Recaros vs Tech Seats

[J_Maher_AMG]

I drove my brother in laws Mustang GT Premium (a week before I took delivery of my car) with leather manual Recaro seats from Fontana to San Diego (over 100 miles) and it was comfortable, no back aches or pain. The seats can be moved back and forth and the back support up and down and that's it. Don't get me wrong if I got the Track Pack, I would not have any complaints about the seats.

I then took delivery of my car Tech Pack (bought it for its creature comforts) from Fontana to Laguna Beach (give or take 70 miles), same snuggly fit and no back aches. The thing that I would say the about the Tech seats are it has the heat, cooling, back lumbar, electronic adjustments, adjustable head restraints and I have used them all depending of where I am traveling too.

Therefore if its going to be your daily driver, like me, i highly suggest the tech.

Good Luck!!

I wonder how close the GT Recaros are to the 350's Recaros in terms of comfort?

My 350 won't be a daily driver; I work away on rotation two thirds of the time, during my week turnaround when I am home it will only be driven on nice days

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[geb78]

You shouldn't have an issue with the Recaros if it's not a daily driver. I'm a bigger guy and the Recaros aren't so comfortable on a long road trip. I put 900 miles on the car on a 3 day road trip and I couldn't wait to get out of the seats. On the track they are excellent. I have no issues with them weekend driving, shorter trips etc. I've also noticed they've broken in a little.

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

You shouldn't have an issue with the Recaros if it's not a daily driver. I'm a bigger guy and the Recaros aren't so comfortable on a long road trip. I put 900 miles on the car on a 3 day road trip and I couldn't wait to get out of the seats. On the track they are excellent. I have no issues with them weekend driving, shorter trips etc. I've also noticed they've broken in a little.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your rough height and weight?

Will primarily be an evening or weekend car, but if I'm on my days off I may find myself driving for several hours at a time, which is what slightly concerns me regarding their comfort or how much heat they might generate.

 

[Steve68]

I find that cooling in the Tech seats (and my F-150) is marginal. I wouldn't miss them if they were gone. I'm a big guy and was quite comfortable in the recaros at the Track Attack. Snug as a bug, or....

[ame]

o/~Fat guy in a little seat o/~

 

[geb78]

If you don't mind me asking, what is your rough height and weight?

Will primarily be an evening or weekend car, but if I'm on my days off I may find myself driving for several hours at a time, which is what slightly concerns me regarding their comfort or how much heat they might generate.

I'm 6ft 225lbs. I don't think heat is an issue at all. They act like cloth seats temp wise in my opinion. My wifes cars all have leather and I insist on cooled seats. I don't feel like I'm missing out too much not having them with the Recaros. As far as comfort, 2-3 hours isn't really noticeable. After 3 days though, and 1 day being 8 plus hours of driving it was uncomfortable. If you plan on taking it to the track at all you'll appreciate them more. But if it was a daily driver I'd push you in the other direction.

 

[Hack]

I can say I will probably never have use for the heated seats since the car will only be driven on nicer days

Interesting note regarding the back of the seat; do you find the seats become too warm after several hours or during a longer drive if you do not use the coolers?

I should note that I will be ordering either the electronics package or convenience package on my 17, so whichever option I go with I will still have the dual zone climate!

Yes they get warm after sitting in them a while. I've never had heated or cooled seats before. So if the car didn't have the feature I would be fine. I would just sweat a little more. It's chilly at my work and I dress to be comfortable during the day, so when I get in the car the extra cooling helps. I remember in the past sitting at a stop light after leaving work pulling my dress shirt off and driving home in my undershirt just because it was so warm. This is even in a relatively new car with great AC, but with temperatures in the 90s or above. It's actually rare that I don't use either the heat or the cooling in the seats. I absolutely love the car and I drive it every chance I get. Coming up on 8,000 miles.

I mostly also drive the car on nicer days, which to me means it's above zero, there's no blizzard, and the roads are dry! :cheers:

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

I'm 6ft 225lbs. I don't think heat is an issue at all. They act like cloth seats temp wise in my opinion. My wifes cars all have leather and I insist on cooled seats. I don't feel like I'm missing out too much not having them with the Recaros. As far as comfort, 2-3 hours isn't really noticeable. After 3 days though, and 1 day being 8 plus hours of driving it was uncomfortable. If you plan on taking it to the track at all you'll appreciate them more. But if it was a daily driver I'd push you in the other direction.

Appreciate the insight man! Exactly the type of feedback I'm looking for.

My heart tells me I'd prefer the Recaros, always wanted "sporty" seats but don't want to regret them at all!

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

Yes they get warm after sitting in them a while. I've never had heated or cooled seats before. So if the car didn't have the feature I would be fine. I would just sweat a little more. It's chilly at my work and I dress to be comfortable during the day, so when I get in the car the extra cooling helps. I remember in the past sitting at a stop light after leaving work pulling my dress shirt off and driving home in my undershirt just because it was so warm. This is even in a relatively new car with great AC, but with temperatures in the 90s or above. It's actually rare that I don't use either the heat or the cooling in the seats. I absolutely love the car and I drive it every chance I get. Coming up on 8,000 miles.

I mostly also drive the car on nicer days, which to me means it's above zero, there's no blizzard, and the roads are dry! :cheers:

I am thinking the same, I've never had cooled seats before, so I know it's not something that's a "necessity" as such.

Guess I'm just trying to figure out if there's any way that choosing the Recaros may come back to bite me in the ass, pun intended haha

Appreciate the feedback!

 

[GT_Dave]

If you are in a climate that sees hot and very cold temps, then the Tech Pack seats will be a treat. If you are concerned about support for the track, they are more than adequate, also they are more adjustable and comfortable than the Recaros. Unless you are considering heavy duty track time in your car, The Tech Pack seats might treat you better. I have had a veteran racer take my car on the track and was impressed they are very close to the support as the Recaros in his car.

 

[TDC]

I like the cooled seats although like others have said they are not a necessity. They definitely help with the posterior on hot days when wearing jeans, etc.

Reasons I have the tech seats is A, mostly street drive the car and B, I wanted the car to take the family along. With that said I have been to track day and autocross and haven't found myself troubled in keeping myself in place as the driver. However with an instructor driving my car in autocross and me as passenger I had to use the door grabs to keep myself in place since I didn't have the wheel.

I have driven a car with Recaro track pack seats and found them comfortable (I'm a medium frame @ 165lbs) and very supportive. I also felt they completed the feel and look of a track car. If I was only buying the car for myself and ignoring the comfort for my family I would prefer the Recaro track pack seats.

 

[Jb350]

Great feedback, and very apt considering our recent (current in my case) car history. I will ask you as I did the others, but do you find that the Recaros become too warm or make your back/legs/bottom too warm or sweaty after extended use or on longer drives?

Not at all, and after reading this post I actually tried to gauge it on the way home (1 hour drive) and my back/legs were not hot at all... when it's really hot and sunny I let the account run for a few minutes before I get in the car, but I would do that even if I had tech seats. Imo they are great

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

If you are in a climate that sees hot and very cold temps, then the Tech Pack seats will be a treat. If you are concerned about support for the track, they are more than adequate, also they are more adjustable and comfortable than the Recaros. Unless you are considering heavy duty track time in your car, The Tech Pack seats might treat you better. I have had a veteran racer take my car on the track and was impressed they are very close to the support as the Recaros in his car.

The climate we have here is sort of odd... We never get Very hot temperatures per se, more so what most would consider "warm" days, anywhere from 70-85 Farenheit give or take during the summer. I'll never use the car on a day where the heated seats would be warranted, the cooling is definitely intriguing though.

Won't track the car as unfortunately there are 0 race tracks here... May possibly autocross the car a few times, but primarily just a backroad carver and evening/weekend cruiser car.

Interesting that that comparison was made by a driver on track; I sat in the two seats back to back today and the Recaros felt significantly more supportive, but obviously I couldn't try the tech seats on the road. Sounds like they hold you better than it would first appear then?

I like the cooled seats although like others have said they are not a necessity. They definitely help with the posterior on hot days when wearing jeans, etc.

Reasons I have the tech seats is A, mostly street drive the car and B, I wanted the car to take the family along. With that said I have been to track day and autocross and haven't found myself troubled in keeping myself in place as the driver. However with an instructor driving my car in autocross and me as passenger I had to use the door grabs to keep myself in place since I didn't have the wheel.

I have driven a car with Recaro track pack seats and found them comfortable (I'm a medium frame @ 165lbs) and very supportive. I also felt they completed the feel and look of a track car. If I was only buying the car for myself and ignoring the comfort for my family I would prefer the Recaro track pack seats.

Funny enough, when I tried the Recaros out today back to back with the tech seats, my fiancée greatly preferred the Recaros over the more stereotypical comfy seat in the tech car which was a huge surprise for me haha

Some people have posted and said that the cooling really helps while others have said that it is not a huge deal; what is your perspective on it?

As I mentioned I've never owned a vehicle with suede seats, and since both seats are the same material, do you feel that the suede would be too warm for say a pair of jeans without the cooling?

I know it may seem as though I am picking apart the fine details, but just trying to get as much first hand experience that I can to make a well informed decision! Would hate to find out that if I wear jeans to go out to dinner for example, that the seats would be too warm or uncomfortable afterwards to be able to stay out for a drive without changing per se.

Thank you all for the feedback so far!

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

Not at all, and after reading this post I actually tried to gauge it on the way home (1 hour drive) and my back/legs were not hot at all... when it's really hot and sunny I let the account run for a few minutes before I get in the car, but I would do that even if I had tech seats. Imo they are great

Thanks man, glad to hear! Seems as though the majority do not find the suede to be much of an issue in regards to generating heat or discomfort. My mind would have thought that the suede may trap hear almost like a fuzzy blanket, but I'm glad to hear firsthand accounts that it does not seem to be the issue!

Leaning towards the Recaros after all of the great insight you all have given me

 

[dean_acheson]

Can anyone here comment on the difference between the Recaros in the Boss and those in the 350? There was a bit of discussion in the everyday driver video- but that's all that I've heard.

I've not been able to sit in a 350 with them and wondered about the difference. Currently the 17 that I have ordered has them, but since I'm going to have the car as a daily driver for quite a few years, I wanted to make sure they were as comfortable as those in the Boss, which make great daily driver seats.

I'm 5' 11" around 210.

 

[Spacebird]

If you fit well in the Recaros get them. Unfortunately I don't as they pinch my hips too much. (I'm 6'4" 225lbs) I had to go for the Tech seats.

I'm 6'4" and 215lbs and the Recaros are the most comfortable seat I've sat in in a performance car. Yes, they are tight in the hips/thighs, but even after only 100 miles they broken in a bit.

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