OneOfOne

recently drove an infiniti m 37 and the cooled seats were on inadvertantly. after about 3 minutes it felt like an icebox thru my jeans. this is a good thing. seeing how I am considering a TL advance, I would like to know if the cooled seats are noticeably cool when on and especially on hot days. thanks

BigBunks

yes they are. didnt think much of it at first but they are very nice to have when its hot out

Edward'TLS

The TL-Advance's ventilation seats don't do cooling. They just blow ambient-temp air out from the seat surfaces.

BigBunks

idk but my ass is pretty cold after 30 seconds

white_sh

+1.

I actually went in to the dealership to get the advance, but after trying the ventilating seats, I didn't feel they were effective(of course, I only tried the seats for few minutes)

DannyZRC

it's surely cabin-ambient air, not outside ambient air.

it's really splitting hairs to call the ventilated seats "not cooled" if they're blasting air-conditioned air on your rumpus.

billyt1963

It does help, but I don't think I would call them cold. I do keep cabin temperature at 70 and above. It does help keep you comfortable.

Billy

birdy*feet

They definitely help, but your bootie certainly will not be cold. Not sure about other climates, but here in AZ, my seats simply keep me from sticking to the leather. Don't expect to feel as if you're sitting on an icebox. The seats will never actually feel cold.

Rocket_man

It may help to select the floor vents to send cool air to the floor for the seats to pick up. I hope they offer this on the new TLX. Even if it just blows cabin air it will help during Texas summers. I've driven Lexus with cooled seats and they do feel cool. I guess I'm not sure how they do this. If there is actually a duct from the A/C that routes air under the seat or if it is just pulling cabin air like the Acura.

OneOfOne

thanks. wildly disparate accounts coming from the same car. I know my old lexus ls 430 had refrigerated seats which was excellent but my IS 350 had heated and cooled seats and the cooling wasnt even negligible. the m 37 is definetely a cooling sensation which is very noticable. guess Ill have to try an advance myself

Edward'TLS

These wildly disparate accounts are the results of different people's subjective feelings of "cold" and "cool".

But one thing is crystal clear. The ventilation seats on the 2012 TL-Advance have no refrigeration nor self-cooling capability, the under seat fans merely blow cabin air out through the seat surfaces.

Whether that will ventilate, cold, or cool; everyone be his/her only judge.

Also note that Acura called this feature the "Ventilation Front Seats", and not "Cooling Front Seats".

Treblig

IIRC, they suck air down rather than blow air up. IIRC.

Edward'TLS

Thanks for the correction.

drivinginmy04tl

I think they work awesome. Just crank the interior temperature down lo when you first get in and turn the seat cooler on level three and see what happens. I really like it when in thin shorts like under armor and first getting in after leaving the gym. Some days its the most action I get.

drive4show

According to my Acura dealer they are cooled using the air conditioner. i think that is correct based on experience too, because they seem to get cooler when i go from fresh air (AC off) to AC on.

i am very satisfied with mine.

akiko2012

i wish Acura included ventilated seats as an option for the MT.

BEAR-AvHistory

The TL’s are ventilated seats so they suck up cool ambient air from the floor with a fan arrangement on the seat. To get the most out of it just crank up the AC & chill the car.

Cooled seats like in my Expedition have a thermoelectric device in each seat that either generates heated or cooled air into the seat depending on which way the current is flowing through it. I really miss having them in my DD

Its just like those keep your take out burgers hot or soda cool boxes that plug into the 12V outlet

jjsC5

I agree with Bear. They are only cooled with the air conditioner to the extent that you can get the A/C to blow cool air under the seat. There is not a direct path from the A/C to the seat itself. This is how most ventilated seats work. BTW, I had an Expedition with them as well - they are the best I have had. Here is my rating of vehicles I've owned with them....

Expedition - very good
Cadillac CTS - very good
Acura TL - good
Infiniti M45 - fair
Lexus GS350 - fair
BMW 550 - fair

fsttyms1

it shouldnt matter what setting you have the AC on or vent on, the seats ONLY pull air away from you. They do NOT blow air towards you.

jjsC5

On which car are you talking about? Most cars blow air out, not suck it in.

NJDEE

Wow, the cooled seats were the only thing I wished I had on my 2011 tl, but after reading this thread.. Not so much anymore lol

Treblig

Despite the differences in opinion about how they work, they do work well

Edward'TLS

Don't just read people's comments and take them for granted, especially that cool and cold are very subjective to individuals.

You should really go to a dealership on a hot day, and try out the ventilation (not cooled) seat yourself, then decide whether you want it or not.

NJDEE

I agree! But I'm not even in a position to upgrade at the time as is. I still have another year left on my lease as is. I was just commenting on the one thing I wished I had between my model and the 12

Thanks!

BEAR-AvHistory

If cooled were not available but ventilated were available I would still get them in a heartbeat. Really wish they were an option on my 335is. Its my only major bitch with the car.

jjsC5

Agree completely. As noted in an earlier post, I've had them in 6 vehicles now. By far the worst are my new 550 BMW. But as bad as they are, they still help in Houston. Sometimes the fact that you don't feel cold air doesn't mean they aren't helping. At least I'm not as hot and sweaty.