noticeable difference offroad vs. the stock seats. Much more plush and I could feel the bolstering holding me in on faster turns/off-camber situations. The thigh bolstering is much higher and I have to climb over it in order to prevent it from getting smushed in the future. I also went with the brackets that Corbeau offers. Everything lined up perfectly, my only complaint is the hole for the seatbelt bolt didn't feel secure enough for me, so i added a nut to the back side.

I was split between those and the Mastercraft Baja RS. I sat in both in a showroom before hand, and the Mastercrafts felt better to me. However, I didn't get them due to 1.) price, they were $500 more for a pair, and 2.) there was no bolt in bracket option.

Just my 2 cents, unless you're racing or doing some pretty hard core rock crawling, I'd go with a suspension seat. Their too comfy not too. Have you looked into having the OEM's re-upholstered? That might be a way cheaper alternative to spending a grand on aftermarket.

 

[Box Rocket]

Corbeau's are ok seats. I looked at them a few months ago as possible replacements. The Baja XRS pictured above were the ones I would have chosen. Good support and pretty comfortable. But I wouldn't call them "high-end" seats. They are definitely not Recaros, or Brides, but they also don't cost the same as Recaros or Brides.

 

[Stroverlander]

I've installed two sets of Corbeau seats in my Astro / Safari vans. In my old '97 Safari AWD I went with Corbeau GTS II seats in cloth and found them to be very comfortable and supportive. However, the lower bolster was too tall and difficult to climb over on entry/exit, especially for passengers not well versed in the process and so the bolsters wore fairly quickly and the black cloth upholstery faded over time as well.

For the second set in my '04 Astro AWD, it was a choice between the Corbeau Sport seats or Baja XRS in black vinyl as both have a smaller lower bolster and a bit wider than the GTS II while still being very supportive. I went with the Baja XRS as it was a newer seat and the Sport seats were not immediately available through the vendor I used and I had already made arrangements to sell my complete stock leather seats.

I've been very happy with the comfort and support of the Baja XRS as well and durability has been great so far. I would still consider the sport seat if I wanted a bit less aggressive back rest and adjustable head rests. I ordered both sets from http://www.apexperformance.net/ as they've always provided great service and prices.

Of course they are not Recaro quality, nor Recaro price but neither are they ridiculously cheap and certainly a suitable quality replacement for worn stock seats while providing more comfort and support.

If you can get away without using the Corbeau mounting brackets then I would as they made the seats too high and a bit more difficult on entry/exit in my van. I used them in my Safari and then opted to modify the seats and stock seat brackets in my Astro to keep the stock height instead.

Here's my install: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/72414-Astro-AWD-quot-Stroverlander-quot?p=1262132#post1262132

 

[JBThompson]

Whatever seats I go with I'll either be making adapters to mount them on the factory rails, or I'll make custom fixed mounts using the original bolt locations. I don't particularly need the seats to move back and forth, they're always all the way back anyway.

I hadn't considered increased wear on the lower bolsters, glad you pointed that out. My truck sits at a height where I just kinda step in and out so it might not be a problem for me but for the wife it might.

 

[AFBronco235]

Probably not the exact advice you want, but here's an idea a lot of Bronco guys like.

The older Bronco owners I know like it anyways. When they find the factory seats getting too uncomfortable, they'll go to a junkyard and pull a set of front bucket seats out of a luxury car with power adjustments, heat and whatever other comfort gizmo they want and then just install them on the Bronco. Bronco aftermarket sucks these days, so getting creative with a welder is almost a necessity for owning one. Anyways, they'll remove the factory mounting bracket from the original seat and weld it to the frame of the new seat. A little wiring latter and they've got luxury seating. If the seats are a little worn, reupholstering the isn't too hard or expensive considering. Its a little more work, but you can get a VERY nice set of seats that will keep any wife/girlfriend happy! There's even one guy I know who installed captains chairs with full rotation for all his seating in his bronco and he and his girlfriend love it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AdventureHare]

I've been using the same set of Sparco SuperSports for 16 years, ~250k miles, installed in several different (street) vehicles. Cloth with vinyl in the right places. They've held up great. The side bolsters are difficult to get over and around but the vinyl used provides excellent sliding. Sparcos are in the Recaro price range but are well worth the investment.

If going the OEM route, the CMax seats are outstanding. I suspect the current gen Escape would be the same but that's not confirmed. I think my wife would drive a horse-drawn buckboard if it had those seats.

 

[JBThompson]

I've been using the same set of Sparco SuperSports for 16 years, ~250k miles, installed in several different (street) vehicles. Cloth with vinyl in the right places. They've held up great. The side bolsters are difficult to get over and around but the vinyl used provides excellent sliding. Sparcos are in the Recaro price range but are well worth the investment.

If going the OEM route, the CMax seats are outstanding. I suspect the current gen Escape would be the same but that's not confirmed. I think my wife would drive a horse-drawn buckboard if it had those seats.

Yeah, I'm a tech at a Ford dealer and I've had my butt planted in lots of seats. LOVE the new Focus ST seats (factory Recaro) and the Fusion/MKZ/MKC/Escape seats are all pretty good, too.

 

[AFBronco235]

If you go for electrified junkyard seats of a car, be careful.
I know of guys blowing them up when they inadvertantly energise its side impact airbag while pissing about to get its seat adjustment motors working.

I guess it depends on the junkyard. The one I go to removes all air bags, or at least disables them, before placing them in the yard. They also remove the batteries anyways, so I assume when you say "get its seat adjustment motors working" that you're referring to testing them out before removal and not during the install.

 

[JBThompson]

If I do end up going with some OEM seats from another car I won't be wiring any airbags. I'm a firm believer in NOT having airbags in a vehicle that sees a lot of abuse on the trails.

 

[Squatchout]

Don't know about the Monty's. But with Isuzu's the later model seats can be made to fit into the earlier trucks without much head ache. They are much thicker and more supportive. I just replaced mine again in my 1st gen because I found a sweet set in a JY with arm rests in a matching color. The donor must have belonged to a small woman. They feel like new. No PO butt imprinting.