Seat Quandry

[JeffR]

Hopefully by end of spring this year the 110 will be functional (yeah I'm an incorrigible optimist...) and I have a choice of seats to rest my bum on. 

Pair of Vauxhall Recaros I bought new way too many years ago. Cloth.

Pair of Recaros from a Pininfarina Coupe that I got given, also cloth but also almost unused.

Standard Defender seats (have a re-trim kit I bought a while ago from Exmoor Trim (black vinyl)

Now those three options are probably easiest to fit (Recaros just need nut plates on seat box moved)

BUT

As my Golf gave up the ghost, body wise and engine wise and electrics wise, I have a very nice pair of heated leather Recaros.... Now the seat mounts for VW are a weird roller bent arm type of thing and would take a serious amount of modifying (read deleted) to fit a seatbox.   But they are really comfy and heated and I live in Northumberland and I like heated seats in the winter.....

I know the other seats would take aftermarket seat heaters, but pulling them apart to fit em is an absolute pain, but modifying the leather ones is also gonna be a pain.

Oh and the wife is heading towards a biblical scale sense of humour failure about having a spare room that looks more like an upholsterers wet dream (come on, there's only 8 (spare set of heated leather for her passat) or so).

So I need help deciding.

What would you do (don't suggest divorcing her, cos the way my luck goes , they'd give me sole custody of the children....) ?

 

[Snagger]

If you find Defender seats comfortable enough (I find their lumbar very good), then as you already have a retrim kit, you can kill two birds and fit heaters while you fit the new trim.  That way you have no insurance arguments, no hassle with mods and retain access to the battery box and fuel tank.

[Gazzar]

Got to agree, standard is easier, higher resale value, insurable.

[Bowie69]

Also, leather in a damp defender? 

Won't last.... 

[Ed Poore]

10 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Also, leather in a damp defender? 

Won't last.... 

Mine does...

Seriously though those Range Rover seats in mind have taken some abuse, okay they weren't the best shape to begin with but for £150 for the complete set and making £600 profit by selling the old ones I couldn't complain.

Wet muddy dogs daily with their claws, the missus' dog being sick on them, child accidents, dogs accidents etc. Some wet wipes and they're good to go. Leather is far easier to keep clean I've found.

Comfort wise I didn't find the Defender seats uncomfortable but they're not in the same league as the RR ones, even without the lumbar support switch connected to adjust it. Mind you they are the older 2004 vintage so have the split back rest which is adjustable which I've found so much nicer on long journeys being able to support my head and shoulders.

They can be fitted to a standard seat box but you have to be a certain body size to make that work (I remove front seat motor to drop the front of the seat squab down). A custom seat box is so much better though as it allows for more variability in driving position. Even if I still haven't painted it 5 years on... 

[Eightpot]

20 year old crumbling defender seats with flat foam, wonky backs and bent bases are chronic, but freshly trimmed with new foam and I really like them.  They support well and don't take up too much room. 

We fit the £££££ fancy leather stitched wingback exmoor special buckety recliner seats at work and I hate them, impossible to see behind you & no more comfy than a good standard seat.   I do rate exmoor foam though, in my experience it retains its shape and firmness a lot longer than britpart foams. 

[Snagger]

I think 2010ish Volvo V70 seats are amongst the most comfortable I have ever sat in, though I recall late 90 Granada Scorpio (the wedge shaped one, not the one with the gurning face) were particularly good too.  I may have to consider those. 🤔

[ThreePointFive]

I have standard Puma heated XS seats, I always think I should upgrade them but they just work. Interestingly the TD5 ones used to give me terrible lower back ache but these are fine for hours on end. Seat covers protect them well.

The heating was useful in January, especially worth it for the reactions when informing my fellow off roaders why I wasn't getting out of the car. 

[Snagger]

The funny thing is that though I am very happy with the old Defender seats in my 109, I hated the seats in my wife’s TDCI - they were far too flat backed for me.  It’s a very subjective matter, especially how much lumbar support is right for the individual.  I have to bring cushions to work (the blue Tempur memory foam type) because the seats are so bad for me (and at least 25% of my colleagues) and the adjustment mechanisms don’t do enough.  It doesn’t help that the base cushion is as hard as a park bench, but some people like that…

[Retroanaconda]

Seats are highly subjective, so the only sensible advice is to put into the car the ones that you find most comfortable.

I am one of the lucky ones that finds the standard Defender seats very comfortable. Done 700+ mile days no bother.

[miketomcat]

I have Freelander seats in the ibex (would be a pain to fit in a 110), standard defender in the 110. The ibex seats are now covered with genuine land rover seat covers and I wish I'd bought them years ago. The 110 seats have Exmoor foams up front, the rears are their high back model bought for a song because they were the batch of rubbish clothe that fell apart, the previous owner had them replaced and was told to bin the old ones. All of ours have seat covers, I find them comfortable. I'm 6'3" and happily drive either car to Scotland. I can't stand leather or plastic seats, I find them slippery, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I've sat in Ed's 110 and whilst the RR seats are very comfortable my height means they wouldn't work for me. Personally I didn't notice any difference between standard defender and puma seats when I spent rather a long time in fridgefreezer's ambulance.

My two pence is fit the standard seats and sell the others.

Mike

[JeffR]

Useless bit of information folks, one can get at least  4 seats in the airing cupboard, no space for clean clothes n stuff though.  Wife somewhat peeved (actually effing livid), but the decision  is kicked into the long grass, gotta go, need to make up my bed in the garage......... she's not that bad really. Agreement is that if I can make the garden resemble a garden (bit of a scrap yard at the minute) the seats can remain .Win win really

Edited January 28 by JeffR

[Ed Poore]

Shipping container buried in the garden to hide all the bits.

[Exmoor Beast]

Another vote for std Defender seats, I've done several 500mile days on them with no trouble.

I've also driven offroad in seats designed for sports cars and they can give you a right pounding in the kidneys if the car lurches side to side.

Will 🙂

[Snagger]

Sports seats suit some people well, but I can’t fit in them.  I’m not a big guy, but I’m wide enough that even standard Evoque seats’ side bolsters bushed my ribs forward and left the centre of my back unsupported.  Anything like that would be horrendous for people my shape after half an hour, let alone a full day with rough roads.

[JeffR]

I think I'll ultimately end up modifying the golf seats, the only problem will be height, so contingency is to rebuild standard seats with seat heaters (not overly enamoured with vinyl, but one works with what one has). I have to admit the golf seats are really comfy for bucket seats and quite narrow (luckily I'm skinny enough to need to run around in a shower to get wet) so they'll fit a defender cab quite nicely.

So watch this space

 

[andy.cowman]

I went round this recently, I dont find standard seats comfortable for longer drives (6ft2, 95kg, pretty broad build) and have tried freshly trimmed one. I have a set of old modular ones from Exmoor trims and I hate them with a passion having tried them. I just went for RX8 seats which I knew I liked from driving them. They are so comfortable!

Good luck finding the right ones for you!

[Stinkfloyd]

6 minutes ago, andy.cowman said:

I went round this recently, I dont find standard seats comfortable for longer drives (6ft2, 95kg, pretty broad build) and have tried freshly trimmed one. I have a set of old modular ones from Exmoor trims and I hate them with a passion having tried them. I just went for RX8 seats which I knew I liked from driving them. They are so comfortable!

Good luck finding the right ones for you!

This is very interesting because you are the same height/weight as me! 

Do you have the mud seat risers fitted or do you run on standard rails? 

[andy.cowman]

43 minutes ago, Stinkfloyd said:

This is very interesting because you are the same height/weight as me! 

Do you have the mud seat risers fitted or do you run on standard rails? 

So I did have extended rails fitted to the drivers seat and not really thinking about it I left them in. I was far to tall in the car then

However whoever modified the seats did a really tidy job so they mount to the standard points and have the rise already built in to go over the lip between the tub and the seat box anyway. 

 

I will pop out and take some more photos in a bit - but this was before I realised I didn't need the extended rails anymore! Hopefully you can see what I am chatting about

[Stinkfloyd]

3 hours ago, andy.cowman said:

So I did have extended rails fitted to the drivers seat and not really thinking about it I left them in. I was far to tall in the car then

However whoever modified the seats did a really tidy job so they mount to the standard points and have the rise already built in to go over the lip between the tub and the seat box anyway. 

 

I will pop out and take some more photos in a bit - but this was before I realised I didn't need the extended rails anymore! Hopefully you can see what I am chatting about

Thanks Andy,

I see exactly what you mean, it's a fair rise on the set with risers in. 

Cheers 

[andy.cowman]

Not great photos I am afraid!

[Snagger]

23 hours ago, Stinkfloyd said:

This is very interesting because you are the same height/weight as me! 

Do you have the mud seat risers fitted or do you run on standard rails? 

I wouldn’t read too much into that - I’m 6’ and 85kg, so not far off you two, and while I found the old Def seats good (though lacking in thigh support that the rails may help), I found new Def seats awful.  There are similar size people who agree with me and some who are the opposite.  You really need to try the seats for yourself and they need to be fitted in your vehicle or one comparable so that the seating position can be closely replicated for testing.  RX8 seats are a type that keep cropping up, though, so on the face of it suit a lot of people.

[andy.cowman]

2 hours ago, Snagger said:

I wouldn’t read too much into that - I’m 6’ and 85kg, so not far off you two, and while I found the old Def seats good (though lacking in thigh support that the rails may help), I found new Def seats awful.  There are similar size people who agree with me and some who are the opposite.  You really need to try the seats for yourself and they need to be fitted in your vehicle or one comparable so that the seating position can be closely replicated for testing.  RX8 seats are a type that keep cropping up, though, so on the face of it suit a lot of people.

Yeh you need to check them - I knew they worked for me! 

I am in Exmouth Devon, you are welcome to try them but Scotland is quite far away!!!

[Stinkfloyd]

3 hours ago, Snagger said:

I wouldn’t read too much into that - I’m 6’ and 85kg, so not far off you two, and while I found the old Def seats good (though lacking in thigh support that the rails may help), I found new Def seats awful.  There are similar size people who agree with me and some who are the opposite.  You really need to try the seats for yourself and they need to be fitted in your vehicle or one comparable so that the seating position can be closely replicated for testing.  RX8 seats are a type that keep cropping up, though, so on the face of it suit a lot of people.

 

45 minutes ago, andy.cowman said:

Yeh you need to check them - I knew they worked for me! 

I am in Exmouth Devon, you are welcome to try them but Scotland is quite far away!!!

Cheers Gents, 

I'll hopefully be daily driving my defender later in the year for a while so wil see how we go. Cheers for the advice! 

[landroversforever]

I'm another that finds standard defender seats perfectly comfortable (6'3" and ~120kg). Have a try and see what suits. Good friend of mine started having terrible trouble with his back, tried all sorts to no avail.... until the car came round to be changed (Merc CLS). Back issues gone within a couple of days!