Is there a way to add seat cooling to an E92 M3?

[RudyP]

Summer is in full swing now and it is getting a bit toasty in my black on black M3 when it has been parked in the sun all day. AC works pretty quickly to cool my face and front of my body but my back and butt stay toasty the whole ride home from work. Would be really great to retrofit seat cooling like modern MBs and Porsches have.

Anyone heard of such a modification? On a related note, I'm kind of disappointed that it isn't an option on the F80 M4 either. That might have nudged me to upgrade.

[Ludey]

Originally Posted by RudyP

Summer is in full swing now and it is getting a bit toasty in my black on black M3 when it has been parked in the sun all day. AC works pretty quickly to cool my face and front of my body but my back and butt stay toasty the whole ride home from work. Would be really great to retrofit seat cooling like modern MBs and Porsches have.

Anyone heard of such a modification? On a related note, I'm kind of disappointed that it isn't an option on the F80 M4 either. That might have nudged me to upgrade.

I would be SO on board with this. Living in Charlotte, with a black interior, with non-perforated leather makes for horrific swamp ass!

On a side note, I test drove an S6 last week with ventilated seats - it was mid-90s, high humidity, and the car was sitting in the sun = perfect test scenario for ventilated seats. Cranked them all the way up and I could barely tell it was on. Not sure if that's true with all manufactures but I was very disappointed.

[Harry Da Hamster]

LOL @ swamp ass

[IzzyGray]

Ventilated seats make you feel like you're peeing in your pants. Had it in the CTS.

[tinman831]

Originally Posted by IzzyGray

Ventilated seats make you feel like you're peeing in your pants. Had it in the CTS.

Beats swamp ass.

[SOM3]

Yea sure, just pee in your pants and you won't worry about being hot.

[808@702]

Get one of those snap towels advertised in golf magazines. Snap - Cool Ass - AHHHH

[Ludey]

Acutally, if anything makes you feel like you've soiled yourself, it's heated seats. The first car I had those in, I let one fly while they were on and was convinced the entire rest of the ride that I sharted myself.

[zoltans4]

although perforation makes a little difference, the fans of the cooling REALLY don't do that much honestly, not when its hot hot. In vegas in the 80-90 it works well, but when its actually hot, you can't tell the cooling seats do anything at all...

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by Ludey

Acutally, if anything makes you feel like you've soiled yourself, it's heated seats. The first car I had those in, I let one fly while they were on and was convinced the entire rest of the ride that I sharted myself.

OP, ventilated seats would be a nightmare to retrofit. You'd need seats with perforated leather, the required fans, wiring to the fans, the button to manage it, and then software, which would be tricky considering BMW's E9x software probably doesn't support it since ventilated seats were never available.

But I've read that even on the 5 Series and Porsches, ventilated seats aren't what people were hoping. They're just ventilated, not air conditioned like the Escalade's -- so if your cabin is hot, you get hot air blown onto your back.

I cut down on cabin temps by first installing 35% ceramic tint and then Air Blue 80 on the windshield, which turned my interior temps down to just "very warm" from the previous "inferno".

[modkrazy]

Originally Posted by Ludey

I would be SO on board with this. Living in Charlotte, with a black interior, with non-perforated leather makes for horrific swamp ass!

On a side note, I test drove an S6 last week with ventilated seats - it was mid-90s, high humidity, and the car was sitting in the sun = perfect test scenario for ventilated seats. Cranked them all the way up and I could barely tell it was on. Not sure if that's true with all manufactures but I was very disappointed.

The M6's ventilated seats are likewise barely noticeable. I think the idea is to just cool if by a few degrees to keep you from sweating, it's not going to be like an ass conditioner.

[Prestigefrzn]

Originally Posted by Ludey

Acutally, if anything makes you feel like you've soiled yourself, it's heated seats. The first car I had those in, I let one fly while they were on and was convinced the entire rest of the ride that I sharted myself.

this had me dying

[RudyP]

Thanks for the responses folks. My parents have some MB cars and a Panamera with cooling seats and at least the Panamera is very effective. It is definitely AC cooled air and not just fans - the seat's surface temperature drops markedly when they are on.

I'm seriously considering replacing the m3 with a new dd that has cooling seats but want a manual and something not too flashy (ie would prefer a BMW to a 991)

[m3ray]

Retrofit speed cloth or get a drop top

[nicebraces]

^ +1 ... My other car is a 2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, also with the seat ventilation feature ... It is definitely cold air and covers the entire seat, so everything gets cooled!!

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by modkrazy

The M6's ventilated seats are likewise barely noticeable. I think the idea is to just cool if by a few degrees to keep you from sweating, it's not going to be like an ass conditioner.

I am quite happy with the seat ventilation in my M5. It is true that it is only circulating cabin air but the AC is powerful enough to cool the cabin quickly and I definitely feel it, especially on my back which is what needs it most. The seat ventilation doesn't seem as powerful but if my butt gets uncomfortable I turn on the massage function and that does the trick. I love the luxury features of the M5.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by Ludey

Acutally, if anything makes you feel like you've soiled yourself, it's heated seats. The first car I had those in, I let one fly while they were on and was convinced the entire rest of the ride that I sharted myself.

Did you check?

[modkrazy]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

I am quite happy with the seat ventilation in my M5. It is true that it is only circulating cabin air but the AC is powerful enough to cool the cabin quickly and I definitely feel it, especially on my back which is what needs it most. The seat ventilation doesn't seem as powerful but if my butt gets uncomfortable I turn on the massage function and that does the trick. I love the luxury features of the M5.

It's badass, no doubt. I just wish they kept developing the S85. Imagine that with twin turbos.

[W///]

Originally Posted by RudyP

Thanks for the responses folks. My parents have some MB cars and a Panamera with cooling seats and at least the Panamera is very effective. It is definitely AC cooled air and not just fans - the seat's surface temperature drops markedly when they are on.

I'm seriously considering replacing the m3 with a new dd that has cooling seats but want a manual and something not too flashy (ie would prefer a BMW to a 991)

It'd be much easier to retrofit speed cloth (that feels super comfortable) rather than trying to add cooled seats.

You could always just wear this when you are driving in the summer:

[M.Hagen]

I've been in search of the same thing OP.

It appears BMW has a retrofit kit available for the E46 (incl. M3) to add ventilated seats. You could probably procure the same components and with a little DIY wiring, get the same function.



The major hold-back IMO is the lack of perforation on the M3 seats (unless you have speed cloth).

One possibility is installing F10 M5 seats, or the new F80 M3/M4 seats appear to have perforation pattern though not intended for ventilation.

Subscribed for further letdown...

[JD3]

Wife's IS350 has this and they work pretty well. They do make your butt feel like it's asleep, which is weird. I recently changed the cabin filter and that made a big difference.

[zorrro]

+1 and subscribed. I love my e90 but 2 things bmw missed are ventilated cooled seats and steering wheel heater (more useful than seat heater IMO).

Rented an infiniti down in houston during summertime and man was I sold on the seats, esp in a suit.