If you've been reading Edmunds and Inside Line for any length of time, you've probably seen that we don't think too highly of the Corvette's seats. We've written that they are flimsy, lacking lateral support and seemingly designed for "old fat men."
Personally, I don't blame Chevrolet all that much. Considering the typical Corvette buyer, the seats are fine. They're adequately comfortable and, on most trim levels, have adjustable bolsters for a bit of extra lateral support. But I also happen to fully back our assessment. And when I bought my 2008 Corvette coupe I knew the factory driver seat had to go.
My main disappointment with the latest Corvette has always been its lack of communication about what's going on with the car's grip at the limit of adhesion. And I suspected the seat was part of the problem -- if you're driving aggressively and sliding around on the seat, you're going to have to hang on to the steering wheel tighter and brace yourself with your left leg. Neither is good for feeling what the car is doing. Getting an aftermarket seat seemed like a way I could help address the problem.
Unfortunately, adding an aftermarket was a little more complicated than I originally thought.
The first issue I encountered was that very few aftermarket seats actually fit inside the Corvette. The Corvette's seats are actually fairly narrow at the cushion because of the car's wide transmission tunnel. In terms of compatibility, that limits the options. There are just a couple of street-legal reclining seats that fit plus a handful of race seats. Eventually, I ended up picking the Corbeau A4, which does fit inside a 2005+ Corvette and was within my budget. Because I'm typically the only one in my car, I bought just a driver seat.
The next issue was hardware compatibility. Most aftermarket street and race seats are just universal seats -- you have to figure out a way to mount them inside your car. Using the Corvette's factory rails/bracket typically isn't an option as an aftermarket seat won't bolt to them properly. Corbeau does offer a bracket for the Corvette, so I ordered one of those. Yet even here, it was tricky -- I actually had to buy a driver-side bracket but a passenger-side seat (don't ask).
These days, a modern car's front seats are tied into car's electronics for safety/airbag reasons, so I had that to deal with, too. In addition to the wires for the seat's power adjustments, you've got wires or sensors for the seatbelts, the seatbelt pretensioners, the side airbags, the front airbags and the front-passenger seat detection system. Alter or remove any of these things and the car's computer is going to think something's wrong, and at that point, these safety systems might not work properly.
For my driver seat install, I was able to reconnect almost everything. The only thing I haven't been able to solve so far is the seat position sensor for front airbag deployment since it's part of the factory seat rail and not transferable. According to the Corvette factory repair manual, the driver-side airbag will still deploy without a proper signal, but obviously it's something I want to remedy.
From a performance standpoint, the Corbeau seat is a nice upgrade. The extra lateral support (particularly around the shoulder area) makes it a lot easier to relax and feel the car's responses when driving aggressively. The fabric is also nice since it's not as slippery as leather. At the same time, however, I'd feel safer at track events with a full race seat and harness. So I might go back to the stock seat for street driving and buy a full race seat and harness for track use. Alternately, there's another company that offers a pretty nice aftermarket seat that incorporates the factory rails and electronic connections. But it's also a lot more expensive than what I paid for the Corbeau.
Of course, this would all be a non-issue of Chevy would just offer a sport seat upgrade. You can get a sport seat option in just about any European sports car and even the Cadillac CTS, so why not the Corvette? Seems like a no-brainer.
Finally, a big DISCLAIMER: All of this is just my experience with installing an aftermarket seat in my personal vehicle and is not official advice of Edmunds, Inc. The changes I made are not authoritative or verified in any way. I am in no way condoning or offering advice or how-to knowledge about the modification of any vehicle, particularly in regards to the important safety items like airbags, seatbelts and pretensioners. In fact, I'd strongly recommend keeping your stock seats since your car's manufacturer designed everything to work together harmoniously to meet government safety standards. Always wear your seltbelt. And, for good measure, eat lots of vegetables and be nice to kittens. That is all.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
By jederino
on March 3, 2010
10:56 AM
Nice post. Has your impression of chassis and wheel communication improved with this upgrade? Wow, sounds complex, though. I definitely would just want to take advantage of a factor upgrade, were one available!
So far, how would you compare the chassis and steering with, say, the current Mustang? Would you consider the Mustang more intuitive at its limits?
By dougtheeng
on March 3, 2010
11:00 AM
cats suck.
By cruiserhead1
on March 3, 2010
11:00 AM
nice! thanks for the update.
The A4 looks good in there too.
Why not add a crossbar behind the seats and 5 pt harness setup to the A4?
By subytrojan
on March 3, 2010
12:27 PM
Puppies > Kittens
How about links to the DIY for the seat install, Brent? They may be helpful for other Corvette owners who read this.
Also required is a comparison of times down your favorite winding road before the seat and after the seat! I kid.²
By bromans
on March 3, 2010
02:42 PM
@jederino
To a certain extent, yes, it's improved because I no longer need to have a death grip on the steering wheel. But the car's level of communication is still mediocre. (Editor Sadlier once suggested I steal the steering rack out of our 2002 long-term BMW M3 ...) Look for a post or two in the coming months about my quest to improve my car in this regard.
While the Mustang's handling limits aren't as high, I'd say it's easier to know what's going on with the car's adhesion than the Corvette.
@cruiserhead
While the A4 has the holes at the top for a harness, the best you could do is a four-point harness as there wouldn't be a way to do the crotch belt. And at that point, the factory setup with the airbags might still be better. Plus, the A4 is a reclining seat, which typically isn't sanctioned for actual racing as it's not as rigid as a fixed-back seat.
@suby
I never got around to doing a how-to on the Corvette forums, though a couple people have done so with the C5 Corvette. I believe the C5 is easier to swap seats on due to fewer electronic/safety issues.
-Brent
By jederino
on March 3, 2010
04:16 PM
"Look for a post or two in the coming months about my quest to improve my car in this regard."
Thanks, Brent! Can't wait for this saga to continue. Tuning the Vette in this way is a most worthy project, because it has style and power in spades.
Also, good to hear about the Mustang. Lower limits, but good communication. I gather this is a primary strength it has over its direct competitors.
By sladedaddy
on March 4, 2010
09:16 AM
Hey Brent, great article and as a fellow Corvette owner, all I can say is you were spot on with the following statement:
"... if you're driving aggressively and sliding around on the seat, you're going to have to hang on to the steering wheel tighter and brace yourself with your left leg."
Sometimes I think my drivers door is going to pop open with how much pressure my left leg puts on it when putting my Vette through some heavy 'exercises'.
Quick question: you mentioned that there's another company that offers a pretty nice aftermarket seat that incorporates the factory rails and electronic connections, but is more expensive. What company and what seat?
-Charlie
By deagle13
on March 4, 2010
09:52 AM
@sladedaddy
I think the other seat Brent was referring to is the seat from Arizen - www.arizenracingsports.com
Brent-
In your quest to improve feel/communication in your car, let me recommend 3 changes I made to my '07: 3/8" tunnel plate, stainless steel brake lines, new tires. None of these are "quantum leap" items, but they all have subtle effects with tires having the greatest impact. I work in Century City so if you want to see/drive my car when you're in L.A., just let me know.
By chavis10
on March 4, 2010
11:37 AM
"Of course, this would all be a non-issue of Chevy would just offer a sport seat upgrade. You can get a sport seat option in just about any European sports car and even the Cadillac CTS, so why not the Corvette? Seems like a no-brainer."
Because they won't FIT, period. This has been discussed numerous times. The chief engineer for the vehicle has addressed this in the past. Because of the abnomral dimensions of the car and the fact that the side airbag needs space to deploy, Chevrolet cannot offer an upgraded seat which tend to be physically larger than the slim seats that are offered. Yes it may suck but it's not going to change on the C6 Corvette.
By cruiserhead1
on March 4, 2010
07:48 PM
Chavis10
Are you really saying poor seating is acceptable because of "abnormal dimensions"?
Crappy seats fit fine but reshaping foam within existing dimensions is impossible?
No, this is not a place where you can make excuses. GM simply does not want to invest money in this and didn't, just like the steering wheel.
By bromans
on March 4, 2010
09:17 PM
@deagle13
Arizen is a good recommendation. I was also thinking of www.caravaggiocorvettes.com
-Brent
By 1487
on March 5, 2010
06:18 AM
"Are you really saying poor seating is acceptable because of "abnormal dimensions"?
Crappy seats fit fine but reshaping foam within existing dimensions is impossible?"
its not changing on this generation car. Period. Name one other car where the OEM seast design was totally changed in the middle of a lifecycle. It doesn't happen. As Chavis said existing performance seats dont fit in the car and they arent going to re-engineer the center tunnel to fit a new seat after 5 years on the market. Obviously the CTS can accomodate existing off the shelf Recaros and thus it has them.
By sabastian
on March 5, 2010
08:38 AM
"Because they won't FIT, period...Chevrolet cannot offer an upgraded seat which tend to be physically larger than the slim seats that are offered."
Better seats wouldn't have to be larger. Period. End.
http://image.motortrend.com/f/29444502+w750/2010-porsche-cayman-s-drivers-seat.jpg
By iskch
on March 5, 2010
10:57 AM
As my old buddy, a retire GM engineer told me long ago. " The people that run the Corvette program focus only in drive train and hardly in any interior design nor fit & finish "
I don't want to list the rest due to harsh language.
Still true to this day. I hope they are fixing it for the next generation Vette.
By sladedaddy
on March 8, 2010
09:12 AM
Brent R, deagle13,
Thanks guys for your suggestions, I really appreciate it!
Deagle13,
I actually live in Rancho Park, you should join my next car outing, there's nothing better than taking advantage of the PCH and the beautiful canyon roads we live so close to. Thanks for the offer on checking out the modifications you made, I'll totally do that when/if we sync-up for a car outing. What's the best way to get a hold of you?
Thanks again!
-Charlie
By 1487
on March 8, 2010
12:05 PM
"Better seats wouldn't have to be larger. Period. End."
No, they mean the outer dimensions of existing sports seats wont fit within the space alloted without modifications. The fact there are some sports seats somewhere in the world that fit inside the car doesnt mean they are the type Chevy wants for this car.