Will Y.

Uh... wouldn't it be easier to just swap out seats, assuming that the RL and TL electrical connectors can be mated?

Fabricating any necessary adapters for the seat rails might be easier than cutting around and installing stuff in cushions and reinstalling.

Just a thought before y'all start cutting bits and pieces all around the seat cushions.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Sure... Got $4-5 THOUSAND dollars doing nothing?

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

money and time people.....if you got plenty of it.......

then DO IT

and post some pics!!

but I ain't doin it!

izmyttz

this thread should die. No one is going to actually do this mod. Move it to ramblings or lock it!

csmeance

I won't close it because some of us may have the interest to do this project. People spend thousands of dollars doing useless stuff, and this is somewhat beneficial.

Also back to the topic, I wonder how hard the seats will become with these new ventalition fans installed...

TeknoKing

these are gay, but cheap....


http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/aircicosecu1.html


http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/cobrsecu.html

blatallic

LOL ^^^

Hmm I'll wait on a reveiw on this one lol

acuratech239

iTrader: (2)

I'm not as concerned with the three stage heaters the RL has, and their switches. With regards to the fans, and their three speeds, I'll go about that on a more serious though, should I ever choose to attempt this mod. I def agree with you about the physical installation of the fans/coolers themselves. Hence why I want to see one in person before I even start thinking seriously about this mod.

As to not taking A/C from the rear center vents, I agree. That leads me to thinking about using the vents underneath the seats themselves. The ones for the rear passengers feet. They would be in a more ideal location anyway, and require less ductwork/mod/etc to be fed up into there.

That said, I think this mod is feasible, if you have the time/money/resources.

Also please don't close this, as there is a chance someone will attempt this.

Forgot to mention, pretty sure using RL seats or major components will be out for many reasons, such as different mounting points, connectors, DMPS system, just to name a few. I could go on with a lot more but those are the big ones. If this is done, using OEM parts, it will have to be custom and/or hybrid, much like my rear heated seats were.

Just got back from vacation on Saturday, and since today was my first day back in two weeks, I asked if we were getting any 09 RLs in yet, since they been "ordered to be built" since mid March. I was told they are actually on their way, finally, and should be at our dealership in about a week. Forgot to ask if it was a tech package though with the cooled seats. Guess we'll see!

-- Kevin

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

those seat coolers are truly cabbie material

csmeance

Not going to close it, but I will take action against those who make it get out of hand. What I am wondering is how exactly these coolers work, are they just simple fans that are closed off generating a breeze, or are they open ended fans which propel the air under the seat up to your butt.... If the open ended ones, i'm sure some flexible piping coupled with some crazy glue could make Air conditioned seats.
Also, if these fans are installed, wouldn't it interefere with the heating elements in the seat as they are solid? The heating elements would just block the breeze from the fans, unless they were positioned above the seat, which would lead to either melting the fan's when the heater is on, or the loss of heated seats....

acuratech239

iTrader: (2)

Yah, so many questions still need to be answered. Hence my whole waiting to see one in person and "investigate". According to the parts diagram at work, there appears to clearly be ducts. When clicked on, they come up as something like "sub duct". Therefore I'm assuming they are air conditioned, and/or at least fed some sort of cooled air. This leads me to believe the that the air is forced out, i.e. from under the seat, up to your butt. The Nissan I spoke of in another thread, I'm pretty sure it sucked air down, for the cooling effect.

As for the heater elements, I have some bad ones sitting around (out of 2G TLs since they always fail). I'll probably end up buying one of these fans for starters to see how much resistance is created blowing the air through the heater element. I'm aware that 2G TL and 3G TL heater elements are not identical (in fac the element itself is pretty different), but the fabric material is what I'm concerned about. Plus, I can easily get my hands on some passenger seat back foam from 2G RLs (OPDS sensor, always goes bad), and use that as practice/testing for installing, etc, the fans.

Either way, a lot is waiting on the actual 09 RLs to come in (which I just asked today, delivery date is "7/11 - 7/15" for our specific dealership. Also waiting for the official wiring diagram in the ETM.

For now, we can just speculate and suggest. Thanks for keeping the thread open. I'm sure there are a few serious poeple who want to see this happen and will help!

acuratech239

iTrader: (2)

Ok so last Wednesday (7/9) we got an 09 RL in. I now have a better understanding of how the ventilated seats work.

First off, they are not air conditioned. They are simply fans, with some ductwork (under/in the seat), that blow air from under the seat, up through the foam, etc, to your butt. Now there are the A/C floor vents (for the rear passengers) under the front seats. I did notice that if you directed the mode for air to go there, you could feel a slight difference in the temperature blowing on your butt. But not much.

The seat bottoms have two fans, and according to the parts catalog, the seat backs do as well...though I couldn't really feel any air flow there.

That said, should I choose to do this to my TL, I will def create some flexible ductwork to feed the nice cold A/C (from the floor vents) directly to the fans, so that the air being sucked in by them, and blown on my rear end, is cold. I had stated this in a previous post, but have confirmed it can be done, having seen/played with an 09 RL.

So now it's time to start testing, using the old parts from other Acuras that I have. Then if/when I perfect it, I can actually do the mod to my TL. Don't expect anything soon though, I'm busy with other projects and whatnot.

Rob RiL

iTrader: (5)

Ok, you will need two of these and then run the wire to your power socket. These small, yet efficient and alluring fans will be placed right in your center console. You then simply aim them towards your buttocks and back area for ultimate comfort and style.




Lol. Had to do it. I actually remember a reaaaaallly old commercial that had some visor mounted small fan. It would also squirt water at you as it spun so that the water felt cold?? Hah, I wish I could find an article on it. I think I'd rather be a little hot than all wet and humid from that contraption.

bimmerman

Anyone even thought about how the airbags would or would not work.


My life > cold butt

audi_to_TL

iTrader: (2)

FYI...canadian RL's have had cooled seats for sometime....you might be able to find a wrecked one in canada.

myron

iTrader: (4)

^ its so hard finding parts in canada and especially wrecked cars like there are never any accidents here. Well there are american cars that are accident free at the junk yards but no imports hahaha

triax37

iTrader: (1)

Ok, I think I'm going to try this mod in the next few months. Quick highlights are below - any thoughts on power (see #3) would be appreciated!:

1. Fans - likely 4 computer style ($10 each), 2 in the butt area, 2 in the back area. Will use resistors so that they run at 50% capacity and stay quiet. The fans suck air from the seats and ventilate out the back, so not "air conditioned," but I think most manufacturers are just using the ventilate option.
2. Seat installation - I'll cut foam out from the seat cushion, and put the fans in that position. The order would be leather, seat heater element, mesh, foam with cutouts for the fans, then the seat coils.
3. Power - still working on this and would love some advice. Currently I'm planning to tap into power either from the seat heater and relevant switches, or will route from the fuse box.
4. Switches - since our seat heater switches have "lo" and "hi" settings, I'm going to repurpose the "lo" setting to mean cold, much like the air conditioning's "lo". Also, I'll change the LED on the left setting to be blue instead of yellow. The right side will remain "hi" and have the yellow color.

Thoughts are welcome. I'll definitely take pictures and provide a DIY install with parts I ordered. Total cost will probably be $75 or so - $40 for fans, $20 for hog rings and pliers, and some LEDs.

turtlecivic

iTrader: (2)

After all these years I still want this option. I was debating to test 06+ IS250 seats into the TL but I'm not an electrical kinda guy. Best of luck.

Jackass

$10 computer fans running at 50% power will not have nearly enough static pressure to push air through the cushion and leather. I would assume the OE "fans" are actually squirrel cage/blowers and not fans. That style usually has much higher static pressure.

Octane

For what it's worth, all canadian RLs of that generation came with cooled seats. If they are harder to find in the US, check scrap yards north of the border.

Octane

Sorry, just saw post #55 already mentions Canadien RLs.

triax37

iTrader: (1)

Many OEM ventilated seats don't "push" air through the seat - they pull the hot air from your body through the seat and then out the back of the seat, giving your body the feeling that cooler air is passing next to the skin. Subtle difference, and the fans still might not be powerful enough, but I figure it's worth a shot. Would love to hear other peoples' thoughts on the topic though.

Thanks for the thoughts on the Canadian RL!

csmeance

^agree, this is how it works on my 4G TL. On the 760 it pushes air however it has much louder fans and takes longer to cool.

Computer fans won't have enough power, you might want to buy the RL/4G TL fans and figure out how to get the proper power signal to them.

triax37

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the thoughts - the 2012 TL blowers are $250+, and the 2009 RL blowers are $80 each. Maybe I'll try to find an old RL's seats...

triax37

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm...working on a new option. Looks like the blowers from old Lexus sedans can be bought for $50 each on ebay. Those appear to install on the outside of the springs, and pump air to the seats. Anyone have thoughts to share?

polobunny

Nothing except blowers are inherently going to be loud. I would hate for my car seats to sound like a server room.

triax37

iTrader: (1)

You understand that these parts were OEM for Lexus LS460 and GS350 sedans, right? I don't think many people would consider the interior of those cars to be "loud" or like a server room...

truonghthe

^^^^don't get me wrong but the blower for lexus suck, especially after a few years the cushion got pad down and block the passage. Cadillac on the other hand if you put a piece of paper on the seat it will blow off. Not all ventilated seat are created equal people.

triax37

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info! I'll take a look into the Cadillac versions.

polobunny

I'm aware, but that's at the cost of efficiency at cooling your butt. Cool project nonetheless, I'm excited to see how it turns out.

csmeance

even if they are loud, it'll feel great after sitting on 140F seats!

polobunny

csmeance you gotta stop wearing short shorts, think of the kids!