Upgrading seat in a modern car?

I have a 2010 Saab 9-3. I am trying to talk myself into keeping as I just did the clutch and tires but I am getting Auto ADD. One reason is that I don't find the seat comfortable at all. If I were to want to change the seat out for an aftermarket seat or get one from something else (Volvo maybe) what sort of hurdles am I looking at? In an older car, no problems. In something this new, I wonder about not having the stock seat air bags hooked up. I am mainly looking for something that is more comfortable as I have a long commute. 

What part of the seat makes you hurt?

Based on experience from motorcycles one of the most important things about being able to be comfortable is to be able to shift your positions comfortable, (motorcycle examples, leg pent ball of foot on pegs, leg straighter arch on pegs, front of seat, back of seat changing which part of your butt is on it and what angle your hips are at)

On any long drive, one of the things that makes me way more comfortable is taking my shoes off and just driving in socks, plus cruise control.

Also, I have had one of these for years and they are amazing because you can tune the amount of air in it and it makes even a racing seat livable. My wife used it when she was pregnant on her work chair as well. If your pain is like pinching in the buttocks/lower back, of thigh circulation I would try it and also try shifting your body position every 30 minutes or so. Plus based on your profile pic I guarantee you it will be worth it for the bike :)

https://airhawk.net/

I don't find the lower cushion very supportive. I am REALLY doubtful that I will be able to put up with something that straps to the top of the seat in a car that I am using daily. 

I'd look for an Aero seat out of a similar year 9-3. 

I have gutted multiple late model seats and cut foam, axdex foam, added lumbar, etc. Find what you need in the seat, pull the cover, and add/remove until you get there.

singleslammer said:

I don't find the lower cushion very supportive. I am REALLY doubtful that I will be able to put up with something that straps to the top of the seat in a car that I am using daily. 

I have never used it in a daily driver but I have used it in 3 track cars for when I needed to drive them long distances and I only pull it out when I am "on the course" I never bothered to strap it down I just throw it on the seat it doesn't move around much. Cutting seat foam is a heck of a lot more permanent and I imagine the work involved in swapping seats out of other cars unless it bolts right in to be more costly/effort. You can probably buy one from a place with a good return policy and simply try it a bit and send it back if you don't find it helps.

In my current miata my butt went to sleep in less than 40minutes of driving it home one day  from work without the pad, with the pad I drove it 2+hrs back and forth to VIR and had no issues.

Early Volvo 850 front seats have the airbag sensor and everything in the seat, no power required. The seat computer is also attached to the seat so 12vdc and ground is all you need to have heated power memory seats with side airbag. I know my 1996 850 Turbo wagon that that. The seats were really comfy. I’m not sure about using an airbag from one car in another but that’s your judgment to make!

Not sure where you're located, but I have a set of front and rear Aero seats from a 2005 leftover from my SAAB. 

In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :

MO but I will send you an email. 

The commonly held knowledge on modern cars is that if your SRS light is on (system detects a fault), the SRS control unit will shut down the ENTIRE airbag system. I did some Googling about this and that does sure seem to be the case though I cannot prove it 100%.

There are also some scary insurance precedents in this area; in some cases insurance companies have denied accident medical coverage due to aftermarket seats/a user-modified SRS system . So whatever you do, you DON'T want to enable a permanent SRS fault condition on your car.

Some people will put in aftermarket seats and use resistors to trick the SRS system and keep it functioning but that is a grey area. I would not want to install any non-original SRS-enabled seat in a street car that was not a plug-and-play swap. Modifying the existing seat foam is also a safe option.

I did the opposite and installed Saab seats in my Mini. Power seat functions would not work because the seat computer was looking for a signal from main ECU via CANBUS to tell it it was ok to allow seat to move. Ended up building a relay board and installing that in place if the seat computer. I just left the seat airbags in the seats but did not connect the wires. 

I have a Tech II in the mail for this car for a different issue. I imagine that I can turn off the that airbag signal. The insurance issue is a concern. 

Anyone know if the 2006 seats that Manhattan is talking about have the same airbag system as my 2010? I will go google too. 

I love this forum. I had never considered the potential insurance consequence of switching out seats in a street car. 

 Contrary to my plan three minutes ago I will be re-installing the stock seat in my Z06 after each event

I would not let the insurance intimidate you, especially as a complete theoretical.  Call them and ask.  I sort of did what you were talking about, though I didn't have to worry about in-seat airbags (my car is a '99 Impreza). 

The stock seats were not comfortable on long trips, so I replaced the driver's seat with a Recaro (not from another car, just one direct from Recaro's orthopedic line):

Adjustable side bolsters, thigh support, and lumbar support.  It was a good upgrade.  Bolted right in with a Recaro rail and aftermarket mount.

In reply to Flynlow :

That looks like a great option but man is that an expensive way to go. The cheapest recaro is a grand then shipping, taxes, and brackets. Hard to justify on a car that is likely only worry $5k. 

Flynlow said:

I would not let the insurance intimidate you, especially as a complete theoretical.  Call them and ask.  I sort of did what you were talking about, though I didn't have to worry about in-seat airbags (my car is a '99 Impreza). 

It's not really theoretical though. If you remove an airbag-equipped seat and are hurt after getting T-boned in an accident, even the most sympathetic adjuster out there will have a tough time not pointing out that you removed a safety device that could have prevented you from getting hurt.

Admittedly this was never even on my radar until a guy on another forum I frequent piped up in a similar thread; had a street/track Lancer Evo with fixed-back Recaros. Got banged up in a side impact (not his fault) and insurance walked away from his medical expenses due to the non-OEM seats. Original seats had airbags. Doesn't mean that every insurance company would do it, but worth considering...

Hell, side impact collisions are so scary that even if insurance wasn't a consideration, I would be hesitant to remove a good working airbag that could offer some protection there.

Ok, I am talking with Manhattan about some OEM Aero seats that should be a direct replacement or I might trying swapping the lower cushion with one from a Volvo or Merc. The only thing there would be wiring the heated seat and getting the cushion to sit properly on the saab frame. 

I drive a Prius all day so I feel your pain. I've been thinking about ss Cobalt recaros in the Prius but the whole air bag thing shoed me away. Better seats from another similar car are the best option air bags considered.

Another thing I've found is that cg locks thing that goes on the lapbelt to keep the belt tight helps a lot. I do have to readjust now and then as I submarine down slowly.

Try the butt pad :P seriously If you are looking to have to adapt another cars seat cushion bottom to your seat anyway. And you can always put a seat cover over it or just some velcro or something if it moves on you (it never has for me in a car)

They have non motorcycle square ones, for tractors and wheelchairs etc. You are going to spend way more than 120 bucks to try any of these other options. Revzilla has a super awesome return policy so you can definitely get your money back if it doesn't work

https://airhawk.net/product-category/airhawk-other-cushions/airhawk-car-seat-cushion/

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/airhawk-r-cruiser-seat-pad

In addition to the side airbags in the seat, many cars also have a seat position sensor built in to the seat somewhere.  This is an attempt to regulate the force with which the steering wheel airbag deploys.

This is why I didn't put the seats I had bought into the Transit Connect I had.  I could easily work around the absence of the side airbags (simple resistor).  But the seat position sensor was a different story and without it none of the SRS system would work.

https://www.esaabparts.com/saab/parts/12799018

How about a new lower cushion?

In reply to Dirtydog :

I'm sure that would be an improvement. I have the non sport seat so around $100 plus shipping. Not bad.

May be money well spent vs fabbing in something.

Alright, ordered a new cushion. That should at least be an improvement.