seat modifications

[rdstr]

had my 2.0 roadster for 2 weeks now and find the seat very uncomfortable. I looked online and no aftermarket seats will fit. I know that some have removed the air powered lumbar support and added foam... have any of you done any mods to your seats? I am thinking now of removing the seats, taking off the upholstery, and re-doing all the foam and recovering the seats. anyone done this?

 

[djp]

Do you have an early VIN 2.0 Roadster? It sounds like you have the 1.5 seats, which had the air pump for lumbar support. The 2.0 seats use foam inserts instead of the air pump. It might be possible to find a set of 2.0's from a scrapped Roadster.

 

[ecarfan]

To the OP: a good auto upholstery shop should be able to read your seats and retain the original covering material. After they have the Sears out of the cat and the covers removed, they can experiment with different amounts of foam and where it is positioned, before putting the covers back on, to get the right fit for you.

 

[TOBASH]

To the OP: a good auto upholstery shop should be able to read your seats and retain the original covering material. After they have the Sears out of the cat and the covers removed, they can experiment with different amounts of foam and where it is positioned, before putting the covers back on, to get the right fit for you.

Let me translate, as the loss of the EDIT function (which I find frustrating) means the above post won't make sense without editing...

To the Original Poster: A good auto upholstery shop should be able to REMOVE your seats and retain the original covering material. After they have the SEATS out of the CAR and the covers removed, they can experiment with different amounts of foam and where it is positioned, before putting the covers back on, to get the right fit for you.

My comment is that it might be cheaper based on hours worked to find a set of Lotus Elise or Exige seats or Tesla Roadster 2.5 seats that you can slip right in without modification.

MODS - Please restore the EDIT function. I know there was an issue, but please reconsider.

 

[PokerBroker]

I changed my 1.5 seats to 2.5 seats and they are much more comfortable.

 

[jbadger]

The previous owner of my Roadster had the choice between both but decided to stick with the 1.5 seats. I've never sat in the 2.5 seats but I wonder if I would like them better.

Does anyone have any ideas on how much it would cost to reupholster the seats?

 

[TOBASH]

No way to estimate as seat upholstery goes by the hour and buy the yard of fabric and by the complexity of the design, and is also affected by location in the USA. Fabric prices are variable and leather costs more than vinyl costs more than plastic costs more than cloth.

It is frequently cheaper to buy a used seat in mint condition than to have an old seat recovered.

Your money your choice, but I would buy used 2.5 seats or Lotus Used Elise or Exige seats.

Your mileage may vary.

Best,

T

 

[zylstra]

I wanted to be able to hold my head upright without it bouncing against the headrest, and my shoulders to be unslumped, so I inserted some extra padding behind the top center of my seat. See sixth photo here, Tall Mods - Modifications to the Tesla Roadster for Tall Drivers .

 

[jeremyz]

Elise and Exige seats definitely don't fit in the seat brackets for the Roadster. The Roadster seats are substantially wider. I believe that you could install Elise/Exige seats if you buy them with the brackets.