ya considering that i live in miami, i was kinda upset that there was no cooled seats.. my buddy had a lincoln ls like 6 years ago that had heated and cooled seats! what the f

 

There's a fan underneath the seat surface and it basically blows air through and out the perforations of the leather. That's why they're officially called ventilated seats and not cooled seats because there is no cooling element. There's also a filter you need to change regularly as I believe the filter is there to prevent dirt from clogging up the system. I've tried it on several occasions in various makes and models of cars and it makes my bottom feels weird because it does really feel like a fan blowing cool air up your butt. I can see in really hot weather after your car has been in the sun for a while, it can cool the seats a lot faster, but nothing opening the window and sunroof for 5 mins on grey leather couldn't do. I think it's a neat feature but just more gadgets, maintenance, costs, and weight. I'd advise choosing the stone colour leather over graphite if heat is a real concern, or leaving a small gap in the window when parked in the sun. It makes a world of difference.

 

I have the convertible with the ventilated seats and it is the main reason I didn't get the sport. I've had convertibles in the past and if you're driving the car with the top down in very high temps with high humidity you're gonna get "swamp back." Anyone who has driven a convertible with leather seats will know what I'm talking about. Turn on the seat fans and it's like sitting on an air hockey table - it definitely does the trick. The only negative for me is the sound of the fans - they are pretty load when turned up all the way. With the top down and the radio cranked it's not an issue but with the top up I wouldn't use it because of the sound of the fan, but then the a/c is more then adequate.

 

Remember that in some cars it is actually cooled. Check out a Cadillac sometime and you'll see the meaning of shrinkage.

 

Yup - the Package Cooling Package. Gotta love the cooled seats.

I had them in my M and it felt a little like you were wearing a wet bathing suit.

Sometimes I'd turn the passenger seat cooler on and watch the funny faces the passengers would make until they realized the 'sensation'

One complaint about the M was that the seat heating was anemic. The same system blew air for the heat instead of the wires/coils that we have in the G. It would take quite a few minutes for the engine temp to reach a warm level and the seats never warmed up enough until the engine warmed up. That was pretty bad b/c the seat heaters, in my opinion, should be there to take off the edge until the rest of the car heats up.

I miss the cooling and like it on my wife's car. I don't miss the technology that made the heating dependent on the same system. Some other cars (and maybe the newer Infinitis have a hybrid with the cooling fans and the heating element for heat).

Jay

 

I live in AZ and it's routinely 115 in the summer. I also have black seats, and park my car in the sun for 8 hours a day while at work. So I'm pretty interested in the climate controlled seats and actually investigated how they work instead of just speculating. There's a lot of wrong info on this thread so let's clear the air. On page 28 of this link, you can see how the vert seats actually work:

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G37/Convertible/2010/SE.pdf

The seats do not have any connection to your AC unit like ducting. They have a blower fan built into the seat which blow air through the seat perforations. The air is blown over a thermal electric device that heats or cools the air blowing through the seats. There is a blower and a thermal device for both the seat cushion and seat back. Everything is controlled by the switch in the center console, and a relay under the hood.

 

That makes sense...cooling works when main A/C is off

 

I called the dealership to ask about how much one of those seats would be...$6500. Not kidding.

 

 

I'm looking at adding air condistioning to my front seats, best options?

 

Buy a Q70


"The climate controlled seat warms up or
cools down the front seats by blowing
warm or cool air from the surface of the
seat. The switches located on the center
console can be operated independently of
each other.
1. Start the engine.
2. Turn the control **** *A to the heat
side *1 or to the cool side *2 . The
indicator light *B on the control ****
will illuminate.
3. Adjust the temperature using the control
**** *A ."

After reading your post I tried the cooling option on my seats for the first time.
I didn't care for it and will probably never use it again.


Telcoman

 

Heat is nice for those cold days while you wait for the engine to warm up enough to generate some warmth for the HVAC. Never felt like I was missing a cool butt.

 

cooled seats are a near must for my next car. i run hot, and am tired of having to blast AC to keep me cool for the ~3 months a year we get legitimately warm temps here. after trying cooled seats on a few cars, i must have it. having AC on low plus having the cooled seats is a wonderful combo.

problem is, i'm considering the Genesis G70 6MT RWD trim, and i think in Canada cooled seats are not an option. i believe they are in the US market, as well as other global markets, so i'm hoping the early specs are wrong.

 

I am much the same. I also tend to run hot and often want a cooler temp than others. Cooled seats (even if they were just ventilated) would let me do that without freezing out other passengers. I have tried them in a couple of other vehicles and liked them. I wish I had them but certainly won't be buying a new car just to get them. Heated seats on the other hand - I have them but wouldn't give $50 to get them. I find that my body heat warms the seat about as quickly as the seat heaters. By the time I feel the heat I am ready to turn them off.

 

I use to feel like that, until my wife got a car with ventilated seats. It's pretty awesome when you climb in the car in the summer when it's in the upper 90s and the leather is hot and you turn on the ventilated seats.

I wouldn't say it's a requirement, but it would be damn nice to have