Can I put Gen 4 Seats in a 2016 Model S?

[Silverdarter]

The 2016 Model S I'm about to buy currently has Gen 3 seats and I'm finding them uncomfortable around the middle of the top of my back. I sat in what I believe are the Gen 4 seats in a Raven and they felt better - I noticed they had a slightly different design around that area, so perhaps something was improved. If I installed Gen 4 seats into the 2016 Model S, would they work?

Either way, overall the seats from these generations are not amazingly comfortable and I wonder if anyone knows of any other solutions please? Does re-upholstering them help?

Many thanks in advance!

Alex

 

[bbauernf]

Hi Alex. I have the opposite issue. I have recently bought a 2019 Model S P100D which have the Gen 4 seats (aka premium). They are a bit too soft for me. I recently crashed my 2016 Model S which had the Gen 3 (aka Next Gen seats) and loved them. Unfortunately, the car was totaled so couldn’t use the seats.

Not sure if you would be interested but maybe we could swap seats? The seats I have are in terrific condition (I bought the car a week ago directly from Tesla). If yours are in good shape, I would be open to swapping.

Let me know if you are interested in discussing further. If so, let me know where you live. I am in the Chicago area.

Thanks
Brian

 

[Gowenbw]

Hi Alex. I have the opposite issue. I have recently bought a 2019 Model S P100D which have the Gen 4 seats (aka premium). They are a bit too soft for me. I recently crashed my 2016 Model S which had the Gen 3 (aka Next Gen seats) and loved them. Unfortunately, the car was totaled so couldn’t use the seats.

Not sure if you would be interested but maybe we could swap seats? The seats I have are in terrific condition (I bought the car a week ago directly from Tesla). If yours are in good shape, I would be open to swapping.

Let me know if you are interested in discussing further. If so, let me know where you live. I am in the Chicago area.

Thanks
Brian

If he won’t I will! I have two perfect seats from my 2016 black

 

[Ostrichsak]

Just a quick post to clear up some of the confusion in this thread....

The first seats in the Model S (gen 1) were from 2012-2014.

The "Next Gen" seats (gen 2) were an option starting in the late 2014 cars.

The "Premium seats" (gen 3) were first available as an option in 2017 and then default in 2018 I believe. The distinguishable update was the adjustable headrest.

The latest car, the Palladium aka the Refresh has an all new seat as well which would technically be the Gen 4 and this started in 2021.

There may be slight overlap on some the end/beginning of model years but the timeline is relatively close. I do not believe any 2016 sold has the "Premium seat" aka the gen 3 as was mentioned in the OP. Unless the previous owner installed those DIY style you more than likely have the Gen 2 or, as Tesla calls them, the "Next Gen" seats pictured in the middle below.

Here's an image of the older three seats for visualization:

FWIW, the newest Gen 4 seats found in the new Model S is my favorite seat with the Gen 2 or Next Gen being my 2nd favorite, especially for long trips. The "Premium" seat (pictured on the right above) is fine for short drives around town but quickly becomes my least comfortable seat for longer trips. If I'm taking a longer trip I'd much prefer the first seats from the early Model S cars. I'm a larger gent and I think if you're average to below average size legs, shoulders, etc. this may not be an issue on the "Premium seat" but for me it's bad enough that it cuts of blood flow to my lower body and starts causing numbness in short order. I've driven these cars all over the country and the latest trip I took from Phoenix AZ to Northern Colorado was easily the worst trip I ever took. I was miserable. I've taken much farther trips in the Next Gen seats and felt it was one of the better driving experiences I've ever had. The first seats only become uncomfortable in the seat pan as it's rather flat and doesn't offer a lot of cushion which will make your rear a little fatigued after 10+ hours in the saddle in a day.

I know nobody asked for my Model S seat review but... there it is.

 

[Georgesb2]

The 2016 Model S I'm about to buy currently has Gen 3 seats and I'm finding them uncomfortable around the middle of the top of my back. I sat in what I believe are the Gen 4 seats in a Raven and they felt better - I noticed they had a slightly different design around that area, so perhaps something was improved. If I installed Gen 4 seats into the 2016 Model S, would they work?

Either way, overall the seats from these generations are not amazingly comfortable and I wonder if anyone knows of any other solutions please? Does re-upholstering them help?

Many thanks in advance!

Alex

I haven't worked on Model S but I bought the older seat cushion bottom from the Model S. I also have cushions and seat bases for model 3 and Y.
There was a refresh at the end of 2016/into 17. I think then they used a standard seat base across all models in the newer cars. The seat cushions in the 3 and Y being the same and the seat cushion bottoms in the Model S being slightly different. All the new seats are made of thin and soft materials. The older Model S is wider and flatter but somewhat hard with more robust materials. So far I'm speaking to set bottoms. You are concerned about the seat back/ upper. My guess is you can't move the entire set across those years. You could possibly adjust the foam in the back. All models, including the Model S had a side impact air bag built into the seat, The new seats on the S / Y do as well. There's likely a number of compatibility issues. So, if it were me, I'd try to rework the existing seat in that 2016 Model S. You can experiment on used ones first. But that is pricey.

 

[vcor]

Also at the end of 2016 Tesla switched from leather to an ultra leather (fake) material. Hard to tell them apart visually, but the ultra leather feels softer to me. From what I understand, the raw costs to Tesla are about the same, so it wasn't done to save costs. The ultra leather should last far longer and doesn't stain as easily as real leather. Ok, little to do with comfort, as I expect other factors are at play.

 

[bbauernf]

Y

Also at the end of 2016 Tesla switched from leather to an ultra leather (fake) material. Hard to tell them apart visually, but the ultra leather feels softer to me. From what I understand, the raw costs to Tesla are about the same, so it wasn't done to save costs. The ultra leather should last far longer and doesn't stain as easily as real leather. Ok, little to do with comfort, as I expect other factors are at play.

Yes agree. The newer seats are much softer than the previous real leather version. I really like the feel of the material and durability but…..

 

[Silverdarter]

Hi Alex. I have the opposite issue. I have recently bought a 2019 Model S P100D which have the Gen 4 seats (aka premium). They are a bit too soft for me. I recently crashed my 2016 Model S which had the Gen 3 (aka Next Gen seats) and loved them. Unfortunately, the car was totaled so couldn’t use the seats.

Not sure if you would be interested but maybe we could swap seats? The seats I have are in terrific condition (I bought the car a week ago directly from Tesla). If yours are in good shape, I would be open to swapping.

Let me know if you are interested in discussing further. If so, let me know where you live. I am in the Chicago area.

Thanks
Brian

Hi Brian - thanks for this! Unfortunately I'm in the UK!

 

[Silverdarter]

I haven't worked on Model S but I bought the older seat cushion bottom from the Model S. I also have cushions and seat bases for model 3 and Y.
There was a refresh at the end of 2016/into 17. I think then they used a standard seat base across all models in the newer cars. The seat cushions in the 3 and Y being the same and the seat cushion bottoms in the Model S being slightly different. All the new seats are made of thin and soft materials. The older Model S is wider and flatter but somewhat hard with more robust materials. So far I'm speaking to set bottoms. You are concerned about the seat back/ upper. My guess is you can't move the entire set across those years. You could possibly adjust the foam in the back. All models, including the Model S had a side impact air bag built into the seat, The new seats on the S / Y do as well. There's likely a number of compatibility issues. So, if it were me, I'd try to rework the existing seat in that 2016 Model S. You can experiment on used ones first. But that is pricey.

Thank you - apparently Tesla sell an adatptor to downgrade the seats if you so wish, but not one to do things the other way around! They won't sell the seats to us either to give it a try!

 

[Silverdarter]

Just a quick post to clear up some of the confusion in this thread....

The first seats in the Model S (gen 1) were from 2012-2014.

The "Next Gen" seats (gen 2) were an option starting in the late 2014 cars.

The "Premium seats" (gen 3) were first available as an option in 2017 and then default in 2018 I believe. The distinguishable update was the adjustable headrest.

The latest car, the Palladium aka the Refresh has an all new seat as well which would technically be the Gen 4 and this started in 2021.

There may be slight overlap on some the end/beginning of model years but the timeline is relatively close. I do not believe any 2016 sold has the "Premium seat" aka the gen 3 as was mentioned in the OP. Unless the previous owner installed those DIY style you more than likely have the Gen 2 or, as Tesla calls them, the "Next Gen" seats pictured in the middle below.

Here's an image of the older three seats for visualization:

FWIW, the newest Gen 4 seats found in the new Model S is my favorite seat with the Gen 2 or Next Gen being my 2nd favorite, especially for long trips. The "Premium" seat (pictured on the right above) is fine for short drives around town but quickly becomes my least comfortable seat for longer trips. If I'm taking a longer trip I'd much prefer the first seats from the early Model S cars. I'm a larger gent and I think if you're average to below average size legs, shoulders, etc. this may not be an issue on the "Premium seat" but for me it's bad enough that it cuts of blood flow to my lower body and starts causing numbness in short order. I've driven these cars all over the country and the latest trip I took from Phoenix AZ to Northern Colorado was easily the worst trip I ever took. I was miserable. I've taken much farther trips in the Next Gen seats and felt it was one of the better driving experiences I've ever had. The first seats only become uncomfortable in the seat pan as it's rather flat and doesn't offer a lot of cushion which will make your rear a little fatigued after 10+ hours in the saddle in a day.

I know nobody asked for my Model S seat review but... there it is.

Thank you - very interesting and helpful! My seats are definitely the ones in the middle.

 

[Georgesb2]

Thank you - apparently Tesla sell an adatptor to downgrade the seats if you so wish, but not one to do things the other way around! They won't sell the seats to us either to give it a try!

Do you mean there is an adapter to put older seats into newer cars?
Do you know any more about that?
I bought all my seats off the used marketplace, not from Tesla.

 

[Silverdarter]

Do you mean there is an adapter to put older seats into newer cars?
Do you know any more about that?
I bought all my seats off the used marketplace, not from Tesla.

This is what I have heard, possibly somewhere else on this forum. I don't think I found one actually for sale though, but they do exist apparently! The whole thing about these seats seems a bit of a mystery

 

[Georgesb2]

I'm not certain but I assume the model s is similar in design to the model 3/y.
On the model 3/y it's fairly easy to make changes to the upper seat, depending upon how much and what change.
There are two metal bars running vertically that are easy to remove, modify or stuff more foam in between.
If I owned your car, a 2016 Model S, I would find out how to take the back off of the upper seat and see if you can make some relatively easy changes.
You didn't specify exactly what it was that bothered you about your upper seat. Can you explain further please?

 

[Silverdarter]

I'm not certain but I assume the model s is similar in design to the model 3/y.
On the model 3/y it's fairly easy to make changes to the upper seat, depending upon how much and what change.
There are two metal bars running vertically that are easy to remove, modify or stuff more foam in between.
If I owned your car, a 2016 Model S, I would find out how to take the back off of the upper seat and see if you can make some relatively easy changes.
You didn't specify exactly what it was that bothered you about your upper seat. Can you explain further please?

Thank you - it's a good idea. If that worked, which I'm sure it might, the only negative would potentially be regarding the headrest and the software getting confused. I guess? I dont know, the garage who sold the car advise caution! The problem for me is something to do with the upper back - it seems to dig in for me and the neck position is uncomfortable. A lot of modern cars have this issue it seems. They want to jam your head forward which forces me into a bad position. It could be they're not best suited to people of my height (I'm 6'4") but honestly I think certain aspects of these cars as still being developed. I'm sure the newest ones are a lot better!

 

[Georgesb2]

Thank you - it's a good idea. If that worked, which I'm sure it might, the only negative would potentially be regarding the headrest and the software getting confused. I guess? I dont know, the garage who sold the car advise caution! The problem for me is something to do with the upper back - it seems to dig in for me and the neck position is uncomfortable. A lot of modern cars have this issue it seems. They want to jam your head forward which forces me into a bad position. It could be they're not best suited to people of my height (I'm 6'4") but honestly I think certain aspects of these cars as still being developed. I'm sure the newest ones are a lot better!

Provided you don't change anything electrical, the software won't be confused, in most cases.
Since I haven't bought the 2016 seat base I can't be certain. I have that car seat bottom.
I wish I could get my hands I it.

 

[Georgesb2]

Thank you - it's a good idea. If that worked, which I'm sure it might, the only negative would potentially be regarding the headrest and the software getting confused. I guess? I dont know, the garage who sold the car advise caution! The problem for me is something to do with the upper back - it seems to dig in for me and the neck position is uncomfortable. A lot of modern cars have this issue it seems. They want to jam your head forward which forces me into a bad position. It could be they're not best suited to people of my height (I'm 6'4") but honestly I think certain aspects of these cars as still being developed. I'm sure the newest ones are a lot better!

On the model 3 the headrest is readily removed and bent

 

[Georgesb2]

Thank you - it's a good idea. If that worked, which I'm sure it might, the only negative would potentially be regarding the headrest and the software getting confused. I guess? I dont know, the garage who sold the car advise caution! The problem for me is something to do with the upper back - it seems to dig in for me and the neck position is uncomfortable. A lot of modern cars have this issue it seems. They want to jam your head forward which forces me into a bad position. It could be they're not best suited to people of my height (I'm 6'4") but honestly I think certain aspects of these cars as still being developed. I'm sure the newest ones are a lot better!

Here's a YouTube video of the car seat changes.

And

I would try to buy gen 4 upper....
And see if the connectors and attachments are compatible...

Sincerely
George Borrelli
Crystal River Florida

 

[OttoPV60]

Are there compatible versions between them?

I have the first generation from 2014 and I want to upgrade my seats (mainly the driver's seat)

 

[J_Lee]

I'm also wondering of it's possible to put the premium (newest) driver and passenger seats in my 2016 MS. The nextgen seats are hard to find and cost a lot more than the newer ones and my seat is shot... Has anyone upgraded and have fully functioning seats?

 

[meomyo]

Just a quick post to clear up some of the confusion in this thread....

The first seats in the Model S (gen 1) were from 2012-2014.

The "Next Gen" seats (gen 2) were an option starting in the late 2014 cars.

The "Premium seats" (gen 3) were first available as an option in 2017 and then default in 2018 I believe. The distinguishable update was the adjustable headrest.

The latest car, the Palladium aka the Refresh has an all new seat as well which would technically be the Gen 4 and this started in 2021.

There may be slight overlap on some the end/beginning of model years but the timeline is relatively close. I do not believe any 2016 sold has the "Premium seat" aka the gen 3 as was mentioned in the OP. Unless the previous owner installed those DIY style you more than likely have the Gen 2 or, as Tesla calls them, the "Next Gen" seats pictured in the middle below.

Here's an image of the older three seats for visualization:

FWIW, the newest Gen 4 seats found in the new Model S is my favorite seat with the Gen 2 or Next Gen being my 2nd favorite, especially for long trips. The "Premium" seat (pictured on the right above) is fine for short drives around town but quickly becomes my least comfortable seat for longer trips. If I'm taking a longer trip I'd much prefer the first seats from the early Model S cars. I'm a larger gent and I think if you're average to below average size legs, shoulders, etc. this may not be an issue on the "Premium seat" but for me it's bad enough that it cuts of blood flow to my lower body and starts causing numbness in short order. I've driven these cars all over the country and the latest trip I took from Phoenix AZ to Northern Colorado was easily the worst trip I ever took. I was miserable. I've taken much farther trips in the Next Gen seats and felt it was one of the better driving experiences I've ever had. The first seats only become uncomfortable in the seat pan as it's rather flat and doesn't offer a lot of cushion which will make your rear a little fatigued after 10+ hours in the saddle in a day.

I know nobody asked for my Model S seat review but... there it is.

our 2017 has the middle seats in the pics and are pretty comfy even on long trips.