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2003-2009 Nissan 350Z

Longevity of '05+'06 cloth seats

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Old May 12, 2015 | 07:14 AM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Tony1M
Nice seats. Do they adjust and, if so, how?
If you mean as in, "sliding forward and backward", yes they do. There's a small lever near the bottom outer side of the seat to tilt it forward.

Now if you meant "up and down" like you can adjust our OEM seats in the 350Z then the answer is no. If you're worried about clearance inside of the car, Corbeau [and I'm sure most other seat companies] offer a 'shaved base' option. For an additional cost they'll shave the bottom half of the seat down by about an inch for you.
I'd had my seats set so low for years I'd forgotten how it felt not to have this and when I first installed them I did notice I was sitting higher than before.
Took a bit of adjusting to get it back to where I was comfortable driving again.

But I'm only 5' 8", so head clearance wasn't a really big issue for me to begin with. I've tracked it twice in the past and I'm still short enough to fit inside wearing a standard helmet.

Definitely call/email a few places and check out the interior thread before making a purchase. I poured through that section for months before buying these and they weren't even my first choice, but I've been happy with them since my purchase.
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Old May 12, 2015 | 09:28 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by WYZIWYG
If you mean as in, "sliding forward and backward", yes they do. There's a small lever near the bottom outer side of the seat to tilt it forward.

Now if you meant "up and down" like you can adjust our OEM seats in the 350Z then the answer is no. If you're worried about clearance inside of the car, Corbeau [and I'm sure most other seat companies] offer a 'shaved base' option. For an additional cost they'll shave the bottom half of the seat down by about an inch for you.
I'd had my seats set so low for years I'd forgotten how it felt not to have this and when I first installed them I did notice I was sitting higher than before.
Took a bit of adjusting to get it back to where I was comfortable driving again.

But I'm only 5' 8", so head clearance wasn't a really big issue for me to begin with. I've tracked it twice in the past and I'm still short enough to fit inside wearing a standard helmet.

Definitely call/email a few places and check out the interior thread before making a purchase. I poured through that section for months before buying these and they weren't even my first choice, but I've been happy with them since my purchase.
Thanks for the additional information.

I'm already pretty squeezed into the typical 350Z with its OEM seat, but at least I fit. I'm reluctant to take a chance on an aftermarket seat after whose installation I might very well end up not fitting in the vehicle, let alone being comfortable in the seat itself. In short, I already know what I've got with the OEM.

Again, the more I think about it, the more I think that the smart approach is to completely ignore the condition of the upholstery and add on to the cost of the vehicle the cost of replacing the upholstery shortly after purchase.

With the above in mind, while searching for aftermarket replacement seat upholstery, I stumbled onto this site -
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/350...novations.html
- which describes, step by step, how to replace the upholstery.

Using that procedure as a guide, I know with near-certainty that I will be able to replace/ugrade the upholstery myself and, therefore, the longevity of the OEM seat upholstery is no longer a serious issue to me.

If a vehicle that we look at has very worn upholstery but is in otherwise very good condition, the condition of the upholstery will be a good negotiating tool. As far as the final selling price goes, maybe the worse it looks, the better. (How attitudes can change, eh?)

In this situation, the DIY "s(w)eat equity" may very well end up being quite valuable. In effect, by lowering the price of his vehilce, the seller pays for most, if not all, of the price of new upholstery, rather than the buyer almost certainly doing so at some point in the future. (The future re-sale value of the vehicle will be improved, too.)

Not only that, but as far as I can tell from photos, some of the aftermarket upholstery looks at least as good as the OEM, and, if the internet can be believed, apparently has better quality leather.

So the buyer of a used 350Z can end up with a used vehicle whose seats have brand new upholstery that is better than new OEM. I could "live long and prosper" with that.

Now all I've got to do is find a low-mile vehicle in good mechanical and exterior condition that has really sh*tty seats.
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Old May 12, 2015 | 10:43 AM
  #23  
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If you're so concerned such insignificant things as seats, why are you looking at 05-06s?
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Old May 18, 2015 | 08:42 PM
  #24  
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Here's a question, I bought an '08 base with 120k and the seats are trashed. All the cheap replacements I can find are base 05-06 seats, are there any differences?
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Old May 19, 2015 | 05:12 AM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Bonfire
Here's a question, I bought an '08 base with 120k and the seats are trashed. All the cheap replacements I can find are base 05-06 seats, are there any differences?
Not really- they are all manual seats with basic adjustments. But rather than spending money on an older seat, why not just have your seats rebuilt by an upholstery shop?
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Old May 19, 2015 | 08:44 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by dkmura
Not really- they are all manual seats with basic adjustments. But rather than spending money on an older seat, why not just have your seats rebuilt by an upholstery shop?
I've never really dealt with an upholstery shop before. I guess I figured it would be cheaper to go with a used pair, and would be more oem looking. Have a deal lined up where I can get some near new 05 base seats from a guy who went recaro for $250. There is something to be said for saving the ones that are in there though, im sure the rest of the seat is just fine and it seems a bit wasteful to not reuse them. Maybe I'll put them up on craigslist for cheap so someone can reuse them.
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Old May 28, 2015 | 11:29 AM
  #27  
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I own a 06 with 53k miles and there is some wear on the side bolsters, but no tear. I'm 5'9 180lbs and still have hard time getting in and out of the car. So if you are a big guy I'm sure u would wear out the seats more. That being said if mine does wear out. I plan to replace them with leather seats.
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Old May 28, 2015 | 05:29 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Golden_Armz
I own a 06 with 53k miles and there is some wear on the side bolsters, but no tear. I'm 5'9 180lbs and still have hard time getting in and out of the car. So if you are a big guy I'm sure u would wear out the seats more. That being said if mine does wear out. I plan to replace them with leather seats.
I recently picked up an '03 with leather seats, and for some reason they don't seem nearly as comfortable as my '07 with cloth seats. The cloth seats are better shaped for my back on a long drive. I'm not sure if the seat design changed shape at some point between the 03 and 07?
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Old May 28, 2015 | 10:22 PM
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Maybe they did change the seats, I doubt it though. It could be just in your mind.... I'm getting the synthetic leather seat covers for $300. I've seen some pictures the fitment is really good. Its not my daily, so it should last me awhile....
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