Heated and cooled leather seats ?

[Truckguy7]

I would like to know how users like the heated and cooled
seats. My main concern is summer time heat.
I know plain leather is a good way to get swack.

 

[TBill]

The cooled seats work fine, 3 levels of cooling depending on the level of external heat.

TBill

 

[BlueLine14]

I have the heated seats with 3 settings, Hi/Med/Low. They heat up quickly and the heat is evenly distributed. I usually don't mess with the heat level, as its either on high or I turn them off. I couldn't imagine owning a vehicle without them now.
I keep the dual roof shade closed during summer months and use a windshield shade on particularly hot days to keep the interior a bit cooler. I would have had to move up to the next trim level (limited) to get the cooled seats. It wasn't that important to me as we only have a couple of months where the temps get that hot.
I'm sure they are great... maybe I'll bite the next time around.

 

[Odrapnew]

I think both work fine. When using the heated seats, I typically either have them on high or off (like BlueLine14). For the cooled seats, I feel like they don’t do a great job of cooling the back. My A$$ crack is nice and cool, but my back is usually still sweaty (or at least hot). The cooled butt is still better than no cooling though.

 

[Sunny32_1967]

I have heated/cooled seats but didn't yet have an opportunity to use it in summer. By mistake when driving the ExSport out of the showroom driving back home, by mistake i pressed the button to cool the front passenger seat instead of heating. Within 10 mins my other half felt that her seat was wet...lol. It sure works perfectly fine.

 

[VinceL]

The cooled seats work okay. The heated seats take so long to warm up as to be near useless. They don't really start pumping any heat until the engine is warmed up a bit. I am not sure that is to prevent to much power draw on a cold engine or what, but they take too long to start warming up when they are needed most. Now once the car is warm, the heated seats will roast your hams, but that is when they are needed the least. I think it all has to do with the peltier system used to heat/cool the seats. I wish they had simply used good old fashioned heater coils in the seats with ventilator fans instead of trying to get all fancy with the heat/cool stuff. The heated seats in the Forester took seconds to start providing warmth and that is what it should all be about. The Ex's heaters are so slow that your body does most of the warming of the leather before the seat heaters start contributing. That is useless in my book.

 

[peterk9]

I wouldn't have thought you'd need heated seats in Texas Vince. I only use mine occasionally and only when it gets down to about -10 F.

Peter

 

[markymark0509]

I live in WI. I've had the truck for 8 days. The heated seats and heated steering wheel heat up in seconds. I've been using the low-med setting. I've haven't tried the AC seats yet. Nice options.

 

[amd2800barton]

The cooled seats work okay. The heated seats take so long to warm up as to be near useless. They don't really start pumping any heat until the engine is warmed up a bit. I am not sure that is to prevent to much power draw on a cold engine or what, but they take too long to start warming up when they are needed most. Now once the car is warm, the heated seats will roast your hams, but that is when they are needed the least. I think it all has to do with the peltier system used to heat/cool the seats. I wish they had simply used good old fashioned heater coils in the seats with ventilator fans instead of trying to get all fancy with the heat/cool stuff. The heated seats in the Forester took seconds to start providing warmth and that is what it should all be about. The Ex's heaters are so slow that your body does most of the warming of the leather before the seat heaters start contributing. That is useless in my book.

I don't think a Peltier system is used for the heating. The heating element seems to be a traditional resistive heater.

The "cool" mode MAY be a peliter, but I doubt it. When you turn on the cool mode, a fan pushes air out the ventilated sections of the seats. I've never felt the air coming out of the seat any cooler than the air in the car, so my guess is that its simply circulating air from the cabin (already air conditioned) to help keep your back cool. Also, no part of the seat that I've been able to feel underneath gets hot when using the ventilated mode. A peltier device uses electricity to make one area hot, and another one cold. Since there's no dumping of heat from underneath the seat, my guess is there's no peltier - just the fan.

 

[cobraman069]

I like my heated seats and my girlfriend loves them. They heat up really nice. I do think they take a while to warm up from cold though. I typically don't use them at full blast since that is to hot for me. I usually use the medium or low setting. As for the AC seats, well it will get you cold enough you feel like you are sitting on a football bleacher in Antarctica. We have used them on low a few times, and only a few times. The times I have seen the AC seats come in handy is if the windows and/or sunroof were left open and the sun was beating down on the seats. In these cases the AC seats were very much worth it. I haven't noticed the leather seats get that hot when the windows have been up (direct sunlight or otherwise).

 

[tmg19103]

I've been on a lot of car forums. Never really see people raving about cooled seats. Heated seats get a lot of praise.

 

[amd2800barton]

I always get back sweat on long drives, and while tall, I'm not exactly "big". Heated seats are nice in the winter, but ventilated seats in the summer are fantastic. It's all a matter of personal preference.

Also, I can always put on another sweater or a heavier coat to stay warm. There's only so many clothes I can take off to cool down

 

[Harley13]

The cooled seats work okay. The heated seats take so long to warm up as to be near useless. They don't really start pumping any heat until the engine is warmed up a bit. I am not sure that is to prevent to much power draw on a cold engine or what, but they take too long to start warming up when they are needed most. Now once the car is warm, the heated seats will roast your hams, but that is when they are needed the least. I think it all has to do with the peltier system used to heat/cool the seats. I wish they had simply used good old fashioned heater coils in the seats with ventilator fans instead of trying to get all fancy with the heat/cool stuff. The heated seats in the Forester took seconds to start providing warmth and that is what it should all be about. The Ex's heaters are so slow that your body does most of the warming of the leather before the seat heaters start contributing. That is useless in my book.

The heated seats in our '14 Sport heat up immediately. I usually have to turn mine down or off. We have perforated leather which helps with functionality.

 

[VinceL]

I don't think a Peltier system is used for the heating. The heating element seems to be a traditional resistive heater.

The "cool" mode MAY be a peliter, but I doubt it. When you turn on the cool mode, a fan pushes air out the ventilated sections of the seats. I've never felt the air coming out of the seat any cooler than the air in the car, so my guess is that its simply circulating air from the cabin (already air conditioned) to help keep your back cool. Also, no part of the seat that I've been able to feel underneath gets hot when using the ventilated mode. A peltier device uses electricity to make one area hot, and another one cold. Since there's no dumping of heat from underneath the seat, my guess is there's no peltier - just the fan.

The seats in our 2013 do in fact use a peltier device (this has been discussed in other threads) for heating and cooling. If I remember correctly the company supplying the seats was called Amerigon (and is now called Gentherm). I can't speak for other years, but that is what our vehicle has. When the seat coolers are on I can feel a gentle breeze of warm air on the backs of my calves so I can only assume that is where the waste heat is being dumped. I can't say it is all that warm (though definitely perceptible) but I wouldn't expect it to since the cooled air isn't all that cool.

Found a link! Amerigon Climate Control Seat® (CCS®) System Selected as Option for 2013 Ford Flex

To quote:

NORTHVILLE, Mich., March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amerigon Incorporated (NASDAQ-GS: ARGN), a global developer and marketer of innovative thermal management technologies, announced today that its proprietary Climate Control Seat® (CCS®) system has been selected for the 2013 Ford Flex, a full-size crossover vehicle. The heated and cooled seat system is included in the luxury seating package for the front seats of the Limited model.

Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker said, "We are pleased to have our heated and cooled seat system included as part of the upgraded interior options in the 2013 Ford Flex, a popular crossover vehicle. Our longstanding relationship with Ford and its variety of superior vehicles has always been an important asset of Amerigon's."

Other vehicles from Ford that offer CCS include the Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Ford Taurus, Ford F-150 Truck and Ford F-250 Truck.

About CCS

In the CCS system, which is built around Amerigon's highly-efficient, solid-state thermoelectric device, air is forced through the heat pump and thermally conditioned in response to electronic switch input from the seat occupant. The conditioned air circulates by a specially designed fan through ducts in the seat cushion and seat back, resulting in a surface that can be heated or cooled. Each seat has individual electronic controls to adjust the level of heating or cooling. CCS substantially improves comfort compared with conventional air conditioners by focusing the cooling directly on the passenger through the seat, rather than waiting until ambient air cools the seat surface behind the passenger.

Amerigon is the largest supplier of TE systems for cars, with more than 6.5 million thermoelectric-based seat systems sold.

 

[VinceL]

The heated seats in our '14 Sport heat up immediately. I usually have to turn mine down or off. We have perforated leather which helps with functionality.

I wonder if they have changed the seat design? If so that is great. I would expect the second row seat heaters to be fast as they should be heated with coils.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

I wonder if they have changed the seat design? If so that is great. I would expect the second row seat heaters to be fast as they should be heated with coils.

I can also confirm my heated seats in my '15 XLT heat up very fast. I can only leave them on level 3 for about 5 minutes before they get to hot. If it's really cold, I'll turn them down to level 1 but most of the time, I need to turn them off.

 

[amd2800barton]

The seats in our 2013 do in fact use a peltier device (this has been discussed in other threads) for heating and cooling.

Interesting! I'm going to have to see if mine is working then, because I based what I said on the air coming out of my seat never feeling colder than the air in the cabin. Now if only I had an IR thermometer.

I still think the seat heater is traditional - using a peltier to heat / cool would still require the fan to come on, and the fan only comes on for cooling.

 

[peterk9]

There was a post in which a member complained about the seat fan noise when the heat was on. Haven't been able to find it but did come across this one;
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3374183&postcount=37

Peter

 

[xder345]

Love the heated and cooled seats. Never again will I buy a car without those and the heated wheel.

I'm looking for a new midsize fuel efficient car to replace my Mazda 3 (8 years old now) and the only one (not premium brand, I'm not a sucker) that has all that is the Fusion Titanium. Accord? Nope. Mazda 6? Nope. Not even considering the Camry, so I have no idea...

 

[Riley]

Interesting! I'm going to have to see if mine is working then, because I based what I said on the air coming out of my seat never feeling colder than the air in the cabin. Now if only I had an IR thermometer.

I still think the seat heater is traditional - using a peltier to heat / cool would still require the fan to come on, and the fan only comes on for cooling.

The peltier device is used to heat and cool the seats. The fans (one in the bottom and one in the back) does indeed come on with the heat, it just cycles on and off depending on what setting you have selected. Each setting has a maximum temp it's set to maintain. If there was a traditional heater mat (like the XLT and rear seats on Limited) there would be no way for the air to flow through the perforations in the seat while in cool mode.