Aftermarket Seats

[SC04Unlimited]

Me again, sorry...

My birthday and Christmas are coming up so we (my wife as a gift) are in the market for aftermarket seats to replace the worn out stock seats in our 2004 LJ. The rig is not seeing a lot of seat time in terms of distance driving or hardcore offroad but will see the occasional trail, running errands, going to kids activities, school drop off, and hauling the family and gear to the beach or fishing.

We have two hard requirements: Tan or spice vinyl and fold and tumble functionality. Vinyl is a requirement because from early Spring through late Fall, we'll keep the sides of the top and doors off so it will be exposed to weather. Yes, we have a rain gear cover for those known and forecasted rainstorms. Maintaining the fold and tumble functionality of all seats, especially the front, is a HARD requirement so that the kids can easily get in the back seat without stepping on/over the front seats and console. We want tan or spice because black is too hot in the Charleston sun...

@Jerry Bransford and I have been DMing about using the stock seat bases and rigging up a "pull bar" between the two tabs that allow the front seats to "fold and tumble" but I want to see what others are doing to solve this problem. Since I haven't found any aftermarket seats with a slot for the pull tab on the side of the stock seats, I want to come up with a good solution that isn't too hard for my wife or I to use. We use this functionality every time we take the jeep out with the kids which is at least a couple of times a week so having a realistic, functional solution that we don't have to constantly fix or need an engineering degree to decipher once installed would be a huge plus.

We've considered reupholstering the stock seats but they are 21 years old and we'd likely replace the foam all around plus need custom vinyl covers which becomes pretty expensive very fast.

I'm looking at the Bestop Trailmax 2, Corbeau Moab, and Corbeau Sport seats since they come in tan and vinyl. I've seen a lot of recommendations for PRP but the price tag and no matching back seat is a turn off for us.

All that said, I'd love input on seat suggestions and ideas on how to solve the fold and tumble conundrum. Thanks a ton!

 

[macleanflood]

I'd stick with the factory seats, summit seat foam, Bartac Molle seat covers...lots of loops for storage, pouches to organize things and I added bottle holders for drinks, and a couple of Dorman seat heaters.

If you want more safety a rear harness bar like Rock Hard sells and maybe a front cage bar.

-Mac

 

[GATORB8]

I've been looking for a little while now, couple notes I've gathered from the forum and reviews.

Unless you want to fab it yourself (which doesn't look too bad) you'll need brackets whether you want to retain tumble and fold or not. If you retain tumble and fold (keep the stock base bracket) it adds about 2" of height. My current thought is to do a slider replacement bracket for the driver side and a tumble/fold for the passenger.

The brackets aren't cheap, so make sure you include them in the budget when you are shopping.

It seams like, in general, Non-Suspension seats end up less comfortable than factory seats, so you may want to consider suspension seats.

 

[leon jones]

my white '01 Sahara came w/ BLACK Bestop vinyl seats when i got her this past summer

BLACK vinyl seats in Texas are BURN YOUR BUNNS HOT

they did not have the fold butt did have the tumble feature since they were mounted on the stock tumble frames by means of adaptors which are $$$$ in the catalogues

my upholstery guy is also a TJ guy as is one of his employees and they both strongly suggested i go back to
stock seats which are wider than the Bestop seats

in addition they recommended the above mentioned SUMMIT replacement foam bottoms

i sat on their seats and had to agree w/ the quality of the new foam

after a coupla road trips i was able to acquire enuff seats to provide them with/ all the framing and stock upholstery to recreate a full set of stock appearing factory Sahara seats only needing to replace the seat bottom foam w/ the SUMMIT products

had i desired the vinyl seat covers i would have been able to gather them from closer sources and for le$$ than the stock green cloth ones that came in the Saharas which i like

i maintained the stock fold n tumble feature and now have a set of seats that look like a low mileage vehicle might have

i drove them on a long trip and was completely satisfied w/ the results EXCEPT for the OP's spec of being WEATHER TOLLERANT

a set of skin diver suit slip covers were added and the results make my Larduss Bottomuss Maximuss tells me i dunn a real well job

there are several fleabay sellors in addition to CL & MktPlace where there is a plethora of used Jeep stuff

just another option ...

it all comes down to PERSONAL CHOICE / PREFERENCE

leon

 

[SC04Unlimited]

Hmmm, so as much as I didn't want it to be the case it's starting to sound like I should explore the option of utilizing the stock seats (base+frame) > add new foam and just get custom vinyl covers made for them... The idea of neoprene seat covers is smart but I like the idea of avoiding mold/mildew that is unseen, being able to hose the Jeep out, and not worrying about the seats getting rained on.

 

[GATORB8]

Hmmm, so as much as I didn't want it to be the case it's starting to sound like I should explore the option of utilizing the stock seats (base+frame) > add new foam and just get custom vinyl covers made for them... The idea of neoprene seat covers is smart but I like the idea of avoiding mold/mildew that is unseen, being able to hose the Jeep out, and not worrying about the seats getting rained on.

That was my first rabbit hole, and I gave up. Ends up as expensive as new seats unless you roll the dice on ebay/amazon covers. Any actual full replacement seat covers were either sketch or super expensive.

FYI Katzkin quoted me $2500+tax.

 

[MikeE024]

Hmmm, so as much as I didn't want it to be the case it's starting to sound like I should explore the option of utilizing the stock seats (base+frame) > add new foam and just get custom vinyl covers made for them... The idea of neoprene seat covers is smart but I like the idea of avoiding mold/mildew that is unseen, being able to hose the Jeep out, and not worrying about the seats getting rained on.

We all have our own needs and preferences. I went with vinyl PRP (Enduro folding Non-elite) seats so they could handle the dirt from my dog’s paws and occasional desert rain since the rig usually has half doors and no windows.

Swiping off tiny stones and dirt or wiping water off with a small towel has been about as easy as it gets. I’m worried way more about keeping water off my floor boards than I’m worried about the seats.

I don’t have swamp ass problems so I’ve had no noticeable sweating issues in 4 years of ownership. I made the right decision for me.

Both the pull chord option and Rugged Ridge pull bar option I tried for the tumble function were terrible at best. I found it easier to just reach from the front and turn the bar under the seat with my hand, so that’s how I do it (which may not be practical for you).

 

[GATORB8]

We all have our own needs and preferences. I went with vinyl PRP (Enduro folding Non-elite) seats so they could handle the dirt from my dog’s paws and occasional desert rain since the rig usually has half doors and no windows.

Swiping off tiny stones and dirt or wiping water off with a small towel has been about as easy as it gets. I’m worried way more about keeping water off my floor boards than I’m worried about the seats.

I don’t have swamp ass problems so I’ve had no noticeable sweating issues in 4 years of ownership. I made the right decision for me.

Both the pull chord option and Rugged Ridge pull bar option I tried for the tumble function were terrible at best. I found it easier to just reach from the front and turn the bar under the seat with my hand, so that’s how I do it (which may not be practical for you).

One difficulty for me has been finding a way to test fit my fat ass in the aftermarket seats. I missed Smokey Mountain because we were on the way back from Rubicon this year, and Corbeau says they have no dealers with them within hundreds of miles.

 

[MikeE024]

One difficulty for me has been finding a way to test fit my fat ass in the aftermarket seats. I missed Smokey Mountain because we were on the way back from Rubicon this year, and Corbeau says they have no dealers with them within hundreds of miles.

My seats work well for me because they aren’t as restricted in the hips and sides (by a hard shell) like the non-reclining options, and they don’t have aggressive bolstering like the PRP elites and many other options I looked at.

Even compared to the MC Baja RS that I almost purchased and would like to try someday, you can see that the PRP model I have is less aggressive (flatter) in the hip area, which is likely better for me. For the record, I don't like any other PRP option than what I currently have because the other models squeezed my hips and sides too much and generally felt uncomfortable.

That said, I’ve also heard great things about the Summit Racing seat foam replacements, so if you are happy with the stock seat profile, maybe you can run that with Bartact covers to save some money.

Older shot of my seats in case you are interested (PRP Enduro High Back Recliner...Non-Elite)

 

[SC04Unlimited]

That was my first rabbit hole, and I gave up. Ends up as expensive as new seats unless you roll the dice on ebay/amazon covers. Any actual full replacement seat covers were either sketch or super expensive.

FYI Katzkin quoted me $2500+tax.

Yeah I went to a local upholsterer today and he said ballpark was $5K for custom vinyl covers using existing foam. That ain't gonna happen...

We all have our own needs and preferences. I went with vinyl PRP (Enduro folding Non-elite) seats so they could handle the dirt from my dog’s paws and occasional desert rain since the rig usually has half doors and no windows.

Both the pull chord option and Rugged Ridge pull bar option I tried for the tumble function were terrible at best. I found it easier to just reach from the front and turn the bar under the seat with my hand, so that’s how I do it (which may not be practical for you).

I like the PRP Enduro for the same reasons! I just don't like the nearly $1000 each price tag and no matching back seat option.

I kinda figured any aftermarket pull cord or bar option would be less than ideal unfortunately.

 

[SC04Unlimited]

After my chat with the upholsterer, I'm now leaning back towards the Bestop Trailmax 2 or a Corbeau set then just rig up something using the stock brackets for the fold and tumble function. It'd be way cheaper than custom or going with PRP.

 

[inkedrose]

I have had the Corbeau Trailcats for a couple years now. My Jeep gets a fair amount of seat time and still super happy with them... way better than stock. I have the bases that allow the seat to flip (passenger side only, my driver side never flipped). Couple things to keep in mind, if you get the bracket it raises the seat. I'm only 5'8" and my girlfriend is small so that was good for us. The release bar to flip forward is kind of janky and is easy to bump and unlatch sending your passenger through the windshield on quick stops. I found an easy fix but it's something to be aware of. The seat backs/headrests are also taller & wider than stock creating a bigger blind spot. All that being said, I'm still happy with my purchase
When looking for new seats I had a really hard time finding anywhere I could sit and test any. After I got mine I sat in a set of PRP's that felt amazing but they didn't have the adjustments the Corbeau's have. For me the access to the back was important