No Vented / Air Conditioned Seat Option

[omgwtfbyobbq]

No vented or A/C seats is a complete deal breaker in Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley). Think about it this way, a 2004 Lincoln Navigator has Air Conditioned (not just vented) seats.... a 2007 Lexus has vented seats. The fact this is a $1,290 option 10 years ago and Tesla doesn't have it for the Model 3 , S or X shows how constrained they are as a manufacturer.

Shoot, my 1982 VW doesn't need power to operate the windows. For free! I don't see Lincoln, Tesla, or Toyota offering that.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

For long trips, wouldn't keeping the rest of you cool be enough? I've taken road trips around Texas in the summer and the only part of me that got hot was the part in direct sunlight, and only if I was wearing black/dark clothing there ... and I could usually turn up the AC more.

 

[asus389]

Meh it's fine. They are hard to clean and tend to be less durable than regular smooth seats. Plus I have never had a car that at some point dint have a musty AC (maybe Tesla is better in this regard). I'm not sure I want my seats to smell like dirty sock if the AC is pushed through them.

 

[SMAlset]

We have them in our 2017 MS and recently took a trip for several days in high 90-100F temps. Had the AC going as well and both hubby and I felt that our vented leather seats did make a big difference in not having the back side of you all damp/wet when you got out and your clothing wanting to stick to the seat. AC alone doesn't reach behind you and with the large front windshield on the cars the sun beats down on you and you can still feel hot and have your backside sweat on the seat. Turned it on a number of times when we were starting to feel like our backside was getting too warm. Tesla's seats suck or wick moisture away from you. They don't "cool" the seats with cold air, which seems to be a misconception of how theirs worked. I think it was a mistake to stop offering them and hopefully now that they've redesigned their seats with this non-leather "leather" they will incorporate the feature back into the line up. We live inland and would be hard pressed to upgrade our car to a model that didn't have the seats as we do live and travel in an area with pretty high summer temps (seems like this year high 90s/100s are the norm too). Headed for more high temps all this week. I have a leather seat Avalon without venting and when it's hot I'd rather take our MS because of the vented seats.

As for gross sweat in your seats, our shirt/top and jeans/even shorts don't have our skin making direct contact with the seat so it's the clothing that makes contact with the seat and no problems dripping all over it especially with the venting turned on. Not sure how others are dressed (or not!) that they are dripping sweat all over their seats.

 

[eloder]

No one ever gets hot from body heat sitting in a seat for a long time. Nope, no one. Ever.

Fortunately, the Model 3 has air conditioning for that.

 

[AZ-3]

This is really common sense, human body 101 .... be it leather or pleather, your back and butt are going to sweat and your clothes are going to get wrinkled and your underwear will be wet in warm climates when you sit on a leather chair.

The idea of pre-cooling your car sounds good on paper. However, in the real world, if you have to park your car in the sun, the seats will readily absorb the sun's energy. Regardless of the cabin temperature the seats will continue to radiate heat for a long time after you move the vehicle out of the sun and turn on the A/C.

Even sitting in a 72 degree office building, your butt and back will sweat against the leather office chair because it doesn't absorb moisture. Anyone who takes care of their body and is cognizant of body odor and body cleanliness is well aware of leather seats and the sweating issue.

Ventilated seats were invented for this reason and they are installed on most production vehicles because people want the easy cleaning and good looks of leather with the sweat absorption and comfort of fabric. So man invented ventilated seats. Don't kill the messenger. Its a fact of the human body. It's unusual that Tesla does not currently offer vented (or full air conditioned) seats on any models.

 

[Tanquen]

They worked nicely in my Lexus IS250. I don't know why I Tesla got rid of theirs, other than a few reports of the perforated seat bottom stretching and tearing.

They were not at all a gimmick for me and I wouldn't mind having them in my Tesla. It was great on a warm day after playing tennis, it definitely made a difference.

Cooling the car beforehand is a nice idea but number one, I never remember to do it and number two, it just don't really help as far as your butt and back getting too warm and number 3, it seems like it's a big waste of energy when a small fan would do the trick.

 

[zenmaster]

Gas-centric mentality.

It's always funny to find people who don't realize how amazing it is to have a pre-conditioned car available.

You can continue driving your 10 year old Lincoln, though, if you really want. That $5k used 2012 Leaf is more advanced than your 100k "luxury" gas car, when it comes to entering a comfortable car.

Pre-conditioning has been available on gas cars for many years of course.

 

[JeffK]

No one ever gets hot from body heat sitting in a seat for a long time. Nope, no one. Ever.

You know if the tesla network ride sharing thing takes off the last thing I want is a stranger's sweat seeping into perforations on the seats. The thought of that is pretty gross. I'd rather have seats that are easier to clean.

 

[Tanquen]

You know if the tesla network ride sharing thing takes off the last thing I want is a stranger's sweat seeping into perforations on the seats. The thought of that is pretty gross. I'd rather have seats that are easier to clean.

That sounds like a lot of sweat. Also, wouldn't you put seat covers on if you're going to do ride-sharing anyway?

 

[stopcrazypp]

It is a bit odd - I have the ventilated seats on my 2017 S - which are no longer available for reasons Tesla never explained. They work - they suck air through the holes, increasing the evaporation rate of moisture and helping keep you dry. I really don't understand why Tesla discontinued them in the S but I'm sure glad I got 'em for the short time they were available.

I remember reading that the ventilated versions wore down more quickly (tears or wrinkles? don't remember exactly) which is why they eliminated them.

I guess they can return if Tesla can fix the issues.

 

[JeffK]

That sounds like a lot of sweat. Also, wouldn't you put seat covers on if you're going to do ride-sharing anyway?

Seat covers, bleach, maybe throw in some lye.

 

[calisnow]

What's even more amazing is that

Funny you showed a Lexus. I just test drove one a few weeks back. Temperature here was approaching 100. I told the sales guy that I couldn't feel anything coming from the cooled seats. He just laughed and said that they were useless.

Now, I absolutely loved that car, but the cooled seats are nothing but a sales gimmick from what I can tell and I'd rather not have something else to break.

If the Lexus is like Tesla you are right - you do not "feel" anything. It isn't ice cubes on your butt. It's simply continual fresh air flow to keep moisture from accumulating and soaking your shirt/thighs. Works like a charm in my Tesla and something I've dreamed of for years here in hot So Cal (my prior cars didn't have 'em). There *are* other manufacturers which actually blow chilled air on you - I've driven a Ford Mustang rental that had that setup. Honestly I didn't like it. It was cold, but a distraction. The Tesla method (which I think BMW uses also) is much more subtle and achieves the goal - a non-sweaty back and butt.

 

[calisnow]

For long trips, wouldn't keeping the rest of you cool be enough? I've taken road trips around Texas in the summer and the only part of me that got hot was the part in direct sunlight, and only if I was wearing black/dark clothing there ... and I could usually turn up the AC more.

Different people must have different levels of sweatiness - me - a/c on - on a long drive on non-perf leather I'm still getting damp on my back and thighs.

 

[calisnow]

You know if the tesla network ride sharing thing takes off the last thing I want is a stranger's sweat seeping into perforations on the seats. The thought of that is pretty gross. I'd rather have seats that are easier to clean.

I have the ventilated seats @JeffK - the whole purpose of them is to help sweat evaporate before it becomes so concentrated it's dripping or even has you feeling damp. The seats work - they do the job. All I can think of for why Tesla cancelled them is they have an improved design coming soon. And perhaps too many warranty claims on the perfed leather (which is not the greatest quality I think - I'm pretty lean and verrrry careful getting in and out, no pets, no children - so they work for me).

 

[JeffK]

I have the ventilated seats @JeffK - the whole purpose of them is to help sweat evaporate before it becomes so concentrated it's dripping or even has you feeling damp. The seats work - they do the job. All I can think of for why Tesla cancelled them is they have an improved design coming soon. And perhaps too many warranty claims on the perfed leather (which is not the greatest quality I think - I'm pretty lean and verrrry careful getting in and out, no pets, no children - so they work for me).

but they suck, they don't blow... so where is that moisture from potential strangers and smelly people going?

 

[calisnow]

but they suck, they don't blow... so where is that moisture from potential strangers and smelly people going?

It's gas Jeff. You emit water through your pores all day long just normally it never hits the liquid phase. Liquid sweat happens when your body needs more rapid cooling. So if you prevent it from going liquid in the first place then the perfed leather seat should never be more smelly than any other part of the car.

 

[Az_Rael]

musty AC (maybe Tesla is better in this regard).

Eh, my experience of that isn't great with my Tesla, and my husbands new CPO has hints of a musty odor under the cleaners they used to detail the cars.

I have had cars without this problem - notably an Acura with over 100k miles, but not all manufacturers take the time to properly design the system to drain all condensation.

 

[calisnow]

but they suck, they don't blow... so where is that moisture from potential strangers and smelly people going?

Also in a vacuum vapor pressure is lowered - so liquids change to the vapor phase at a lower temperature (think about how water boils at a lower temp in the mountains - that's because there is less atmospheric pressure to prevent water molecules from breaking free of the liquid they are part of as the liquid heats up).

Thus sucking air is an elegant way to create an ideal environment for skin moisture to avoid turning to liquid. If the vapor pressure effect is measurable on these seats I do not know - I do know, however, that when I turn the fan to 2 or 3 I simply do not get a wet back and thighs on a warm day. If I leave the fan off - I do.

 

[JeffK]

Also in a vacuum vapor pressure is lowered - so liquids change to the vapor phase at a lower temperature (think about how water boils at a lower temp in the mountains - that's because there is less atmospheric pressure to prevent water molecules from breaking free of the liquid they are part of as the liquid heats up).

Thus sucking air is an elegant way to create an ideal environment for skin moisture to avoid turning to liquid. If the vapor pressure effect is measurable on these seats I do not know - I do know, however, that when I turn the fan to 2 or 3 I simply do not get a wet back and thighs on a warm day. If I leave the fan off - I do.

Exactly... but that vapor is going into the seat.