Recaro leather seats vs. standard leather (heated/cooled)

[deven2015GT]

The reason I'm not getting Recaro is because I won't be going to the race track all the time, unless the Performance Package comes with it then I guess I'm stuck with them. My dealership couldn't give me that info, does anyone here know the answer to that?

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[SilentStang2015]

Performance package does not include recaros.

 

[SilentStang2015]

Also 15 seats are a little different than the 14

 

[deven2015GT]

Performance package does not include recaros.

OK good. I personally would love to have the cooling feature down here in the south. It gets so hot and humid outside, cooling feature is almost a must. *another reason why I settled on Ingot Silver rather than Black or Magnetic, plus I just fell in love with the Silver + PP.*

 

[xlover]

Also 15 seats are a little different than the 14

15 standard seats seem to be a complete redesign for more bolstering and support. Based on looks alone I think the recaros are only necessary for the true track rat who is going to get 10/10ths out of every corner

 

[JoelinNOVA]

The Recaros are very comfortable. Had them in my 12 Shelby. But for me it's also how they look. Makes the car when you open the door and see that seat. The standards are nice and much better than the previous car. (Seen them in person) I went with the Recaro's.

 

[S550Boss]

The Recaros are ok, better than the stock S197 seats. They are identical from the S197 to the S550 (although the seat cloth and leather pattern has changed very slightly), although a bit lower set like all S550 seats.
But the base S550 seats have taken a big step upwards, with much better shoulder bolstering. The new base seats will be considerably better than the base S197 seats.
The Recaros are good for narrower builds, and heavier builds will find them tight in the shoulders, increasingly worse the larger you are.
What's odd in the S197 is the mounting of the Recaro - in the Boss the seat angle is higher than other users, much tighter under the knees. Strange, and very uncomfortable. But then all S197 ergonomics are awful.
These are not the best Recaros that have been offered in a Mustang: the 2000 Cobra R seats had much better support, and the 79-82 Recaros - real German Recaros - were much more supportive and foam was a lot harder. What they lacked in apparent shoulder support, they more than made up for with the better foam. These bolsters will not crush as easily as the S197/S550 Recaros will.
I've had all the Mustangs with Recaros over the years, and also added Recaros to various Mustangs.
Here's the German Recaros in the '82 GT. They were dropped in 1983 for some cheap and reprehensible Lear-Sieglers with no support at all. And, BTW, that's actually Porsche 928 cloth... if you ordered replacement cloth back then the bag came with Porsche label.

Nor are the S197/S550 Recaros most aggressive Recaros offered by Ford in North America - those would be in the Focus and Fiesta STs. But those are much narrower, more suited to the demographics of the ST owners. Ford of Europe has a long history with Recaro and has offered them in many models over the years. Very smart.
Recaros OEM program is very aggressive - GM is a big user of them. Excellent multi-adjustable heated and cooled seats in the CTS-V (that would be expensive for the Mustang), and much more aggressive Recaros as an option in the Camaro and Corvette. Audi is a big user, and you also see them in the GT-R and also a nice pair in the new 2015 Nismo 370z.
So Ford has put a Recaro in the Mustang that is easy to live with for typical Mustang-type buyers, but not especially sporting. I'm looking for a much more aggressive one in the GT350.

 

[Amaury]

This is one of those things that have me between the wall and the sword. I do tend to do some solo racing buy is like 4-5 times a year. I live in a hot humid country. I would love to get the Recaro seats for the times I go to the track. My mom have a 14 Cherokee Summit and one of the features I loved the most was having my ass cooled off in the middle of the day lol. So yeah, no idea yet if Recaro or the standard premium seats.

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[S550Boss]

I also live in a very hot part of the country and the all-black interior and cloth are a sweat bucket. If the Recaros were black leather it'd be even worse. Too bad the heated and cooled Recaros developed for the CTS-V aren't an option here.
But the standard seats - cooled - aren't bad at all. Take a look at the shoulder supports designed into them. These look like a big step up from the previous designs.

 

[Pablo GT350]

If you were getting the base car I think a better case for the Recaros could be made, but with the premium I feel like you are throwing out heated and cooled seats and still paying for them when you opt for the Recaros.

I think this is a very good point, especially if you are going for value (if I have this right the cooled seats only come with the premium option).

 

[cj428]

I have HC seats in my Raptor. They are very nice. Ordered them for the Twanger

 

[bpang1]

I'm 5'7" and 290. I'm a big guy. Those Recaros are VERY comfortable and I've sat in them for extended periods of time.

I'm phat too ...almost exactly the same height and weight.

Thank you for posting this, gives me piece of mind to get the Recaros. However, since I probably won't be able to even place my order until late this year :( I will try to test fit them at my dealership beforehand.

 

[MustangMitch]

I had to go with the black leather 50th anniv edition ones, they are too bad ass looking and I love the cooled seats down here in the south in the summer!

 

[GiddyUp15]

I had to go with the black leather 50th anniv edition ones, they are too bad ass looking and I love the cooled seats down here in the south in the summer!

I haven't seen any good pictures of the 50th anniversary edition seats...they are different than the LE since they're all black, I know that. Do you know of any good pics out there?

 

[valentinoamoro]

This has been the choice I've struggled with as well. I feel the Recaros look fantastic and top off that aggressive sports car look. The grip/feel (based on the current S197 leather Recaros) was very good indeed - I'm used to American cars having wide squishy and loose seats. I tried the standard Premium S197 sets, felt squishy and lose.

The issue for me in Seattle is the Recaros are not heated, which is strange given the Fiesta ST and Focus ST have heated thrones - while the standards are heated and cooled (which as folks mentioned we are paying for). Additionally, the standards apparently have improved bolstering but looking at the photos of the new interior I think I would like more.

Long story short I went with the Recaros. What convinced me was
1) the look 2) I'm 5-10 and the Recaros fit me like a glove, the standards do have to accommodate everyone 3) I felt more connected to the S197 with the Recaros Vs w/o (and my friends cloth Recaros in the Boss 302 were very good in AutoX). It's a horrible feeling to brace yourself against the door in a manual car while trying to navigate high G turns 4) The Recaros maybe lighter (??) 5) I'm trying to build more of a sports car (will use as a daily commuter and weekend racer) rather than a Grand Tourer (drive around the US - I hesitate to do that with a car with small range like the Stang and no spare tire!), and this felt inline with that spirit (already have a super comfy SUV) 6) If I got the regular seats but wanted to do aftermarkets I dont think they come with airbag integration 7) Lastly, it appealed to me emotionally and this car is an emotional purchase for me at the end of the day.

I made some inquiries and installing heated pads in the Recaros is something a lot of shops can do, but it involves some surgery on the seats and I'm not particularly keen on that idea.

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