Modifying your car's seats

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  • Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
  • Want seats that hold you in place like expensive aftermarket seats? Just modify your existing car seats. Cheap, easy and incredibly effective. You can even add features like adjustable lumbar and armrests! Buy the book at www.amazon.com/Modifying-Your...
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 61

  • @temporalmadness3756
    @temporalmadness3756 2 роки тому +8

    You should add a digital version.. i dont mean to question what's in the book, but i'm paying 25usd plus 43usd shipping, plus customs, plus domestic shipping for a 35 page soft cover book..
    Id love to support your work because i find your videos very informative and clear but you have to understand, my salary is 13usd per day.

  • @chrstphrr
    @chrstphrr 2 роки тому +5

    Indeed an underrated modification to your car. I hope the book encourages more people to try. It isn't just sporting reasons to change up your seats -- if you spend quite a lot of time commuting, good seating will improve your posture in the car, and reduce fatigue. Improving your seats could be transformative.
    I went a different route than you explained. I relied on my car having upmarket seats in the same models, brand, and platforms made by the same manufacturer as my generation of car. In my case, VW and Audi share many parts, including for my cars, just about 95% of the seat parts are the same in a given generation.
    My car, I was able to swap seats and seat parts to give my bland model Jetta good bolstered seats, adding in lumbar support to seats it wasn't offered in, because under the upholstery and foam, the seat frames were identical. Thus, most of the optional, more supportive parts, could transfer over with simple hand tools. I *did* mess with seat rails in one case, but, no dodgy welding -- changing one OE "foot" for another OE "foot" narrow enough to fit my car's mounting points.
    Either approach, making a seat custom, or frankensteining OE parts together, can yield better results: better, more supportive seats that fit you, not some average 50th percentile mannequin the automakers aim for, can make the car better for spirited driving... or changing a long commute from a fatiguing drudgery to a more pleasant and engaging drive.

  • @dcitmf
    @dcitmf 2 роки тому +5

    If you are modifying the seat just be careful about two places. Outside airbag locations if bag is in the seat. And the hieght change you. All vehicles have to have a certain hip point so that in an accident you do not submarine under the steering wheel.

  • @11metalfan
    @11metalfan 2 роки тому +2

    What a find! Great channel mate
    Definitely going to add the book to my collection; can't get much better than someone showing evidence for their statements rather than just graphs and drawings
    Cheers from Ireland :)

  • @Johann52005
    @Johann52005 2 роки тому +3

    That's really good, I never thought of that. I've got my MK2 golf seats to do so I'm taking your work into consideration. I would have liked to buy your book but my budget is quite tight lately... Love your work!

  • @antjeeismann4684
    @antjeeismann4684 2 роки тому

    This topic is so cool, thanks for creating a book that helps to individualize the component of the car that you feel the most of while driving.
    Really apreciated!

  • @alastairchestnutt6416
    @alastairchestnutt6416 2 роки тому +2

    Having modified or replaced all but two of the driver seats in my cars over more than a 30 year period I feel qualified to comment. It's not as easy as all that. Like you, I've had backache, which was the trigger for modifying the seats.
    Added lumbar support and later added adjustable pneumatic lumbar support proved, in my case disappointing. A snug fibreglass based bucket seat (designed for a rally car) but on runners proved to be better than modifying car seats. There was no need to brace myself going into corners as the seat kept you firmly in position. I was also more confident whether the car was slipping or sliding or not. A later Recaro rather expensive Rally seat proved to be rather disappointing.
    A great video on a subject rarely covered. Thanks. Liked your book on the Honda Insight. Test drove one when nearly new but the seats lacked support when new and there was no secure place to store equipment so gave it a miss.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +1

      Interesting. To give you an idea regarding side support, the seat covered in the video was nearly doubled in the height of the side support wings (from 45 to 85mm) and the wings are positioned the right width apart to keep me *very* firmly in place when cornering.

  • @scifactorial5802
    @scifactorial5802 2 роки тому +1

    Great information, very useful!
    Mabye 3D printing a TPU lattice could work well for this. Soft but no permanent deformation like the foam. Quite a bit of work to make the initial model, but then anyone can print it.

  • @tiitsaul9036
    @tiitsaul9036 2 роки тому

    Wow. I’m always amazed when you introduce your latest book.

  • @dcitmf
    @dcitmf 2 роки тому

    Thank you for coming to UA-cam. I have been reading you for at least a decade since autospeed.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому

      You'd probably enjoy my books then - www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00C3MRYN4?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-sidecar-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader

    • @dcitmf
      @dcitmf 2 роки тому +1

      @@JulianEdgar yes I have bought a few.

  • @almonies
    @almonies 2 роки тому

    I mean this with the greatest respect. You are a bad influence on me. 🤣 All of these ideas are extending my car project.

  • @LabiaLicker
    @LabiaLicker 2 роки тому

    Hi Julian. I've been looking into motorbikes recently in particular BMW unique monolever suspension. Could you do a video on it?

  • @nicholasortiz5880
    @nicholasortiz5880 2 роки тому

    Do you have any opinion regarding bumper cuts and bumper diffuser cut outs, I've heard them referred to as "speed holes"? I was thinking about doing to reduce the air that gets trapped in the rear bumper, but I don't actually know the science behind it! Cheers!

  • @erikbrooks
    @erikbrooks Рік тому

    I can't tell if this might help me. My seat issue is that I'm tall, especially in my torso, so I sit very high. I do of course lower the seat as far as possible, but I'd really like to sit an inch or two lower. I have to 'bob' my head down at stop lights to see below the rear view mirror, for example.

  • @mourlyvold64
    @mourlyvold64 Рік тому +1

    Hi Julian. I'm a big fan of your work. We are working on an Audi A2 3L. I now have two pictures side by side on my computer screen : one of the A2 and one of the amazing
    (but slightly over our budget 😉) Lightyear one. People say we're crazy but I actually do
    see similarities. The rear bodywork on the Lightyear (Cd 0.20) is the inspiration for us to develop an extention on the A2...
    Could you do a video on the aerodynamics of the Lightyear? I'm sure it would be interesting
    to many people. Thank you.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  Рік тому +1

      Unfortunately I don't see Lightyear as being technologically significant to production cars.

    • @mourlyvold64
      @mourlyvold64 Рік тому

      @@JulianEdgar I see, and understand.
      Thank you for the reply!

  • @luxurygeneration407
    @luxurygeneration407 2 роки тому

    Do you have a website we're people can make the right call on what aero parts to put on there can.

  • @spaceT999
    @spaceT999 2 роки тому

    Hey, I recently got into your content, and I have been binging them all. I haven't had this love of cars feeling in a while. I watched your video, "Fit a front splitter and rear diffuser! Er, no." there is a le mans car called Peugeot 9x8 without a wing, and is in the highest class in le mans, but the Peugeot also has a fairly small front splitter. The splitter is also pretty small so why would've they even put it there if it reduces the downforce that the diffuser makes if their only way to make rdf is using a diffuser? There's only a exit vent on the fenders could that really be enough fdf for a le mans car? Can you please give an explanation? I think it would be a cool video topic.

  • @guitarman376
    @guitarman376 2 роки тому

    @Juliam Edgar I don't think you've done any aero videos on motorcycles, have you? I'm particularly interested in ways to increase front downforce and how to overall decrease drag - since motorcycles have incredibly bad cD compared to cars. I recently learned that motos have terrible aero mostly due to turbulent air all over, and I'm interested in learning average joe methods to help improve it. My moto creates front end lift at speed, which is it's biggest aero weakness compared to most other similar bikes. Perhaps fender changes or some type of clean air redirection could help...

  • @AceDC2
    @AceDC2 Рік тому

    Great stuff! I was contemplating doing this to my own seats as they have a variety of occupancy sensors, heated elements etc. that make swapping a little more difficult, but this would be a great all round solution

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  Рік тому

      Glad I could help!

    • @TCreatorO
      @TCreatorO Рік тому

      ​@Julian Edgar man you scared me, howcome you haven't uploaded in over a year? We love your videos!

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  Рік тому +1

      @@TCreatorO Because I think doing videos is pretty much a waste of time. If you read the comments through all my videos, about 80 per cent are from people who haven't understood or have misinterpreted what has been shown. That's especially the case with the aero videos.

    • @insevanhouts
      @insevanhouts Рік тому

      ​@@JulianEdgar Such a bummer! The aero videos are why I fell in love with your channel 😊 Super interesting stuff, and well explained. I currently own the 2016 Hyundai Ioniq, which still is the most efficient production EV ever. Would you be interested in receiving some photos and/or wool tug test results for a case study video?

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  Рік тому +1

      @@insevanhouts Sure - and it might even get into the book I am currently writing.

  • @MajorSpam
    @MajorSpam 2 роки тому +1

    Is there anything to look out for when removing the seats? I don't want side airbags to not function or blast in my face when I to take the seats out.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +1

      I would follow the safety precautions issued by the car's manufacturer.

  • @A_youtube_channel_
    @A_youtube_channel_ Рік тому

    Do you know why modern suv's have a sloped down rear backlight section instead of a completely vertical backlight? Im assuming this is for aerodynamics but I don't see how this would improve aerodynamics as that section already has detached airflow so woudl't that just lead to the same amount of wake and therfore drag?

  • @ashenblaze2898
    @ashenblaze2898 2 роки тому +1

    Thoughts about modifications on seats with side airbags? I have already installed additional foam and I’m liking the idea of adding some metal for additional support.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому

      Not sure. I don't recommend it in the book but it would very much depend on the seat structure eg where the airbags actually are.

    • @ashenblaze2898
      @ashenblaze2898 2 роки тому

      @@JulianEdgar definitely. I will need to take them apart again for a more detailed look. Other option would be to do a bunch of foam mods to shuffle everything further back. (Want to do this anyway as lumbar support tends to give me a sore back.)

    • @chrstphrr
      @chrstphrr 2 роки тому +1

      I modified my seats with airbags in them -- didn't do anything that would have altered the airbag function, however. I did less upholstery work, and more... exploring the higher end seats available in similar years of Audis that matched my Volkswagen. I *did* have to deal with seat rails, which Julian was trying to lead people away from (rightly so), but in my case, the mk4 VWs and B5 Passats, B5 Audis have nearly identical seats -- but the electrical pinouts or connectors can differ slightly, and the seat rails in the two camps are 30mm different in width. However, all the anchor/pivot points to the seat pan/frame were the same, so I had to "unpin" and swap... and then figure out 4 wires that differed in positions in a few connectors. Airbags weren't, in my case, in any different position than before, and because I didn't alter the upholstery, no stresses on the airbag release seams were an issue.
      There's a good chance that your car, which you didn't state, is part of a family of cars that share common parts that you can swap and modify quite a lot, before you get to actual custom work. With a bit of searching on the internet for prior art (other people modifying your same car), and a just exploring a few weekends in a u-pull salvage yard, you'll come up with ideas.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +1

      All good points but... swapping to other seats (even from the same manufacturer of cars) isn't actually optimising the seat for *you*. When you optimise the seat for you (eg setting the width between the bolsters, and how pronounced the bolsters should be) it changes the whole ball game. It's a custom seat, as opposed to a generic seat from a better car. (And no, the car in the pics in unique - no other seats from the Honda family bolt straight in. Some people try, but not in a way I think is safe.)

    • @ashenblaze2898
      @ashenblaze2898 2 роки тому

      @@chrstphrr Car is a 05 Mini Cooper S. I did initially look at switching seats out between cars and didn’t find any of the straight bolt in options (second generation mini) any better than the original seats. (Tyre kicked cars at dealers so seats etc were in good condition still). I cannot switch seats between brand of car or do any custom rails as it’s a legal and insurance nightmare where I live (NZ).
      I won’t be touching the airbag release seams, and they’ve held up fine over the last year with an extra 40mm of foam stuffed in the side bolsters. I’m more concerned about anything that potentially alters the path the airbag deploys on. There are strong fabric “chutes” to guide the airbag forwards towards the release seam however these are not attached together so there is the danger of the airbag spilling out the top or bottom.

  • @tatiaxyt8564
    @tatiaxyt8564 6 місяців тому

    The seat on my new car is too long, it comes to 3 inches past my knees and I cant bend my legs right. Do I need to change the structure of the seat or add more foam to the back?

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  6 місяців тому

      Adding foam to the back might be the easiest step to try.

  • @suad01
    @suad01 Рік тому

    What about seat ventilation?

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  Рік тому

      Yes, you could add it if you have perforated seat upholstery.

  • @MattBerrymotorsport
    @MattBerrymotorsport 2 роки тому

    New video soon???

  • @tommyb6611
    @tommyb6611 2 роки тому +1

    In this book is it covered the utterly diabolical seats method that some companies use, like for example citroen/peugeot where the upholstery is bonded to some foam and you cannot take it down "like a jacket" as is mentioned in the video.
    The only thing possible is to just replace the whole pillows for the bottom or top. There is no separated foam and upholstery piece, they are moulded, see this next video at time stamp 1.45 shows)
    ua-cam.com/video/wdkVaFUywVs/v-deo.html
    I cursed these brands because my own upholstery has started to fail and no shop would touch me to reduo it because it's bonded together, so i ended up buying set of seats from different driving side LHD/RHD and swapped the cushion on them, stripping down to the metal (quite a difficult task because the rear plastic part is not made to be taken down (without some special huge prying tool that can be insterted deep down)

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому

      No that is not covered in the book. Sounds like a nightmare.

    • @tommyb6611
      @tommyb6611 2 роки тому +1

      @@JulianEdgar Yes it is.
      A scumbag move to have such things.
      And I asked Citroen for price of those replacement cushions if I wanted to buy.
      First of all I had to dig deep into the internet to find some codes for various upholstery models, because officially they don't sell, not possible.
      But after I got the codes, what would you know, they were available for selling.
      But the price was like, over 2000 euro for the bottom cushion and the back cushion, for one seat.
      Ha. I found a set of used seats, in very good condition with 50 euro, just had to put in the work and salvage the needed parts as they were the wrong driving side.
      And it was a hell of a work, took me several days to pry open some things and unscrew, and disassemble without breaking.anything.

  • @sidney9534
    @sidney9534 2 роки тому

    Another neat - not really a mod - on older cars, is swapping driver's and passenger's cushions and covers. Much nicer seats for few hours of work.
    And thanks Julian for this idea, I'll definitely be doing this to my car I'm restoring!

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +2

      Yes a good point about swapping the seat materials (but only if you want to return to standard, rather than make improvement on the design).

  • @johnroyal4913
    @johnroyal4913 2 роки тому

    Still doing this channel?

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +3

      No, doing something else this year

    • @johnroyal4913
      @johnroyal4913 2 роки тому

      @@JulianEdgar I wondered. Love the channel. Love the book. Btw what MPG were you getting out of your insight? And if you could pick all the mods and put them in one car what would they be?

  • @agr18181
    @agr18181 2 роки тому

    Safety concerns anyone?

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому

      Far safer than bolting in new seats on home made brackets. In fact, since material is being added, it's likely the modified seats are safer than the originals.

    • @agr18181
      @agr18181 2 роки тому

      @@JulianEdgar the additions could obstacle the deployment of airbags, increase the travel of pretensioning seat belts, or even restrict or slow down movement of your seat belts. Not to talk about integrated airbag seats. But I get your point and agree that hand made brackets aren't safe. Seats are heavily engineered components of the car for good reason.

    • @JulianEdgar
      @JulianEdgar  2 роки тому +4

      I cover most of those points in the book. And I, too, used to think that seats must be heavily engineered, quality units. Until I pulled a lot apart and couldn't believe how badly some are made (eg the welding of frames).

    • @godfreypoon5148
      @godfreypoon5148 2 роки тому +1

      @@JulianEdgar Seconding this.
      I considered some of my own handiwork to be a bit dodgy, but I came to realise a lot of factory work was much worse.