Serious question for 500 owners.

[JR369]

I have an order in for 22 GT500. Two things I go back and forth on are Iconic vs Carbonized and Recaros vs Heated/cooled memory position power seats. I've pretty well settled on Iconic...I think. Lol. I've had 3 sets of Recaros. A 12 Boss, 14 GT500, and an 18 R. So I know what they feel like. I had zero issue with the comfort. It was a little annoying to not have some amenities with them. There has been many a hot day in TX where I wished I had cooled seats. Problem is I dunno how mushy the GT500 heated/cooled seats are compared to the Recaros. I don't like too mushy and soft support. My neighbor has a 19 Bullitt with heated/cooled power seats. They're on the borderline for me. Are the GT500 heated/cooled seats comparable to the Bullitt seats? Does the GT500 heated/cooled seats have express out?

 

[OF5.0]

Your neighbor’s Bullitt’s seats are the same heated and cooled seats standard in the GT500.

 

[oregongt350]

I have an order in for 22 GT500. Two things I go back and forth on are Iconic vs Carbonized and Recaros vs Heated/cooled memory position power seats. I've pretty well settled on Iconic...I think. Lol. I've had 3 sets of Recaros. A 12 Boss, 14 GT500, and an 18 R. So I know what they feel like. I had zero issue with the comfort. It was a little annoying to not have some amenities with them. There has been many a hot day in TX where I wished I had cooled seats. Problem is I dunno how mushy the GT500 heated/cooled seats are compared to the Recaros. I don't like too mushy and soft support. My neighbor has a 19 Bullitt with heated/cooled power seats. They're on the borderline for me. Are the GT500 heated/cooled seats comparable to the Bullitt seats? Does the GT500 heated/cooled seats have express out?

Heated and cooled seats ??? The GT500 is literally a street legal race car, if your planning on
tracking it or running from the cops you will need the Recaros. I jest, I love my heated and cooled seats in my F-150. Problem with Recaros is they only fit one body type.

 

[Calif-GT500]

I had Recaros in my 2013 Boss 302. Loved and hated them. Loved how they held my for spirited driving. Hated getting in and out of the car. I would also push them all the way back to exit and enter then pull them up to the right place when driving. The problem was trying to find that same perfect spot. That and they were not particular comfy for longer rides.

I have the heated and cooled seats in my 2020 GT500. I went to two different dealers to try both the Recaros and Sport Seats and so glad I chose the sport seats. Very comfortable and adjustable. They are not what I would call "mushy" at all. They have a bit of bolster that seems to work well for me. They memory option is great as in cooling. I've not used the heat function here in California.

If you will be doing significant track days then get the Recaros as they are designed for that.
If like me you do mostly canyon carving and weekend trips with a once in a while track day they the sport seats are a better option in my opinion.

On a side not I did not like the white trim on the 2020 Recaros. Not sure if the 2022 offer different options but it was too much white for my taste.

Oh and any color other than Orange is a compromise. Lol

 

[killbeagle]

I agree with what was stated before: If you plan on primarily going to track it on the road course, get the Recaros, otherwise the regular seat.

When I was looking for mine dealers only had Recaros in stock and I felt very restricted in them for regular driving, whereas the regular seats that my buddy already had were much more comfortable for my size (170lbs, 6.3 ft).
Having said that, when doing the Track Attack in Charlotte, the Recaros where great and not a bother at all but I can't imagine them for myself for just weekend cruising.
On the other hand Recaros may add a bit to the resale value as it seems to be the most popular option between the two.

On the colors I don't think you can go wrong either way. My buddy has iconic with black stripes and it looks amazing. I've seen carbonized and it looks very sharp as well. I would say iconic is a bit more of a classic look while carbonized seems more modern. While dark metallic grey does generally look good one could say that it is a bit overused over the last 10 years or so (Not just with Mustangs but sports cars and cars in general).

 

[rp930]

I have an order in for 22 GT500. Two things I go back and forth on are Iconic vs Carbonized and Recaros vs Heated/cooled memory position power seats. I've pretty well settled on Iconic...I think. Lol. I've had 3 sets of Recaros. A 12 Boss, 14 GT500, and an 18 R. So I know what they feel like. I had zero issue with the comfort. It was a little annoying to not have some amenities with them. There has been many a hot day in TX where I wished I had cooled seats. Problem is I dunno how mushy the GT500 heated/cooled seats are compared to the Recaros. I don't like too mushy and soft support. My neighbor has a 19 Bullitt with heated/cooled power seats. They're on the borderline for me. Are the GT500 heated/cooled seats comparable to the Bullitt seats? Does the GT500 heated/cooled seats have express out?

Somebody on here has Iconic, black roof, white stripes. Looks great. Lots of combinations.

 

[Busamonkey]

Living here in Florida, heated and cooled seats are the way to go if you’re not tracking the car. I have the carbonized gray with Kona blue stripes. It has a nice menacing look to the dark color.

 

[JR369]

I had Recaros in my 2013 Boss 302. Loved and hated them. Loved how they held my for spirited driving. Hated getting in and out of the car. I would also push them all the way back to exit and enter then pull them up to the right place when driving. The problem was trying to find that same perfect spot. That and they were not particular comfy for longer rides.

I have the heated and cooled seats in my 2020 GT500. I went to two different dealers to try both the Recaros and Sport Seats and so glad I chose the sport seats. Very comfortable and adjustable. They are not what I would call "mushy" at all. They have a bit of bolster that seems to work well for me. They memory option is great as in cooling. I've not used the heat function here in California.

If you will be doing significant track days then get the Recaros as they are designed for that.
If like me you do mostly canyon carving and weekend trips with a once in a while track day they the sport seats are a better option in my opinion.

On a side not I did not like the white trim on the 2020 Recaros. Not sure if the 2022 offer different options but it was too much white for my taste.

Oh and any color other than Orange is a compromise. Lol

This was very helpful. Thank you. As I said I've had 3 sets of Recaros and I fit fine in them. I think the fact that I will not be doing a significant amount of tracking, I'm leaning toward the sport seats a little more. A little more resale means nothing to me. Cooled air cond seats mean more to me on 100 degree + days in TX tho.

 

[JR369]

Somebody on here has Iconic, black roof, white stripes. Looks great. Lots of combinations.

I debated about the black roof. I had a black roof on the Boss. The paint was soft and it easily swirled. Headache imo. I'm going twin black stripes front to back. Thought about white stripes but the sun kinda washes them out on Iconic Silver.

 

[Firsttexan]

Heated and cooled seats ??? The GT500 is literally a street legal race car, if your planning on
tracking it or running from the cops you will need the Recaros. I jest, I love my heated and cooled seats in my F-150. Problem with Recaros is they only fit one body type.

Ya a skinny 32 inch waisted body type.

 

[RWCGT500]

I was in the same boat thinking about the seats, but ultimately I determined this is a race car and Recaros should be in there. Also, I don't plan on driving this daily, only on weekends.

My wife won't be too happy with the Recaros, but oh well. LMAO.

 

[STAMPEDE]

My vote is for h/c seats especially if you live in either o warm or cold state, furthermore if you have any back or leg pain they’re a big help.

 

[Thomas]

I have base seats, very comfy, great for road trips though I do not find myself using either the heated or cooling functions that often where I live. The remote start can really mitigate the need for either. Stampede mentioned back-pain, that’s a great point.

The irony is that if you search around a bit you'll find that the Recaros save you very little weight (less than 10lbs I believe) over the base seats, the benefit is more in the support and aesthetic.

I would go base, and buy a single aftermarket race seat for the rare track days.

 

[Grey03]

I think if you did the Carbonized with white stripes and black roof, it would be KILLER! This is my iconic silver setup like that.

 

[JR369]

Thanks for the opinions everyone. For the majority of my planned use with this car, I'm going with the heated/cooled memory powered sport buckets this time around.