Heated seats installation - LotusTalk

JWA · 10-04-2009, 07:13 PM

Hi Everyone,

A couple weeks ago I ordered the heated seat kit for my Wrangler. I was looking at it sitting on the workench and I realized that the switches match the door lock switch in the Elise. Whereas the install in the Jeep looks to be a PITA, it occurred to me that it would be a piece of cake to throw them into the Elise.

I had some concerns that putting them in might be somewhat counter to the spirit of the car, and a search here didn't show that anyone else had. In the end, I figured that I would prefer heated seats to air conditioning or any of the unnecessary crap in the Touring Pack that my new car has, and it should extend the top-down driving season a bit for both myself and my Cuban wife who doesn't get along well with cold weather. The entire kit only adds a little under two pounds and they're made from "carbon fiber" cloth, so I figured that would appease both the weight-conscious and carbon fiber geeks.

Thus, I went for it and installed them. The kit that I installed is detailed here: Seat Heater for Cars and Trucks from AutoWarm.com. I ordered it through their eBay auction for $158 shipped for a two-seat kit, and used the Bing.com 8% cash back program, so it ended up being a bit under $150.

I installed the elements underneath the center seat pads, under the foam. This does temper the heat, but it was a whole lot easier than it would be to install them directly underneath the leather. In the end, they are about as warm as the lowest setting on my wife's GTI. I understand that in England the refer to them as "bum warmers" as opposed to "heaters", so I suppose that fits the bill.

To remove the seat pad you simply pull back the top, which is held in by two plastic clips, and then work away the spray on adhesive that they use for the rest of the pad. After I put in the heating elements, I converted the pads to use velcro instead of spraying more adhesive. That seems to work great, and will make it easier if I ever need to get back in there. Here's a shot of the elements installed in the seat. Note that I straightened out the upper element after taking this shot.

I tapped into the fuse block under the dash and used the screws for the OBDII port for the ground points. I then ran the wires down through the center shift tunnel and mounted the switches in the "snow-cone" holder, as so:

In the end the install went fairly smoothly and I'm happy with the results. Let me know if you guys have any questions.

dbisbee · 10-04-2009, 07:23 PM

Very nice install. I am typing this behind the obnoxious Pennzoil banner that drops down but does not go away all of the time. PITA! Reminds me never to buy Pennzoil!

JWA · 10-04-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbisbee

Very nice install. I am typing this behind the obnoxious Pennzoil banner that drops down but does not go away all of the time. PITA! Reminds me never to buy Pennzoil!

Firefox with the AdBlock Plus add-on will fix that right up

.

Thomasio · 10-04-2009, 08:28 PM

Dan C. was telling me about your project yesterday. What's next, chains on the tires for when it snows?

JnC · 10-04-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWA

I tapped into the fuse block under the dash and used the screws for the OBDII port for the ground points.

What did you tap into? The switched power for the radio?

JWA · 10-04-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JnC

What did you tap into? The switched power for the radio?

No, I used a separate fuse tap for each seat, one off of fuse C1 (interior fan) and one off of fuse C2 (wipers).

JWA · 10-04-2009, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomasio

Dan C. was telling me about your project yesterday. What's next, chains on the tires for when it snows?

Nah, no big amps, subs, video monitors, or screens in the headrest either

. Other than finding a proper handbrake boot I'm done with the car for now. I am serious - I'd trade heated seats for the air conditioner any day. I never use it and it weighs a whole lot more than the two pounds of the heated seats.

Besides - they're carbon fiber so they're almost Really Light Seats

.

txdude · 10-04-2009, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbisbee

Very nice install. I am typing this behind the obnoxious Pennzoil banner that drops down but does not go away all of the time. PITA! Reminds me never to buy Pennzoil!

Glad I'm not the only one! It's ridiculous how often that damn banner just sticks. I understand the need for ads, but come on.

Snowphun · 10-07-2009, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txdude

Glad I'm not the only one! It's ridiculous how often that damn banner just sticks. I understand the need for ads, but come on.

I F5 the window, it goes away as I get a different banner ad. Poor design.

Snowphun · 10-07-2009, 07:29 PM

Thanks for the pictures of the install, I suspected the panels would have to go behind the padding and thus not be as hot. What is the sellers name on Ebay? Any reason you picked them over the other Ebay sellers?

Ebay auction for two seats

Finding a good circuit to add these to is key, looks like the can draw a bit less than 10 amps each.

JWA · 10-07-2009, 07:51 PM

I bought them from this auction: 2 Seat Carbon Fiber Universal Heated Seat Heater Kit :eBay Motors (item 290318152673 end time Oct-15-09 00:31:03 PDT)

I just received the second set that I ordered to put in the Jeep and they came in a white fabric with slightly different fuse holder. Not sure if there is a difference.

I have been trying them out now for a couple days and they definitely get warm enough. It seems to take a little while before they are completely up to temperature, but today it was 55 out and I had to turn them down to the Low setting and then off after a while. So they seem to be doing the job. I did notice from their website that they have a set called the Innovative Heat Extreme or III (Seat Heater for Cars and Trucks from AutoWarm.com) that they claim gets hotter. I dont know if that would be worth the extra expense or not.

Moto44 · 10-07-2009, 07:58 PM

I'm just here to say I approve of you choice of vehicles.

JWA · 10-07-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moto44

I'm just here to say I approve of you choice of vehicles.

Yeah, we do have similar garages, don't we? I currently have the '07 Elise, '09 Wrangler Rubicon, '09 KTM 450 EXC, and my wife considered a MINI, but went with another GTI. No sport bike at the moment though.

I'm going to be down in your neck of the woods for the Enduro in Byron on the 25th, actually. I'm also planning on hitting up the two indoor MX tracks in Chicago as much as possible this winter. Waterman (Waterman International Raceway | IL Indoor Motocross Tracks | Illinois Indoor Mx) opens next week and the new one on the South side (Chicago MX & ATV Indoor Park - ** *OPENING SOON!!!) expects to be open soon. I hope to make it to one of your drives, but the last couple haven't worked out.

Thomasio · 10-07-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWA

Besides - they're carbon fiber so they're almost Really Light Seats

.

For some reason I like the sound of that...

JWA · 10-07-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomasio

For some reason I like the sound of that...

DWebb · 10-07-2009, 08:27 PM

Very good,

Just curious, have you any thoughts on cooled seats.

Could that be possible?

oh yea, now you got me thinking.

ahhh, kinda hurts.

JWA · 10-07-2009, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWebb

Just curious, have you any thoughts on cooled seats.

A cooling system would likely be a whole lot more involved. For one, you'd have to build the system completely from scratch, and cooling elements and subsystems are a whole lot more involved and bulky than a simple off the shelf heating element. Maybe you could strap some ice packs to the back of the seats

.

Snowphun · 10-08-2009, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWA

I bought them from this auction: 2 Seat Carbon Fiber Universal Heated Seat Heater Kit :eBay Motors (item 290318152673 end time Oct-15-09 00:31:03 PDT)

. I did notice from their website that they have a set called the Innovative Heat Extreme or III (Seat Heater for Cars and Trucks from AutoWarm.com) that they claim gets hotter. I dont know if that would be worth the extra expense or not.

Thanks for the links, I did see the extreme model on their site, lacking a lot of details in terms of how much more power they draw. I'm thinking it may be a good idea to run a power line right to the battery for these instead of going to the fuse box. I haven't looked at the electrics in this car at all yet so this will be a bit more of a project.

mrcarcrazy · 10-08-2009, 07:23 AM

what jeep forum are you on? I've been considering heaters in my jeep and Elise as well. I've added them to other cars and it wasn't too bad. It makes topless driving much more tolerable for the lady's.

I too like your choice of vehicles.

gpheck · 10-08-2009, 07:47 AM

I think I've seen it all now.. seat heaters in a lotus!? Whats next, wipers and sprayers for the headlights?

haha jk.. anyways nice idea and install

10-04-2009, 07:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
JWA #33 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Racine, WI Posts: 3,737	Heated seats installation Hi Everyone, A couple weeks ago I ordered the heated seat kit for my Wrangler. I was looking at it sitting on the workench and I realized that the switches match the door lock switch in the Elise. Whereas the install in the Jeep looks to be a PITA, it occurred to me that it would be a piece of cake to throw them into the Elise. I had some concerns that putting them in might be somewhat counter to the spirit of the car, and a search here didn't show that anyone else had. In the end, I figured that I would prefer heated seats to air conditioning or any of the unnecessary crap in the Touring Pack that my new car has, and it should extend the top-down driving season a bit for both myself and my Cuban wife who doesn't get along well with cold weather. The entire kit only adds a little under two pounds and they're made from "carbon fiber" cloth, so I figured that would appease both the weight-conscious and carbon fiber geeks. Thus, I went for it and installed them. The kit that I installed is detailed here: Seat Heater for Cars and Trucks from AutoWarm.com. I ordered it through their eBay auction for $158 shipped for a two-seat kit, and used the Bing.com 8% cash back program, so it ended up being a bit under $150. I installed the elements underneath the center seat pads, under the foam. This does temper the heat, but it was a whole lot easier than it would be to install them directly underneath the leather. In the end, they are about as warm as the lowest setting on my wife's GTI. I understand that in England the refer to them as "bum warmers" as opposed to "heaters", so I suppose that fits the bill. To remove the seat pad you simply pull back the top, which is held in by two plastic clips, and then work away the spray on adhesive that they use for the rest of the pad. After I put in the heating elements, I converted the pads to use velcro instead of spraying more adhesive. That seems to work great, and will make it easier if I ever need to get back in there. Here's a shot of the elements installed in the seat. Note that I straightened out the upper element after taking this shot. I tapped into the fuse block under the dash and used the screws for the OBDII port for the ground points. I then ran the wires down through the center shift tunnel and mounted the switches in the "snow-cone" holder, as so: In the end the install went fairly smoothly and I'm happy with the results. Let me know if you guys have any questions.

10-04-2009, 07:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
dbisbee Service animal Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 476	Very nice install. I am typing this behind the obnoxious Pennzoil banner that drops down but does not go away all of the time. PITA! Reminds me never to buy Pennzoil! __________________ The word "PASSION" should aways be uppercase. #349 '05 AS Elise Touring, Hardtop, Starshield, Plinth delete, GPS Garmin 680, V1, V1 mirror, Leather console, Multivex, Alpine CDA9887, JL stealthbox, Focals, Alpine PDX 5, HID, RAC Monolites, R888's, Stage II, Front Slotted rotors, R4-S pads, Stebel nautilus, TitanQR and Odyssey 925 now with bracket.

10-04-2009, 08:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
Thomasio really light stuff Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3,503	Dan C. was telling me about your project yesterday. What's next, chains on the tires for when it snows? __________________ 07 SY Exige S Really Light Stuff Intercooler . RLS Tubes . RLS Water/Methanol Injection . RLS 3.0" Pulley . RLS Wing Plates . RLS CF Window Panel

10-07-2009, 07:58 PM	#12 (permalink)
Moto44 Back in the Saddle Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,798	I'm just here to say I approve of you choice of vehicles. __________________ If nobody ever died doing it, how much fun could it be?

10-07-2009, 08:27 PM	#16 (permalink)
DWebb Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pleasanton Texas Posts: 180 Images: 20	Very good, Just curious, have you any thoughts on cooled seats. Could that be possible? oh yea, now you got me thinking. ahhh, kinda hurts. __________________ Yes, that's very nice, Thank You.

10-07-2009, 07:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
Snowphun All good Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: SE MA Posts: 177	Thanks for the pictures of the install, I suspected the panels would have to go behind the padding and thus not be as hot. What is the sellers name on Ebay? Any reason you picked them over the other Ebay sellers? Ebay auction for two seats Finding a good circuit to add these to is key, looks like the can draw a bit less than 10 amps each.

10-07-2009, 07:51 PM	#11 (permalink)
JWA #33 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Racine, WI Posts: 3,737	I bought them from this auction: 2 Seat Carbon Fiber Universal Heated Seat Heater Kit :eBay Motors (item 290318152673 end time Oct-15-09 00:31:03 PDT) I just received the second set that I ordered to put in the Jeep and they came in a white fabric with slightly different fuse holder. Not sure if there is a difference. I have been trying them out now for a couple days and they definitely get warm enough. It seems to take a little while before they are completely up to temperature, but today it was 55 out and I had to turn them down to the Low setting and then off after a while. So they seem to be doing the job. I did notice from their website that they have a set called the Innovative Heat Extreme or III (Seat Heater for Cars and Trucks from AutoWarm.com) that they claim gets hotter. I dont know if that would be worth the extra expense or not.

10-08-2009, 07:23 AM	#19 (permalink)
mrcarcrazy Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 690	what jeep forum are you on? I've been considering heaters in my jeep and Elise as well. I've added them to other cars and it wasn't too bad. It makes topless driving much more tolerable for the lady's. I too like your choice of vehicles. __________________ 2005 Magnetic Blue Elise - "the Lotus" (original I know) 2001 Jeep Wrangler - "soul crusher". If you dont GET it after you drive it, then you dont GET it - serpent

10-08-2009, 07:47 AM	#20 (permalink)
gpheck Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 72	I think I've seen it all now.. seat heaters in a lotus!? Whats next, wipers and sprayers for the headlights? haha jk.. anyways nice idea and install

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